H. Vondermoot Strikes Again With Cryptic Inducement
Mary McCormick
Cryptic Inducement is the newest selection in Evasion, the ongoing horror fiction series by H. Vondermoot. The latest novel finds recurring character Simon Grant in a castle in Barcelona, Spain. He awakes on an overcast morning with no memory of who he is or how he arrived in this spine-chilling situation. For the first thirty pages of the story, readers follow Simon through a maze of confusion. This is made all the more interesting by the fact that regular readers of the Evasion series know more about Simon Grant than he knows about himself. Confusing? Yes. Intriguing? Absolutely.
As Grant relearns his identity, he befriends Sasha, a librarian who leads him on an adventure though Spain and Portugal. Together, they attempt to locate Sasha’s father. Sasha’s father is in terrible danger and needs their help. In true Evasion fashion, the characters must battle a slew of supernatural mysteries that threaten to hold them back from the ultimate answers. Although all of the Evasion novels seem predictable in retrospect, they’re fascinating when you’re in the middle of them.
Vondermoot creates another eerie masterpiece in Cryptic Inducement. Perhaps the finest scene in the novel is the ending, which I won’t ruin for you. I’ll merely warn you to beware, for Cryptic Inducement is a real nail–biter up until the very last page. Some favorite characters of past Evasion books make appearances throughout the novel—most notably Delilah Lehman, the protagonist of Vondermoot’s first novel in the series, Dignified Charade. In Cryptic Inducement, Delilah is married to someone named James. Some speculators think this might be foreshadowing of the main story of the next Evasion book.
Although the novel is filled with action at every turn, Vondermoot could have brought Cryptic Inducement down about 100 pages and still wowed his readers. As it stands now, this novel is a whale, coming in at over 450 pages! Some point out that Vondermoot still refuses to acknowledge that the Internet is shrinking the attention span of readers. As he has revealed in interviews, Vondermoot just does not seem to think his books are too long for today’s literary world, and he could be correct. Horror fiction fans—who are by far the best literature fans in the world—are known for their loyalty to their favorite series, and with midnight sales at most big bookstores, Cryptic Inducement is bound to be as big a bestseller as Vondermoot’s three earlier novels, Excerpts of a Broken Tomb, Underground Mystery, and Question. Vondermoot’s fans should line up early for a copy of Cryptic Inducement, as everyone will be swarming bookstores to catch up on the latest adventures of Simon Grant.
As usual, Vondermoot churns out exciting fiction that keeps readers up at night wondering about the spooky sounds outside their bedroom door. Whatever his faults, Vondermoot can always be counted on for a seamless story that captures readers’ attention from page one.
Question
Which would be an accurate and appropriate summary of paragraphs 3 and 4?
Responses
A All of Vondermoot's novels have been best sellers.All of Vondermoot's novels have been best sellers.
B Today's readers are more interested in the internet than in horror fiction.Today's readers are more interested in the internet than in horror fiction.
C While Vondermoot's novels tend to be far too long, some of his fans are crazy enough to buy them.While Vondermoot's novels tend to be far too long, some of his fans are crazy enough to buy them.
D Intrigued by Vondermoot's fiction, the author feels that the length of his books will have little impact on book sales.Intrigued by Vondermoot's fiction, the author feels that the length of his books will have little impact on book sales.