Sedgwick, Marcus. My swordhand is singing.

SEDGWICK, Marcus. My swordhand is singing. Random House, Wendy Lamb Books. 208p. c2007. 978-0-375-84689-2. $18.99. JS

Evil lurks in the dark forests of Eastern Europe in the early 17th century. Peter and his taciturn, hard-drinking father Tomas are woodcutters who live on the outskirts of the village of Chust. As winter closes in, villagers are dying violent, suspicious deaths: the dead are coming back to life at night and hunting down the living. When Gypsies come to town, Peter finally learns about his father's past, as they try to recruit Tomas to fight the creatures from the graveyard with his special sword. A bold Gypsy girl named Sofia teams up with Peter to try to vanquish these monsters before they spread any further.

Drawing on old folktales of vampires, this suspenseful tale by the author of Floodland and The Book of Dead Days is creepy and full of dark atmosphere. Readers who enjoy horror stories will appreciate the rather gruesome details. Paula Rohrlick, KLIATT

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.