Mason - Softcover

Pendleton, Thomas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061177369 ISBN 13: 9780061177361

Publisher: HarperTeen, 2008

Synopsis

Some kids say Mason Avrett is slow. What they don't know is that he also has a terrifying power that he's just beginning to understand. But that's not his worst problem: Mason lives with a sadist. His older brother, Gene, doles out punishments so brutal that all Mason can do is cover his head for the beating and try to forget the horrific things he's seen.

Rene Denton, one of Mason's only friends, knows that Gene is evil, but she doesn't know how evil until the terrible night she becomes a victim of Gene's cruelty. Suddenly Mason's power—raging beyond his control—becomes the only thing that might just be as frightening as Gene.

Horror, revenge, and the twisted images born of a lifetime of pain are woven into a masterful tale of suspense and redemption.

About this title

About the Author

Thomas Pendleton is a mysterious force with many names. All we know for sure is that under one of them he is a critically-acclaimed and award-winning horror author. He lives in Austin, TX. We were afraid to ask him anything else.

Reviews

Grade 9 Up—Mason Avrett, who is mentally slow, has an uncanny ability to create realistic images with his imagination. He's been the subject of his older brother's hatred for years: at age nine, Gene, angered by the special attention Mason received from their parents, tried to kill him. Now in high school, the boys live with their aunt, who is oblivious to their animosity. Coldhearted and cruel, Gene is the brains behind a drug-dealing ring and continues to mentally and physically abuse his younger brother. When Rene, Mason's kindhearted childhood friend, is brutally beaten by Gene's thugs and left in a coma, Mason's special talent allows him to "see" her attackers. Using his power to create terrifying images in the minds of his victims, Mason soon becomes a formidable force as he seeks revenge on the perpetrators. This wonderfully written suspense story takes sibling rivalry to a scary level. Torn between his fear of his brother and his affection for Rene, Mason must ultimately move beyond this fear to overcome Gene's bullying. Pendleton has created a hero who is sometimes dark and scary, yet as gentle as a puppy. As the novel moves to its dramatic climax, readers can't help but feel the pain of this poignant young man whose birth places him in a dangerous environment. Horror fans will be thrilled by Mason's story.—Caryl Soriano, New York Public Library
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A coauthor of the Wicked Dead series, who also writes for adults under the name Lee Thomas, presents his first solo YA effort, a paranormal tale of crime and comeuppance in the spirit of Lois Duncan. In the opening chapter, nine-year-old Gene nearly smothers his “retard” sibling, Mason, because he “wanted to see what killing felt like.” Gene grows up to mastermind a high-school drug ring when he’s not abusing Mason, a savant artist, who comforts himself by creating vivid “mind pictures.” When Gene’s flunkies beat Mason’s only friend into a coma, Mason discovers how to project dark visions into others’ minds, and mysterious accidents befall the perpetrators. Chapter titles borrowed from art-world vocabulary, such as “Grisaille,” seem to aspire to a more sophisticated readership than will probably be satisfied by this story’s one-dimensional villain and melodramatic plotting. However, teens who simply want to ride the momentum of a creepy, accessible thriller will seize this option, which includes some mild innuendo and profanity along with sometimes fatal violence. Grades 8-10. --Jennifer Mattson

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperTeen
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0061177369
• ISBN 13: 9780061177361
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 247