Mistle Child (The Undertaken Trilogy #2) (Hardcover)
Silas visits the ancestral home of the Umber family in this suspenseful and surreal contemporary ghost story, the second in the Undertaken trilogy.
Silas Umber has finally come into his own as the Undertaker of Lichport when an invitation arrives: a mysterious word carved into the door of his house. Intrigued, Silas ventures beyond the marshes to visit Arvale Manor, the ancestral estate of the Umber family.
There, he discovers that the extended Umber family may be dead, but they are not gone: Indeed, many of them still dwell in Arvale, waiting for an Undertaker to return and preside over the Door Doom, an archaic rite that grants a terrible power to summon and bind the dead in judgment.
As Silas assumes the mantle of Janus, the Watcher at the Threshold, deep below the earth in the catacombs and sunken towers, grim spirits grow restless at his arrival—hungry for freedom and eager for vengeance against a family with a long history of harsh judgments. As the only living Undertaker at Arvale Manor, Silas must put an ancient wrong to right, and accept that even a house of ghosts can be haunted by its past—for in matters of family, we are who we were.
Silas Umber has finally come into his own as the Undertaker of Lichport when an invitation arrives: a mysterious word carved into the door of his house. Intrigued, Silas ventures beyond the marshes to visit Arvale Manor, the ancestral estate of the Umber family.
There, he discovers that the extended Umber family may be dead, but they are not gone: Indeed, many of them still dwell in Arvale, waiting for an Undertaker to return and preside over the Door Doom, an archaic rite that grants a terrible power to summon and bind the dead in judgment.
As Silas assumes the mantle of Janus, the Watcher at the Threshold, deep below the earth in the catacombs and sunken towers, grim spirits grow restless at his arrival—hungry for freedom and eager for vengeance against a family with a long history of harsh judgments. As the only living Undertaker at Arvale Manor, Silas must put an ancient wrong to right, and accept that even a house of ghosts can be haunted by its past—for in matters of family, we are who we were.
Ari Berk is the author of the Undertaken trilogy and Nightsong, illustrated by Loren Long. He works in a library filled to the ceiling with thousands of arcane books and more than a few wondrous artifacts. When not writing, he moonlights as professor of mythology and folklore at Central Michigan University. He lives in Michigan with his wife and son. Visit him at AriBerk.com.
"Fine bedtime fare for readers looking to cut down on their sleep."
— Kirkus Reviews
"Will definitely satisfy gothic fantasy lovers...Berk is certainly a master storyteller. He understands how to tell a ghost tale dripping with rich detail and vivid imagery. He leads readers into a captivating world that seduces with each page turn. Readers who are fans of this genre will devour this sequel and look forward to the conclusion."
— VOYA, 4Q 4P
"Dark and gothic, with rich and descriptive language, Mistle Child draws readers in, regardless of whether or not they have read the first book. Teens who enjoy horror stories will relish this dark, ghostly tale."
— School Library Journal
— Kirkus Reviews
"Will definitely satisfy gothic fantasy lovers...Berk is certainly a master storyteller. He understands how to tell a ghost tale dripping with rich detail and vivid imagery. He leads readers into a captivating world that seduces with each page turn. Readers who are fans of this genre will devour this sequel and look forward to the conclusion."
— VOYA, 4Q 4P
"Dark and gothic, with rich and descriptive language, Mistle Child draws readers in, regardless of whether or not they have read the first book. Teens who enjoy horror stories will relish this dark, ghostly tale."
— School Library Journal