Demon Thief (book)

Demon Thief is the second installment to the Demonata series by Darren Shan. It is narrated by Kernel Fleck, and is set roughly twenty to thirty years before Lord Loss.

Plot
The story opens with Kernel, or Cornelius Fleck, the narrator, playing with "lights". These lights are actually the pieces of windows, portals to other universes or worlds, but Kernel doesn't know. As a child, he thought that the lights were visible to everyone and talked about them in school. Other children thought he was a freak and Kernel was never able to fit in.

He plays with the lights as he can control them to get over his loneliness. Kernel tells of his isolation when he sees groups of friends enjoying themselves. The friendlessness keeps getting worse and one night, in his room, he accidentally opens a window to the other universe- the one of the Demonata.

Kernel follows the demon who appeared in the window and then goes missing for days. Suddenly, he appears in his room again, with Art, his 2-year-old younger brother, on his chest and his own memory completely blank.

Kernel's parents, Caspian and Melena Fleck fear for the safety of their two sons and leave the city quietly at night with Kernel and Art hidden like fugitives. Although they say it is to keep Art quiet, Kernel thinks that it is not a game, but reality.

Finally, they arrive at the peaceful yet sleepy town of Paskinston. Compared to the city, Kernel finds it boring for back there, there was always something to do. The kids are definitely nicer but he is still unable to fit in, for the kids of his new home know only the world of Paskinston and they believe it`s perfect.

For a year, everything is well, until one day, as Kernel walks to school with Art, passing the witch's, Mrs. Egin's house. Kernel never believed she was a real witch, but all the children, even some adults, called her the Prickly Witch of Paskinston because she never left her home for anything but fetching water from and old well and she never socialized, spending her days behind thick curtains. As he passed, she suddenly came out, yelling "Find the thief! Find the thief!" and calling Art "Beautiful Baby". She then strokes a patch of light, saying to Kernel that he is not the only one to see them. She also tells Kernel to keep quiet or else she will slip into his room at night and slit his throat from ear to ear. He is so frightened he went his pants, and runs home.

Sometime later, Mr. and Mrs. Fleck are offered to represent their town in an annual art festival. Although Melena tries to stay with her sons, Caspian finally wins and they depart, leaving Kernel and Art with their neighbor, Sally.

One day at school, Mrs.Egin suddenly appears and goes crazy, finally swallowing the pink light. She explodes and opens a window to the other universe. A demon called Cadaver comes through and wreaks havoc, killing many innocent children and the only teacher, Logan. It leaves after a few minutes but not before a major tragedy- Art was kidnapped! Nearby, Kernel spots some people, an old man who appears to be the leader, a young blonde woman, and Indian woman and a fat, dark-skinned man. They go into the window and Kernel follows to find Art.

As Kernel steps through, the window disintegrates, so he can't escape and the group of people ar nowhere in sight. He gets into a little trouble with weak demons but manages, and after searching for an hour or so, succeeds in finding the group. They tell him their mission, to look for Cadaver and welcome Kernel to their team.

They travel to many world's, and eventually a world full of demons. Kernel and Nadia escape into a city, and Nadia runs away. Kernel goes to a concert, and meets two disciples, Dervish Grady and Shark.

Can Kernel find his brother in this universe of horrors? Will he ever return home to his parents? Or will he perish during his encounters with demons, and ultimately Lord Loss? And can he handle the truth when he learns it and return to his normal life ever again?

Characters

 * Cornelius 'Kernel' Fleck
 * Beranabus
 * Nadia Moore
 * Sharmila Muckerji
 * Raz Warlo
 * Shark
 * Dervish Grady
 * Mrs Egin
 * Lord Loss
 * Melena Fleck
 * Caspian Fleck
 * Artery
 * Vein
 * Cadaver
 * The Kallin
 * Logan Rile
 * Dave English
 * Annabelle Fleck

Chapters

 * 1) Into the Light
 * 2) Fugitives
 * 3) The Witch
 * 4) Marbles
 * 5) Ding Dog
 * 6) Kidnap
 * 7) Walking on Water
 * 8) Demons and Disciples
 * 9) Opening Windows
 * 10) Frying Pan
 * 11) Fire
 * 12) Adrift
 * 13) Punks
 * 14) The Monster Mash
 * 15) The Reluctant Disciple
 * 16) Searching
 * 17) Hell-Child
 * 18) Fly on the Wall
 * 19) At Home with Lord Loss
 * 20) The Challenge
 * 21) Amazeing
 * 22) Marbleous
 * 23) Kernel in the Sky with Demons
 * 24) Thieves
 * 25) The True Thief
 * 26) The Theft
 * 27) Goodbyes
 * 28) Home Alonely
 * 29) Kah-Gash

Trivia

 * Demon Thief is the first book in which Kernel narrates.
 * This is the first book chronologically that Dervish Grady appears in.
 * This book introduces the Kah-Gash.
 * It is unknown when the book takes place, although it is probably during the 1980s.
 * Kernel is probably 12 or 13, as it mentions he lost his teddy a few years ago, but mentions that he still wanted it. 8 or 9 is normally when children stop using teddy bears. Also, in Demon Apocalypse, Grubb's says that Kernel looks 17 or 18, and Kernel says that in real years, it has been roughly 5 or 6 years since Demon Thief.