The peaceful life of a village in Wiltshire is suddenly shattered by a disaster which strikes without reason or explanation, leaving behind it a trail of misery and horror. A yawning, bottomless crack spreads through the earth, out of which creeps a fog that resembles no other. Whatever it is, it must be controlled; for wherever it goes it leaves behind a trail of disaster as hideous as the tragedy that marked its entry into the world. The fog, quite simple, drives people insane.
Camp Jellyjam is no ordinary sports camp. The counselors seem a little TOO happy. And why are they so obsessed with winning? It might have something to do with the hideous, slimy discovery lurking in the darkness....
C. Funke – Ghosthunters and the Totally Moldy Baroness!
Horrifying things are happening at Gloomsburg Castle. To begin with, the creepy place is crawling with Tiny Biting Ghosts (or “TIBIGS”, in official ghosthunter code). And now it appears as if the murderous spirit of a brutal Baroness has taken hold of the landlady, infecting her with a killer case of hic-hic-hiccups!
Of course Hugo the Averagely Spooky Ghost is instantly smitten with Her Hideous Highness, only to find out that love stinks! And it smells something awful, too. Looks like the time has come for Tom to put an end to the “foul” play and concoct a plan that will dispel this decaying royal for good.
It's 1798, and Lewrie and his crew of the Proteus frigate have their work cut out for them. First, he has rashly vowed to uphold a friend's honour in a duel to the death. Second, he faces the horridly unwelcome arrival of HM Government's Foreign Office agents (out to use him as their cat's-paw in impossibly vaunting schemes against the French). And last, he must engineer the showdown with his arch foe and nemesis, the hideous ogre of the French Revolution's Terror, that clever fiend Guillaume Choundas!
Freaks is a fascinating yet ultimately touching work that emphasizes the humanity of the "freaks" over their oddities--at least, when the stories warrant it. Some of the individuals were treated very badly by their exhibitors (e.g., Julia Pastrana, the "ugliest woman in the world," and her equally hideous baby were mummified and displayed after they died); however, many took advantage of their condition to become international stars and make a lot of money (e.g., Zip the "What-Is-It").
