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3.11 AVERAGE
3.11 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not seeing a way to write a review without giving a rating in the new goodreads app so I had to mark this as one star.
I didn't make it past the first few pages. Flowery awkward descriptors made me start to stumble a bit, but the strange cold description of the main character's marriage and friend?/colleague made me put it down. Too turned off too quickly.
I didn't make it past the first few pages. Flowery awkward descriptors made me start to stumble a bit, but the strange cold description of the main character's marriage and friend?/colleague made me put it down. Too turned off too quickly.
I waited a few days to review this book, as I was unsure exactly what I should say about it. First off, I did not find this book to be thrilling or terrifying at all. Maybe because I don't believe in the devil or demons? Pyper did a terrible job trying to convince me to believe, at least. I liked the Milton aspect to the plot but thought it was underplayed at times. This book felt like a poorly fleshed out "Da Vinci Code". As others have written, the characters responses and reactions often rang very flat. David's estranged wife's lack of grief or emotion over their daughter's death was particularly dull and unbelievable. I would have expected her to rage against David or something. Instead, she calls him calmly a week later and asks to move forward with the divorce. What?? The ending was blah, felt rushed and I really didn't "get" the point of what the demon was trying to do with David. After all that "horror" and "terror", David can just walk away? Perhaps this is a free will statement Pyper is making? If so, he made it badly. Wouldn't recommend it, especially if you are not inclined to believe in demons, etc. or are not particularly religious. Read "The Historian" instead, much better.
I'm pretty sure I read Lost Girls, or at least part of it, and thought it was kinda creepy, kinda pomo. Like other readers, I thought that I should try another; I really WANT to like Canadian authors (having been Canadian all my life) but again I have been disappointed.
Pyper is a good writer, as far as that goes, but I didn't connect with the protagonist, and I really didn't think that we ever reached a resolution.
'Erudite', yes, some, the Milton quotes are nicely chosen; 'scary', no, not really.
Bone to pick - there is a scene in a southern Ontario cherry orchard, and from what I can deduce, it's early May. How does our hero know it's a cherry orchard as they aren't in season until mid- to late June. Why do we care that it's a cherry orchard (is there some thinly veiled reference to Chekhov I'm missing?)? It really grated, as I grew up there, and I'm a detail person - just say 'orchard'.
I stuck it through to the end and the best I can do to sum up is that it was reminiscent of a cross between a better-written Dan Brown something and a very unexciting episode of Supernatural...
Read 'London Falling' by Paul Cornell instead.
Pyper is a good writer, as far as that goes, but I didn't connect with the protagonist, and I really didn't think that we ever reached a resolution.
'Erudite', yes, some, the Milton quotes are nicely chosen; 'scary', no, not really.
Bone to pick - there is a scene in a southern Ontario cherry orchard, and from what I can deduce, it's early May. How does our hero know it's a cherry orchard as they aren't in season until mid- to late June. Why do we care that it's a cherry orchard (is there some thinly veiled reference to Chekhov I'm missing?)? It really grated, as I grew up there, and I'm a detail person - just say 'orchard'.
I stuck it through to the end and the best I can do to sum up is that it was reminiscent of a cross between a better-written Dan Brown something and a very unexciting episode of Supernatural...
Read 'London Falling' by Paul Cornell instead.
This was a “blind date with a book” that I grabbed from the library. The brief premise sounded interesting enough. When I started reading it, I thought it was pretty good. Pleased to meet an atheist protagonist. But then, of course, it ended in the disappointing resolution of an unbeliever being turned into a believer. One man’s road trip with his inner demon to get his daughter back literally from hell. Left me feeling a whole lot of meh and disliking him by the end. Glad I didn’t spend any money on this book. Well written, but ugh to the whole journey of an atheist becoming a believer premise.
2.5. "36 summer reads you won't be able to put down" - Real Simple website. About a professor of Milton using his knowledge of the underworld to try to save his daughter’s life, is both a chilling page-turner and a psychological study of a tormented man. Wierd. Stayed with it, but don't need to read again.
The Demonologist does some things very well. Pyper writes paranormal thriller very well. The action is excellent and once the story picks up, it's a real page turner. Unfortunately the dialogue is awkward and hard to follow. Demonologist reads like a movie script, lacking description of any kind around long dialogue so it is hard to follow who is speaking while conversations may last several pages. Comparing the author bio to the main character, Pyper has clearly inserted himself into the hero's role but has a very hard time writing any of his other characters convincingly, particularly women who make up a majority of the other characters in the book. As a movie novelization, The Demonologist is not bad. It teases a fun and exciting story that will make an excellent summer blockbuster.
I picked up the Demonologist because I wanted a scary-page turner to read at the cottage over the weekend. It definitely had some creepy moments (those twins!) but on the whole, it didn't really work for me. It started off strong but then meandered all over the place, losing me in the process.
I did like all of the Milton references, although I found myself wishing I were just taking the main character's class on Paradise Lost, rather than reading this book.
The Demonologist also suffers by comparison to Pyper's most recent title, The Homecoming, which is SO good. I really can't wait to read whatever he writes next.
I did like all of the Milton references, although I found myself wishing I were just taking the main character's class on Paradise Lost, rather than reading this book.
The Demonologist also suffers by comparison to Pyper's most recent title, The Homecoming, which is SO good. I really can't wait to read whatever he writes next.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Injury/Injury detail