What do you think?
Rate this book
The Young Demon Keeper
*** through to the semifinals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novelist Award 2011*** *Publishers Weekly review* "This enjoyably light-hearted fantasy novel, trading on romance and humor abetted by magic, demons, witches, and spells tells the story of a naïve young Brit, Paul, who summons a demon with a spell he finds in an old book. Instead of getting a demon to serve as his personal slave, he gets Scarth, an irritating, stupid, voraciously hungry creature who loves ice cream but also consumes people. Paul quickly realizes that Scarth is not what he wanted and attempts to send him back. However, he is confronted by Lord Roath of the Inner Circle of Pain, Destroyer of Peace, Crusher of Souls. Lord Roath explains that he has the right to refuse to take Scarth back and Paul is stuck with him for the next 500 years or so. Paul heads to London, hoping to find someone who can help. It's going to take a lot of help, but Paul finds it in “Dumpster,” a Pub’s arm-wrestling champ, Vanessa, a Wicca, and ebullient professor “Oz” Dawkins. What follows is a series of amusing adventures and misadventures that lead to a dangerous attempt to return the irritating but endearing Scarth -- all of which may result in Paul’s exile to the underworld. This debut is reminiscent of Piers Anthony’s Xanth series (minus the puns) but with much the same adolescent innocence confronting adult situations." The Young Demon Keeper is a darkly humorous fantasy novel set in modern-day London. When Paul summoned a slave demon to do his every bidding, he thought it would be really cool. Instead, he got Scarth, a hybrid that was as magical as a damp sponge but not as intelligent. His only talents seem to be invisibility and to toasters, gravel, furniture, but especially ice-cream. Oh, and people. Featuring demons, trendy priests, garrulous occult bookshop owners, muggers, publicans, evangelists, porters, witches, and wizards. Oh, and then there's the really strange characters.
356 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 27, 2010
1 person is currently reading
27 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 21, 2013
This was a fun read. Poor Paul! He thought he would summon himself a demon to make his life better (money, love, etc). Instead he is saddled with Scarth, a really dumb half-demon who loves ice cream and has the habit of eating people (although to Scarth's credit, he doesn't know he is doing wrong). The rest of the story hinges around Paul trying to get unbound to Scarth. Paul can't send him back to the underworld because Lord Roath won't accept him back. Not great literature, but a fun, satirical read!
May 20, 2017
Hilarious, ironic, and, yes, an awesome fun read. I love the paranormal/supernatural genre, and this one had beasts a plenty running through it, as well as wonderfully colorful characters, from the drunks at the bar, to Oz the grand wizard, to Ess the nature loving Wiccan, to the couple of demons who put in appearances, and yes, even the goth girl manning the checkout counter at the Wiccan store. Paul, being our narrative character was a bit bland, but then he was so overburdened with trying to keep up with Scarth (who was pure genius of a character, with his attitude of a two-year-old with the temper tantrums). The only point where I wavered on giving this book a 4 star, was that there were several moments where the book abruptly shifted from being black comedy to rather disturbing (we’re talking the points where Scarth ate people and the beating the couple of robbers to death. My stomach actually turned on those scenes and it’s a hard sale to make me give 5 stars to something after fighting nausea). One point I really loved though was the running gag about Paul’s virginity, and how everyone figured he was looking for sex magic each time he so much as asked where the bookstore selection on demons was.
July 15, 2012
This is a witty romp through the possibilities of demonology. Fictional, I hasten to add, though I'm sure Bob did his homework before setting off. I know this because I read the book in draft form on a writers' forum 18 months or more ago, and I thought then that it was funny and had a really original story. Now that it's available on Kindle I decided to download it to see how it had progressed. Polished and assured, it's now very good indeed.
The characters are richly different from each other and yet all have aspects that I recognise and enjoy. Paul, the main character, has attempted to summon a personal demon to assist him in his ineffectual life. Characteristically, he's managed only to botch the job. His invocation spell, which we later find is a cut and shut effort, has lumbered him with Scarth - a hybrid "chimera" who is not only useless and stupid but inclined to eat anything, from gravel to ice-cream to people. Hell being un-educated about "fitness for purpose" in purchases, Paul finds that both the chimera and his superiors resist all efforts to return Scarth to The Pit.
Throughout, the main characters felt like people I might know or have known - Ess the bright Earth Mother Wiccan, Paul the nerdy IT support technician, Dumpster the pub hard-man (dominated by his tiny wife), the large and ebullient Professor "Oz" who pretends to be a sexual predator and is actually an expert on several subjects. Being myself an agnostic, I found Paul's encounter with the "provisional wing" of the Christian church amusing, but I daresay a churchgoer might be offended, so don't buy this book for your mother if she pours the tea for Bring and Buy Sales at St Jehosophat's.
The actual demons have interesting - and surely satirical - qualities, such as utter seriousness, lack of creative imagination, and a selfish dedication to career oneupmanship. I wonder who they reminded me of? I couldn't POSSIBLY comment. Naturally, in a work of fiction, these qualities are the ones that let them down and allow Paul to free himself from his impulse buy of the spiritual companion from Hell. By the end of the book, I'd got involved enough to worry, as Ess does, about what will become of Scarth - and even the howling, Hell-filled misery of his scream - when his tie to Paul is finally cut.
The writing is witty, without being overdone, and the tone is light despite the dark possibilities of the story. You're never in doubt that Paul and Ess and Oz WILL succeed against the forces of the Pit. Wanting to know exactly how it will happen is what makes this a page turner. (Or screen flicker. Whatever.)
The characters are richly different from each other and yet all have aspects that I recognise and enjoy. Paul, the main character, has attempted to summon a personal demon to assist him in his ineffectual life. Characteristically, he's managed only to botch the job. His invocation spell, which we later find is a cut and shut effort, has lumbered him with Scarth - a hybrid "chimera" who is not only useless and stupid but inclined to eat anything, from gravel to ice-cream to people. Hell being un-educated about "fitness for purpose" in purchases, Paul finds that both the chimera and his superiors resist all efforts to return Scarth to The Pit.
Throughout, the main characters felt like people I might know or have known - Ess the bright Earth Mother Wiccan, Paul the nerdy IT support technician, Dumpster the pub hard-man (dominated by his tiny wife), the large and ebullient Professor "Oz" who pretends to be a sexual predator and is actually an expert on several subjects. Being myself an agnostic, I found Paul's encounter with the "provisional wing" of the Christian church amusing, but I daresay a churchgoer might be offended, so don't buy this book for your mother if she pours the tea for Bring and Buy Sales at St Jehosophat's.
The actual demons have interesting - and surely satirical - qualities, such as utter seriousness, lack of creative imagination, and a selfish dedication to career oneupmanship. I wonder who they reminded me of? I couldn't POSSIBLY comment. Naturally, in a work of fiction, these qualities are the ones that let them down and allow Paul to free himself from his impulse buy of the spiritual companion from Hell. By the end of the book, I'd got involved enough to worry, as Ess does, about what will become of Scarth - and even the howling, Hell-filled misery of his scream - when his tie to Paul is finally cut.
The writing is witty, without being overdone, and the tone is light despite the dark possibilities of the story. You're never in doubt that Paul and Ess and Oz WILL succeed against the forces of the Pit. Wanting to know exactly how it will happen is what makes this a page turner. (Or screen flicker. Whatever.)
May 17, 2014
Be careful what you wish for . . .
Paul wished for a demon slave to bring his every fantasy to fruition (an X-Box 360, Lauryn the hot office temp). Instead, he got stuck with Scarth, quite possibly the most annoying demon that hell ever spawned. He's destructive, he's irritating, and he's a bit . . . thick. He also has a nasty habit of eating people when he can't score some ice cream. What is Paul to do when even hell won't take him back?
I absolutely adored this fresh and witty tale and recommend it to urban fantasy fans! With a fast-paced plot and quirky, unforgettable characters, it will leave you wanting more.
*goes off to grab the rest of the series*
Paul wished for a demon slave to bring his every fantasy to fruition (an X-Box 360, Lauryn the hot office temp). Instead, he got stuck with Scarth, quite possibly the most annoying demon that hell ever spawned. He's destructive, he's irritating, and he's a bit . . . thick. He also has a nasty habit of eating people when he can't score some ice cream. What is Paul to do when even hell won't take him back?
I absolutely adored this fresh and witty tale and recommend it to urban fantasy fans! With a fast-paced plot and quirky, unforgettable characters, it will leave you wanting more.
*goes off to grab the rest of the series*
July 13, 2014
A fun trip that puts one in mind of what happens if you have to care for a lethal and invisible two-year-old. Paul and Ess are great characters (even if their relationship isn't quite plausible). Get an ice cream cone, and settle down with this book.
April 21, 2011
This is a fantastic dark fantasy satire. A must read for lovers of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams. A great read full of Brit wit at it's best!
July 30, 2014
Wacky, unexpected urban fantasy with a romance subplot and a lot of people-eating by a misbehaving demon, heh.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews