The Doom Stone

Zindel (Loch; see David & Della, below) wastes no time on subtleties or philosophizing in this all-action supernatural/SF thriller. Even before Jackson, a 15-year-old New Yorker, arrives at his anthropologist aunt's lodgings near Stonehenge, he gets a nasty glimpse of the murderous beast that the British Army has engaged his aunt to track down. As Jackson and his aunt, Dr. Cawley, determine, the monster, ``Ramid,'' is an ancient mutant hominid that, in tune with the 19-year cycle of the moon, comes out of its home in abandoned flint mines to feed. When a bite from Ramid gradually puts Dr. Cawley in its thrall, it's up to Jackson and a comely local girl to hunt the monster. Zindel makes plentiful use of local scenery and Stonehenge lore and, for YA thrill-seekers, there's plenty of gore and creepy-crawly slimy stuff. The final showdown on the roof of Salisbury Cathedral is a spine-tingler. Ages 11-15. (Nov.)