The Doom Stone is proof that the written word can still dominate television and motion pictures in the creation of captivating imaginary worlds.

Could a film version of The Doom Stone possibly equal the novel's thrills, terror, and suspense? Even George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars movies, would find such a task a great challenge.

The story techniques Zindel uses are familiar, going back almost two centuries to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818; see separate entry, Vol. 5), but they are masterfully blended by the author's skill, experience, and talent.

One technique is to set the extraordinary against the ordinary. That is, Zindel places Skull Face amid familiar types of people—soldiers, priests, teenagers; the underground world of Stonehenge is juxtaposed with the world of the heavily-visited tourist site. This technique was used by Mary Shelley, and it may be found in other thrillers; think of a...