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Interview with the Devil: Epoch
If God and the Devil were standing in front of you, what would you ask them?
In “Epoch,” the climactic fourth book in The Devil Universe--Joseph Banbury embarks on a transformative world tour with the Morning Star. With his devoted tribe behind him, Joe meets new allies and faces unexpected challenges in a race against time to uncover the powerful Epoch relic.
This masterful blend of science fiction and supernatural intrigue delves deep into philosophical questions about existence, free will, and the true nature of God and the Devil. As the universe teeters on the brink of collapse, Joseph must balance the immense responsibility of his newfound role with his desire to see humanity thrive.
Will he succeed in guiding humanity toward enlightenment, or will the shadows of the past threaten to engulf his creation?
Discover the fate of the universe in this spellbinding finale that will leave you questioning your own place in the Universe and the very nature of existence.
In “Epoch,” the climactic fourth book in The Devil Universe--Joseph Banbury embarks on a transformative world tour with the Morning Star. With his devoted tribe behind him, Joe meets new allies and faces unexpected challenges in a race against time to uncover the powerful Epoch relic.
This masterful blend of science fiction and supernatural intrigue delves deep into philosophical questions about existence, free will, and the true nature of God and the Devil. As the universe teeters on the brink of collapse, Joseph must balance the immense responsibility of his newfound role with his desire to see humanity thrive.
Will he succeed in guiding humanity toward enlightenment, or will the shadows of the past threaten to engulf his creation?
Discover the fate of the universe in this spellbinding finale that will leave you questioning your own place in the Universe and the very nature of existence.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 29, 2024
187 people are currently reading
2480 people want to read
About the author
Michael Harbron
19 books132 followersMichael Harbron is an American fiction writer who brings a unique, yet traditional approach to the horror and supernatural genres. From a young age, Harbron was captivated by the eerie and unexplained, a fascination that has deeply influenced his writing. His works aim to unsettle readers through suspense and psychological depth, revisiting the shadowy corners of childhood fears. His debut novel, "Interview with the Devil," exemplifies the blurred lines between reality and the unimaginable. Harbron’s storytelling resurrects dormant fears, proving that true horror lies not in what is seen, but in what is felt.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
December 21, 2025
Interview with the Devil:Epoch
by Michael Harbron
This is the final book in the series. It has a great ending after this great series. It wasn't as exciting as the other books but still enjoyable.
by Michael Harbron
This is the final book in the series. It has a great ending after this great series. It wasn't as exciting as the other books but still enjoyable.
September 6, 2024
I enjoyed it, despite myself.
This trilogy reads as a masturbatory power fantasy brimming with pretention and sophomoric philosophy. There is a deeply gratuitous chapter in the second book that would have better been left on the cutting room floor in its entirety. There are multiple characters either implied or outright stated to be angels, yet this never impacts the story in a real way. The whole thing feels like one book that either got entirely out of hand after starting with a fairly tight premise, or was simply split three ways and injected with filler. The titular interview doesn't even begin in earnest until the second book and the series ends with multiversal grandiosity, which makes me think the truth lies somewhere between both options. That said, I enjoyed it enough to stick with it and read the whole series in 3 days flat. The writing was genuinely, frustratingly great at many points, and the plot was interesting for the most part. If this series was slimmed down and given better (read: any) professional editing, I think there's a good book here - but it feels prematurely published to have been released in this state.
This trilogy reads as a masturbatory power fantasy brimming with pretention and sophomoric philosophy. There is a deeply gratuitous chapter in the second book that would have better been left on the cutting room floor in its entirety. There are multiple characters either implied or outright stated to be angels, yet this never impacts the story in a real way. The whole thing feels like one book that either got entirely out of hand after starting with a fairly tight premise, or was simply split three ways and injected with filler. The titular interview doesn't even begin in earnest until the second book and the series ends with multiversal grandiosity, which makes me think the truth lies somewhere between both options. That said, I enjoyed it enough to stick with it and read the whole series in 3 days flat. The writing was genuinely, frustratingly great at many points, and the plot was interesting for the most part. If this series was slimmed down and given better (read: any) professional editing, I think there's a good book here - but it feels prematurely published to have been released in this state.
August 14, 2024
I honestly don’t know where to categorize these books. I loved the first 2 and sailed through them quickly but found this one to sort of jump the shark. It felt like an entirely different story.
I appreciate what the author was trying to do. It’s an interesting premise of exploration of existence, religion snd free will.
Although it sounds like horror it really isn’t. It is deeper than that. I found this to be quite interesting initially but then too much got thrown into the mix so I’ll just say meh.
I appreciate what the author was trying to do. It’s an interesting premise of exploration of existence, religion snd free will.
Although it sounds like horror it really isn’t. It is deeper than that. I found this to be quite interesting initially but then too much got thrown into the mix so I’ll just say meh.
March 9, 2025
Joseph has hundreds of millions of members of his church, and travels with his “crew” to various locations around the world. Then he meets the Absolute, who gives Joe the power to decide whether humanity needs gods or demons. Compared to the first two books in this series, I thought this last one was rather tame.
October 26, 2024
I initially loved this series, but my opinion plummeted the more I read.
It wasn’t so much the story itself: that was decent (although ultimately, nothing remarkable.
My problem was with the quality of the writing.
To start, the books clearly need a good editor. They were full of errors. It’s MARY Poppins, not MARRY Poppins. They were full of factual errors: they didn’t burn witches in Salem, they hung them (and in one case, crushed them). And perhaps the most irritating of all, there were repetitions from the previous books. We didn’t need to be told that the male g-spot is in the anus in two different books. It’s like the author forgot he used the line.
We also get a new and ultimately largely useless character introduced halfway through the final book. Out of the blue, we get several chapters from his point of view. Then he’s suddenly thrown into the mix. It would have read better if his story had been interspersed throughout the books so that we could gradually see him become part of the story. As is, it was jarring and distracting. It honestly felt like the author needed a few thousand extra words thrown in.
There is far too much summary. We are told that characters talked, but we don’t get to see the conversation. It made me feel like the author was bored with his characters.
The author says at the end that there will be more stories in this world.
I won’t be reading.
It wasn’t so much the story itself: that was decent (although ultimately, nothing remarkable.
My problem was with the quality of the writing.
To start, the books clearly need a good editor. They were full of errors. It’s MARY Poppins, not MARRY Poppins. They were full of factual errors: they didn’t burn witches in Salem, they hung them (and in one case, crushed them). And perhaps the most irritating of all, there were repetitions from the previous books. We didn’t need to be told that the male g-spot is in the anus in two different books. It’s like the author forgot he used the line.
We also get a new and ultimately largely useless character introduced halfway through the final book. Out of the blue, we get several chapters from his point of view. Then he’s suddenly thrown into the mix. It would have read better if his story had been interspersed throughout the books so that we could gradually see him become part of the story. As is, it was jarring and distracting. It honestly felt like the author needed a few thousand extra words thrown in.
There is far too much summary. We are told that characters talked, but we don’t get to see the conversation. It made me feel like the author was bored with his characters.
The author says at the end that there will be more stories in this world.
I won’t be reading.
October 24, 2024
This author is awful, but that’s only my opinion. But the author has troll accounts that attack you if you don’t like the book which is pathetic.
November 26, 2024
Let Down
As much as I enjoyed Interview With the Devil and book 2, Resurrection, I cannot say the same about Epoch. It started off very good but started falling apart little more than half way. It seemed rushed. Originally the title was to come out in Spring 2025, then suddenly it was released months ahead of time. So many pages throughout there are words left out of sentences, wrong words used, several places it was as if Harbron edited a sentence and left part of the original thought and part of the edit in place. At the end he is speaking of a woman and calls her “him”, then speaking of the same woman and a man he says “the two gentlemen”. Many portions of the Kindle version have the writers highlights still in place and cannot be removed.
I have to wonder, with these issues, and more, was the book proofread? If so, by whom?
This was a very disappointing read for me. While I had been looking forward to reading The Witch, I’m not so sure I want to at this point.
As much as I enjoyed Interview With the Devil and book 2, Resurrection, I cannot say the same about Epoch. It started off very good but started falling apart little more than half way. It seemed rushed. Originally the title was to come out in Spring 2025, then suddenly it was released months ahead of time. So many pages throughout there are words left out of sentences, wrong words used, several places it was as if Harbron edited a sentence and left part of the original thought and part of the edit in place. At the end he is speaking of a woman and calls her “him”, then speaking of the same woman and a man he says “the two gentlemen”. Many portions of the Kindle version have the writers highlights still in place and cannot be removed.
I have to wonder, with these issues, and more, was the book proofread? If so, by whom?
This was a very disappointing read for me. While I had been looking forward to reading The Witch, I’m not so sure I want to at this point.
September 3, 2024
Note: Some Mild Spoilers
I thought the first book was good, albeit pretty much a long introduction to the second and third books. The second book I thought was very enjoyable, and I also thought the third book was very enjoyable until the end where I felt it went completely off the rails.
I understood Joe's ultimate decision when he wielded the Epoch, and honestly I assumed early on what his decision would ultimately be, but the final 2-3 page diatribe about The Filter and quantum entanglement just brought back memories of my various physics courses in grad school. Then I started to wonder why the supreme entity above all others acted like quantum entanglement, which is a fundamental property of nature, is some illusive 'theory of everything?' What about quantum superposition in String Theory? What about pocket universes culminating from Coleman-Deluccia bubbles?
In addition, I wondered why nothing was ever mentioned about the repercussions of Joe's decision? After he gave Azrael a hug and was given a bit of the Angel of Death's light, it begs the question as to why Joe did not feel any reverberations from his decision as Azrael now would no longer exist. This is just a very simple example, but there are a plethora of holes that would need to be filled to accommodate joe's decision, and it certainly would not be as cut and dry as the book made it appear.
Ultimately this was a fun trilogy to read.
I thought the first book was good, albeit pretty much a long introduction to the second and third books. The second book I thought was very enjoyable, and I also thought the third book was very enjoyable until the end where I felt it went completely off the rails.
I understood Joe's ultimate decision when he wielded the Epoch, and honestly I assumed early on what his decision would ultimately be, but the final 2-3 page diatribe about The Filter and quantum entanglement just brought back memories of my various physics courses in grad school. Then I started to wonder why the supreme entity above all others acted like quantum entanglement, which is a fundamental property of nature, is some illusive 'theory of everything?' What about quantum superposition in String Theory? What about pocket universes culminating from Coleman-Deluccia bubbles?
In addition, I wondered why nothing was ever mentioned about the repercussions of Joe's decision? After he gave Azrael a hug and was given a bit of the Angel of Death's light, it begs the question as to why Joe did not feel any reverberations from his decision as Azrael now would no longer exist. This is just a very simple example, but there are a plethora of holes that would need to be filled to accommodate joe's decision, and it certainly would not be as cut and dry as the book made it appear.
Ultimately this was a fun trilogy to read.
August 10, 2024
Excellent Trilogy
I have absolutely no criticism to offer. I was captivated by this series with the very first book. I was so happy to have discovered it. I feel as though the only thing I can say is Thank you Mr. Harbron. Thank for this series, the characters were very relatable. Some of them reminded me of people in my own life. Loved this series, I have not been that taken by series in a while. Thanks for sharing some of your world with us Mr. Harbron I cannot wait for more stories from him. New favorite author.
I have absolutely no criticism to offer. I was captivated by this series with the very first book. I was so happy to have discovered it. I feel as though the only thing I can say is Thank you Mr. Harbron. Thank for this series, the characters were very relatable. Some of them reminded me of people in my own life. Loved this series, I have not been that taken by series in a while. Thanks for sharing some of your world with us Mr. Harbron I cannot wait for more stories from him. New favorite author.
October 12, 2024
Wow!
As someone from an abusive (not sexual, thank god) and oppressive religious background, anything that has to do with the anti Christ brings some hard knee jerk reactions. I loved these three books. After reading the first one on KU, I purchased all three and pretty much devoured them.
I want to thank Michael Harbron for creating a positive ending spin on a subject that makes many of us cringe!
Well done 😊
As someone from an abusive (not sexual, thank god) and oppressive religious background, anything that has to do with the anti Christ brings some hard knee jerk reactions. I loved these three books. After reading the first one on KU, I purchased all three and pretty much devoured them.
I want to thank Michael Harbron for creating a positive ending spin on a subject that makes many of us cringe!
Well done 😊
September 17, 2024
Not what I expected
This is not the story that I expected at all. And that's a good thing. Holy crap does he go into the most intricate and most beyond storyline! Any attempt on my part to explain the book would be a great disservice. You have to read and experience this book.
This is not the story that I expected at all. And that's a good thing. Holy crap does he go into the most intricate and most beyond storyline! Any attempt on my part to explain the book would be a great disservice. You have to read and experience this book.
January 6, 2025
I am the in the main audience for this book. I enjoy spiritual thrillers. I love the Exorcist, Dan Brown's books, you name it. If it's got elements of the Devil, or questioning religion, or bigger spiritual themes I'm your huckleberry. So what did I think?
The Goods - As a conclusion to the trilogy, this was fairly satisfactory. I really can't think of any other way this would have ended given how Harbron set up God and the Devil. Banbury was given a Choice to judge of how things were to be moving forward and I see why he made the choice he did. It was an interesting read and honestly, all that kept me moving forward was to see how Banbury and Satan would interact.
The Bads - As the trilogy proceeded the typos and grammatical errors got worse. Harbron used words that I'm not entirely sure he knew the meanings of. He really needed an editor for all three books. Ordinarily, I don't make a big deal out of this, but it happened enough to take me out of the story several times. I'm also not a big fan of how he used God in the story. That's not to say he was "unfair" to God. It's his universe. I just think it would have been more interesting if God had been more of a character in this series than they were. The God in this universe was about a half inch deep. There were also some theological errors in the story, ones that showed either Banbury or the author weren't the studied person in this area that they needed to be. Again, Christianity has its issues, certainly. But if someone like Banbury is going to write a take down of a major world religion and it's going to be a best seller, he needs to be shown to be more knowledgeable than your average Reddit poster.
The Verdict - In spite of my lengthy list of "Bads", I did enjoy reading this series. I enjoyed the first book the most and the last book the least. If you're looking for a fun read that's occasionally interesting, and what I've posted above doesn't turn you off give it a chance.
The Goods - As a conclusion to the trilogy, this was fairly satisfactory. I really can't think of any other way this would have ended given how Harbron set up God and the Devil. Banbury was given a Choice to judge of how things were to be moving forward and I see why he made the choice he did. It was an interesting read and honestly, all that kept me moving forward was to see how Banbury and Satan would interact.
The Bads - As the trilogy proceeded the typos and grammatical errors got worse. Harbron used words that I'm not entirely sure he knew the meanings of. He really needed an editor for all three books. Ordinarily, I don't make a big deal out of this, but it happened enough to take me out of the story several times. I'm also not a big fan of how he used God in the story. That's not to say he was "unfair" to God. It's his universe. I just think it would have been more interesting if God had been more of a character in this series than they were. The God in this universe was about a half inch deep. There were also some theological errors in the story, ones that showed either Banbury or the author weren't the studied person in this area that they needed to be. Again, Christianity has its issues, certainly. But if someone like Banbury is going to write a take down of a major world religion and it's going to be a best seller, he needs to be shown to be more knowledgeable than your average Reddit poster.
The Verdict - In spite of my lengthy list of "Bads", I did enjoy reading this series. I enjoyed the first book the most and the last book the least. If you're looking for a fun read that's occasionally interesting, and what I've posted above doesn't turn you off give it a chance.
November 18, 2024
boring til 75% !
The book was not about anything like what I read it was supposed to be about until I got 75% of the way through! I began reading only the 1st sentence of the small paragraphs and the 1st and last sentence of the large paragraphs To get through it because it was SOOO BORING! I'm surprised I made it to the 75% mark where it finally started to pick up and become more like what it was supposed to be about! I'm reading the second book now and it seems as though there's an entire book missing in between because it's talking about stuff that was never even mentioned and although it's definitely not boring I feel like it's skipped a bunch of text and I'm nearly lost regarding what's going on!?!?
The book was not about anything like what I read it was supposed to be about until I got 75% of the way through! I began reading only the 1st sentence of the small paragraphs and the 1st and last sentence of the large paragraphs To get through it because it was SOOO BORING! I'm surprised I made it to the 75% mark where it finally started to pick up and become more like what it was supposed to be about! I'm reading the second book now and it seems as though there's an entire book missing in between because it's talking about stuff that was never even mentioned and although it's definitely not boring I feel like it's skipped a bunch of text and I'm nearly lost regarding what's going on!?!?
July 5, 2025
*3.6* You open a point to the whole wide world where you have so directions it can be taken. The result is dealing with multi worlds. Where are you going to go with the book? In my humble opinion it started off right. Then, it entered the world of physics, philosophy - somewhere to the point it tainted a good story. We all so see our world a better place with dreams and visions of what can be, what can happen. I will continue with the series for it was very different, human qualities of doubt and choices. Epoch really should have been presented better or at least stretched out further. Should you read this series? Yes. Give it a shot. See it for yourself.
May 3, 2025
Wow, Again, Wow.
The concepts, the dispelling of long held but in essence on both sides of the coin, incorrect assumptions given to the mankind of these books - is almost too complex to grasp.
This, the third/fourth book in the series is by far, more impactful, inviting a depth of thought and introspection, than I thought possible. If you open your mind, your soul, the entirety of your being… you could find it transformative.
Again, I highly recommend this series, and by the example of writing set forth in these novels - anything Michael Harbron writes.
Enjoy!
The concepts, the dispelling of long held but in essence on both sides of the coin, incorrect assumptions given to the mankind of these books - is almost too complex to grasp.
This, the third/fourth book in the series is by far, more impactful, inviting a depth of thought and introspection, than I thought possible. If you open your mind, your soul, the entirety of your being… you could find it transformative.
Again, I highly recommend this series, and by the example of writing set forth in these novels - anything Michael Harbron writes.
Enjoy!
November 5, 2024
This was unexpected
A simple story about a boy seeing demons transformed into something a lot deeper then expected. The roles of the devil and god are
Examined and the question put forth what would the world be like without either one. Excellent and relatable characters bring the story to life but the writing and plot really made this story interesting. Enjoyed this journey tremendously.
A simple story about a boy seeing demons transformed into something a lot deeper then expected. The roles of the devil and god are
Examined and the question put forth what would the world be like without either one. Excellent and relatable characters bring the story to life but the writing and plot really made this story interesting. Enjoyed this journey tremendously.
December 10, 2025
Massive improvement over Book 2
I had almost given up on this series after the mess that was book two. I’m glad I didn’t. This volume is meaty and savory. Well written in its treatment of the subject matter…whereas book two was a jaunt into meaningless voyeurism and depravity. The decision now is whether to go back and read book three, or skip another book to get back to the story.
Can definitely recommend this book.
I had almost given up on this series after the mess that was book two. I’m glad I didn’t. This volume is meaty and savory. Well written in its treatment of the subject matter…whereas book two was a jaunt into meaningless voyeurism and depravity. The decision now is whether to go back and read book three, or skip another book to get back to the story.
Can definitely recommend this book.
December 11, 2024
Satisfyingly Good
I devoured this triptych of possibilities. I felt "in line" in so many ways. I have only one negative thing to say and it's the editing. It got worse in each novel. I don't care, it didn't throw a barricade up and prevent me from understanding. Fantastic work Mr Harbron!
I devoured this triptych of possibilities. I felt "in line" in so many ways. I have only one negative thing to say and it's the editing. It got worse in each novel. I don't care, it didn't throw a barricade up and prevent me from understanding. Fantastic work Mr Harbron!
September 29, 2024
Stunning Trilogy
These books created by Mr. Harbron are the greatest I have ever had the pleasure of reading. In my humble opinion, Stephen King is no longer the epitome of horror authors, that honor now belongs to Mr. Harbron. I cannot wait to see what masterpiece he pens next.
These books created by Mr. Harbron are the greatest I have ever had the pleasure of reading. In my humble opinion, Stephen King is no longer the epitome of horror authors, that honor now belongs to Mr. Harbron. I cannot wait to see what masterpiece he pens next.
October 30, 2024
Great Trilogy
Loved this trilogy. I don’t write reviews, but I could not put these books down. I raced to finish and now that I’m done I wish I’d read slower. Great job Mr. Harbron.
Loved this trilogy. I don’t write reviews, but I could not put these books down. I raced to finish and now that I’m done I wish I’d read slower. Great job Mr. Harbron.
November 24, 2024
A better ending than i had anticipated. I would give the trilogy 3.5 stars. It would have been better as a duology, honestly. I anticipated the ending about halfway through book two, or I would have given this four stars.
December 3, 2024
Metaphysics meet Arthur at doctrine
Although somewhat entertaining is a dismissive view of
Christianity and belief. Somewhat naive in humanity without divinity guidance reaching their true potential. Entertaining but infantile
Although somewhat entertaining is a dismissive view of
Christianity and belief. Somewhat naive in humanity without divinity guidance reaching their true potential. Entertaining but infantile
December 4, 2024
The editing was terrible. Things the second part of the story.
This goes nowhere - all the character building is moot and it ends with the main character learning nothing at all except that he’s a demon. Super super lame.
This goes nowhere - all the character building is moot and it ends with the main character learning nothing at all except that he’s a demon. Super super lame.
January 17, 2025
Disappointed after a pretty good start.
Again, the grammatical mistakes, character misnaming and other errors were annoying.
The story is fairly derivative, too— I noticed numerous almost plagiarized content.
Eh, not worth it.
Again, the grammatical mistakes, character misnaming and other errors were annoying.
The story is fairly derivative, too— I noticed numerous almost plagiarized content.
Eh, not worth it.
June 9, 2025
This was good but a little “cosmic” for me. It got to be more about metaphysics which isn’t my jam and not horror. I debated whether I wanted to read the next in the series but three good books out of four so far deserves another chance. Hopefully it gets better
July 6, 2025
complex thoughts
This is by far my favorite book of the series so far. The writing and the way the author has you seeing and questioning things thru Joseph is some higher level thinking - the whole concept in this book was really elevated and thought provoking.
This is by far my favorite book of the series so far. The writing and the way the author has you seeing and questioning things thru Joseph is some higher level thinking - the whole concept in this book was really elevated and thought provoking.
November 7, 2025
Not as good as the previous two
I like the first book, and the second was amazing, but this third book is so different the last part is super philosophical, talking about duality, quantum, and a new world without the Devil or God. A bit disappointed ☹️
I like the first book, and the second was amazing, but this third book is so different the last part is super philosophical, talking about duality, quantum, and a new world without the Devil or God. A bit disappointed ☹️
February 3, 2025
Bad grammar and sloppy editing
Its like the editor lost interest two thirds of the way through the book and simply pasted together rewrites without considering context or tense.
Its like the editor lost interest two thirds of the way through the book and simply pasted together rewrites without considering context or tense.
October 20, 2025
great read
Time to read the 4th book, haven’t enjoyed reading since I was a teen, thanks Michael, keep it up bud
Time to read the 4th book, haven’t enjoyed reading since I was a teen, thanks Michael, keep it up bud
December 10, 2025
These books just get better and better. Much more insightful than your run of the mill horror book, but equally as entertaining. Cannot wait to read the rest of the series!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews