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A review by craigwallwork
Exorcist Falls by Jonathan Janz
2.0
Ok, I struggled with Exorcist Falls. But before I get into that, here’s my thoughts on EXORCIST ROAD: It’s hard not to draw comparisons to Blatty’s great novel when someone writers about an exorcism. It’s like a book about a shark terrorising a small island and attempting to block out the iconic composition of John Williams. Janz’s real skill here is two fold: First is pace. Yes, it’s a novella so by its very limitations you can’t afford to meander. You have to keep things very tight. Janz does this by hitting the boards running when Father Crowder attends the house of a 15 year old boy showing signs of demonic possession. We’re then thrown into a literal Hell before we have time to blink. The second is plot. Sure, there’s every exorcism trope thrown in here, but running parallel is a second story, that of the Sweet Sixteen Killer. The town has a serial killer roaming around targeting 16 year girls. Weaving this storyline into the exorcism presents us with a extra dynamic; who is the Sweet Sixteen Killer? And more importantly, are they one of the characters in the house during the exorcism? Now we have a “who dun’it”. This is why Exorcist Road gets four stars instead of three. It’s that extra layer needed to differentiate it from its predecessor. Yes, you could say it’s more a homage to The Exorcist and Legion, whereby again, in the latter we are presented with the Gemini killer, but Janz dodges skilfully the obvious connection by making his story very claustrophobic (pretty much one setting throughout the novella) and exchanging those deep philosophical questions present in Blatty’s work for more wince-inducing gratuitous fun.
Spoilers
Now, onto EXORCIST FALLS, which perfectly dovetails to the last book. Here we pick up the story of a Crowder coming to terms with the aftermath of the exorcism, and the demon now residing in him. That he knows who the Sweet Sixteen killer is but is held back from reporting them to the police to save the lives of Liz (his crush) and son, began to get a little far fetched. Sure, you could say Exorcist Road needed suspension of disbelief, but that was seated in a history of exorcisms. Whereas now, it just felt a little ridiculous. While the second book is longer in form, I felt like the first it should have been a novella. The writing was solid, but the story just didn’t sit well with me. Hence why EXORCIST FALLS gets two stars. EXORCIST ROAD (which I’ve reviewed separately) got four stars.
Spoilers
Now, onto EXORCIST FALLS, which perfectly dovetails to the last book. Here we pick up the story of a Crowder coming to terms with the aftermath of the exorcism, and the demon now residing in him. That he knows who the Sweet Sixteen killer is but is held back from reporting them to the police to save the lives of Liz (his crush) and son, began to get a little far fetched. Sure, you could say Exorcist Road needed suspension of disbelief, but that was seated in a history of exorcisms. Whereas now, it just felt a little ridiculous. While the second book is longer in form, I felt like the first it should have been a novella. The writing was solid, but the story just didn’t sit well with me. Hence why EXORCIST FALLS gets two stars. EXORCIST ROAD (which I’ve reviewed separately) got four stars.