On the Devil's Court -- a review by Bryce Foster

On The Devil’s Court

by Carl Deuker

***** Stars

“My heart was racing. I heard a clap of thunder and raindrops pounded on the metal roof. The gym grew darker and a strange mist seemed to fill it. An eerie thought came to me: the mist somehow held the devil.

I didn't want to fall under its spell so I dribbled once and took a jump shot. It was so perfect that the spin on the ball carried it right back into my hands. I shot again and back the ball came. A third, then a fourth.. I knew it couldn't be just me shooting … With each shot the mist thickened.. A seventh, and eighth… It was an incredible feeling, to be able to do it all so effortlessly. I think that's why I made the vow.”

This is a tale of a seventeen-year senior, Joe Faust. He is a good student with the occasional C, but his father is scientist and expects Joe to get all A’s to get into prestige University. Joe and his father are described very differently from each other. Joe mentions his Father is a genus who didn’t have to try hard to get A’s while Joe struggles to get a B. Joe’s mother on the other hand is an artist. She is most famous from her portraits of the male figure. The first thing Joe mentions of his interest is basketball. He tells us that he always loves the game and that he is a shooting guard. He goes to the courts near his house and when he gets there he arrives early. He sees there are guys his own age shortly after he gets there. After waiting for someone to get hurt so he could get in. He shows his talents and meets one of the best players at Loyal High. This is where Joe wants to attend his last year of high school, instead of a private school. So after playing a few games, the best player at loyal asks where Joe was going to school. When he heard Joe was going to the same school Ross (the best player) took him under his wing. They played on the same team almost every day. He hung out with Ross so much his parents wanted to meet him. Joe was afraid that they would judge him, so he tried to avoid conversations of Ross and him. Throughout the book, Joe talks about basketball and this book his father gave him. The book his father gave to him was rather strange… Although Joe was excited about going to Loyal High, it turns out he doesn’t think it was all what it was suppose to be. He even losses his talent shooting. This is when he gets desperate and follows the strange book. One Stormy Afternoon he makes a decision to sell his soul for a perfect season. After, He shoots around and can’t miss a shot, he is stunned and questions if this is reality.

During the season, he realizes the magnitude of his decision and at the end wants to know if he really sold his soul. The question is, did he really sell his soul or was it in his mind?

I really enjoyed reading this novel. If you are into sports, especially basketball, I would read this book or the many other sport books by Carl Deuker. I felt that the author had an excellent understanding of the terminology of basketball. In my opinion, I could really put my feet into his shoes because I know how much basketball means to me.

Although, what I didn’t like was the thought of giving my soul for an outstanding year of basketball.

Important quote: “Give me a full season of power, and my soul is yours.”

Bryce Foster