Bone Head: Guardian of the Underworld

Bone Head’s name is actually Demise, and he is one of the skeletons charged with guarding the gates of Hades, so really they are all ‘Boneheads’. His supervisor, Mort, has a much lower opinion of Demise’s capability than he himself has, and, in this boastful account written by Bone Head, Mort adds his contradictory version, printed in green, making fun of Bone Head’s delight in his superhero cape.

An important visitor is expected, and the gates must be thoroughly cleaned, but Bone Head wants to do something more interesting, and to impress Hades, (who doesn’t know he exists), so, when a little blue frog-like creature appears, he shoots it. Mort is appalled that he hasn’t done his homework and read his Bestiary, which states that Bloggs should not be provoked, and he shouts a warning, but too late! The frog-like creature swells up, and fires hot molten goo from its triple acid stomachs, creating holes absolutely everywhere Moaning that some sort of training manual should have been provided (Mort: ‘It’s called a Bestiary! You have one!’), Bone Head is summoned to the throne of Hades, who is furious, with his fortress peppered with holes just as he is expecting his mother to visit. Bone Head and Mort are demoted as guards and ordered to look after the three-headed dog, Cerberus, who is very fierce and likes chewing bones, so his keepers don’t tend to last long. Unexpectedly, Bone Head tickles Cerberus under one of his chins and develops a rapport that Mort can only observe from a safe distance.

More mayhem ensues when Bone Head lets Cerberus go missing, but order is finally restored, and Bone Head and Mort, still definitely at odds, return to their task of guarding the gates.  Your reviewer rather enjoyed the Golems, enormous stone creatures who guard Hades, and speak in monosyllables printed in bold, no longer than 3 words at a time e.g. FROG. GO. BOOM.

Illustrator and book designer Jamie Gregory has turned his hand to fiction, and this is his debut novel. He certainly has fun with his anarchic fantasy world, using Greek mythology. He devised a special font for this book, so it really does look like a handwritten Diary, with Mort’s additional comments, but it’s very easy to read and pages can be turned quickly, so it will appeal to reluctant readers.