A Novel (Blyton Summer Detective Club Adventure) - Meddling Kids
ByEdgar Cantero
| ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ | |
| ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ | |
| ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ | |
| ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ | |
| ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
Looking forA Novel (Blyton Summer Detective Club Adventure) - Meddling Kids in PDF?
Check out Scribid.com
Audiobook
Check out Audiobooks.com
Readers` Reviews
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
nancy nugent
I read this book knowing very little about it, only that someone from one of my book podcasts recommended it. I was expecting a young adult read about, well, meddling kids. The title and also an illustration inside and on the cover lead you to believe that. But it was about the adults who had once been those kids.
I'll just say that I'm one of those people who have very little patience with what I call "concept novels" and shifting narratives and times. I also don't like epistolary novels. To me, it's all about the story. And yet, I liked this novel. The author plays with words a lot and instead of it being annoying, I thought it was entertaining. I liked the characters. There was enough story to engage. It was a very playful novel in some ways, with a little author intrusion (which I don't usually like unless it's Trollope). And there's a large fantasy element, which I do like.
I would compare it to the film Cloverfield, more than anything else. I'm not familiar with Scooby Doo, so maybe I missed some of the references, but it didn't matter. The ending action was a bit too long winded, so i just scanned those parts. Overall, an enjoyable and affable read.
I'll just say that I'm one of those people who have very little patience with what I call "concept novels" and shifting narratives and times. I also don't like epistolary novels. To me, it's all about the story. And yet, I liked this novel. The author plays with words a lot and instead of it being annoying, I thought it was entertaining. I liked the characters. There was enough story to engage. It was a very playful novel in some ways, with a little author intrusion (which I don't usually like unless it's Trollope). And there's a large fantasy element, which I do like.
I would compare it to the film Cloverfield, more than anything else. I'm not familiar with Scooby Doo, so maybe I missed some of the references, but it didn't matter. The ending action was a bit too long winded, so i just scanned those parts. Overall, an enjoyable and affable read.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
hussein fahmy
Please Note: I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way.
Take four middle -school kids (and their trusty dog) with nothing to do for the summer in a sleepy, small town. Throw in a mystery, a mansion, and buried treasure, and you have all the makings of a Scooby-Doo cartoon. But,what if the kids felt like they actually had seen some evil, supernatural, ghoul (in addition to unmasking the bad guy)? What if their adventure left them traumatized? What kind of adult would these children become? Meddling Kids, by Edgar Cantero aims to answer that question. He creates an adventure that is scary, but populated with fun characters that the reader will want to follow.
What I Liked:
Andy:
Andy had the most mysterious past. How come she seems to know so much about weapons and fighting? Andy often is the tie-breaking vote when the trio makes decisions, making her the de-facto leader of the group. Even though she is confident about her skills, she is still unsure how to interact with the people she cares about, especially Kerri. She is the kind of person who go charging in to protect her friends.
Kerri:
Kerri seems the most damaged of the group. She was the one that was left alone in the dungeon when they were kids. She loves her friends, but has trouble letting go of her feelings of anger and abandonment. Kerri is smart, but can't seem to finish what she starts. Does she have a fear of failure, or success?
Nate:
We first see Nate in a Psych ward of a hospital. He has enormous guilt about what happened when the group "solved" the first mystery. Could he have unleashed an unspeakable evil that night? He self-loathing seem to manifest itself by Nate seeing (hearing) the ghost of Peter. Peter has a running commentary in Nate's head of all the mistakes Nate makes. So, of course, Nate cannot seem to make a decision or have any confidence in his abilities.
Peter:
At First, Peter was the golden boy, becoming a successful movie star. Until he suddenly is found dead, from an apparent suicide. Only Nate can see Peter, but that doesn't stop him from commenting on all the action in hilarious asides. Peter has/had a personality where he was the natural leader. But he is/was also kind of a jerk. Can Nate see past Peter's jabs and understand that each person in the group has their own strengths?
Tim:
The dog, Tim, is such a delightful character that any time he was commenting (in thoughts only) I was smiling. Tim is not like Scooby-Doo. He is loyal, smart, and feels like he is an important part of the group. And he is. I loved how the book showed the relationship between Tim and Kerri (his human companion).
What I Was Mixed About:
Backstory:
I also would have liked even more information about what did happen to each character in the ten year gap between the original adventure and now. There are a lot of hints as to what happened to each person, and if the author wanted to keep things vague, I understand. But maybe he could have at least gone in to more detail about how they were emotionally affected.
What I didn't Like:
Action Scenes:
I found the writing confusing when the action got particularly intense. There was just so much going on that it was hard to follow. Also, I felt the scenes went on too long. It's hard for the reader to maintain that "edge of your seat" feeling when the scenes go on and on.
Take four middle -school kids (and their trusty dog) with nothing to do for the summer in a sleepy, small town. Throw in a mystery, a mansion, and buried treasure, and you have all the makings of a Scooby-Doo cartoon. But,what if the kids felt like they actually had seen some evil, supernatural, ghoul (in addition to unmasking the bad guy)? What if their adventure left them traumatized? What kind of adult would these children become? Meddling Kids, by Edgar Cantero aims to answer that question. He creates an adventure that is scary, but populated with fun characters that the reader will want to follow.
What I Liked:
Andy:
Andy had the most mysterious past. How come she seems to know so much about weapons and fighting? Andy often is the tie-breaking vote when the trio makes decisions, making her the de-facto leader of the group. Even though she is confident about her skills, she is still unsure how to interact with the people she cares about, especially Kerri. She is the kind of person who go charging in to protect her friends.
Kerri:
Kerri seems the most damaged of the group. She was the one that was left alone in the dungeon when they were kids. She loves her friends, but has trouble letting go of her feelings of anger and abandonment. Kerri is smart, but can't seem to finish what she starts. Does she have a fear of failure, or success?
Nate:
We first see Nate in a Psych ward of a hospital. He has enormous guilt about what happened when the group "solved" the first mystery. Could he have unleashed an unspeakable evil that night? He self-loathing seem to manifest itself by Nate seeing (hearing) the ghost of Peter. Peter has a running commentary in Nate's head of all the mistakes Nate makes. So, of course, Nate cannot seem to make a decision or have any confidence in his abilities.
Peter:
At First, Peter was the golden boy, becoming a successful movie star. Until he suddenly is found dead, from an apparent suicide. Only Nate can see Peter, but that doesn't stop him from commenting on all the action in hilarious asides. Peter has/had a personality where he was the natural leader. But he is/was also kind of a jerk. Can Nate see past Peter's jabs and understand that each person in the group has their own strengths?
Tim:
The dog, Tim, is such a delightful character that any time he was commenting (in thoughts only) I was smiling. Tim is not like Scooby-Doo. He is loyal, smart, and feels like he is an important part of the group. And he is. I loved how the book showed the relationship between Tim and Kerri (his human companion).
What I Was Mixed About:
Backstory:
I also would have liked even more information about what did happen to each character in the ten year gap between the original adventure and now. There are a lot of hints as to what happened to each person, and if the author wanted to keep things vague, I understand. But maybe he could have at least gone in to more detail about how they were emotionally affected.
What I didn't Like:
Action Scenes:
I found the writing confusing when the action got particularly intense. There was just so much going on that it was hard to follow. Also, I felt the scenes went on too long. It's hard for the reader to maintain that "edge of your seat" feeling when the scenes go on and on.
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore: A Novel :: Two Girls Down: A Novel :: Horrorstor: A Novel :: Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook :: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
mlombardi
The idea I was totally onboard for. It sets itself up as Scooby-Doo as adults, which, I'm not sure how the author got around copyright issues, but, it's the standard set up of a Scooby-Doo theme, straight out of the cartoon. Big problem: I'm pretty sure the author wrote this is a script and someone told him to turn it into a book. That wouldn't be so bad except he left the script pages in it and wrote scenes around them. Jarring, weird, and broke up the flow. One minute you're reading the book, the next a script. Really, he couldn't take the time to change that? Really? It made for terrible reading. While I would normally like that the Velma character was a lesbian, it did not like the author's male interpretation of what a lesbian is like. No surprise. It's hard enough for most men to do a decent interpretation of women, let alone gay women. The character ended up being cliche and one-dimensional, which was another thing that took me out of the story, aside from it jumping around from script format to novel format. There were also a lot of aimless filler scenes. Like, the Velma and Daphne characters go from bar, to bar...to bar. Okay, I get it, they're drinking like sailors. Enough that the author clearly doesn't understand that women can not consume as much as men without passing out, but aside from that, nothing's happening. It's just empty filler pages rather than scenes that push the story forward or develop the characters. The book must have been greenlit for the idea...and maybe the author knows someone, 'cause there really wasn't much here worth merit.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
jennifer colwell
Back in 1977 the kids of the Blyton Summer Detective Club had their last big case, some guy in a mask was hunting around in a supposed haunted house and the Blyton Summer Detective Club decided to stop him. They succeeded, really, they did. But maybe they saw a little more than they were meant to. A lot more than they were meant to. They solved the case, but what they saw broke them a little and they went their separate ways. The tomboy, wanted in two states. The brain, turned biologist, turned alcoholic. The golden boy, a star on film and in person, burned out before his time. The horror geek who turned himself over to an asylum, the only one who still talks to the golden boy even if he wishes he didn’t. But the case wasn’t finished, not by a long shot. And that’s going to drag them back to the town where summer lived. The Blyton Hills, where their last big case was never fully solved, where everything went wrong, where just maybe they can put it back together again and put the past to rest. Put the past to rest and maybe save the world while they’re at it.
Edgar Cantero’s Meddling Kids is a deeply interesting beast of a book combining a number of takes on its own prose and some distinctly strange ideas that I want to see more of. This is, from title to composition to set up a fond reflection of those other meddling kids and their Great Dane. It isn’t a one to one thing, certainly, but the familiarity from that reflection allows for a certain degree of comfort with the less Saturday morning cartoon aspects. Lovecraftian strangeness and all that.
That’s actually a really good starting point here, Meddling Kids is sort of Lovecraft by way of Scooby Doo. It’s a lot softer than most of the Lovecraft based stuff I’ve read, more comedy than pure horror. But it plays with the wrongnesses worked into the fabric of reality that make up the horror of a lot of that sort of style of horror deals with. The writing will sort of break from standard prose into stage directions and lines and then snap back, characters interact with the narrative in non-standard ways. Kerrie, the resident brain, has hair that’s almost a character of its own. It reacts to things and has feelings, and somehow that’s done frankly enough in the writing to work. Similarly Tim, the Weimaraner, is given a ton of human reactions and is textually treated as being as self aware as the rest of the cast. Even buildings get in on the act. This all makes for some really nifty double take moments. It can also be a bit distracting when you first start reading, so there is that.
As far as the story goes, it feels very much like a comedy horror detective story. It is, in fact, shaped like itself. That isn’t a bad thing by any stretch, but I do feel like it shines the most when the characters have reached Blyton Hills and are poking at the things they hadn’t had the chance or awareness to investigate in the past. The points where things they’d talked about or experienced as kids come back up in the story, how safe a room had always felt or wanting to ride a mine cart, are really strong points for the characters and they feel good. This reads best when the focus is squarely on the characters, when it’s a bunch of former teen detectives trying to go back to what was and get down to the bottom of what is. It stays there too. The reader gets to see Andy being grumpy and aggressive and trying to keep the team going. We get Nate trying to keep it together as things get weirder and weirder and the dead guy won’t stop talking to him. I do wish we has seen more of the dead guy, I feel like Peter could have been a bigger presence throughout.
The setting is also great. Like I mentioned before, buildings become almost characters, reacting to the characters approach, muttering, and the like. The town of Blyton Hills is a town dying a slow death, but not ready to let go. There’s still people and drama and the issue with that old mansion. The choice to have the book take place in 1990 also works well with a lot of standard horror tropes. The technology we rely so readily upon just isn’t there, so they’re cut off in a lot of ways. There is no just grabbing a cell phone to call for back up, because they weren’t nearly as common. Likewise, the research needed has to be done by hand because the internet wasn’t as big or readily accessible. It also sort of slots the story into this sort of timeless place that doesn’t feel quite real, technology is seldom specifically brought up so the reader can sort of let things slide as they will. Blyton Hills itself has that sort of not real feeling so many fading towns get, it meshes well with the cast being comparatively small, but we’re also treated to the protagonists noting how empty the place feels. It makes for a pretty fantastic level of low key creepiness.
Meddling Kids is definitely a book that I hope gets a follow up. The handful of things I wasn’t a fan of pale in comparison to the things that work. This gets a five out of five from me. And I’m probably going to go looking for more of Edgar Cantero’s work.
Edgar Cantero’s Meddling Kids is a deeply interesting beast of a book combining a number of takes on its own prose and some distinctly strange ideas that I want to see more of. This is, from title to composition to set up a fond reflection of those other meddling kids and their Great Dane. It isn’t a one to one thing, certainly, but the familiarity from that reflection allows for a certain degree of comfort with the less Saturday morning cartoon aspects. Lovecraftian strangeness and all that.
That’s actually a really good starting point here, Meddling Kids is sort of Lovecraft by way of Scooby Doo. It’s a lot softer than most of the Lovecraft based stuff I’ve read, more comedy than pure horror. But it plays with the wrongnesses worked into the fabric of reality that make up the horror of a lot of that sort of style of horror deals with. The writing will sort of break from standard prose into stage directions and lines and then snap back, characters interact with the narrative in non-standard ways. Kerrie, the resident brain, has hair that’s almost a character of its own. It reacts to things and has feelings, and somehow that’s done frankly enough in the writing to work. Similarly Tim, the Weimaraner, is given a ton of human reactions and is textually treated as being as self aware as the rest of the cast. Even buildings get in on the act. This all makes for some really nifty double take moments. It can also be a bit distracting when you first start reading, so there is that.
As far as the story goes, it feels very much like a comedy horror detective story. It is, in fact, shaped like itself. That isn’t a bad thing by any stretch, but I do feel like it shines the most when the characters have reached Blyton Hills and are poking at the things they hadn’t had the chance or awareness to investigate in the past. The points where things they’d talked about or experienced as kids come back up in the story, how safe a room had always felt or wanting to ride a mine cart, are really strong points for the characters and they feel good. This reads best when the focus is squarely on the characters, when it’s a bunch of former teen detectives trying to go back to what was and get down to the bottom of what is. It stays there too. The reader gets to see Andy being grumpy and aggressive and trying to keep the team going. We get Nate trying to keep it together as things get weirder and weirder and the dead guy won’t stop talking to him. I do wish we has seen more of the dead guy, I feel like Peter could have been a bigger presence throughout.
The setting is also great. Like I mentioned before, buildings become almost characters, reacting to the characters approach, muttering, and the like. The town of Blyton Hills is a town dying a slow death, but not ready to let go. There’s still people and drama and the issue with that old mansion. The choice to have the book take place in 1990 also works well with a lot of standard horror tropes. The technology we rely so readily upon just isn’t there, so they’re cut off in a lot of ways. There is no just grabbing a cell phone to call for back up, because they weren’t nearly as common. Likewise, the research needed has to be done by hand because the internet wasn’t as big or readily accessible. It also sort of slots the story into this sort of timeless place that doesn’t feel quite real, technology is seldom specifically brought up so the reader can sort of let things slide as they will. Blyton Hills itself has that sort of not real feeling so many fading towns get, it meshes well with the cast being comparatively small, but we’re also treated to the protagonists noting how empty the place feels. It makes for a pretty fantastic level of low key creepiness.
Meddling Kids is definitely a book that I hope gets a follow up. The handful of things I wasn’t a fan of pale in comparison to the things that work. This gets a five out of five from me. And I’m probably going to go looking for more of Edgar Cantero’s work.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
ayas
A solid four stars - plus one for sheer wit!
★★★★ + ★
Did you love Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! as a kid? (And do you still love it?) Did your literary journey inevitably lead you to the (sadly opuscular) works of H.P. Lovecraft and the (happily ubiquitary) mythos he created? Did you ever wonder what it would be like if your childhood scoobiphilia and your penchant for lovecraftian horror had an 80s Reese's Peanut Butter Cups "Hey, You Got Peanut Butter in My Chocolate" moment? Well, wonder no more! Cantero took your favourite Saturday morning cartoon sleuths and your beloved, cherished, madness-inducing non-Euclidean geometry and made a tasty treat!
It's not a two-pony show. Peppered in with the million Scooby Doo and Lovecraft references are nods to Enid Blyton (Duh!) and Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown and the Goonies and lots of stuff-from-my-childhood things.
There's even a circumlocutory reference to Neil Simon if you pay attention:
"Tim curled up in a corner of the backseat, sheltering his penguin from the storm, all tensed up in 'scandalized Maggie Smith' pose."
Or maybe that's a Paul Rudnick reference?
Er, maybe a J.K. Rowling reference?
Anyway...
Part mashup, part homage, part lark, Meddling Kids explores how our beloved gang of sleuths (under copyright-infringement-free pseudonyms, of course) made the transition from kid detectives to adults. Turns out it was a rough ride for all of them.
The two boys, two girls, and big dog (Ringing any bells?) of the Blyton Summer Detective Club spent their summers solving zany mysteries in and around Blyton Hills, Oregon. It was a fun and exciting way to spend their vacation together. But their final, laureate case had a profound effect on them and after they unmasked the Sleepy Lake Monster and the media frenzy died away they went their separate ways and lost contact with one another. Thirteen years later, when Thomas X. Wickley, the Sleepy Lake Monster, is released from prison it sets off a series of events that brings each of the surviving gang members back to Blyton Hills. The case, they realise, had never really been solved and each of them was changed in ways that they are only now beginning to recognize.
It's not perfect. Far from it. The writing isn't the best (or maybe not my cup of tea), with run-on sentences finding a far too comfortable home in this novel and Cantero inventing new words when really he shouldn't as (a) there are already perfectly serviceable words in English for what he is trying to communicate and (b) he isn't that great at coming up with the new words. Cantero also seems unsure if he is writing a book or a screen play. The narration shifts from one format to the other and, whether intentional or unintentional, the result is a jarring read through the transitions that completely break you out of any suspension of disbelief.
Even with the sometimes-enervated writing style, this book remains aware that it is a piece of tribute and is, throughout, a very entertaining read if your nostalgia is littered with Scooby snacks and Elder Gods. With both sly and glaring pop culture references, a tongue-in-cheek sensibility, and the bravery to confront child-cum-adult issues (mental illness, drug abuse, suicide, addiction to black magic...) this is a fun and entertaining adventure.
As Cantero states:
"No book is dangerous in and of itself you know, but historically reading a book in the wrong way has lead to terrible consequences."
Ashley Joanna "Ash" Williams knows. And Cantero knows we know.
Again, a solid four stars - with that extra star for Cantero doing something that I really wanted somebody to do but didn't realise I wanted it.
★★★★ + ★
Did you love Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! as a kid? (And do you still love it?) Did your literary journey inevitably lead you to the (sadly opuscular) works of H.P. Lovecraft and the (happily ubiquitary) mythos he created? Did you ever wonder what it would be like if your childhood scoobiphilia and your penchant for lovecraftian horror had an 80s Reese's Peanut Butter Cups "Hey, You Got Peanut Butter in My Chocolate" moment? Well, wonder no more! Cantero took your favourite Saturday morning cartoon sleuths and your beloved, cherished, madness-inducing non-Euclidean geometry and made a tasty treat!
It's not a two-pony show. Peppered in with the million Scooby Doo and Lovecraft references are nods to Enid Blyton (Duh!) and Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown and the Goonies and lots of stuff-from-my-childhood things.
There's even a circumlocutory reference to Neil Simon if you pay attention:
"Tim curled up in a corner of the backseat, sheltering his penguin from the storm, all tensed up in 'scandalized Maggie Smith' pose."
Or maybe that's a Paul Rudnick reference?
Er, maybe a J.K. Rowling reference?
Anyway...
Part mashup, part homage, part lark, Meddling Kids explores how our beloved gang of sleuths (under copyright-infringement-free pseudonyms, of course) made the transition from kid detectives to adults. Turns out it was a rough ride for all of them.
The two boys, two girls, and big dog (Ringing any bells?) of the Blyton Summer Detective Club spent their summers solving zany mysteries in and around Blyton Hills, Oregon. It was a fun and exciting way to spend their vacation together. But their final, laureate case had a profound effect on them and after they unmasked the Sleepy Lake Monster and the media frenzy died away they went their separate ways and lost contact with one another. Thirteen years later, when Thomas X. Wickley, the Sleepy Lake Monster, is released from prison it sets off a series of events that brings each of the surviving gang members back to Blyton Hills. The case, they realise, had never really been solved and each of them was changed in ways that they are only now beginning to recognize.
It's not perfect. Far from it. The writing isn't the best (or maybe not my cup of tea), with run-on sentences finding a far too comfortable home in this novel and Cantero inventing new words when really he shouldn't as (a) there are already perfectly serviceable words in English for what he is trying to communicate and (b) he isn't that great at coming up with the new words. Cantero also seems unsure if he is writing a book or a screen play. The narration shifts from one format to the other and, whether intentional or unintentional, the result is a jarring read through the transitions that completely break you out of any suspension of disbelief.
Even with the sometimes-enervated writing style, this book remains aware that it is a piece of tribute and is, throughout, a very entertaining read if your nostalgia is littered with Scooby snacks and Elder Gods. With both sly and glaring pop culture references, a tongue-in-cheek sensibility, and the bravery to confront child-cum-adult issues (mental illness, drug abuse, suicide, addiction to black magic...) this is a fun and entertaining adventure.
As Cantero states:
"No book is dangerous in and of itself you know, but historically reading a book in the wrong way has lead to terrible consequences."
Ashley Joanna "Ash" Williams knows. And Cantero knows we know.
Again, a solid four stars - with that extra star for Cantero doing something that I really wanted somebody to do but didn't realise I wanted it.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
lisa criswell
Ever wonder what happened to the Scooby Doo gang when they grew up? It wasn't exactly a question I ever thought I needed an answer to until Edgar Cantero decided he needed to give his unique twist on what that adulthood could have looked like. In his beautifully bizarre (bizarrely beautiful?) novel, Cantero introduces us to the Blyton Summer Detective Club, a group of 4 teenagers and their dog who spend their summer vacations solving mysteries in idyllic Blyton Hills. We're familiar with the team: there's Peter, the jock; Nate, the nerdy outsider; Andy, the tomboy; Kerri, the smart one; and Sean, the faithful Weimaraner. After their final case in the summer of 77, involving a masked fortune hunter trying to find the buried treasure of Deboën Mansion, the kids suddenly hang up their spy gear and retire from mystery solving.
Jump ahead thirteen years, and those same crime solving sleuths of young are now disillusioned 20-somethings trying to make their way thru life, not really understanding where their lives went wrong. Peter is dead (even tho Nate still talks to him), Nate is institutionalized (he talks to a dead guy, after all), Andy is a wanderer with a somewhat criminal past, and Kerri is a bartender in a seedy bar, who is also taking care of Tim, Sean's descendant. There was something about that last case, the one they all can't stop thinking about, that wasn't quite right, that is at the root of their problems. When Andy finally decides that enough is enough and they need to go back to Blyton Hills to face these demons and reopen that last case, the group gets together one last time to try to bring sense and closure to that final, haunting case.
Of course, it's not as easy as just a guy in a mask, and as they face down eco-villainous corporations, primordial monsters, ecological disasters, and something that defies description, they begin to come to terms with what has been haunting them over the years. This sounds wildly simplistic as I type it out, and I'm leaving it that way. It's not simplistic in the slightest, but the joy in this book is in the details and following along with the BSDC as they uncover one clue after the next, taking them on a whirlwind ride that makes you unable to put the book down until the very last page.
Much like his previous novel The Supernatural Enhancements (which I am a huge fan of as well), Cantero takes his time with the story, creating a slow build that eventually spirals into this wild adventure, making unexpected twists and turns in the narrative so you never really are sure that you know what's going on. His characters are exactly who they appear to be, rifs of the Scooby gang, but he doesn't make clichés of them. These characters are all their own and as individual as can be. Eagle-eyed readers will also notice fun callbacks to the Scooby cartoons.
So, if you're looking for something with a little mystery, a little horror, with some supernatural hijinx thrown in for fun, you can't go wrong with Meddling Kids. And if you like this, be sure to check out Cantero's The Supernatural Enhancements as well.
Jump ahead thirteen years, and those same crime solving sleuths of young are now disillusioned 20-somethings trying to make their way thru life, not really understanding where their lives went wrong. Peter is dead (even tho Nate still talks to him), Nate is institutionalized (he talks to a dead guy, after all), Andy is a wanderer with a somewhat criminal past, and Kerri is a bartender in a seedy bar, who is also taking care of Tim, Sean's descendant. There was something about that last case, the one they all can't stop thinking about, that wasn't quite right, that is at the root of their problems. When Andy finally decides that enough is enough and they need to go back to Blyton Hills to face these demons and reopen that last case, the group gets together one last time to try to bring sense and closure to that final, haunting case.
Of course, it's not as easy as just a guy in a mask, and as they face down eco-villainous corporations, primordial monsters, ecological disasters, and something that defies description, they begin to come to terms with what has been haunting them over the years. This sounds wildly simplistic as I type it out, and I'm leaving it that way. It's not simplistic in the slightest, but the joy in this book is in the details and following along with the BSDC as they uncover one clue after the next, taking them on a whirlwind ride that makes you unable to put the book down until the very last page.
Much like his previous novel The Supernatural Enhancements (which I am a huge fan of as well), Cantero takes his time with the story, creating a slow build that eventually spirals into this wild adventure, making unexpected twists and turns in the narrative so you never really are sure that you know what's going on. His characters are exactly who they appear to be, rifs of the Scooby gang, but he doesn't make clichés of them. These characters are all their own and as individual as can be. Eagle-eyed readers will also notice fun callbacks to the Scooby cartoons.
So, if you're looking for something with a little mystery, a little horror, with some supernatural hijinx thrown in for fun, you can't go wrong with Meddling Kids. And if you like this, be sure to check out Cantero's The Supernatural Enhancements as well.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
poulomi roy
A solid four stars - plus one for sheer wit!
★★★★ + ★
Did you love Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! as a kid? (And do you still love it?) Did your literary journey inevitably lead you to the (sadly opuscular) works of H.P. Lovecraft and the (happily ubiquitary) mythos he created? Did you ever wonder what it would be like if your childhood scoobiphilia and your penchant for lovecraftian horror had an 80s Reese's Peanut Butter Cups "Hey, You Got Peanut Butter in My Chocolate" moment? Well, wonder no more! Cantero took your favourite Saturday morning cartoon sleuths and your beloved, cherished, madness-inducing non-Euclidean geometry and made a tasty treat!
It's not a two-pony show. Peppered in with the million Scooby Doo and Lovecraft references are nods to Enid Blyton (Duh!) and Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown and the Goonies and lots of stuff-from-my-childhood things.
There's even a circumlocutory reference to Neil Simon if you pay attention:
"Tim curled up in a corner of the backseat, sheltering his penguin from the storm, all tensed up in 'scandalized Maggie Smith' pose."
Or maybe that's a Paul Rudnick reference?
Er, maybe a J.K. Rowling reference?
Anyway...
Part mashup, part homage, part lark, Meddling Kids explores how our beloved gang of sleuths (under copyright-infringement-free pseudonyms, of course) made the transition from kid detectives to adults. Turns out it was a rough ride for all of them.
The two boys, two girls, and big dog (Ringing any bells?) of the Blyton Summer Detective Club spent their summers solving zany mysteries in and around Blyton Hills, Oregon. It was a fun and exciting way to spend their vacation together. But their final, laureate case had a profound effect on them and after they unmasked the Sleepy Lake Monster and the media frenzy died away they went their separate ways and lost contact with one another. Thirteen years later, when Thomas X. Wickley, the Sleepy Lake Monster, is released from prison it sets off a series of events that brings each of the surviving gang members back to Blyton Hills. The case, they realise, had never really been solved and each of them was changed in ways that they are only now beginning to recognize.
It's not perfect. Far from it. The writing isn't the best (or maybe not my cup of tea), with run-on sentences finding a far too comfortable home in this novel and Cantero inventing new words when really he shouldn't as (a) there are already perfectly serviceable words in English for what he is trying to communicate and (b) he isn't that great at coming up with the new words. Cantero also seems unsure if he is writing a book or a screen play. The narration shifts from one format to the other and, whether intentional or unintentional, the result is a jarring read through the transitions that completely break you out of any suspension of disbelief.
Even with the sometimes-enervated writing style, this book remains aware that it is a piece of tribute and is, throughout, a very entertaining read if your nostalgia is littered with Scooby snacks and Elder Gods. With both sly and glaring pop culture references, a tongue-in-cheek sensibility, and the bravery to confront child-cum-adult issues (mental illness, drug abuse, suicide, addiction to black magic...) this is a fun and entertaining adventure.
As Cantero states:
"No book is dangerous in and of itself you know, but historically reading a book in the wrong way has lead to terrible consequences."
Ashley Joanna "Ash" Williams knows. And Cantero knows we know.
Again, a solid four stars - with that extra star for Cantero doing something that I really wanted somebody to do but didn't realise I wanted it.
★★★★ + ★
Did you love Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! as a kid? (And do you still love it?) Did your literary journey inevitably lead you to the (sadly opuscular) works of H.P. Lovecraft and the (happily ubiquitary) mythos he created? Did you ever wonder what it would be like if your childhood scoobiphilia and your penchant for lovecraftian horror had an 80s Reese's Peanut Butter Cups "Hey, You Got Peanut Butter in My Chocolate" moment? Well, wonder no more! Cantero took your favourite Saturday morning cartoon sleuths and your beloved, cherished, madness-inducing non-Euclidean geometry and made a tasty treat!
It's not a two-pony show. Peppered in with the million Scooby Doo and Lovecraft references are nods to Enid Blyton (Duh!) and Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown and the Goonies and lots of stuff-from-my-childhood things.
There's even a circumlocutory reference to Neil Simon if you pay attention:
"Tim curled up in a corner of the backseat, sheltering his penguin from the storm, all tensed up in 'scandalized Maggie Smith' pose."
Or maybe that's a Paul Rudnick reference?
Er, maybe a J.K. Rowling reference?
Anyway...
Part mashup, part homage, part lark, Meddling Kids explores how our beloved gang of sleuths (under copyright-infringement-free pseudonyms, of course) made the transition from kid detectives to adults. Turns out it was a rough ride for all of them.
The two boys, two girls, and big dog (Ringing any bells?) of the Blyton Summer Detective Club spent their summers solving zany mysteries in and around Blyton Hills, Oregon. It was a fun and exciting way to spend their vacation together. But their final, laureate case had a profound effect on them and after they unmasked the Sleepy Lake Monster and the media frenzy died away they went their separate ways and lost contact with one another. Thirteen years later, when Thomas X. Wickley, the Sleepy Lake Monster, is released from prison it sets off a series of events that brings each of the surviving gang members back to Blyton Hills. The case, they realise, had never really been solved and each of them was changed in ways that they are only now beginning to recognize.
It's not perfect. Far from it. The writing isn't the best (or maybe not my cup of tea), with run-on sentences finding a far too comfortable home in this novel and Cantero inventing new words when really he shouldn't as (a) there are already perfectly serviceable words in English for what he is trying to communicate and (b) he isn't that great at coming up with the new words. Cantero also seems unsure if he is writing a book or a screen play. The narration shifts from one format to the other and, whether intentional or unintentional, the result is a jarring read through the transitions that completely break you out of any suspension of disbelief.
Even with the sometimes-enervated writing style, this book remains aware that it is a piece of tribute and is, throughout, a very entertaining read if your nostalgia is littered with Scooby snacks and Elder Gods. With both sly and glaring pop culture references, a tongue-in-cheek sensibility, and the bravery to confront child-cum-adult issues (mental illness, drug abuse, suicide, addiction to black magic...) this is a fun and entertaining adventure.
As Cantero states:
"No book is dangerous in and of itself you know, but historically reading a book in the wrong way has lead to terrible consequences."
Ashley Joanna "Ash" Williams knows. And Cantero knows we know.
Again, a solid four stars - with that extra star for Cantero doing something that I really wanted somebody to do but didn't realise I wanted it.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
emalee
I read this book knowing very little about it, only that someone from one of my book podcasts recommended it. I was expecting a young adult read about, well, meddling kids. The title and also an illustration inside and on the cover lead you to believe that. But it was about the adults who had once been those kids.
I'll just say that I'm one of those people who have very little patience with what I call "concept novels" and shifting narratives and times. I also don't like epistolary novels. To me, it's all about the story. And yet, I liked this novel. The author plays with words a lot and instead of it being annoying, I thought it was entertaining. I liked the characters. There was enough story to engage. It was a very playful novel in some ways, with a little author intrusion (which I don't usually like unless it's Trollope). And there's a large fantasy element, which I do like.
I would compare it to the film Cloverfield, more than anything else. I'm not familiar with Scooby Doo, so maybe I missed some of the references, but it didn't matter. The ending action was a bit too long winded, so i just scanned those parts. Overall, an enjoyable and affable read.
I'll just say that I'm one of those people who have very little patience with what I call "concept novels" and shifting narratives and times. I also don't like epistolary novels. To me, it's all about the story. And yet, I liked this novel. The author plays with words a lot and instead of it being annoying, I thought it was entertaining. I liked the characters. There was enough story to engage. It was a very playful novel in some ways, with a little author intrusion (which I don't usually like unless it's Trollope). And there's a large fantasy element, which I do like.
I would compare it to the film Cloverfield, more than anything else. I'm not familiar with Scooby Doo, so maybe I missed some of the references, but it didn't matter. The ending action was a bit too long winded, so i just scanned those parts. Overall, an enjoyable and affable read.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
jennifer brush
Ever wonder what happened to the Scooby Doo gang when they grew up? It wasn't exactly a question I ever thought I needed an answer to until Edgar Cantero decided he needed to give his unique twist on what that adulthood could have looked like. In his beautifully bizarre (bizarrely beautiful?) novel, Cantero introduces us to the Blyton Summer Detective Club, a group of 4 teenagers and their dog who spend their summer vacations solving mysteries in idyllic Blyton Hills. We're familiar with the team: there's Peter, the jock; Nate, the nerdy outsider; Andy, the tomboy; Kerri, the smart one; and Sean, the faithful Weimaraner. After their final case in the summer of 77, involving a masked fortune hunter trying to find the buried treasure of Deboën Mansion, the kids suddenly hang up their spy gear and retire from mystery solving.
Jump ahead thirteen years, and those same crime solving sleuths of young are now disillusioned 20-somethings trying to make their way thru life, not really understanding where their lives went wrong. Peter is dead (even tho Nate still talks to him), Nate is institutionalized (he talks to a dead guy, after all), Andy is a wanderer with a somewhat criminal past, and Kerri is a bartender in a seedy bar, who is also taking care of Tim, Sean's descendant. There was something about that last case, the one they all can't stop thinking about, that wasn't quite right, that is at the root of their problems. When Andy finally decides that enough is enough and they need to go back to Blyton Hills to face these demons and reopen that last case, the group gets together one last time to try to bring sense and closure to that final, haunting case.
Of course, it's not as easy as just a guy in a mask, and as they face down eco-villainous corporations, primordial monsters, ecological disasters, and something that defies description, they begin to come to terms with what has been haunting them over the years. This sounds wildly simplistic as I type it out, and I'm leaving it that way. It's not simplistic in the slightest, but the joy in this book is in the details and following along with the BSDC as they uncover one clue after the next, taking them on a whirlwind ride that makes you unable to put the book down until the very last page.
Much like his previous novel The Supernatural Enhancements (which I am a huge fan of as well), Cantero takes his time with the story, creating a slow build that eventually spirals into this wild adventure, making unexpected twists and turns in the narrative so you never really are sure that you know what's going on. His characters are exactly who they appear to be, rifs of the Scooby gang, but he doesn't make clichés of them. These characters are all their own and as individual as can be. Eagle-eyed readers will also notice fun callbacks to the Scooby cartoons.
So, if you're looking for something with a little mystery, a little horror, with some supernatural hijinx thrown in for fun, you can't go wrong with Meddling Kids. And if you like this, be sure to check out Cantero's The Supernatural Enhancements as well.
Jump ahead thirteen years, and those same crime solving sleuths of young are now disillusioned 20-somethings trying to make their way thru life, not really understanding where their lives went wrong. Peter is dead (even tho Nate still talks to him), Nate is institutionalized (he talks to a dead guy, after all), Andy is a wanderer with a somewhat criminal past, and Kerri is a bartender in a seedy bar, who is also taking care of Tim, Sean's descendant. There was something about that last case, the one they all can't stop thinking about, that wasn't quite right, that is at the root of their problems. When Andy finally decides that enough is enough and they need to go back to Blyton Hills to face these demons and reopen that last case, the group gets together one last time to try to bring sense and closure to that final, haunting case.
Of course, it's not as easy as just a guy in a mask, and as they face down eco-villainous corporations, primordial monsters, ecological disasters, and something that defies description, they begin to come to terms with what has been haunting them over the years. This sounds wildly simplistic as I type it out, and I'm leaving it that way. It's not simplistic in the slightest, but the joy in this book is in the details and following along with the BSDC as they uncover one clue after the next, taking them on a whirlwind ride that makes you unable to put the book down until the very last page.
Much like his previous novel The Supernatural Enhancements (which I am a huge fan of as well), Cantero takes his time with the story, creating a slow build that eventually spirals into this wild adventure, making unexpected twists and turns in the narrative so you never really are sure that you know what's going on. His characters are exactly who they appear to be, rifs of the Scooby gang, but he doesn't make clichés of them. These characters are all their own and as individual as can be. Eagle-eyed readers will also notice fun callbacks to the Scooby cartoons.
So, if you're looking for something with a little mystery, a little horror, with some supernatural hijinx thrown in for fun, you can't go wrong with Meddling Kids. And if you like this, be sure to check out Cantero's The Supernatural Enhancements as well.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
clay wiebe
This was a very interesting premise for a book with the characters and the cover constantly reminding me of the cartoon show, Scooby Doo. I remember watching Scooby Doo on Saturday mornings growing up and immediately requested the book.
That being said I found this book very humorous on several fronts. The story was filled with comments from the dog (Tim is pretty hilarious, I know he would say for himself) as well as inanimate objects which made me crack a smile and at times, laugh out loud.
For the most part, this book was a pretty good read, however, after a while I kind of got over the premise and found the story grating. I did finish the book and like I said, for the most part I found it entertaining. I think it had a good premise, however it being sometimes hokey and very cheesy, but there is only so much cheese I can take.
Thanks to Doubleday Books and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
That being said I found this book very humorous on several fronts. The story was filled with comments from the dog (Tim is pretty hilarious, I know he would say for himself) as well as inanimate objects which made me crack a smile and at times, laugh out loud.
For the most part, this book was a pretty good read, however, after a while I kind of got over the premise and found the story grating. I did finish the book and like I said, for the most part I found it entertaining. I think it had a good premise, however it being sometimes hokey and very cheesy, but there is only so much cheese I can take.
Thanks to Doubleday Books and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
silva
Evil Dead 2 meets Cabin in the Woods meets Scooby-Doo.
I loved the characters Cantero dreamt up and brought to life. The hot, smart red head. The tomboy Latina. The hallucinating, scrawny occult expert. The hyperactive, obedient Weimaraner. The star, former jock, now hallucination. Thirteen years after their last mystery, the Blyton Hills Summer Detective Club is together again and headed back to Oregon to face the ghosts they left behind. Something bad happened that last summer in Blyton Hills and its time to get closure. Did they catch the right guy? Their gut feeling says the real mystery of Deboen Mansion was not solved. They really wanted it to be just a man in a mask... They weren't that lucky.
I knew I was going to like this book after I read the first page, probably even before that. The idea of a grown-up's Scooby Doo really appealed to my nineties era inner misfit. Cantero has a unique and fun writing style. He gives inanimate objects emotion and feeling. His fight scenes were wonderfully composed and entertaining, albeit at times a little hard to follow. The references to nineties pop culture were sprinkled throughout like tasty and delightful morsels. Overall this novel was a crazy ass ride trapped in a miners cart barreling down a decrepit track with your screams trapped in your throat. I couldn't get enough!
I loved the characters Cantero dreamt up and brought to life. The hot, smart red head. The tomboy Latina. The hallucinating, scrawny occult expert. The hyperactive, obedient Weimaraner. The star, former jock, now hallucination. Thirteen years after their last mystery, the Blyton Hills Summer Detective Club is together again and headed back to Oregon to face the ghosts they left behind. Something bad happened that last summer in Blyton Hills and its time to get closure. Did they catch the right guy? Their gut feeling says the real mystery of Deboen Mansion was not solved. They really wanted it to be just a man in a mask... They weren't that lucky.
I knew I was going to like this book after I read the first page, probably even before that. The idea of a grown-up's Scooby Doo really appealed to my nineties era inner misfit. Cantero has a unique and fun writing style. He gives inanimate objects emotion and feeling. His fight scenes were wonderfully composed and entertaining, albeit at times a little hard to follow. The references to nineties pop culture were sprinkled throughout like tasty and delightful morsels. Overall this novel was a crazy ass ride trapped in a miners cart barreling down a decrepit track with your screams trapped in your throat. I couldn't get enough!
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
nana ekua brew hammond
Title: Meddling Kids
Author: Edgar Cantero
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Horror/Humor/Fantasy
Series: Standalone
Star Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.
I heard about Meddling Kids the way I usually hear about the books I get at the library: Through Bustle! It was pitched as a book to help a reader deal with their Supernatural withdrawal, but what drew me to it, personally, was the gorgeous, creepy, colorful cover, and of course, the title! I mean, Meddling Kids is an obvious tongue-in-cheek joke for Scooby Doo, one of my favorite cartoons as a child. (I miss old school cartoons, but that's another story.) And one of my friends from the library insisted that I read it and tell her what I thought because she was dying to read it! And who am I, of all people, to turn down a friend's request? (You know who you are, friend!) Meddling Kids had me in stitches, alternately from laughter and fear. It is one of the most fun, hilarious, unique and creepy books of 2017!
In 1977, The Blyton Summer Detective Club solved their final case, cementing their local celebrity and outing a local fortune hunter in a dastardly money-making scheme; and he would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those darn meddling kids! In 1990, when the kids are all twenty-five, they reluctantly get back together to unearth the terrible, hidden history behind that same case. Nate is locked away in an insane asylum, literally haunted by the specter of another member of the club: their so-called leader, Peter, who committed suicide after hitting it big in Hollywood. Andy has returned home after a life spent on the run, Kerri barely making ends meet working as a waitress in New York. And last but certainly not least, Tim, the great great grandson of the Scooby Doo of the group, Sean. They are all broken after that traumatic night, some more visibly than others. When they dig deeper into the mystery, they discover that their childhood home is home to something else: dark forces that seek to conquer not just the town, but the world, and they are the only ones who can even hope to contain it...
I really, really liked this book! It was a crazy, grotesque, hilarious mash-up of Supernatural, Scooby Doo, and H.P. Lovecraft. It was unexpectedly funny, creepy, thought-provoking, and heartfelt. Most especially heartfelt. It was like the kids from Scooby Doo had grown up, and saw a lot of crazy stuff. Stuff that ended up really screwing them up. And then they had to go back and fix it all! I really loved the writing style; it was unlike anything I'd ever read before, and I think that was part of the reason I was so into it. (Plus, now that I think about it, nostalgia never hurts, either.) But more than that, even, I loved the characters, and I read this book in a day and a half. It was so weird and refreshing, even if the gore and creepiness got out of hand a little bit for my taste. It was a fun, wryly told story that echoed to some of the best childhood memories I have, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, humorous take on the horror genre. The bottom line: A fun homage to classic cartoons, and a lot of pop culture, Meddling Kids is a lovingly told story that had me in stitches--one of the best books of 2017! Next on deck: Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia!
Author: Edgar Cantero
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Horror/Humor/Fantasy
Series: Standalone
Star Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.
I heard about Meddling Kids the way I usually hear about the books I get at the library: Through Bustle! It was pitched as a book to help a reader deal with their Supernatural withdrawal, but what drew me to it, personally, was the gorgeous, creepy, colorful cover, and of course, the title! I mean, Meddling Kids is an obvious tongue-in-cheek joke for Scooby Doo, one of my favorite cartoons as a child. (I miss old school cartoons, but that's another story.) And one of my friends from the library insisted that I read it and tell her what I thought because she was dying to read it! And who am I, of all people, to turn down a friend's request? (You know who you are, friend!) Meddling Kids had me in stitches, alternately from laughter and fear. It is one of the most fun, hilarious, unique and creepy books of 2017!
In 1977, The Blyton Summer Detective Club solved their final case, cementing their local celebrity and outing a local fortune hunter in a dastardly money-making scheme; and he would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those darn meddling kids! In 1990, when the kids are all twenty-five, they reluctantly get back together to unearth the terrible, hidden history behind that same case. Nate is locked away in an insane asylum, literally haunted by the specter of another member of the club: their so-called leader, Peter, who committed suicide after hitting it big in Hollywood. Andy has returned home after a life spent on the run, Kerri barely making ends meet working as a waitress in New York. And last but certainly not least, Tim, the great great grandson of the Scooby Doo of the group, Sean. They are all broken after that traumatic night, some more visibly than others. When they dig deeper into the mystery, they discover that their childhood home is home to something else: dark forces that seek to conquer not just the town, but the world, and they are the only ones who can even hope to contain it...
I really, really liked this book! It was a crazy, grotesque, hilarious mash-up of Supernatural, Scooby Doo, and H.P. Lovecraft. It was unexpectedly funny, creepy, thought-provoking, and heartfelt. Most especially heartfelt. It was like the kids from Scooby Doo had grown up, and saw a lot of crazy stuff. Stuff that ended up really screwing them up. And then they had to go back and fix it all! I really loved the writing style; it was unlike anything I'd ever read before, and I think that was part of the reason I was so into it. (Plus, now that I think about it, nostalgia never hurts, either.) But more than that, even, I loved the characters, and I read this book in a day and a half. It was so weird and refreshing, even if the gore and creepiness got out of hand a little bit for my taste. It was a fun, wryly told story that echoed to some of the best childhood memories I have, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, humorous take on the horror genre. The bottom line: A fun homage to classic cartoons, and a lot of pop culture, Meddling Kids is a lovingly told story that had me in stitches--one of the best books of 2017! Next on deck: Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia!
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
heather j
If you want Scooby Doo meets Lovecraft, I prefer the Scooby Doo Mysteries Incorporated run of the cartoon. But this version was quite serviceable. This book is squarely aimed at those who love Scooby Doo. In addition, it also satisfies those who love teen mysteries, and not just in general, as there are a significant number of direct nods to teen sleuth series (e.g. the Nancy Hardy byline and nearby town of Belden). One glaring omission I saw in all the easter eggs were the Three Investigators, because if you’re writing a teen mystery with horror monsters, you can’t ignore Jupe, Pete, and Ben.
Starting us in second person right out the gate is a bold move. Because of this, I stopped, flipped ahead a few pages to see if it was sustained, determined it was not, so I went back and started over and made it through. The opening is rough with a lot of characters introduced in a small space with some infodumps and jittery scene transitions. Once we get to the first action sequence, the story finds its footing and starts landing punches. The postmodern touches are odd, but not necessarily offputting, as we transition from prose to screenplay format, including camera instructions.
There’s good action and pacing and it’s a snappy read. The characters are an uncanny blend of humor and pathos, and there’s some excellently drawn sexual tension early in the book.
There’s some ham-handed takes on mental illness as well as non-hetero sexual identity. I’m not qualified to take those topics on, but would love to hear the thoughts of others who are.
Starting us in second person right out the gate is a bold move. Because of this, I stopped, flipped ahead a few pages to see if it was sustained, determined it was not, so I went back and started over and made it through. The opening is rough with a lot of characters introduced in a small space with some infodumps and jittery scene transitions. Once we get to the first action sequence, the story finds its footing and starts landing punches. The postmodern touches are odd, but not necessarily offputting, as we transition from prose to screenplay format, including camera instructions.
There’s good action and pacing and it’s a snappy read. The characters are an uncanny blend of humor and pathos, and there’s some excellently drawn sexual tension early in the book.
There’s some ham-handed takes on mental illness as well as non-hetero sexual identity. I’m not qualified to take those topics on, but would love to hear the thoughts of others who are.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
prathamesh
Review: MEDDLING KIDS by Edgar CanteRo
Deep. That's the best word for this novel, the author's next, subsequent to THE SUPERNATURAL ENHANCEMENTS, his exceptional contemporary Gothic. MEDDLING KIDS also is off-and-on set in a long-abandoned ancient house, with a lineage of Necromancy and dark occultism, and with a cast of protagonists who are Innocents Abroad. Instead of two protagonists, here there are five, teens comprising the "Blyton Hills Summer Detective Club," solving local mysteries while simultaneously coming of age and hammering out their own individual identities. Thirteen years later, broken in both heart and spirit, four will recombine, to face both an implacable enemy, and a cosmic nightmare straight out of Lovecraft and Native American lore of the Pacific Northwest.
I reviewed this title via NetGalley, at no cost, obligation, or remuneration. I opted to review.
Deep. That's the best word for this novel, the author's next, subsequent to THE SUPERNATURAL ENHANCEMENTS, his exceptional contemporary Gothic. MEDDLING KIDS also is off-and-on set in a long-abandoned ancient house, with a lineage of Necromancy and dark occultism, and with a cast of protagonists who are Innocents Abroad. Instead of two protagonists, here there are five, teens comprising the "Blyton Hills Summer Detective Club," solving local mysteries while simultaneously coming of age and hammering out their own individual identities. Thirteen years later, broken in both heart and spirit, four will recombine, to face both an implacable enemy, and a cosmic nightmare straight out of Lovecraft and Native American lore of the Pacific Northwest.
I reviewed this title via NetGalley, at no cost, obligation, or remuneration. I opted to review.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
mollyirenez
In this paranormal mystery/horror story, a group of 3 young adults revisits the town where as teens, they solved mysteries. Peter, one of their original group, committed suicide a few years back, but Nick , who has been in and out of mental institutions over the years, is accompanied by Peter's ghost. Andy, who has been in and out of trouble herself, gathers the old gang together including Kerri, a lovely redhead, who Andy has been in love with since they were 12 years old, and Tim, Kerri's dog, a descendant of the original dog who went on their adventures with them. None of them has been the same since their original sleuthing. Although they caught the bad guy, a man who dressed up as a monster, they still have nightmares and Andy thinks they need to find out what really happened that night so many years ago. The book is fun to read with it's overly descriptive language. I stayed up way too late just to finish this book because I couldn't put it down.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
matt davis
Meddling Kids, for all intents and purposes, is a dark humor parody of the Scooby Doo detective mysteries. The story contains the same number of kids (with different names and characteristics, obviously) slumming around with a colorful canine (who can’t actually talk but is represented by dialogue from time to time). The youth had their own detective agency, which they ran during the summer, and solved several of the small town’s offbeat mysteries usually ending in stopping a masked man/woman. However, the group suddenly split up after their last case- one in which they feel like the culprit was not in a mask, but a real monster.
While the premise of the book seemed fun, I had a hard time swallowing everything author Edgar Cantero threw at me. First, there’s the book’s use of humor. The book’s humor is meant to either break up the darker motifs or simply pair it with it. However, much of the attempts at humor were hit or miss. I tend to stray from book’s whose sole intent is to make the reader laugh, as I am often too focused on the plot’s objective to be swayed by a stray joke. Meddling Kids constantly tries to offer humor by subverting the reader: breaking the fourth wall and poking fun at the world the characters reside in, or itself. Second, there was the issue with Peter, one of the members of the detective agency. The reader learns very early on in the story that between the agency’s last case in 1977 and the present, 1990, Peter has died of an apparent drug overdose. Nate, another member of the agency, suffers from a mental condition that enables him to hallucinate Peter. Thus, Peter becomes a character, albeit only one that Nate can interact with. I did not find Peter’s inclusion in the story whatsoever necessary and scenes with him often dragged the story. I often found myself mentally blanking out whenever Peter would pop up.
So, what does Meddling Kids get right?
The story itself has highs and lows. Aside from Peter, Cantero fleshes out a memorable cast of characters. Andy, Kerri, and Nate all work as members of a skilled team in which every member brings something valuable to the table. It was nice to see the kids appear competent most of the time. The entire scene in which Andy and Kerri work to free Nate from his mental institution was clever and entertaining. When all three characters work together in the same scene the book comes alive. I can picture each scene as if it was a movie. Throw in the absurdity of their situation and all of the moving parts work to make a highly entertaining story.
Given that this title is listed as a Blyton Summer Detective Club #1, i.e. first in a series of entries, I would be interested in revisiting the town of Blyton and following another dark mystery with this group.
While the premise of the book seemed fun, I had a hard time swallowing everything author Edgar Cantero threw at me. First, there’s the book’s use of humor. The book’s humor is meant to either break up the darker motifs or simply pair it with it. However, much of the attempts at humor were hit or miss. I tend to stray from book’s whose sole intent is to make the reader laugh, as I am often too focused on the plot’s objective to be swayed by a stray joke. Meddling Kids constantly tries to offer humor by subverting the reader: breaking the fourth wall and poking fun at the world the characters reside in, or itself. Second, there was the issue with Peter, one of the members of the detective agency. The reader learns very early on in the story that between the agency’s last case in 1977 and the present, 1990, Peter has died of an apparent drug overdose. Nate, another member of the agency, suffers from a mental condition that enables him to hallucinate Peter. Thus, Peter becomes a character, albeit only one that Nate can interact with. I did not find Peter’s inclusion in the story whatsoever necessary and scenes with him often dragged the story. I often found myself mentally blanking out whenever Peter would pop up.
So, what does Meddling Kids get right?
The story itself has highs and lows. Aside from Peter, Cantero fleshes out a memorable cast of characters. Andy, Kerri, and Nate all work as members of a skilled team in which every member brings something valuable to the table. It was nice to see the kids appear competent most of the time. The entire scene in which Andy and Kerri work to free Nate from his mental institution was clever and entertaining. When all three characters work together in the same scene the book comes alive. I can picture each scene as if it was a movie. Throw in the absurdity of their situation and all of the moving parts work to make a highly entertaining story.
Given that this title is listed as a Blyton Summer Detective Club #1, i.e. first in a series of entries, I would be interested in revisiting the town of Blyton and following another dark mystery with this group.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
mitchell nobis
This was an incredibly entertaining book! It follows the Blyton Summer Detective Club, teenage mystery solvers, as grown ups revisiting their last case. With their trusty Weimeraner, they go back through the steps and places of this potentially improperly solved mystery to determine what really happened. The characters were quite reminiscent of another mystery solving group of teens from my childhood whose mysteries were typically solved by pulling the mask of the sneaky bad guy. I really enjoyed the characters. The writing is very descriptive, setting the scenes really well. The writing style was a little strange at times, with screenplay style stage direction peppered in. I thoroughly enjoyed Meddling Kids!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
renuka
I listened to the audiobook, and enjoyed the heck out of it! The story started off as a fun, funny homage to Scooby Doo and then built into a full-on action/horror adventure.
My only complaint is that the narrator consistently dropped the "r" from "forward." I wanted to scream at her after the characters moved foe-ward for the hundredth time. But it's not enough to make me knock a star off my rating.
My only complaint is that the narrator consistently dropped the "r" from "forward." I wanted to scream at her after the characters moved foe-ward for the hundredth time. But it's not enough to make me knock a star off my rating.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
alison spokes
Truly one of the most engaging, riveting, and entertaining novels I have ever read. I will readily admit I was a huge Scooby-Doo fan growing up, so I'm already predisposed to love a book like this. I was laughing and cheering almost every other page. Even putting my nostalgia aside, this book rocks.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
erica bair
I loved this book. It felt really fresh. The little meta winks (like, "... and two lines later, they still...") I really enjoyed. The story itself felt like reading a really clever upgrade to the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew/Child Detective genre. I could use the phrase darker and edgier but it really isn't. It does have a more adult feel as befits a story with heavy Lovecraftian themes but I never felt like it drifted into that zone that a lot of entertainment seems to have gone. It's just fantastic and I recommend you give it a whirl.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
kaysha
"Scooby Doo, Where are You?" with a real life twist. Two girls, two boys and a dog. But that's were the similarities end. The last case they worked on has been eating at them for years. None of them have lived up to their full potential. First up is Andy who I thought was the Velma of the crew, but she's not the brains. She's more like the muscle of the group. A tomboy who has a crush on Kerri. She joined the military and is wanted for an assault she committed in Texas. Kerri is Daphne and Velma rolled into one. Pretty and smart living in a small apartment in New York and working as a bartender. Nate was the youngest and is leaving in a asylum in Massachusetts. And Peter. Peter grew up to be a movie star and then committed suicide. Oh and Tim a descendant of the original dog sidekick. Andy must recruit her friends and convince them to return toBlyton Hills and confront the things they saw there and try to get to the bottom of it and hopefully set their lives straight once again. I don't want to give too much away. It this was an enjoyable quick read I think anyone born in the 70's or 80's will enjoy.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
jezleen
A retelling of Scooby-Doo, mixed with Lovecraftian lore and monsters. The cover caught my eye in the bookstore, and the blurb inside the book jacket convinced me to read it. I hit a snag about two thirds of the way through, and I fell asleep reading countless times, but I really enjoyed this book. Lots of pop culture references, but with the plot set in 1990, this was different than I expected without leaving me feeling like I didn't know what was happening. Cantero took characters we've known for decades and breathed new life into them. Nate, the Shaggy character, was a little cowardly, but became more than a one-trick pony constantly running from monsters (and eating his weight in whatever food is lying around, so two tricks... three if you count the implied pot smoking) like his animated counterpart. There was a moment at the end where I thought, "Can that really happen? Would that work like that in real life?" It was hard finding the line of what was believable when they fought six-armed, eyeless hell monsters for the last third of the story. Things got bleak as the Lovecraft elements became more prominent in the last quarter, but things were well resolved without driving me into madness. Liberal use of the f-bomb, but a welcome retelling.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
mengda liu
Super fun read! The fact that this authors second language is English is insane! He writes beautifully and eloquently. This story, as I am sure you have guessed, has a scooby doo feel to it, yet it is completely different. The main characters have more of an adult history and feel to them. There is much complexity to it, but in a good way. I loved the ending and hope to read more from this author and maybe even these characters. There is so much I want to say about this book but it would give twists and turns away. So please! Take some time to pick this book up and see what adventure lies ahead for you.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
melissa doyle
This book was so strange. It's simultaneously a critique of, a play on, and an homage to two different pop-culture genres: the eldritch horror novel and the teenage-detective-gang TV show. It makes perfect sense to combine them, honestly, and even Cantero's writing structure - half novel and half screenplay - shows how well they mesh together. Yeah, it's weird, but it <u>works</u>. After all, the weirdness of both genres is what makes them so much fun.
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
cristal jatip
My expectations were hoping to reexperience my childhood Saturday mornings. Instead, it had plenty F-bombs and PC romance. The story had some good surprises but no scares.
I might have enjoyed it more if wasn’t expecting something more like ScoobyDo and less like Buffy the monster hunter-Stephen king IT mashup.
I might have enjoyed it more if wasn’t expecting something more like ScoobyDo and less like Buffy the monster hunter-Stephen king IT mashup.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
benjamin white
I had such high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it did not deliver.
I loved the premise and the reviews looked really promising. However, no one mentioned the ridiculous descriptions. The author personifies EVERYTHING. For me, the odd descriptions didn't help me imagine anything better, and instead were really distracting. The story is basically good but instead of being exciting and eager to solve the mystery, I found myself just wanting for it to be over. I ended up reading 94% of the book - just enough to know what happened but I couldn't force myself to read any more. It was disappointing.
I loved the premise and the reviews looked really promising. However, no one mentioned the ridiculous descriptions. The author personifies EVERYTHING. For me, the odd descriptions didn't help me imagine anything better, and instead were really distracting. The story is basically good but instead of being exciting and eager to solve the mystery, I found myself just wanting for it to be over. I ended up reading 94% of the book - just enough to know what happened but I couldn't force myself to read any more. It was disappointing.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
gabriela acevedo
An engaging madcap adventure. Horror, suspense, humor, and tenderness are all here. This modern-day grown-up Scooby Doo caper totally ticks all the horror pop culture boxes, too, with fun and functional nods to Lovecraft, King, and company; even Resident Evil has a few passing references. If you're a genre fan or just looking for an entertaining read, get this book.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
yukisawa
Loved this book! Exciting, frightening, challenging, inspiring, all wrapped up in package that is a fantastically fun ride. The writing style is unique, a mix of 'standard fare' prose and purposeful fourth wall shattering experimental style that takes a chapter or two to become accustomed to but that works incredibly well once you're in the groove. Throw in a dose of Scooby Doo nostalgia and an ending that really pays off, and you've got a great book!
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
timo janse de vries
Okay, so imagine if all those annoying kid detectives, but especially the "Scooby Gang" (which this book is DEFINITELY NOT ABOUT!) grew up to be the massive neurotics they could not help but grow up to be
OR
Imagine if those same kids were not involved in the anaemic adventures of their Saturday morning counterparts, but, oh for the sake of argument, let's say an H.P. Lovecraft novel that produced real horrors
AND
Imagine if all this were being recounted by a writer of phenomenal talent who could make you sweat with real fear, AND laugh out loud at real, and hilarious, humour
Got it?
Actually you "don't" got it until you get this marvel of a read
OR
Imagine if those same kids were not involved in the anaemic adventures of their Saturday morning counterparts, but, oh for the sake of argument, let's say an H.P. Lovecraft novel that produced real horrors
AND
Imagine if all this were being recounted by a writer of phenomenal talent who could make you sweat with real fear, AND laugh out loud at real, and hilarious, humour
Got it?
Actually you "don't" got it until you get this marvel of a read
Please RateA Novel (Blyton Summer Detective Club Adventure) - Meddling Kids
In typical hypocritical fashion, towards the second half of the book we learn that one character hates guns, another bemoans the availability of guns, and we are then treated to an extended action sequence where guns are used about as much as in a Rambo movie. I would have preferred my Scooby Doo without the author's politics.
Still, there are some parts that are well done. The general layout of this alternate Scooby world is pretty good, with a nice haunted house and a great part that takes place in an abandoned mine.