Ghost Circles
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 First US edition cover |
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| Author | Jeff Smith |
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| Illustrator | Jeff Smith |
| Cover artist | Jeff Smith Elizabeth Lewis (colourist) |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Series | Bone |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy, comedy |
| Publisher | Cartoon Books |
| Released | Aug 15, 2001 |
| Media type | Hardback and paperback |
| Pages | 184 |
| ISBN | ISBN 1-888963-08-5 (hardback) ISBN 1-888963-09-3 (paperback) |
| Preceded by | Old Man's Cave |
| Followed by | Treasure Hunters |
Ghost Circles is the seventh book in the Bone series. It collects issues 38-43 of Jeff Smith's self-published Bone comic book series, and marks the beginning of the third and final part of the saga, entitled Harvest. The book was published by Cartoon Books in 2001.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] End Times
At the besieged fortress of Old Man's Cave, the Headmaster of the Veni Yan summons Wendell, the village tinsmith and explains how he believes the current unrest is not due to the Bones. He shows a medallion bearing the Harvestar family crest; a crown with a star above it. Thorn, he explains, may in fact be the "one who bears the star" The Hooded One has been seeking. Just then, the mountain erupts as the Lord of the Locusts stirs beneath it. The armies massed outside the fortress begin their attack.
The Bones, Thorn and Gran'ma Ben flee the collapsing mountain. Fone Bone leads them to the tunnel he used to escape from Roque Ja. As they descend through the tunnel, Fone warns everyone that they will probably start hallucinating again, just as they did the last time they passed through there. Sure enough, Fone and Phoney become Ishmael and Captain Ahab from Fone's favourite book, Moby-Dick. They stagger on to the tunnel exit and find the valley on the other side turned into a wasteland, covered in ash and every tree flattened.
[edit] The Promise
The Bones, Thorn and Gran'ma Ben make their way across the devastated valley. Thorn leads them as she is the only one who can see and avoid the Ghost Circles, invisible pockets of unreality where nothing can live, and that separate the true, intact valley from the illusory wasteland. She and Fone brush the periphery of one, and are momentarily transported back into the forest as it stood before the devastation of the valley. Thorn explains that she can survive it, and maybe even undo the spell, because she tore off a piece of the Lord of the Locust's soul when it tried to possess her, thus inheriting some of its power
[edit] Darker Truths
Thorn and Gran'ma Ben remain undecided whether to return to Old Man's Cave or press on to the old capital, Atheia. A troop of Rat Creatures makes that decision for them, blocking the route to Old Man's Cave. A scout party of Rat Creatures discovers their camp and Thorn and Fone get separated from the others. As Ben fights off some of the Rat Creatures, a familiar face appears among them; Bartleby, the Rat Creature cub Smiley adopted has returned! Meanwhile Thorn and Fone discover Briar is the one leading the Rat Creatures to them. She reveals to Fone Bone that he too has a piece of the Lord of the Locusts' soul inside him (a result of his and Thorn's stumbling into a Ghost Circle). Briar is about to kill Thorn, who is no longer necessary to her plans, when Smiley and Bartleby come charging to the rescue.
[edit] Snap! Crackle! Pop!
Fleeing the Rat Creature army on the back of Bartleby, Thorn guides the party to safety through a dense field of Ghost Circles; the pursuing Rat Creatures, unable to see the deadly pockets of evil power, are vaporised. The party continues on towards Atheia.
Meanwhile, at Old Man's Cave, the villagers and the Veni Yan pick up the pieces after the attack. Lucius Down is badly wounded. The Headmaster of the Veni Yan questions him on Thorn and Ben's whereabouts, and place him under guard for betraying the Queen.).
[edit] The Root Cellar
The party grows weaker and hungrier on the long journey to Atheia. When Smiley collapses from malnutriton, as he had fed his rations to Bartleby, Fone and Thorn decide to go inside a Ghost Circle to look for food. They find a Ghost Circle that leads to a farm, where they collect some food. As they make to leave, they hear the voices of the farmers and their families begging Thorn for help. The voices also pass on a message from Thorn's late mother: “Seek the Crown of Horns”. The party continues towards Atheia, but must first pass through Tanen Gard, the sacred burial ground of the Dragons and a place where anyone other than Dragons are forbidden to tread, under penalty of death.
At Old Man's Cave, Wendell questions Lucius about his supposed betrayal of the Queen, and asks why he was found in the arms of Briar just before the attack. Lucius tells of how, long ago, he was a guard at the Royal Palace and fell in love with both Briar and her sister Rose Ben, but he chose Briar instead. He decides the time has come to leave Old Man's Cave, and asks Wendell to gather the other villagers and release him from custody.
[edit] Prayer Stones
With the piece of the Locust inside her, Thorn grows weaker by the minute. Fone and Gran'ma Ben carrying Thorn, the party makes its way gingerly through Tanen Gard, ever wary of rousing the Dragons. A bottomless pit crossed only by a steep and narrow rock bridge lies ahead. As they clamber to safety, Thorn begins to revive, the purity of the sacred ground healing her. They soon reach the ridge and find the valley beyond clear of the devastation of the Ghost Circles. The presence of Prayer Stones, idols left by Atheians for the Dragons, shows that the Old Kingdom is still alive. As they make their way towards the city of Atheia, a small, lone Locust is seen resting on one of the prayer stones.
At Old Man's Cave the villagers demand of the Veni Yan that they release Lucius, planning to head for the Old Kingdom themselves. The Veni Yan initially try to stop them, but a heartfelt speech from Lucius convinces them to accompany his party.
[edit] External links
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Bone series
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| Comics: | Out from Boneville | The Great Cow Race | Eyes of the Storm | The Dragonslayer | Rock Jaw | Old Man's Cave | Ghost Circles | Treasure Hunters | Crown of Horns |
| Spin-offs: | Stupid, Stupid Rat Tails | Rose |
| Games: | Out from Boneville | The Great Cow Race |
