The Beast From Beneath - Martin Howard

The second in the Mallory Vale and Maggoty Skull series sees the dynamic duo battling a Nightmare that has taken root in Aunt Lilith after she decided to try to improve her psychic powers.  As Lilith realises that being able to hear the dead isn't all she thought it would be, Mallory and Maggoty have to undertake a perilous journey into the depths of Carrion Castle in order to find a solution to the problem before it's too late.

I adored Mallory Vane And The Curse of Maggoty Skull (you can read my review here ) and I'd been waiting for The Beast From Beneath since finishing book 1!

Whilst mastering her new skills , and discovering just how powerful she can be,

Mallory goes from strength to strength in this book and seems to be the one heading the household this time.  Maggoty's desperate desire for a new and expensive wig, her new role as a necromancer and Aunt Lilith's predicament certainly keep Mallory busy and her strength of character shines through - she's very much becoming a strong person whose reluctance about her powers have given way to confidence.

Maggoty remains one of my favourite ever fictional characters! His attitude, manner and way of speaking all made me laugh and add a light-heartedness to the book.  I love the humour, darkness and Death that lurk in this brilliant book that is perfect for this time of year.

The Beast From Beneath is another guaranteed hit for Martin (it's already been borrowed from my office library twice in the past week) and I sincerely hope that Mallory and Maggoty will be back. 

So, as predicted, The Beast From Beneath is already a hit at school and I have a review from a student to add to my own:

The Beast From beneath was a good book because the mysteries were dark yet funny (because of the one and only Maggoty Skull).  It was also really cool when Mallory could summon people who had gone to the afterlife.  Maggoty's constantly, annoying jabbering about the Eleganza made me smile, it was also pretty emotional when Maggoty ... (I'm redacting this bit as a spoiler!!).  I have noticed that Mallory becomes a bit darker throughout the series, making me wonder if one day she will finally become a dark necromancer like her relative.  Todd was really funny, always randomly appearing out of Aunt Lilith's ear saying something about food.  I really enjoyed this book and I hope there will be another one.