Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
This is one of those books where you really wish Goodreads would fix their rating system and you could give 1/2 stars. However, since they probably never will, and since I loved this book so damn much, I am rounding up to 5 and to heck with it! There are so many things I love about this book that I really don't know where to start. It was just the book I needed to quench my urban fantasy craving (or maybe fuel it, but that remains to be seen).
The Demonists follows John Fogg and his wife, Theo. They have combined their skills in the paranormal for years and star in a famous television ghost hunter series. While many of their investigations turn out to be nothing more than raccoons in the attic, they both know evil does exist. One Halloween night, an investigation takes a wrong turn and Theo ends up absorbing hundreds of demons into her body. The remainder of the book follows John as he tries to save his wife, Theo, as she learns to manage the evil entities which have taken up residence inside her, and one of the scariest villains I have met in a long time - The Teacher. It also introduces the reader to the secret order of The Demonists, who are charged with protecting the Earth from the evils many doubt and rarely witness.
I really don't scare easy but this book has come the closest to scaring me as anything I have read in years. It really plays on my fear of the classic movie "The Exorcist" and at times caused me to have flashbacks of the horrifying scenes between Regan and Father Karras. For some reason, I have always found possession to be one of the most terrifying elements in horror and it is the main focus of The Demonists. I cannot stress enough that the evil in this book is something to be feared. The Teacher is trying to resurrect Damakus, a long forgotten demon who wants to rule the world and send it plummeting into death and chaos, but in my opinion, The Teacher is much more scarier than the demon he wishes to serve (at least in this installment to this new series). This certainly isn't a book for the faint of heart and if reading about writhing maggots, gut-wrenching pain and torture (both physical and mental) and ugly, horrific-looking demons isn't your thing, you might want to skip this book. But if you love dark urban fantasy and horror, run out and buy a copy as fast as you can.
This novel is the perfect set up to a new series. Several questions remain unanswered at the end and Sniegoski does a fantastic job of making you wish you had waited until all the books in the series were released so you could binge read them and not have to wait months and years to find out where the characters are headed next. While it is true John and Theo are a couple truly in love, there is no romance in this book and their relationship is basically seen from the perspective of what will you do to help the one you love and are you are willing to risk you life, and the lives of many others, in order to save them. I also have to mention Nana, because she is clearly one of my favorite characters, even if she doesn't appear a whole lot.
I really can't say enough good things about this book. I hope anyone who likes the genres I mentioned will at least give it a chance. I will be rushing off this week to see what other books by Sniegoski I can collect as I can see him quickly becoming one of my favorite horror writers.
The Demonists follows John Fogg and his wife, Theo. They have combined their skills in the paranormal for years and star in a famous television ghost hunter series. While many of their investigations turn out to be nothing more than raccoons in the attic, they both know evil does exist. One Halloween night, an investigation takes a wrong turn and Theo ends up absorbing hundreds of demons into her body. The remainder of the book follows John as he tries to save his wife, Theo, as she learns to manage the evil entities which have taken up residence inside her, and one of the scariest villains I have met in a long time - The Teacher. It also introduces the reader to the secret order of The Demonists, who are charged with protecting the Earth from the evils many doubt and rarely witness.
I really don't scare easy but this book has come the closest to scaring me as anything I have read in years. It really plays on my fear of the classic movie "The Exorcist" and at times caused me to have flashbacks of the horrifying scenes between Regan and Father Karras. For some reason, I have always found possession to be one of the most terrifying elements in horror and it is the main focus of The Demonists. I cannot stress enough that the evil in this book is something to be feared. The Teacher is trying to resurrect Damakus, a long forgotten demon who wants to rule the world and send it plummeting into death and chaos, but in my opinion, The Teacher is much more scarier than the demon he wishes to serve (at least in this installment to this new series). This certainly isn't a book for the faint of heart and if reading about writhing maggots, gut-wrenching pain and torture (both physical and mental) and ugly, horrific-looking demons isn't your thing, you might want to skip this book. But if you love dark urban fantasy and horror, run out and buy a copy as fast as you can.
This novel is the perfect set up to a new series. Several questions remain unanswered at the end and Sniegoski does a fantastic job of making you wish you had waited until all the books in the series were released so you could binge read them and not have to wait months and years to find out where the characters are headed next. While it is true John and Theo are a couple truly in love, there is no romance in this book and their relationship is basically seen from the perspective of what will you do to help the one you love and are you are willing to risk you life, and the lives of many others, in order to save them. I also have to mention Nana, because she is clearly one of my favorite characters, even if she doesn't appear a whole lot.
I really can't say enough good things about this book. I hope anyone who likes the genres I mentioned will at least give it a chance. I will be rushing off this week to see what other books by Sniegoski I can collect as I can see him quickly becoming one of my favorite horror writers.
I didn't have any preconceptions about this book, because I hadn't read anything about it until I found it on the new recommended books shelf at the library. I enjoyed it, though. It was dark in a mix of dark supernatural and horror sort of way, which I always enjoy. The plot was nicely paced and the characters were interesting. I'm definitely looking forward to book 2!
4.5 stars
I was given a copy of this book, free, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Click on the image for Goodreads summary.
It is the hope that in the end, good will overcome evil. John and Theo are one of the many defenses that keeps the demons from overstretching their domain. Theo becomes a literal and physical defense as the demons have taken up residence inside of her. John’s search for a way to save his wife takes him across the globe, and into deeper darkness than he was aware possible. But there is so much more going on, and it may be more than the couple can handle.
I have to admit that I wasn’t sure what to expect. I have been wanting to pick up something by Thomas S. Sniegoski for a long time, and I am glad that I finally did. This is a blend of fantasy and horror, heavy on the horror. Especially depending on your own personal beliefs. With stories about vampires and werewolves, it’s easy to dismiss. But stories of demons? These hellish entities are written in the core or almost every religious belief, even if the practice of exorcism has disappeared from our modern eyes. Paranormal stories of ghosts, benign and malevolent spirits are especially creepy, since most everyone has experienced something that defies logical explanation at some point in their life. And it’s this familiarity that Sniegoski uses to makes it easy to accept Theo’s situation and the potentially real danger that the missing kids face.
The world in this book is our world, the only difference is that the spiritual veil has been removed for certain. We are able to see behind this veil through their eyes. And it isn’t pretty. Scaly demons. Inhumane strength. Undulating flesh. It’s all here within the pages, waiting to feed on fear and twist dreams into nightmares.
If you’re looking for a good story, that keeps you on the edge of your seat I would recommend this one. I would also recommend it if you enjoy reading the works of someone with a very twisted imagination. I can’t wait to start the second book in the series and I am sure that I will be reading his other series sooner rather than late.
I was given a copy of this book, free, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Click on the image for Goodreads summary.
It is the hope that in the end, good will overcome evil. John and Theo are one of the many defenses that keeps the demons from overstretching their domain. Theo becomes a literal and physical defense as the demons have taken up residence inside of her. John’s search for a way to save his wife takes him across the globe, and into deeper darkness than he was aware possible. But there is so much more going on, and it may be more than the couple can handle.
I have to admit that I wasn’t sure what to expect. I have been wanting to pick up something by Thomas S. Sniegoski for a long time, and I am glad that I finally did. This is a blend of fantasy and horror, heavy on the horror. Especially depending on your own personal beliefs. With stories about vampires and werewolves, it’s easy to dismiss. But stories of demons? These hellish entities are written in the core or almost every religious belief, even if the practice of exorcism has disappeared from our modern eyes. Paranormal stories of ghosts, benign and malevolent spirits are especially creepy, since most everyone has experienced something that defies logical explanation at some point in their life. And it’s this familiarity that Sniegoski uses to makes it easy to accept Theo’s situation and the potentially real danger that the missing kids face.
The world in this book is our world, the only difference is that the spiritual veil has been removed for certain. We are able to see behind this veil through their eyes. And it isn’t pretty. Scaly demons. Inhumane strength. Undulating flesh. It’s all here within the pages, waiting to feed on fear and twist dreams into nightmares.
If you’re looking for a good story, that keeps you on the edge of your seat I would recommend this one. I would also recommend it if you enjoy reading the works of someone with a very twisted imagination. I can’t wait to start the second book in the series and I am sure that I will be reading his other series sooner rather than late.
This is definitely one of those cases where you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. The cover of The Demonists is very ‘pretty’, and my initial judgement was that this was going to be a book with a fantastic premise that was screwed up because of weak writing making it more acceptable to the masses. While it doesn’t go into The Exorcist level possession vulgarity, The Demonists is not a book that panders to the delicate sensibilities, and it’s one that you may want to read for yourself first if you have any teens interested in reading it. It does trigger for child loss.
I liked the fact that Thomas Sniegoski took it a step further than possession books normally do, by tying it in to the overall war in good versus evil. I was curious as to how well that was going to work out, but he did a good job of it. The almost breakneck pace is fantastic. This is one of those stories that sucks you down into it and leaves you feeling like you’ve been pulled through a knothole backwards by the time it’s done. The book could have been done a bit better, and I would have loved to have seen this book extended by about 20-30 pages, but overall I’m very satisfied with what I read. This is my first read from this author, and though I’m not impressed to the point I’ll rave about it, he’s definitely an author I will read more from.
Overall, it’s a solid entry into the horror sub-genre of possession, and the twist on it puts it a step above what you’re used to getting from these type of books. It might not knock your socks off, but it is a very fun way to spend a few hours. Definitely look into it if you’re a horror fiend.
Find the full review (and many more) at Sci-Fi & Scary Reviews.
I liked the fact that Thomas Sniegoski took it a step further than possession books normally do, by tying it in to the overall war in good versus evil. I was curious as to how well that was going to work out, but he did a good job of it. The almost breakneck pace is fantastic. This is one of those stories that sucks you down into it and leaves you feeling like you’ve been pulled through a knothole backwards by the time it’s done. The book could have been done a bit better, and I would have loved to have seen this book extended by about 20-30 pages, but overall I’m very satisfied with what I read. This is my first read from this author, and though I’m not impressed to the point I’ll rave about it, he’s definitely an author I will read more from.
Overall, it’s a solid entry into the horror sub-genre of possession, and the twist on it puts it a step above what you’re used to getting from these type of books. It might not knock your socks off, but it is a very fun way to spend a few hours. Definitely look into it if you’re a horror fiend.
Find the full review (and many more) at Sci-Fi & Scary Reviews.