What do you think?
Rate this book
Blackwater Lights #3
Demon Lights
From the cult-favorite author of Blackwater Lights comes the finale to a dark paranormal horror trilogy in the cosmic horror vein of H. P. Lovecraft.
The world is collapsing. Governments have fallen, and anarchy reigns. Yet a greater danger looms imprisoned in ancient objects from distant space: bodiless aliens with an all-consuming thirst for freedom . . . and human blood.
They have a strong ally in Lily, a powerful sorceress and leader of a globe-spanning cult. In an isolated compound deep in the frozen north, Lily cultivates a group of children whose paranormal abilities can be harnessed to unleash the alien apocalypse. Now she has acquired the final pieces to the puzzle: a gifted young boy named William and his mother, Ellen, whose safety is the bargaining chip Lily needs to compel the child’s obedience.
Once again, William and Ellen’s last hope is Ray Simon. Every time Ray and Lily have crossed paths, she has come out on top, and even now she is one step ahead. But this time Ray is not alone. Accompanied by Claire and Mantu—devotees of the enigmatic Brotherhood of Eleusis, who possess psychic abilities of their own—Ray sets off on a desperate mission of rescue and revenge. Only the fate of humanity itself hangs in the balance.
The world is collapsing. Governments have fallen, and anarchy reigns. Yet a greater danger looms imprisoned in ancient objects from distant space: bodiless aliens with an all-consuming thirst for freedom . . . and human blood.
They have a strong ally in Lily, a powerful sorceress and leader of a globe-spanning cult. In an isolated compound deep in the frozen north, Lily cultivates a group of children whose paranormal abilities can be harnessed to unleash the alien apocalypse. Now she has acquired the final pieces to the puzzle: a gifted young boy named William and his mother, Ellen, whose safety is the bargaining chip Lily needs to compel the child’s obedience.
Once again, William and Ellen’s last hope is Ray Simon. Every time Ray and Lily have crossed paths, she has come out on top, and even now she is one step ahead. But this time Ray is not alone. Accompanied by Claire and Mantu—devotees of the enigmatic Brotherhood of Eleusis, who possess psychic abilities of their own—Ray sets off on a desperate mission of rescue and revenge. Only the fate of humanity itself hangs in the balance.
- GenresHorrorParanormal
271 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 15, 2015
7 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Michael M. Hughes
11 books59 followersMichael M. Hughes is an author, speaker, magical thinker, and activist. He is the creator of the internationally viral “Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Those Who Abet Him,” the largest magical working in history. He speaks on politics, magic, pop culture, psychedelics, the paranormal, and tarot. Michael lives in Baltimore with his wife, two daughters, and a rabbit named Toby Turnipseed. You can sign up for his newsletter at http://michaelmhughes.com.
His newest book is MAGIC FOR THE RESISTANCE: RITUALS AND SPELLS FOR CHANGE, which was published by Llewellyn Worldwide in Sept. 2018.
His debut novel, BLACKWATER LIGHTS, was published by Hydra, an imprint of Random House, in 2013. WITCH LIGHTS, the sequel, was published in 2014, and the final book in the trilogy, DEMON LIGHTS, was published in 2017.
His newest book is MAGIC FOR THE RESISTANCE: RITUALS AND SPELLS FOR CHANGE, which was published by Llewellyn Worldwide in Sept. 2018.
His debut novel, BLACKWATER LIGHTS, was published by Hydra, an imprint of Random House, in 2013. WITCH LIGHTS, the sequel, was published in 2014, and the final book in the trilogy, DEMON LIGHTS, was published in 2017.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 15, 2017
I did enjoy this story, it was fast paced and the characters were fleshed out nicely. Now, to get my hands on the first two of the trilogy! Thank you Netgalley for the consideration in offering this book.
May 23, 2017
Demon Lights by Michael M hughes.
The world is collapsing. Governments have fallen, and anarchy reigns. Yet a greater danger looms imprisoned in ancient objects from distant space: bodiless aliens with an all-consuming thirst for freedom . . . and human blood.
They have a strong ally in Lily, a powerful sorceress and leader of a globe-spanning cult. In an isolated compound deep in the frozen north, Lily cultivates a group of children whose paranormal abilities can be harnessed to unleash the alien apocalypse. Now she has acquired the final pieces to the puzzle: a gifted young boy named William and his mother, Ellen, whose safety is the bargaining chip Lily needs to compel the child’s obedience.
Once again, William and Ellen’s last hope is Ray Simon. Every time Ray and Lily have crossed paths, she has come out on top, and even now she is one step ahead. But this time Ray is not alone. Accompanied by Claire and Mantu—devotees of the enigmatic Brotherhood of Eleusis, who possess psychic abilities of their own—Ray sets off on a desperate mission of rescue and revenge. Only the fate of humanity itself hangs in the balance.
An absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. Couldn't not put it down. 5*. Netgalley and random house publishing group hydra.
The world is collapsing. Governments have fallen, and anarchy reigns. Yet a greater danger looms imprisoned in ancient objects from distant space: bodiless aliens with an all-consuming thirst for freedom . . . and human blood.
They have a strong ally in Lily, a powerful sorceress and leader of a globe-spanning cult. In an isolated compound deep in the frozen north, Lily cultivates a group of children whose paranormal abilities can be harnessed to unleash the alien apocalypse. Now she has acquired the final pieces to the puzzle: a gifted young boy named William and his mother, Ellen, whose safety is the bargaining chip Lily needs to compel the child’s obedience.
Once again, William and Ellen’s last hope is Ray Simon. Every time Ray and Lily have crossed paths, she has come out on top, and even now she is one step ahead. But this time Ray is not alone. Accompanied by Claire and Mantu—devotees of the enigmatic Brotherhood of Eleusis, who possess psychic abilities of their own—Ray sets off on a desperate mission of rescue and revenge. Only the fate of humanity itself hangs in the balance.
An absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. Couldn't not put it down. 5*. Netgalley and random house publishing group hydra.
May 19, 2017
This is the third book of the Blackwater trilogy. I recently read and reviewed the second in the series 'Witch Lights' and commented that the trilogy reads as a serial. There's no recap it went straight into story and you have to just go along with it a try and figure out who anyone is. I was hoping the third book would change that but it doesn't. It doesn't change the enjoyment of the book but for anyone starting at the wrong end there's no character arcs to have.
Having read the previous one this time I did enjoy it more. It rattles along at a real speed I had it read in just over a day. The characters are all separated now: young William in a school for gifted children run by the evil Lily (the less talented ones 'go home' you can read the book to find out where 'home' actually is. Yup really evil and deserves everything she gets). Ray is trying to embrace his talents and find his son and girlfriend Helen along with wisecracking Mantu. I mentioned this in another review where there was a secondary character seemingly on the ASD spectrum that as a parent wiwth an ASD child I really like it when they appear and are portrayed in a positive manner. Well Vinod is one ass kicking mofo so thank you.
It's fast, it's furious, its ambiguous good guys against outright bad guys and the genuine good guys win. Sort of... even though it's the final book and it seems to be the end of it I had the feeling there could be more. There probably isn't but just a hunch I think the tale could go on so we'll see.
The quibble I had was with Ellen. She really didn't seem to play much of a part in this. I'm a bit surprised Ray and the others remembered her. I struggled to. I think she could have done more.
Overall I enjoyed it more than the second book. It's an enjoyable read. Thumbs up
Free arc from netgalley
Having read the previous one this time I did enjoy it more. It rattles along at a real speed I had it read in just over a day. The characters are all separated now: young William in a school for gifted children run by the evil Lily (the less talented ones 'go home' you can read the book to find out where 'home' actually is. Yup really evil and deserves everything she gets). Ray is trying to embrace his talents and find his son and girlfriend Helen along with wisecracking Mantu. I mentioned this in another review where there was a secondary character seemingly on the ASD spectrum that as a parent wiwth an ASD child I really like it when they appear and are portrayed in a positive manner. Well Vinod is one ass kicking mofo so thank you.
It's fast, it's furious, its ambiguous good guys against outright bad guys and the genuine good guys win. Sort of... even though it's the final book and it seems to be the end of it I had the feeling there could be more. There probably isn't but just a hunch I think the tale could go on so we'll see.
The quibble I had was with Ellen. She really didn't seem to play much of a part in this. I'm a bit surprised Ray and the others remembered her. I struggled to. I think she could have done more.
Overall I enjoyed it more than the second book. It's an enjoyable read. Thumbs up
Free arc from netgalley
May 26, 2017
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Last in a trilogy unfortunately, I have not read the 1st 2 novels), this was a suspenseful struggle between good and evil in a collapsed world. Storyline is a little jumbled, but this does not detract from this well-paced book.
Last in a trilogy unfortunately, I have not read the 1st 2 novels), this was a suspenseful struggle between good and evil in a collapsed world. Storyline is a little jumbled, but this does not detract from this well-paced book.
March 9, 2018
I will say it again. I really enjoyed this trilogy very much and this last book resolved all of my questions and gave me a sense of satisfaction. I did get a sense throughout the series of H.P. Lovecraft with the premise of the series and the atmosphere but it is more of a modern take. I am interested to see what else the author dreams up and puts to paper.
August 21, 2018
This is the last book of a trilogy, I haven't read the over two so cannot comment on consistency etc!
All of the formatting and spelling etc was fine, which is always nice.
The first page really drew me into the story, I thought that is was going to be a historical 'witch' novel so I got a bit of a shock when it went to the real story.
I did enjoy this book but there were a few things that niggled me.
I'll start with the positives;
It is very well written. I like the way the author is descriptive without going over the top. The writing really does draw you in.
The characters were nicely rounded and I wanted to know more about them and cared about what happened.
The actual premise of the story, and two previous books, is a very interesting one. I will now how to track down the first two!
The negative's;
Sometimes the timing of things is off. Ie There seemed to be a huge difference between how long it took for one character to travel somewhere and what happens to other characters during the same period.
Although the events and in the book, and the storyline as a whole, are fantastical and definitely not the norm I still expect people to act the way that people would. A few times in the novel this just doesn't happen and that almost jarred me from immersion in the story.
As a whole I did enjoy this novel although it would have been better had I read the first two. It is well written, just occasionally parts seem rushed or ignored in favour of other things.
All of the formatting and spelling etc was fine, which is always nice.
The first page really drew me into the story, I thought that is was going to be a historical 'witch' novel so I got a bit of a shock when it went to the real story.
I did enjoy this book but there were a few things that niggled me.
I'll start with the positives;
It is very well written. I like the way the author is descriptive without going over the top. The writing really does draw you in.
The characters were nicely rounded and I wanted to know more about them and cared about what happened.
The actual premise of the story, and two previous books, is a very interesting one. I will now how to track down the first two!
The negative's;
Sometimes the timing of things is off. Ie There seemed to be a huge difference between how long it took for one character to travel somewhere and what happens to other characters during the same period.
Although the events and in the book, and the storyline as a whole, are fantastical and definitely not the norm I still expect people to act the way that people would. A few times in the novel this just doesn't happen and that almost jarred me from immersion in the story.
As a whole I did enjoy this novel although it would have been better had I read the first two. It is well written, just occasionally parts seem rushed or ignored in favour of other things.
May 20, 2017
The finale to the "Lights" trilogy has all the suspense and drama of the first two books. However, it had little new to add. The struggle between good and evil continues, and new characters give their all to keep the evil aliens from crossing to the Earth. As the story opens, the Earth is in chaos, and the situation doesn't change. I suspect the door has been left open for a sequel, but I doubt it will be published. Definitely read "Blackwater Lights" and "Witch Lights' before taking this one on. The story will still be meaningful and exciting, but the background really helps.
June 22, 2017
This is my first book that I have read from Michael M. Huges and I got to say, I really enjoyed reading Demon Lights. It struck the perfect balance between horror, science fiction, and action. I couldn’t put the book down and I think I read it within a couple of hours. Any book that engrosses me that much is a keeper. The fact that it is the 3rd book in the Blackwater Lights Trilogy didn’t dampen my enthusiasm for Demon Lights. If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know how much I dislike picking up a book mid-series or even the end. Demon Lights could be read alone if needed to. While the past books were mentioned (and piqued my interest) but they did not overwhelm this one. Just enough background was given to understand the main characters and how they came into the situations that they were in. Then the book takes off.
I really enjoyed the build up in Demon Lights. While the aliens were mentioned, they were not shown until the end of the book. Even then, it was a glimpse of what could be coming through the portals and it was deliciously creepy/scary. And I loved it!!
Ray was on a mission to free Ellen and William from Lily’s compound. But before he did that, he was basically forced to become a Brother of Eleusis, which was the counterpart to Lily’s cult. While I wouldn’t call it a cult outright (I really need to read the other books before forming that opinion) but it did have a cult feel to it. But they were willing to help him rescue Ellen and William…for a price. He needs to defeat Lily. Which is easier said than done.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what Ellen was going through being held captive by Lily and not being able to see or talk to her son. It had to have been torture. Her escape attempt with her roommate was pretty awesome but it had severe repercussions when they were captured. I still don’t understand how she didn’t lose her mind permanently after seeing what she was seeing. I know I would have.
William was the one I was the most worried about in this book. He was in a school with other children who had paranormal abilities and he was in danger of failing. He was promised he could talk to his mother if he started doing better in class (which he did but only after a pep talk with a girl who told him what might happen to kids who fail). He was still scarred from what happened in the previous book and was afraid that would happen again. While he was confirming to what the school (and Lily) wanted, he still kept hope that he could see his mother again (or at least talk to her). But things went off on a tangent when all but 9 kids were **sent home** and the remaining children were put into advanced classes. What they learned and what they eventually did….well, read the book.
The end of the book was thrilling and not what I expected. While I expected some of the ending, the other part of the ending, I did not. With the way the book ended, I am hoping that there will be another book.
Demon Light’s Playlist
We Carry On – The Phantoms
I Trust You To Kill Me – Rocco DeLuca and The Burden
Be Not So Fearful – A.C. Newman
How Do You Love Me – Sango, Xavier Omar
Wasting My Young Years – London Grammar
Shout At The Devil – Motley Crue
Take Me To Church – Hozier
I Keep Ticking On – The Harmleighs
Lost Boy – Ruth B.
Kill Of The Night – Gin Wigmore
God of Wine – Third Eye Blind
Guess I’m Doing Fine – Beck
Beautiful Hell – Adna
Marked For Death – Emma Ruth Rundle
When You Break – Bear’s Den
Arsonist’s Lullabye – Hozier
Mama – My Chemical Romance
How many stars will I give Demon Lights: 4
Why: A great book with a great storyline that will suck you in and creep you out. Also memorable characters.
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Adult
Why: Language and violence
**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**
I really enjoyed the build up in Demon Lights. While the aliens were mentioned, they were not shown until the end of the book. Even then, it was a glimpse of what could be coming through the portals and it was deliciously creepy/scary. And I loved it!!
Ray was on a mission to free Ellen and William from Lily’s compound. But before he did that, he was basically forced to become a Brother of Eleusis, which was the counterpart to Lily’s cult. While I wouldn’t call it a cult outright (I really need to read the other books before forming that opinion) but it did have a cult feel to it. But they were willing to help him rescue Ellen and William…for a price. He needs to defeat Lily. Which is easier said than done.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what Ellen was going through being held captive by Lily and not being able to see or talk to her son. It had to have been torture. Her escape attempt with her roommate was pretty awesome but it had severe repercussions when they were captured. I still don’t understand how she didn’t lose her mind permanently after seeing what she was seeing. I know I would have.
William was the one I was the most worried about in this book. He was in a school with other children who had paranormal abilities and he was in danger of failing. He was promised he could talk to his mother if he started doing better in class (which he did but only after a pep talk with a girl who told him what might happen to kids who fail). He was still scarred from what happened in the previous book and was afraid that would happen again. While he was confirming to what the school (and Lily) wanted, he still kept hope that he could see his mother again (or at least talk to her). But things went off on a tangent when all but 9 kids were **sent home** and the remaining children were put into advanced classes. What they learned and what they eventually did….well, read the book.
The end of the book was thrilling and not what I expected. While I expected some of the ending, the other part of the ending, I did not. With the way the book ended, I am hoping that there will be another book.
Demon Light’s Playlist
We Carry On – The Phantoms
I Trust You To Kill Me – Rocco DeLuca and The Burden
Be Not So Fearful – A.C. Newman
How Do You Love Me – Sango, Xavier Omar
Wasting My Young Years – London Grammar
Shout At The Devil – Motley Crue
Take Me To Church – Hozier
I Keep Ticking On – The Harmleighs
Lost Boy – Ruth B.
Kill Of The Night – Gin Wigmore
God of Wine – Third Eye Blind
Guess I’m Doing Fine – Beck
Beautiful Hell – Adna
Marked For Death – Emma Ruth Rundle
When You Break – Bear’s Den
Arsonist’s Lullabye – Hozier
Mama – My Chemical Romance
How many stars will I give Demon Lights: 4
Why: A great book with a great storyline that will suck you in and creep you out. Also memorable characters.
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Adult
Why: Language and violence
**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**
July 11, 2017
I received this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review. I guess I chose it without realizing that it was the third and final book in a trilogy. I have not read either of the previous two books which made it a little bit more of a challenge. The author jumps directly into the story. There is little to no recap. Not at all a bad thing, there are a few series that I can think of where most of the book is recap with very little new material. But this is where the challenge comes in, I was somewhat lost when I started reading because I had no idea who the characters were, what relation they had to each other, or why I was supposed to be concerned about their predicament. Nor did I know anything about their world. I would absolutely recommend reading the first two books before picking up this one.
The story line takes us into a world that is falling apart at the seams. The main character and his comrades are on a quest to rid the world of one evil and stop another one from invading. They embark on a grueling journey without knowing if they will ever see home again. Well, I just made it sound like Lord of the Rings. It isn't. This is more dystopian science fiction than high fantasy.
I found the ending a little vague, which I imagine leaves open the possibility of sequels.
Having said all of that, the story itself was well paced and the author's writing style was engaging. Even though I wasn't familiar with the characters there was enough detail to interest me and leave me wondering what was going to happen to them. I would pick up another book by this author.
The story line takes us into a world that is falling apart at the seams. The main character and his comrades are on a quest to rid the world of one evil and stop another one from invading. They embark on a grueling journey without knowing if they will ever see home again. Well, I just made it sound like Lord of the Rings. It isn't. This is more dystopian science fiction than high fantasy.
I found the ending a little vague, which I imagine leaves open the possibility of sequels.
Having said all of that, the story itself was well paced and the author's writing style was engaging. Even though I wasn't familiar with the characters there was enough detail to interest me and leave me wondering what was going to happen to them. I would pick up another book by this author.
July 8, 2017
Hughes saved the best for last. Incredible ending!
I've been in this trilogy since the beginning and hoping beyond hope for a horrible end to Lily, and for Manti to live. I won't spoil things. Let's just say, wow, what an ending!
I've been in this trilogy since the beginning and hoping beyond hope for a horrible end to Lily, and for Manti to live. I won't spoil things. Let's just say, wow, what an ending!
October 4, 2017
I haven't read the others of the Trilogy but this was a fascinating story, so much imagination. Witches, travellers and beings from outer space all come together to produce another form of Armageddon. Very sad in parts but non stop action all the way.
December 11, 2017
Fast paced, explosive from the start this book had a dark alluring plot which kept you wanting more. The characters took you on a journey of emotions and left you wrung out by the end.
April 13, 2018
Lily is a powerful witch and a leader of a global cult for aliens from outer space. Lily is training children with paranormal abilities to raise an alien artifact. Will the children be successful? Ray Simon is going to try to stop Lily and rescue the children that are working under Lily's guidance. Will Ray be able to win this time?
Please note that I did not read the earlier novels in this trilogy. For the most part I don't feel as if I have missed out on not reading them. The novel is action packed, surreal, and scarey. The novel is well written. It is a story of ritual and dark magic making this an exquisite horror novel!
Please note that I did not read the earlier novels in this trilogy. For the most part I don't feel as if I have missed out on not reading them. The novel is action packed, surreal, and scarey. The novel is well written. It is a story of ritual and dark magic making this an exquisite horror novel!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews