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Something Red #2.5
The Demon
Mixing history, fantasy, and legend, The Demon is an exclusive e-short story from acclaimed novelist Douglas Nicholas, perfect for fans of Game of Thrones .
In England’s wild North Country, the men of Blanchefontaine, led by the castellan Sir Balthasar, must hunt an unearthly creature that stalks the nearby woods. But all is not as it seems…
In England’s wild North Country, the men of Blanchefontaine, led by the castellan Sir Balthasar, must hunt an unearthly creature that stalks the nearby woods. But all is not as it seems…
33 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 18, 2014
20 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Nicholas
12 books95 followersDouglas Nicholas is an award-winning poet whose work has appeared in numerous publications, among them Atlanta Review, Southern Poetry Review, Sonora Review, Circumference, A Different Drummer, and Cumberland Review, as well as the South Coast Poetry Journal, where he won a prize in that publication's Fifth Annual Poetry Contest.
Other awards include Honorable Mention in the Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation 2003 Prize For Poetry Awards, second place in the 2002 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards from PCCC, International Merit Award in Atlanta Review's Poetry 2002 competition, finalist in the 1996 Emily Dickinson Award in Poetry competition, honorable mention in the 1992 Scottish International Open Poetry Competition, first prize in the journal Lake Effect's Sixth Annual Poetry Contest, first prize in poetry in the 1990 Roberts Writing Awards, and finalist in the Roberts short fiction division.
He was also recipient of an award in the 1990 International Poetry Contest sponsored by the Arvon Foundation in Lancashire, England, and a Cecil B. Hackney Literary Award for poetry from Birmingham-Southern College. He lives in New York City and the Hudson Valley with his wife, Theresa, and Yorkshire terrier, Tristan.
Other awards include Honorable Mention in the Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation 2003 Prize For Poetry Awards, second place in the 2002 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards from PCCC, International Merit Award in Atlanta Review's Poetry 2002 competition, finalist in the 1996 Emily Dickinson Award in Poetry competition, honorable mention in the 1992 Scottish International Open Poetry Competition, first prize in the journal Lake Effect's Sixth Annual Poetry Contest, first prize in poetry in the 1990 Roberts Writing Awards, and finalist in the Roberts short fiction division.
He was also recipient of an award in the 1990 International Poetry Contest sponsored by the Arvon Foundation in Lancashire, England, and a Cecil B. Hackney Literary Award for poetry from Birmingham-Southern College. He lives in New York City and the Hudson Valley with his wife, Theresa, and Yorkshire terrier, Tristan.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 23, 2022
This is a 3.5 🌟 read rounded ⬆️ to 4 🌟.
I'm still trying to get used to my Kindle app adding books and clearing them off when I've finished - automatically!
I'm still trying to get used to my Kindle app adding books and clearing them off when I've finished - automatically!
April 15, 2021
I heard from another reader that this story was quite short, although it also sounded quite compelling. After reading it I wrongly assumed (due to it being so short) that it must have been a short story found amongst the late author Douglas Nicholas’ notes, before being published posthumously. However, I was quite surprised to discover that it was published almost two years before Nicholas’ sudden passing.
The brevity of this book is both a blessing and a curse, so that I also wondered if Nicholas’ publisher wanted a short book that could be offered as a free giveaway to readers who had signed up to his website’s mailing list (which is a common practice amongst indie authors). Yet this was also not the case.
Nicholas’ publishers obviously thought that this was a story that stood on its two feet and which was worth putting out there, and I’m glad that it saw the light of day. That said, it will probably only appeal to fans of Nicholas’ ‘Molly & Co.’ tetralogy, which includes ‘Something Red’, ‘The Wicked’, ‘Throne of Darkness’ and ‘Three Queens In Erin’. That said, Molly and her troupe of adventurers do not feature in ‘The Demon’, whose hero is a secondary character from the tetralogy, a formidable warrior whose seemingly invincible martial prowess earns him a lot of prominence in the series.
Anyone who (like me) has read and enjoyed the ‘Molly & Co.’ series will have no doubt already guessed that I’m talking about Sir Balthasar. These fans of Douglas Nicholas will also not be surprised to learn that Sir Baz instantly decides to confront a horrific demon which is said to be terrorising travellers in the woods surrounding his Lord Sir Jehan’s castle.
Sir Baz sets about assembling a mounted armed force and laying a plan to attack the beast, before leading his men beyond the safety of Sir Jehan’s castle walls to find the monster. If we’re honest the plan is a bit of a hare-brained scheme, since it involves sending two men in a wagon ahead of the armed riders to lure out the lurking monster, before summoning Sir Baz’s mounted men through blasts of the horn. Yet lovers of Nicholas will probably be quick to forgive this, while accepting that Sir Baz is a formidable warrior but not necessarily the sharpest tool in the shed. After all, the main draw in this book is the author’s prose, with its unique ability to evoke a sense of wonder as well as horror.
So this book is a four on five stars for me, although I am a confessed fan of Nicholas’ fiction. ‘The Demon’ does contain some fundamental plot weakness, yet they’re worth overlooking in order to savour the rare privilege of stepping back into Nicholas’ medieval and fantastical world.
The brevity of this book is both a blessing and a curse, so that I also wondered if Nicholas’ publisher wanted a short book that could be offered as a free giveaway to readers who had signed up to his website’s mailing list (which is a common practice amongst indie authors). Yet this was also not the case.
Nicholas’ publishers obviously thought that this was a story that stood on its two feet and which was worth putting out there, and I’m glad that it saw the light of day. That said, it will probably only appeal to fans of Nicholas’ ‘Molly & Co.’ tetralogy, which includes ‘Something Red’, ‘The Wicked’, ‘Throne of Darkness’ and ‘Three Queens In Erin’. That said, Molly and her troupe of adventurers do not feature in ‘The Demon’, whose hero is a secondary character from the tetralogy, a formidable warrior whose seemingly invincible martial prowess earns him a lot of prominence in the series.
Anyone who (like me) has read and enjoyed the ‘Molly & Co.’ series will have no doubt already guessed that I’m talking about Sir Balthasar. These fans of Douglas Nicholas will also not be surprised to learn that Sir Baz instantly decides to confront a horrific demon which is said to be terrorising travellers in the woods surrounding his Lord Sir Jehan’s castle.
Sir Baz sets about assembling a mounted armed force and laying a plan to attack the beast, before leading his men beyond the safety of Sir Jehan’s castle walls to find the monster. If we’re honest the plan is a bit of a hare-brained scheme, since it involves sending two men in a wagon ahead of the armed riders to lure out the lurking monster, before summoning Sir Baz’s mounted men through blasts of the horn. Yet lovers of Nicholas will probably be quick to forgive this, while accepting that Sir Baz is a formidable warrior but not necessarily the sharpest tool in the shed. After all, the main draw in this book is the author’s prose, with its unique ability to evoke a sense of wonder as well as horror.
So this book is a four on five stars for me, although I am a confessed fan of Nicholas’ fiction. ‘The Demon’ does contain some fundamental plot weakness, yet they’re worth overlooking in order to savour the rare privilege of stepping back into Nicholas’ medieval and fantastical world.
March 26, 2014
I liked this short story. The premise really is just knights setting out to vanquish a demon in a forest. Naturally things aren't quite what they appear and people are left to decide who/what is really a demon.
Could've been a little longer to develop the characters but since only a few share the limelight, it's not that big of a deal.
Could've been a little longer to develop the characters but since only a few share the limelight, it's not that big of a deal.
April 11, 2014
This was an entertaining short story set in medieval England. I was initially put off by the flowery language but things settled down after the first several pages. The author does a fine job of creating interesting characters and a suspenseful plot. This is basically just a teaser to generate interest for Nicholas' latest book, but a fine diversion regardless.
April 22, 2014
Very good short story. Perfect for reading before going to sleep. Also cool that the first chapter of The Wicked was in there. But since I'm really keen to read The Wicked, it did not really help much with the promise I made myself not buying any new books until I have finished the couple I still have. Anyhow, if you have not read this yet...GO GO GO.
October 11, 2014
A brief return to the historical world of Something Red, and again, Nicholas demonstrates a command of his unique setting. The language is elegant and atmospheric, and the story is intriguing though short. This was available free from Amazon for Kindle, and I was glad to be able to read this in advance of The Wicked.
June 4, 2014
love this guy's writing style. He doesn't tell; he shows. and such a great sub-genre: historical fantasy
June 30, 2014
This was a great period piece, in the same vein as the movie Brotherhood of the Wolf. Great setting and characters, even with the short length I felt I got to know some of them.
August 29, 2021
An entertaining short tale of medieval English knights faced with reports that a demon and its horde had taken up residence in the nearby forest and was attacking merchants on the road.
It's a very short story but the characters are excellent and well described. Certainly a good tempter to delve more into the series.
It's a very short story but the characters are excellent and well described. Certainly a good tempter to delve more into the series.
November 27, 2017
Easy read
If you like the other books in the series, you will like this. It's short but entertaining. An easy read.
If you like the other books in the series, you will like this. It's short but entertaining. An easy read.
April 11, 2018
It was a lot shorter than I expected.
June 26, 2022
"In England’s wild North Country, the men of Blanchefontaine, led by the castellan Sir Balthasar, must hunt an unearthly creature that stalks the nearby woods. But all is not as it seems…"
January 26, 2026
fantasy and historical fiction mixed, knights setting a trap for demon but in the fight turns into something else. not bad at all.
December 21, 2015
The knights of Castle Blanchefontaine have been tasked with a possibly deadly mission: a merchant passing through the area reported that he and his guards were set upon by a great demon and his minions. They ran, leaving behind their wagon, and sought shelter at Blanchefontaine. Now, the castellan and his man must confront this evil head on if their lands are ever to be safe again.
"The Demon" is fun. It doesn't add much to the series as a whole, but it is a nice bonus. Plus, it's free and includes a sample of The Wicked to give you a further taste of Nicholas's work.
Again, this one serves as just a freebie bonus. It's super short on its own - even with The Wicked sample it's only around 40 pages in length. It was nice to see the men-at-arms of Blanchefontaine and Sir Balthasar in action, though.
"The Demon" is fun. It doesn't add much to the series as a whole, but it is a nice bonus. Plus, it's free and includes a sample of The Wicked to give you a further taste of Nicholas's work.
Again, this one serves as just a freebie bonus. It's super short on its own - even with The Wicked sample it's only around 40 pages in length. It was nice to see the men-at-arms of Blanchefontaine and Sir Balthasar in action, though.
July 6, 2014
Very short, but interesting.
The excerpt from "The Wicked" which followed the short story, even though it appeared to have some of the same characters, was a G I A N T snore. I will not be reading that.
The excerpt from "The Wicked" which followed the short story, even though it appeared to have some of the same characters, was a G I A N T snore. I will not be reading that.
April 26, 2015
Very good.
I very much enjoyed this short story. I only gave it four stars instead of five just because I would have liked a few more details. But I look forward to reading more by this author.
I very much enjoyed this short story. I only gave it four stars instead of five just because I would have liked a few more details. But I look forward to reading more by this author.
April 19, 2015
Interesting enough - specially that cavalry charge bit..
November 6, 2016
Alright
Meh I mean it's a nice casual read but that's it really. Nice having some irish in the book but felt a little washed down
Meh I mean it's a nice casual read but that's it really. Nice having some irish in the book but felt a little washed down
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews