“Until next time. That was chilling promise made to Ollie, Coco and Brian after they outsmarted the smiling man at Mount Hemlock Resort. And as the trio knows, the smiling man always keeps his promises. So when the lights flicker on and off at Brian's family's inn and a boom sounds at the door, there's just one visitor it could be. Only, there's no one there, just a cryptic note left outside signed simply as --S.
“The smiling man loves his games and it seems a new one is under way. But first, the three friends will have to survive a group trip to Lake Champlain where it's said Vermont's very own Loch Ness monster lives. Brian is thrilled. He hasn't sailed since visiting his family in Jamaica and even the looming threat of the smiling man can't put a damper on what is guaranteed to finally be a day of fun--even if it is awkward being stuck on a boat with both his old best friend, Phil and his new best friends, Coco and Ollie. But when a misstep from Phil causes a tragedy onboard and leaves them shipwrecked on an island haunted by a monster on both land and sea, Brian's survival instincts kick in and it's up to him to help everyone work together and find a way to escape.
“One thing is for sure, the smiling man is back and he wants a rematch. And this time Brian is ready to play.”
What I once thought as a trilogy now appears to be quadrilogy, based on simply on the idea that book one, Small Spaces took place in the fall, book two, Dead Voices took place in the winter, and this book taking place in the spring. So a fourth one should be set in the summer.
But Dark Waters continues author Katherine Arden’s wonderfully creepy, atmospheric, and spine-tingly universe where kids must battle the smiling man –an unknown evil that lurks in the Northeastern Vermont. This time a boat trip on Lake Champlain turns into a battle for survival when Coco, Ollie, and Brian, along with Ollie’s Dad and Coco’s mother, and another fellow student, Phil, who also experienced the menace of the smiling man, but chooses to pretend it didn’t happen, become stranded on a mysterious island on the lake that appears through the mist, or doorway, to the universe of the smiling man.
Here they must keep Ollie’s dad alive –Roger was bitten by a silver-snake like creature- and other things that make noise in the creepy forest. They do soon discover they are not alone on the island, that a axe wielding man who may be a ghost, is trying to protect his house and the bones of his shipmate from whatever the snake-like thing truly is.
But it’s Ollie –who basically takes a backseat in the third book- who decides the ultimate fate of the group. One that leads to a major cliffhanger.
Arden adds a lot of myths and history into Dark Waters, as Lake Champlain really does exist, as does the idea that it contains a Loch Ness monster-like creature called Champ: "The indigenous people that have long lived and hunted near Lake Champlain, the Abenaki and the Iroquois, have their own legends about a large creature inhabiting the lake, which looked like a large, horned serpent or giant snake. The Abenaki term for this creature is Gitaskog. Early in the 18th century, Abenakis warned French explorers about disturbing the waters of the lake, so as not to disturb the serpent. Samuel de Champlain, whom the lake is named after, is often erroneously credited with being the first European to sight Champ, but readings of his accounts show that he saw something near the St. Lawrence River. Nevertheless, his account of his sighting is of interest to anyone with an interest in lake monsters!”
I’m unsure if Captain William Sheehan and the Wreck of the Goblin is made up, or just a composite of people and wrecks on Lake Champlain that took place back in the 19th Century. It be fun though to know if any of that is based in fact.
Much like the previous books, the situations are just enough scary, and just enough fun to keep the adults happy. I’ve really enjoyed these books, and find Arden a very good at creating believable kids and adults (though Coco’s Mom sometimes comes off as oafish in thinking these kids are just making up stories. It’s a trope that could’ve been left behind). While this book was more action than the last, I was still entranced with prose. I do highly recommend this series!
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