During the ‘90s, teen horror fiction was huge. Authors like R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike already had major hits, and Scholastic’s Point Horror was thriving. Recently I’ve made it my personal mission to collect and read as many of the titles from the decade as possible. This month, for Horror Bound’s “March Madness” week, I’m taking a look at On the Devil’s Court by Carl Deuker.

On the Devil’s Court was originally published in 1988 and re-released in 1991. I think it’s pretty safe to say the cover design was created to cash in on the rising popularity of R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series as well as Scholastic’s growing Point Horror catalogue, which was already over a dozen titles deep at the time.

To be honest, it is quite a stretch to label On the Devil’s Court as a horror book. The story centers around seventeen-year-old Joe Faustus who may or may not have sold his sold to the devil in order to obtain a perfect season of basketball.

The structure of the novel parallels Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. The classic story is present in Joe’s character arc and as an element within the story itself—Joe is reading Doctor Faustus for his high school English class. Admittedly, I’m not overly familiar with the details of Doctor Faustus, but just a little knowledge is enough for readers to see the obvious connections between it and On the Devil’s Court.

Joe Faust is a likable protagonist, and Deuker surrounds the character with a three-dimensional supporting cast—mainly Joe’s parents and his peers. During the course of what is basically a coming-of-age story, Deuker presents several topical situations for the teen lead. Peer pressure, bullying, parental problems, anxiety, and self discovery are just a few of the obstacles thrown Joe’s way.

The book is never bloody, gory, or scary, but it does offer plenty of suspense and tension, particularly during the sections containing basketball play. Even though the games take up a large portion of the book, Deuker writes in a simple, easy to follow, and fast paced manner. Several “spooky” scenes, which are set in an abandoned building/basketball court, are placed appropriately throughout the narrative. Near the end of the book, Deuker briefly hints at demonic possession and scary consequences.

The cover of On the Devil’s Court might throw a lot of readers for a loop, but anyone looking for a coming-of-age story that has a strong character arc for the main character will find a well written and fast paced novel. Interest in basketball is a plus, but not necessary. On the Devil’s Court is an intelligent and entertaining YA retelling of classic literature.