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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
You often hear people say that the book was better than the movie, I don't think I would say so in this case. The book is very good, but I don't know that anyone could deny that the movie was also a masterpiece of horror. I also don't believe that you should feel that you don't need to read the book because you watched the movie or vice-versa. The movie follows the book closely but both the movie and the book are different experiences and neither is necessarily superior to the other.
If you enjoy a truly frightening story that will have you looking over your shoulder in the dark, this is perfect for you. If you can't get enough of terrifying stories of demonic possession and monsters, this is right up your alley. If you appreciate a well written, captivating story that you can loose yourself in (and you don't mind being a bit scared), look no further. If you loved the movie and crave more, you will not be the slightest bit disappointed.
The Exorcist is without a doubt one of the scariest books you will ever read but it is more than that also. It's an interesting story that is well written, imaginative, and (at the time) fairly unique. It's a great story to read just because you enjoy a good story, character development, and technical expertise....it's an even better story to read because you love to be scared.
If you enjoy a truly frightening story that will have you looking over your shoulder in the dark, this is perfect for you. If you can't get enough of terrifying stories of demonic possession and monsters, this is right up your alley. If you appreciate a well written, captivating story that you can loose yourself in (and you don't mind being a bit scared), look no further. If you loved the movie and crave more, you will not be the slightest bit disappointed.
The Exorcist is without a doubt one of the scariest books you will ever read but it is more than that also. It's an interesting story that is well written, imaginative, and (at the time) fairly unique. It's a great story to read just because you enjoy a good story, character development, and technical expertise....it's an even better story to read because you love to be scared.
DNF at 40%
I genuinely don't know what readers see in this book these days. It may have been shocking back in the day, and maybe it was just so unusual that people praised it for "going there", but at this point it's so dated and I can't take any of this seriously. What's even more disappointing is that none of this is actually scary. Basically, I really don't understand the appeal.
Also, yes, I know I'm giving a rating to something I technically didn't finish, but I'm pretty comfortable with this because I'm at the point where (considering I know the story because of the film) there really isn't anything this book can do to win me over.
I genuinely don't know what readers see in this book these days. It may have been shocking back in the day, and maybe it was just so unusual that people praised it for "going there", but at this point it's so dated and I can't take any of this seriously. What's even more disappointing is that none of this is actually scary. Basically, I really don't understand the appeal.
Also, yes, I know I'm giving a rating to something I technically didn't finish, but I'm pretty comfortable with this because I'm at the point where (considering I know the story because of the film) there really isn't anything this book can do to win me over.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This has to be the scariest novel I’ve ever read. The writing was very easy to follow, and the dialogues—oh my god, the dialogues were phenomenal! I can’t believe a horror book had so much humor in it. I was laughing one moment and then absolutely terrified the next.
I haven’t seen the movie, so I can’t comment on how closely it follows the book, but I think this is one of the best horror novels I’ve ever read. It’s right up there with Pet Sematary for me.
I haven’t seen the movie, so I can’t comment on how closely it follows the book, but I think this is one of the best horror novels I’ve ever read. It’s right up there with Pet Sematary for me.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Recommended if you like: Possession/demonic horror; Theology vs. Psychology discussions; When Columbo does that “oh, one more thing” thing
Avoid if you dislike: Child violence; Vomit; Long chapters; the “C” word
Unless you’ve been strapped to a bed for the last 50 years, you’ll know that William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist has a legion of voices singing its praises. It’s for good reason. The novel achieves everything a horror author could hope to do—ramping tension, memorable, chilling scenes of terror, deeply-developed characters, expertly twisting plot—I could go on, but you get it. If you’re like me and have read other possession genre works such as Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts and Sara Gran’s Come Closer prior to this one, you’ll recognize a lot of similarities. However, all possession works since The Exorcist can be, at best, loving homages with an interesting wrinkle; such is the dominance and totality of Blatty’s work.
Blatty’s prose flips between beautiful and jarring with ease, expertly applied to guide the reader through tender, emotional character moments and hair-raising scares. The skepticism of Father Damian Karras provides an appropriate counterbalance to the seemingly inexplicable events, and the overarching “real or fake” mystery makes for an exciting plot that is mixed parts of medical drama, theological debate, and detective procedural. I was pleasantly surprised to find more ambiguity in this novel than the film adaptation, which lends itself well to the reader’s uncertainty and discomfort.
The psychological chess match between priest and child/demon is a twisting, thrilling ride that is on a constant crescendo. Blatty subtly tips one edge of the floor higher and higher until you cannot help but roll headlong toward his conclusion. Be forewarned: part of the way that Blatty achieves this sense of speed is by gradually lengthening the chapters and reducing breaks as the story nears the conclusion, so as to never give the reader a chance to lose momentum. If you need short chapters, you may want to come up with a strategy. As someone who typically only has time to read about 10-15 pages at a time, I struggled, but overall I still appreciated the strategy and thought it was effective.
If you haven’t read this horror classic yet, do yourself a favor and remedy that immediately. Don’t be like me and get lost in the many modern possession novels that are mere echoes of this archetypal work.
Avoid if you dislike: Child violence; Vomit; Long chapters; the “C” word
Unless you’ve been strapped to a bed for the last 50 years, you’ll know that William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist has a legion of voices singing its praises. It’s for good reason. The novel achieves everything a horror author could hope to do—ramping tension, memorable, chilling scenes of terror, deeply-developed characters, expertly twisting plot—I could go on, but you get it. If you’re like me and have read other possession genre works such as Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts and Sara Gran’s Come Closer prior to this one, you’ll recognize a lot of similarities. However, all possession works since The Exorcist can be, at best, loving homages with an interesting wrinkle; such is the dominance and totality of Blatty’s work.
Blatty’s prose flips between beautiful and jarring with ease, expertly applied to guide the reader through tender, emotional character moments and hair-raising scares. The skepticism of Father Damian Karras provides an appropriate counterbalance to the seemingly inexplicable events, and the overarching “real or fake” mystery makes for an exciting plot that is mixed parts of medical drama, theological debate, and detective procedural. I was pleasantly surprised to find more ambiguity in this novel than the film adaptation, which lends itself well to the reader’s uncertainty and discomfort.
The psychological chess match between priest and child/demon is a twisting, thrilling ride that is on a constant crescendo. Blatty subtly tips one edge of the floor higher and higher until you cannot help but roll headlong toward his conclusion. Be forewarned: part of the way that Blatty achieves this sense of speed is by gradually lengthening the chapters and reducing breaks as the story nears the conclusion, so as to never give the reader a chance to lose momentum. If you need short chapters, you may want to come up with a strategy. As someone who typically only has time to read about 10-15 pages at a time, I struggled, but overall I still appreciated the strategy and thought it was effective.
If you haven’t read this horror classic yet, do yourself a favor and remedy that immediately. Don’t be like me and get lost in the many modern possession novels that are mere echoes of this archetypal work.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
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
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated