We've covered a lot of Shivers for the blog. The majority of the series up to this point. But, for one reason or another, I've never covered the first book. Where M.D. Spenser began the series. Maybe it's the title. Enchanted Attic sounds more whimsical than it does frightening. But, this is Shivers after all, the Russian Roulette of horror, so god only knows what to expect at all times. So, let's finally see how it all began as we enter The Enchanted Attic.
I think maybe the reason this one took so long for me to jump into is its cover, which isn't bad, but doesn't exactly hit on the creepy highs these covers usually can. Even if the doll in the front is indeed a bit eerie to look at. I like the bright light emerging behind the doll, which does add to the enchanted feel the title claims. And hey, look at that. We even have skulls on the cover. Good to see that being a staple from the beginning. Overall, not the worst cover ever, but also kind of existent in the grand scheme.
Nicole's not having a good night. Trying to sleep in her new house isn't going too well, what with all of the creepy noises that seem to be coming from above her bedroom. Granted, Nicole's not doing too well at much. Her father got a new job, which moved the family from Virginia to Boston, meaning that Nicole's entire routine has been uprooted. She also has to deal with her seven year old sister Casey who constantly gets Nicole in trouble with their parents. Oh. Great. One of THESE books. But both end up sleeping in the same bed together as both are freaked out by the creaking noises of what is essentially described as a bit of a shit heap of a house.
The next day, Nicole searches around the house and finds a gigantic study with shelves filled with books. She grabs one book, but it suddenly causes the entire shelf to move. She notices the passageway, but is more concerned about strange voices. She thinks she must have heard things, or that it was just mice that weren't talking human words. If that was the twist that would be a fun way to subvert things. She leaves it for now and thinks not to tell her parents about the forbidden bookshelf of mystery. She goes to find Casey and explore with her, but discovers the cemetery behind the house that belonged to the Fowler family, the proprietors of the home before her. She also notices smaller tombstones belonging to the Fowler children, which causes Nicole to panic and run off.
Nicole soon finds Casey and tells her of the passageway. They manage to get it open and inside is a bunch of cobwebs. It feels like a whole lot of nothing until Nicole discovers what looks to be an old, decaying American flag covered in blood. The pair then head up a flight of stairs to find a locked door to an attic, which Casey manages to open with her barrette. I guess if this book turns into Resident Evil at least we know that Casey is our Jill Valentine. As she works the door, the siblings hear voices behind the door, seemingly calling their name. But before we can get any answers as to what's behind the door, it's time for lunch, so we'll continue this walking happily into inevitable death later. In fact, the girls just move on from it for a while. Some days pass, they get used to life in Massachusetts, and sort of just ignore the noises coming from the walls. Which I mean if you're a ghost and you put in this elaborate scheme to scare someone and they just kind of get bored and stop being interested, that has to really piss you off.
Nicole's dad notices the noises and thinks that while the house seems to have been built with an attic, there's no sign of any in the house. Which makes Nicole wonder what's going on. Why is the attic hidden, and why was it locked? But again, she sort of just moves on from it for a while. I tell you these kids have the mystery solving urgency of a snail. That is until one night she can now hear what sounds like a cello above her bedroom in the attic. A sad song, as if the song of death itself. She chooses not to tell her parents about this. Because it may not be Goosebumps but they're still Goosebumps parents. But now she knows that she can't put this off any longer. She needs to get into the attic. However, when she tries the bookcase, none open the path. She sees a portrait of an old man and looks behind it, no luck either. So instead she tries the large desk in the study, to which she finds the book of the Fowler family history. It mentions Josiah Fowler, who moved into the house in 1851. She then finds a key, which she realizes must open up the attic.
The next day, Nicole and Casey head to the attic and open it with the key. They don't find anything, especially not any cello playing ghosts. But do find a locked trunk. No key to open it, so they go get a crowbar from their shed. They almost get attacked by bats in the process, but they have the tool they need to continue their sleuthing. Inside the trunk are a bunch of dolls. A bride, a sailor, and the bride's mother and father, a teacher and a farmer. It's almost like some sort of wedding scene. And I'd love to say it's time to answer what's going on, but of course not. The girls leave for now, and another night of music, this time what sounds like drums. The next day, Nicole heads back up and sees the teacher doll in a different spot. She then sees the bride doll, but her expression has changed from happy to angry. It scares Nicole bad enough to leave the attic yet again. She then finds the Fowler history book again which mentions that there may have been a curse on the Fowler family. Well, either the family or the house, it's not so certain, but oh yeah, that family is hella cursed.
Josiah Fowler's son Franklin mentions that his brother William was killed on the last day of the civil war at just 16. Franklin's wife Karen would give birth to three sons, but would die shortly after giving birth to their daughter Lenore. Lenore would die on her wedding day when their carriage broke and she would wind up trampled by a horse. His sons would follow suit. John died before a recital in Boston, Henry died before graduation from college and Whitaker killed before becoming a senator. Whitaker had a wife and four children and guess what? Son James died on the last day of World War 1. Jeez, even the Fear Family would call this some shitty luck. Franklin, seeing the cycle was to begin again with his grandkids, went to a witch in Salem for help. She says that the family's fate is sealed, but Franklin would do anything to stop the cycle. The witch offers to bring the family back to him, but they'll still be dead and not quite happy to have their sleep disturbed.
Nicole realizes what's going on. All of the dolls are the Fowler family. The witch brought them back as dolls. And sure enough, all of the dolls look like members of the Fowler family. However, Nicole finds one more doll. One that looks like Casey. She panics, realizing that the curse is now affecting their family too. She heads to the cemetery and sure enough sees a grave for Casey... Casey Fowler, who died in 1921, but Nicole still thinks it's her... until Casey just shows up all fine and dandy and not a doll. Okay then. They return to the attic the next day, but now the dolls are alive and human-sized, ready to kill the girls for constantly bothering them, which, given how many damn times they keep going up there, the dolls have a point. However, whenever a flashlight is shone upon the dolls, they freeze in place. Nicole then manages to pull a sheet from a window which shines light into the room, freezing all of the dolls, including one with a rifle that was going to shoot the girls, which oh yeah, there's that Shivers insanity. The girls rest the next night, knowing that there will always be some light in the room that will keep the dolls at bay. The next day at lunch, Nicole requests one thing of her dad. Should for any circumstance she were to die, maybe on the day before something important happens, just let her rest in piece. She'd prefer not to be a Barbie girl in the Barbie world.
I like the concept of the Fowler family curse. I like how the curse seems to land on the day before a big event. The end of a war, a graduation, a wedding. It's like the fates focused specifically on fucking the family over in the most awful of ways. Though I guess if you underachieve and don't have any big due dates, you'd probably be able to avoid the curse? Or at least stall it out. Though I do wonder how it is that Franklin survived for as long as he did. Seemed the rare lucky one of the family. Nicole is a solid protagonist. Not the most unique, but a decent enough follow. I was worried Casey would be annoying, but she turned out to be a solid second in the story as well.
So in terms of characters, plot, and horror, I really ended up liking this one a lot. Shivers is one of my favorite book series to cover for the blog. It's always one that surprises me. Sometimes a bit too much, but in cases like this, I end up being surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Is it perfect? Not really. It has those pacing issues. But in terms of being a solid horror story for kids, it's one of the better efforts I've seen, even from Shivers itself. So it's an easy recommend. So, it's at least comforting to know that Shivers started out pretty good. Granted, nobody would know the wild ride it would take, but every journey starts with a shaky first step. The Enchanted Attic gets an A-.
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