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3.12 AVERAGE
3.12 AVERAGE
I flew through this book in about a day. I enjoyed the literary references and did creep myself out a little while reading it at night (thanks, in part, to my house that seems to make a lot of random noises!)
I had a hard time with the pacing and writing style of this one. Pretty dry and boring for large parts of the book.
From the Publisher:
"A STOLEN CHILD, AN ANCIENT EVIL, A FATHER’S DESCENT, AND THE LITERARY MASTERPIECE THAT HOLDS THE KEY TO HIS DAUGHTER’S SALVATION
Professor David Ullman is among the world’s leading authorities on demonic literature, specializing in Milton’s Paradise Lost. Not that David is a believer—he sees what he teaches as a branch of the imagination and nothing more. So when the mysterious Thin Woman arrives at his office and invites him to travel to Venice and witness a 'phenomenon,' David is hard-pressed to overcome his skepticism.
But there are forces at work beyond anything David can imagine, and they will stop at nothing to ensure that the professor does not escape their grasp. Against his better judgment, David, accompanied by his beloved daughter, Tess, finds himself traveling to Venice, where an unspeakable horror awaits.
Soon David is pulled into a journey that will redefine what he is willing to believe. Guided by symbols and riddles from the pages of Paradise Lost, David races to save his daughter. If he fails, he will lose Tess forever."
When I read the synopsis for the book, I had to pick it up. It sounded really interesting, and, I must say, I find thriller/horror fiction involving demons hard to pass up. It started off okay, and, to be honest, I read through it quite fast, usually unable to put it down. That being said, I was pretty disappointed in this book. Not the writing, which was quite good, nor the character development, which was also quite good, but something about the plot didn't satisfy me. I found the characterization of the demons a little off, and the lack of any sort of religious element strange considering the top. It was as if any information about demons drawn solely from Paradise Lost or myths. Almost nothing from actually Christianity. I find it difficult to find any sort of real scare from demons if there is no God element involved. I mean, how can demons be real in the story if God isn't? I don't see how the main character could defeat them any other way. If the ending had not been a happy one, I could be okay with the lack of God in the story. But, without God, I think demons would win. And they didn't in this story. So, I was not scared, and the plot never felt real to me. And I think those two things are key in any good thriller/horror. Otherwise it's just does not serve its purpose.
One other pet peeve--the author's presentation of David's theory of Satan as the hero of Paradise Lost is foolish. Not because it's not a good idea, but because it's not new and Pyper presented it as such. It's not a new or fresh idea at all. Lots of people say that...
Overall, The Demonologist gets 3/5 stars from me. While I did like it and enjoy it, the issues I had with it were distracting and stopped me from loving it.
"A STOLEN CHILD, AN ANCIENT EVIL, A FATHER’S DESCENT, AND THE LITERARY MASTERPIECE THAT HOLDS THE KEY TO HIS DAUGHTER’S SALVATION
Professor David Ullman is among the world’s leading authorities on demonic literature, specializing in Milton’s Paradise Lost. Not that David is a believer—he sees what he teaches as a branch of the imagination and nothing more. So when the mysterious Thin Woman arrives at his office and invites him to travel to Venice and witness a 'phenomenon,' David is hard-pressed to overcome his skepticism.
But there are forces at work beyond anything David can imagine, and they will stop at nothing to ensure that the professor does not escape their grasp. Against his better judgment, David, accompanied by his beloved daughter, Tess, finds himself traveling to Venice, where an unspeakable horror awaits.
Soon David is pulled into a journey that will redefine what he is willing to believe. Guided by symbols and riddles from the pages of Paradise Lost, David races to save his daughter. If he fails, he will lose Tess forever."
When I read the synopsis for the book, I had to pick it up. It sounded really interesting, and, I must say, I find thriller/horror fiction involving demons hard to pass up. It started off okay, and, to be honest, I read through it quite fast, usually unable to put it down. That being said, I was pretty disappointed in this book. Not the writing, which was quite good, nor the character development, which was also quite good, but something about the plot didn't satisfy me. I found the characterization of the demons a little off, and the lack of any sort of religious element strange considering the top. It was as if any information about demons drawn solely from Paradise Lost or myths. Almost nothing from actually Christianity. I find it difficult to find any sort of real scare from demons if there is no God element involved. I mean, how can demons be real in the story if God isn't? I don't see how the main character could defeat them any other way. If the ending had not been a happy one, I could be okay with the lack of God in the story. But, without God, I think demons would win. And they didn't in this story. So, I was not scared, and the plot never felt real to me. And I think those two things are key in any good thriller/horror. Otherwise it's just does not serve its purpose.
One other pet peeve--the author's presentation of David's theory of Satan as the hero of Paradise Lost is foolish. Not because it's not a good idea, but because it's not new and Pyper presented it as such. It's not a new or fresh idea at all. Lots of people say that...
Overall, The Demonologist gets 3/5 stars from me. While I did like it and enjoy it, the issues I had with it were distracting and stopped me from loving it.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked this up thinking I'd love to be scared and looking for a book that would just give me a lot to think about. This was no that book. I had a hard time following all of the Paradise Lost references and just wasn't invested in the story.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not at all living up to expectations. It promises fear and page-turning horror, but failed to deliver.
I'm a little pissed that this book was right under my nose for so long and none of my other books told me to read it. They're just jealous! This one can sit on the shelf and hold hands with The Exorcist (Blatty), All These Subtle Deceits (Humble), and The Screwtape Letters (Lewis), actually...