tells horrible events whenever it tolls. A sequel,
Demons(1987), is less interesting. The ghosts of
victims of Nazi atrocities exact revenge in Satan’s
Snowdrop(1980), and voodoo is used to bypass se-
curity at a nuclear missile base in Warhead(1986).
Wolfcurse(1981) is a predictable werewolf story, but
Manitou Doll(1981), which invokes Native Ameri-
can magic, has some innovative plot twists. Doom-
flight (1981) matches modern weapons against
druidic magic. Entombed(1982) is a satisfying ghost
story, and The Wood(1985) is a surprisingly lively
story of people who cross the paths of a satanic cult.
The Neophyte(1986) is a novel of witchcraft, as is
the much better Witch Spell(1993). A thoroughly
awful child plagues his babysitters with stories
about his powerful mentor in The Dark One(1995).
Dead End(1996), another of his better novels, in-
volves a house that is supposedly home to the dead,
a reputation the protagonist scoffs at until he sees
his dead girlfriend in the house. The story is much
more atmospheric than Smith’s earlier work and
suggests that he might have developed into a better
writer if he had not been content to produce for-
mula fiction. Water Rites(1997), in which evil lives
concealed beneath the placid surface of a lake, is
also notably better than Smith’s previous work.
Smith, who also wrote novelizations of several
fantasy films for children, has generally chosen quan-
tity over quality, although there is a certain minimal
level of quality below which he has never descended.
Not surprisingly, he is generally at his best when he
breaks from his usual formulas and tries something
new. Although never a literary writer, he is skilled at
plot construction, provides adequate characteriza-
tion to involve the reader, and almost invariably ends
with a rousing and satisfying climax.
Smith, L. J.(unknown)
Lisa James Smith is the author of several supernat-
ural thriller series for young adults, the earliest of
which includes a relatively unmemorable series
about a teenaged girl who battles sorcery in this
and other worlds. The best in that sequence is
Night of the Solstice(1987). Smith failed to hit her
stride until she started the Vampire Diaries series
with The Awakening(1991). The setting is a typi-
cal high school, but the female protagonist has a
problem. She is attracted by each of two brothers,
one of whom is good and one evil, even though
both are secretly vampires. Their adventures con-
tinue in The Struggle(1991), The Fury(1991), and
Dark Reunion(1992), ending with the teenager’s
conversion to vampirism and the final battle be-
tween the siblings.
Smith followed with the Secret Circle trilogy,
The Initiation, The Captive,and The Power,all pub-
lished in 1992. This time the teenaged protagonist
is tempted by the powers of witchcraft. She is of-
fered a place in a coven that professes to practice
only good magic, but she suspects that might not
be the case, particularly when the animosity of
some of the other witches leads to supernatural
danger. The sequence is a bit more complex than
that of the Vampire Diaries, with more depth to
the characters and a less clear-cut choice between
good and evil. The Forbidden Game trilogy ap-
peared in 1994, The Hunter, The Chase,and The
Kill.A group of teenagers find themselves menaced
by Julian, an evil spirit who uses a magical game to
transport them to his realm, where they must com-
pete to save their lives and souls. All three install-
ments are cleverly done, and Julian is a particularly
effective villain. The Strange Power(1994) and The
Possessed(1995) follow the adventures of a group
of teenagers with psychic powers.
Smith then launched the 10-volume Night
World series with Secret Vampire(1996), bringing it
to an apparent conclusion with Strange Fate
(1998). The loosely arranged series assumes that
the world of the supernatural lies quite close to
ours and pits various human characters against
vampires both good and evil and other creatures of
the darkness. The best in the series are Dark Angel
(1996) and The Chosen(1997). Smith has been in-
active since the end of this series, but many of her
books remain in print. Her fans would certainly
welcome her return.Smith, Thorne(1892–1934)
If he had written only the single novel Topper
(1926), James Thorne Smith would probably still
be remembered fondly. As it is, he also wrote sev-
eral other humorous fantasies, most of them rather
bawdy at the time they were published, althoughSmith, Thorne 329