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Dance With The Devil
This fantasy short story was originally published in the February 1948 issue of Seventeen magazine.
It was later re-printed in Speak of the Devil edited by Ned E. Hoopes which was published in 1967.
It was later re-printed in Speak of the Devil edited by Ned E. Hoopes which was published in 1967.
10 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 1948
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 18, 2025
This is a taut, unsettling work that operates in the shadowy space where moral certainty dissolves into ambiguity.
Rather than offering a straightforward confrontation between good and evil, Emmons crafts a narrative that examines temptation, complicity, and the quiet moments in which individuals decide who they are going to become. The “devil” of the title is less a supernatural figure than a metaphor for choices made under pressure, desire, or fear.
What distinguishes this work is its psychological precision. Emmons writes with an acute awareness of how people rationalise small transgressions until those transgressions become defining acts. The prose is restrained, almost deceptively calm, allowing the moral tension to accumulate gradually. There is no melodrama here; instead, the story unfolds with a sense of inevitability, as though the outcome has always been latent in the characters’ earlier decisions.
Emmons shows particular skill in depicting interior conflict. Characters are rarely villains or heroes in any simple sense; they are flawed, conflicted, and often painfully self-aware. This makes the narrative unsettling, because it refuses to offer easy moral distance.
Readers are compelled to recognise aspects of themselves in the compromises and hesitations portrayed.
Stylistically, Dance With The Devil favours clarity over ornamentation. The language is clean, the pacing deliberate, and the emotional impact cumulative.
Emmons trusts her reader, leaving space for interpretation rather than spelling out moral lessons. This restraint gives the work a lasting resonance, encouraging reflection long after the final page.
Ultimately, Dance With The Devil is less about corruption than about proximity—how close ordinary lives come to ethical collapse without dramatic warning.
It is a quietly powerful exploration of moral vulnerability, rewarding readers who appreciate psychological depth and ethical complexity over spectacle.
Rather than offering a straightforward confrontation between good and evil, Emmons crafts a narrative that examines temptation, complicity, and the quiet moments in which individuals decide who they are going to become. The “devil” of the title is less a supernatural figure than a metaphor for choices made under pressure, desire, or fear.
What distinguishes this work is its psychological precision. Emmons writes with an acute awareness of how people rationalise small transgressions until those transgressions become defining acts. The prose is restrained, almost deceptively calm, allowing the moral tension to accumulate gradually. There is no melodrama here; instead, the story unfolds with a sense of inevitability, as though the outcome has always been latent in the characters’ earlier decisions.
Emmons shows particular skill in depicting interior conflict. Characters are rarely villains or heroes in any simple sense; they are flawed, conflicted, and often painfully self-aware. This makes the narrative unsettling, because it refuses to offer easy moral distance.
Readers are compelled to recognise aspects of themselves in the compromises and hesitations portrayed.
Stylistically, Dance With The Devil favours clarity over ornamentation. The language is clean, the pacing deliberate, and the emotional impact cumulative.
Emmons trusts her reader, leaving space for interpretation rather than spelling out moral lessons. This restraint gives the work a lasting resonance, encouraging reflection long after the final page.
Ultimately, Dance With The Devil is less about corruption than about proximity—how close ordinary lives come to ethical collapse without dramatic warning.
It is a quietly powerful exploration of moral vulnerability, rewarding readers who appreciate psychological depth and ethical complexity over spectacle.
November 30, 2025
It was published in Speak of the Devil in 1967. I believe it might
have been published in Seventeen magazine before that.
I first read this story probably when I was 40. It was in a paperback collection of deal with the devil stories.
It was so well written and with such a unique and creative plot. It is also just incredibly cute and sweet in a way.
I have probably read this short story at least 20 times. I have to stop myself from reading it too often or it might get ruined by being read too often.
I think it is one of the 3 best short stories I have ever read in my life.
have been published in Seventeen magazine before that.
I first read this story probably when I was 40. It was in a paperback collection of deal with the devil stories.
It was so well written and with such a unique and creative plot. It is also just incredibly cute and sweet in a way.
I have probably read this short story at least 20 times. I have to stop myself from reading it too often or it might get ruined by being read too often.
I think it is one of the 3 best short stories I have ever read in my life.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews