Skary Childrin and the Carousel of Sorrow (review)

The people of Widowsbury aren't fond of strangers, not since a raging storm twelve years ago unleashed a torrent of terrifying oddities that brought pain and misery to the town. Things have calmed down a bit now, but the villagers' suspicions have made them cruel, a fact that Adelaide Foss, Maggie Borland, and Beatrice Alfred can attest to. Each of the girls arrived separately at Madame Gertrude's School for Girls after the storm, and each has been subjected to torment from both their classmates and teachers due to their peculiarities: Beatrice claims to speak to ghosts, Maggie is freakishly strong, and Adelaide may or may not be a werewolf. Now people are going missing again, and when the town falls under the spell of a madman, it seems that only the three girls and their odd abilities can save the town—if it deserves to be saved. Towell, the creator of the popular online cartoon Childrin R Skary, offers up a splendidly odd little tale here with a trio of heroines that are, in fact, a little scary and with some images of gore and death that are downright icky. These more morbid elements are not just for the sake of titillation, however, as the gloomy setting and unlikable characters set up a provocative conflict that explores the nature of ignorance versus actual evil. Although the girls do indeed end up saving the town (despite the temptation to let their tormentors rot in the belly of the titular carousel), their reward is not instant popularity but rather the grudging tolerance of their peers. It may not seem like a happy ending, but it is a fitting one, particularly for readers who have grown up on a steady diet of Gorey and Gaiman. Final illustrations not seen.