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A review by connorp2814
God's Demon by Wayne Barlowe
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
To have the main characters of a book be Fallen Angels now turned Demons is a very interesting take...esspecially considering what people's percieved ideas of what Demons are. This book really takes that idea and unravels it little by little, really disecting whether or not Demons were born to be evil, or chose to be evil, and then asks is it possible to repent after commiting to their worst atrocity...the war against God and Heaven.
Barlowe can pull you in many different emotions with his wide variety of characters. The antagonist Demons do every dastardly deed possible, rape, pillage, enslave, wage war, and the reader can feel the negative emotions spring off the page...
But the protagonist Demons smile, have feasts, embrace each other, 1 specific Male character and 1 specific female character even find love and even have a consensual sexual relationship...the feeling of loyalty, friendship, and love eminates from the protagonists. Even as they face eternal damnation they still find things to be content about.
You can feel the stark differences in attitude, and how each denomination (protagonists vs antagonists) really feel about spending eternity in Hell.
Barlowe is able to pull you in different directions and actually make you feel remorse for the protagonists and complete indifference for the antagonists. You understand the protagonists struggle, the world they have been thrust into and forced to abide by, untill...
...thats when the book really kicks off its philisophical discussion of morality, right and wrong.
When it comes to the setting, God's Demon is practically a masterclass in world building and setting the scene using said world building. The landscape of Hell is completley unforgiving, more so than the Demons that inhabit it, and you can feel the terror jump off the page. Everything from the slave work camps, to the wastes beyond the confines of city walls feels real, almost as if written as a first hand account. The idea that Hell was inhabited for thousands of years before the Demons, by various floral and fauna, even sentient humonoid species, is a take that will live forever among the other great non fiction stories of theology. It adds a whole new depth to the concept of Hell and really begs the question if Hell was evil or not before the Demons got there.
Overall, an incredible read that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Great cast of characters, lovable protagonists, and very loathsome antagonists...builds for an excellent story that asks "who is right?" And Im not sure if the book even answers the question.
Barlowe can pull you in many different emotions with his wide variety of characters. The antagonist Demons do every dastardly deed possible, rape, pillage, enslave, wage war, and the reader can feel the negative emotions spring off the page...
But the protagonist Demons smile, have feasts, embrace each other, 1 specific Male character and 1 specific female character even find love and even have a consensual sexual relationship...the feeling of loyalty, friendship, and love eminates from the protagonists. Even as they face eternal damnation they still find things to be content about.
You can feel the stark differences in attitude, and how each denomination (protagonists vs antagonists) really feel about spending eternity in Hell.
Barlowe is able to pull you in different directions and actually make you feel remorse for the protagonists and complete indifference for the antagonists. You understand the protagonists struggle, the world they have been thrust into and forced to abide by, untill...
...thats when the book really kicks off its philisophical discussion of morality, right and wrong.
When it comes to the setting, God's Demon is practically a masterclass in world building and setting the scene using said world building. The landscape of Hell is completley unforgiving, more so than the Demons that inhabit it, and you can feel the terror jump off the page. Everything from the slave work camps, to the wastes beyond the confines of city walls feels real, almost as if written as a first hand account. The idea that Hell was inhabited for thousands of years before the Demons, by various floral and fauna, even sentient humonoid species, is a take that will live forever among the other great non fiction stories of theology. It adds a whole new depth to the concept of Hell and really begs the question if Hell was evil or not before the Demons got there.
Overall, an incredible read that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Great cast of characters, lovable protagonists, and very loathsome antagonists...builds for an excellent story that asks "who is right?" And Im not sure if the book even answers the question.