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The Demonologist
Is Bev Mathers going crazy? He's been hearing chilling voices in his head, seeing nightmarish visions that just can't be true. And it keeps getting worse and worse. No, unfortunately for Bev, he's completely sane. What's taking control of him is far more terrifying than insanity. And it has an unimaginable purpose.
Bev has become an innocent pawn in an infernal game, a victim of hellish forces beyond understanding. His visions of blood and debauchery are growing more ghastly every day. Some of them the most shocking are real. Bev can feel his mind, his body, his very soul slipping away. Will his only hope or his eternal damnation come from the demonologist?
Bev has become an innocent pawn in an infernal game, a victim of hellish forces beyond understanding. His visions of blood and debauchery are growing more ghastly every day. Some of them the most shocking are real. Bev can feel his mind, his body, his very soul slipping away. Will his only hope or his eternal damnation come from the demonologist?
369 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 2005
7 people are currently reading
242 people want to read
About the author
Michael Laimo
47 books337 followersMY NEW NOVEL, THE EROTIC THRILLER MISSED CONNECTION, IS NOW AVAILABLE!
Michael Laimo's novels include the erotic thriller MISSED CONNECTION, as well as the horror novels DEEP IN THE DARKNESS, RETURN TO DARKNESS, THE DEMONOLOGIST, SLEEPWALKER, FIRES RISING, ATMOSPHERE, and DEAD SOULS.
ATMOSPHERE & DEEP IN THE DARKNESS were nominated for a Bram Stoker Award.
DEAD SOULS & DEEP IN THE DARKNESS have been made into feature-length films.
His short fiction has found its way into the pages of A WALK ON THE DARKSIDE, LOST ON THE DARKSIDE, HOT BLOOD XII: STRANGE BEDFELLOWS, SURREAL MAGAZINE, INHUMAN MAGAZINE, LI PULSE MAGAZINE, plus many more anthologies and magazines. He has four short story collections, including the acclaimed DARK RIDE, from Borderlands Press.
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Michael Laimo's novels include the erotic thriller MISSED CONNECTION, as well as the horror novels DEEP IN THE DARKNESS, RETURN TO DARKNESS, THE DEMONOLOGIST, SLEEPWALKER, FIRES RISING, ATMOSPHERE, and DEAD SOULS.
ATMOSPHERE & DEEP IN THE DARKNESS were nominated for a Bram Stoker Award.
DEAD SOULS & DEEP IN THE DARKNESS have been made into feature-length films.
His short fiction has found its way into the pages of A WALK ON THE DARKSIDE, LOST ON THE DARKSIDE, HOT BLOOD XII: STRANGE BEDFELLOWS, SURREAL MAGAZINE, INHUMAN MAGAZINE, LI PULSE MAGAZINE, plus many more anthologies and magazines. He has four short story collections, including the acclaimed DARK RIDE, from Borderlands Press.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 29, 2024
Laimo's Deep in the Darkness impressed me, but The Demonologist much less so. I think I have had my fill of Catholic horror, and while this gives some neat twists on that old trope, not enough to make my day. Our lead, one Bev Matthers, leads a band that recently become famous, with a single in the top 20. Matthers, a rock and roller for a few decades, finally hit it big! The novel starts with him returning to LA to give a final performance of a long tour. He wants nothing more then to relax and hang with his 21 yo daughter. During the encore for the show, however, he has a strange experience, like a disconnect with what is going on. The next day Bev has further strange experiences, like seeing huge beetles in his closet and some odd 'scratch scratch' feeling in his head. WTF?
This started out promising and yeah, Laimo writes engaging prose for sure. Yet, about the 1/2 way point, you get clued into what is going on. Some mild spoilers follow. It seems some ancient demon from biblical times got 'unearthed' in the 7 day war back in Israel and possessed some young lad who was fleeing from the violence. This demon had a plan-- the 'consume' or master 13 other major demons, including Satan himself, and rule humanity. While he was thwarted back in the day, he wants to give it a go today! Poor Bev. It seems he is being possessed by two demons-- the one that recently surfaced and low and behold old St. Nick himself! What is Satan's role in all of this? Read it yourself if you are curious.
Biblical demons, possession, yada yada. While this may have worked better back in the 70s, it feels rather dated and trite today. I liked the set up, but again, about 1/2 way through the Catholic flavor started to overwhelm my enjoyment. 2.5 demonic stars, rounding down.
This started out promising and yeah, Laimo writes engaging prose for sure. Yet, about the 1/2 way point, you get clued into what is going on. Some mild spoilers follow. It seems some ancient demon from biblical times got 'unearthed' in the 7 day war back in Israel and possessed some young lad who was fleeing from the violence. This demon had a plan-- the 'consume' or master 13 other major demons, including Satan himself, and rule humanity. While he was thwarted back in the day, he wants to give it a go today! Poor Bev. It seems he is being possessed by two demons-- the one that recently surfaced and low and behold old St. Nick himself! What is Satan's role in all of this? Read it yourself if you are curious.
Biblical demons, possession, yada yada. While this may have worked better back in the 70s, it feels rather dated and trite today. I liked the set up, but again, about 1/2 way through the Catholic flavor started to overwhelm my enjoyment. 2.5 demonic stars, rounding down.
February 4, 2025
2.70 stars
Engaging and intriguing at first. Half way through it fizzles and loses steam.
Nothing to report that’s really bad. It just sort of got boring. It’s nothing like The Exorcist, which is good. But I was hoping for something with more vibes of Devils Advocate. The Devil, or demon pulling strings without really revealing himself.
Not an actual beastly Devil or demons…
Not a bad story though.
Engaging and intriguing at first. Half way through it fizzles and loses steam.
Nothing to report that’s really bad. It just sort of got boring. It’s nothing like The Exorcist, which is good. But I was hoping for something with more vibes of Devils Advocate. The Devil, or demon pulling strings without really revealing himself.
Not an actual beastly Devil or demons…
Not a bad story though.
January 28, 2014
Can't remember earlier Laimo's work leaving much of an impression, but that was years ago, so I thought I'd check out this one. Laimo sets up a plot and the backstory well enough (43 year old musician improbably named Bevant, Bev for short, becomes embroiled in an evil plan by an ancient demonologist), the pacing's quite nice and there are, as the name suggests, plenty of demons, but there is a sort of flatness to his writing, emotional and otherwise, it never seems to rise above average. The first half of the novel was pretty good, the second half was sort of a prolonged climax heavily resting upon graphic violence and rampant demon possession. There was a certain predictability to the whole thing right down to the ending, but it was a pretty quick read and entertaining enough to pass an afternoon.
January 27, 2016
The Demonologist does not thrive on original material. Instead, it chooses to bring forth an old, familiar tale and breathe new life into it. It's not often you see the Devil working against Evil, and I have to admit I'm a sucker for black magic and cult details. Must be the dark side of me, I dunno. Either way, this isn't exactly a been there, done that before kind of deal. While some of the details aren't anything fresh, I didn't even notice as I absorbed the violent new additions.
On the down side of the plot, at times it was a little cheesy. The ending, especially, was a pisser the last few pages were a mistake from Laimo. It left me with a depressed and stunned feeling, but regrettably not in the good depressed, sucker punched way.
Now, to recount for all that - It begins fairly quickly and doesn't take too much sweet time to pick up the pace. The scenes are full of action, mystery and suspense are present, and the atmosphere is thick with dread, confusion, and delirium. The climax is tight, strong, and suspenseful.
Thankfully the pages practically drip blood. Laimoisn't a party pooper who keeps all the goodies locked away. Instead he displays them and even hands them out we have deaths galore, wicked masturbation/fellatio scenes, oozing fluids, gushing nasties, and all the extra good stuff that makes a person with a queasy stomach wish he/she hadn't read past the first page.
One complaint I do hold is some of the characters are a bit weak. Bev is the rock n roll star that's burnt out, grieving over his wife, and determined to save his sanity. His daughter isn't as well sketched out but doesn't come off as unlikable. Laimo did an admirable job with the preacher, but overall in the character department he could use some practice.
The writing style is short and strong. Laimo doesn't numb the novel with useless words that serve no purpose. Because of this, his style greatly compliments the suspense scenes. The book is written in third person, mainly told through the eyes of Bev.
Overall The Demonologist is an enjoyable book but by far not a perfect one. The plot is creepy and holds mucho potential; however, some of the scenes wound up being too cheesy for their own good. The characters were all likable and easy to follow, yet none of them were sketched out to be as believable as they could have been. The pacing and atmosphere are right on, though, and gore fans have reason to celebrate. Whip out that wallet if you're in the mood for some super cool demon battle scenes.
On the down side of the plot, at times it was a little cheesy. The ending, especially, was a pisser the last few pages were a mistake from Laimo. It left me with a depressed and stunned feeling, but regrettably not in the good depressed, sucker punched way.
Now, to recount for all that - It begins fairly quickly and doesn't take too much sweet time to pick up the pace. The scenes are full of action, mystery and suspense are present, and the atmosphere is thick with dread, confusion, and delirium. The climax is tight, strong, and suspenseful.
Thankfully the pages practically drip blood. Laimoisn't a party pooper who keeps all the goodies locked away. Instead he displays them and even hands them out we have deaths galore, wicked masturbation/fellatio scenes, oozing fluids, gushing nasties, and all the extra good stuff that makes a person with a queasy stomach wish he/she hadn't read past the first page.
One complaint I do hold is some of the characters are a bit weak. Bev is the rock n roll star that's burnt out, grieving over his wife, and determined to save his sanity. His daughter isn't as well sketched out but doesn't come off as unlikable. Laimo did an admirable job with the preacher, but overall in the character department he could use some practice.
The writing style is short and strong. Laimo doesn't numb the novel with useless words that serve no purpose. Because of this, his style greatly compliments the suspense scenes. The book is written in third person, mainly told through the eyes of Bev.
Overall The Demonologist is an enjoyable book but by far not a perfect one. The plot is creepy and holds mucho potential; however, some of the scenes wound up being too cheesy for their own good. The characters were all likable and easy to follow, yet none of them were sketched out to be as believable as they could have been. The pacing and atmosphere are right on, though, and gore fans have reason to celebrate. Whip out that wallet if you're in the mood for some super cool demon battle scenes.
October 28, 2011
It so badly wanted to be The Exorcist. The problem is The Exorcist has already been written. If you're looking for originality this is not the book for you. It's just a slightly different take on all the same things. Instead of a little girl being possessed, it was a little boy. Otherwise, it's your classic, sexually perverse demon trying to take over the world.
The only original part of the book actually made it even worse than I thought it was going to be. Instead of the priest exorcising the demon, wait for it, the devil himself destroyed the demon. Yes, Satan apparently does have his limits and is willing to step up to the plate and do something good for mankind every once in a while.
Such a ridiculous plot line! It was not at all scary but definitely gross. I'm not sure if Laimo thought adding in extra gore would make it scarier or he just really likes talking about blood and guts. Either way, it didn't work. It got a little tedious, not at all the book I was hoping for in honor of Halloween.
The only original part of the book actually made it even worse than I thought it was going to be. Instead of the priest exorcising the demon, wait for it, the devil himself destroyed the demon. Yes, Satan apparently does have his limits and is willing to step up to the plate and do something good for mankind every once in a while.
Such a ridiculous plot line! It was not at all scary but definitely gross. I'm not sure if Laimo thought adding in extra gore would make it scarier or he just really likes talking about blood and guts. Either way, it didn't work. It got a little tedious, not at all the book I was hoping for in honor of Halloween.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2011
Michael Laimo had a lot to live up to after his stellar Bram Stoker nominated second novel, "Deep In The Darkness". Mix a little of "Legion: Exorcist 3", "Angel Heart", and "Eyes Wide Shut" and you have "The Demonologist". A very interesting first 100 pages creates an atmosphere of solid paranoia and suspense. Pieces of the puzzle begin to fall nicely into place until the priest explains for over 20 pages everything that is going on, leaving most of the mystery solved by the middle of the book. At that point, information is given to our protagonist (and the audience) a little too easily. The ending, as well, seemed rushed and tacked on too nonchalantly. However, the idea of God fighting along side of Satan to fight an even greater evil was fascinating and should stir up a little controversy. Overall, this book was well written and had a few chilling moments, but I would still recommend "Deep In The Darkness" to highlight the author's impressive talents.
December 17, 2007
The problem with books like this is that, without a certain sincerity from the author, they fall completely flat. And this one -- while not horrible -- was a shade less than mediocre.
The character has no personality, the plot is never fully developed, and what could have been an interesting premise is shied away from, almost as if the author couldn't quite bring himself to actually write about the so-called 'depravities' his character committed.
It is lackluster, emotionless, and completely hollow. If you want a book about demons, posession, and good, old-fashioned good-vs.-evil cheese ... try the "Devil's Cat," the earlier Steven King books, or "Dracula."
Don't waste your money, don't waste your time.
The character has no personality, the plot is never fully developed, and what could have been an interesting premise is shied away from, almost as if the author couldn't quite bring himself to actually write about the so-called 'depravities' his character committed.
It is lackluster, emotionless, and completely hollow. If you want a book about demons, posession, and good, old-fashioned good-vs.-evil cheese ... try the "Devil's Cat," the earlier Steven King books, or "Dracula."
Don't waste your money, don't waste your time.
November 10, 2025
This book will grip you and lock you in place. Michael Laimo has created a tense ride from the get-go with a beautiful (although slightly over used) plot.
My expectations for this book were low, very low. First, I didn’t know this young new author (finalist for the Bram Stoker Award) whom I bumped into over at MySpace. And secondly, I didn’t know this young new author (finalist for the Bram Stoker Award) whom I bumped into over at MySpace.
But I gave it a shot and I am glad I did.
The beast shall ascend from the gates of Hell and
gather up with thy hand the child that has been cast
aside like a thorn…
And with that this book kicks off in high gear. Allieb is the Demonologist, 2000 years ago he tried to get all the demons (13) to join him in one body. But Satan stopped him and sent his soul into the animal of a pig. The Demonologist wants to gather all of Hell’s top demons including Satan to create one (super) power, strong enough to take on God and fuck him up.
Bev Mathers is a singer. He found fame at a late age. Everything is running smoothly with his career, the top brass are interested in cutting a CD with Bev, but he has a splitting headache like someone scratching inside his head. He is exhausted and running on adrenaline more than energy.
After a long 9 month tour, Bev just wants to rest. He crashes at home and wakes up to more scratching only this time it is coming from the closet. Inside are hundreds of beetles. This marks the start of a weird, bloody and painful journey that Bev must take. Along with his daughter and new friend, a priest Danto, who knows a thing or two about demonology and The Demonologist Allieb. He also knows that Bev carries Satan’s soul inside him.
It took me a little longer than usual to finish this book due to Michael’s style of writing. It was very new for me and often times I had to go back and re-read a couple of paragraphs. But once you get the flow of it, it is fine. I think the “~ing” form is overused and a few of the descriptions weren’t enough to describe the location or action occurring. Apart from that, this is a good book.
I especially liked Michael’s version of Hell for Bev.
A book you’ll be happy to read. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
My expectations for this book were low, very low. First, I didn’t know this young new author (finalist for the Bram Stoker Award) whom I bumped into over at MySpace. And secondly, I didn’t know this young new author (finalist for the Bram Stoker Award) whom I bumped into over at MySpace.
But I gave it a shot and I am glad I did.
The beast shall ascend from the gates of Hell and
gather up with thy hand the child that has been cast
aside like a thorn…
And with that this book kicks off in high gear. Allieb is the Demonologist, 2000 years ago he tried to get all the demons (13) to join him in one body. But Satan stopped him and sent his soul into the animal of a pig. The Demonologist wants to gather all of Hell’s top demons including Satan to create one (super) power, strong enough to take on God and fuck him up.
Bev Mathers is a singer. He found fame at a late age. Everything is running smoothly with his career, the top brass are interested in cutting a CD with Bev, but he has a splitting headache like someone scratching inside his head. He is exhausted and running on adrenaline more than energy.
After a long 9 month tour, Bev just wants to rest. He crashes at home and wakes up to more scratching only this time it is coming from the closet. Inside are hundreds of beetles. This marks the start of a weird, bloody and painful journey that Bev must take. Along with his daughter and new friend, a priest Danto, who knows a thing or two about demonology and The Demonologist Allieb. He also knows that Bev carries Satan’s soul inside him.
It took me a little longer than usual to finish this book due to Michael’s style of writing. It was very new for me and often times I had to go back and re-read a couple of paragraphs. But once you get the flow of it, it is fine. I think the “~ing” form is overused and a few of the descriptions weren’t enough to describe the location or action occurring. Apart from that, this is a good book.
I especially liked Michael’s version of Hell for Bev.
A book you’ll be happy to read. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
July 20, 2019
The Demonologist has a misogyny problem.
Julianne, the 20 years fridged wife and mother, should have been the protagonist and not Bev. The story twists itself into snarls to explain away that possibility to the point where it makes absolutely no sense. Bev is some boring guy who happened to luck into some musical talent who is dragged along by the story. He has no agency. Julianne started this by joining the cult, but gets killed off so we can watch Bev suffer. 20 years after her death he still hasn't moved on to his next relationship. Yahn.
Or, the religious men, Danto and Thornton should have been the main points of view in The Demonologist. Sure there would have been less mystery, but there would have been less frustration after the reveal of their activities. They come across as very inept in the second half. Danton has had months to prepare for Bev's return and all he manages is to follow him around wordlessly. Which did not help them at all. The two men passed the idiot ball back and forth. If they were the focus this could have been solved.
The only two female characters are sexy distressed lamps. After entering the ~evil mansion~ Danto starts to break down at the evil energy trying to take him over. Thornton is patient and soothing with him. He reminds his partner that he can rise above the evil. While Rebecca is breaking down sobbing from the same problem, they both yell at her to calm down and shut up. Kristen exists merely to be abducted.
The Demonologist and Bev were both created so that Laimo could write (bad) torture porn from Bev's perspective. It's a huge waste of time.
Julianne, the 20 years fridged wife and mother, should have been the protagonist and not Bev. The story twists itself into snarls to explain away that possibility to the point where it makes absolutely no sense. Bev is some boring guy who happened to luck into some musical talent who is dragged along by the story. He has no agency. Julianne started this by joining the cult, but gets killed off so we can watch Bev suffer. 20 years after her death he still hasn't moved on to his next relationship. Yahn.
Or, the religious men, Danto and Thornton should have been the main points of view in The Demonologist. Sure there would have been less mystery, but there would have been less frustration after the reveal of their activities. They come across as very inept in the second half. Danton has had months to prepare for Bev's return and all he manages is to follow him around wordlessly. Which did not help them at all. The two men passed the idiot ball back and forth. If they were the focus this could have been solved.
The only two female characters are sexy distressed lamps. After entering the ~evil mansion~ Danto starts to break down at the evil energy trying to take him over. Thornton is patient and soothing with him. He reminds his partner that he can rise above the evil. While Rebecca is breaking down sobbing from the same problem, they both yell at her to calm down and shut up. Kristen exists merely to be abducted.
The Demonologist and Bev were both created so that Laimo could write (bad) torture porn from Bev's perspective. It's a huge waste of time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2022
I wasnt in love with the fact that the main character was a rock star but it grew on me. It didnt go un to great detail about his rock star life it picks up just as hes getting off tour. Bev lost his wife in a car accident. luck had his side when he and his daughter survived with no more thank cuts . Right after this bec gets a interested in rock music and is so good he becomes famous. While hes off tour on a break he thinks hes gonna spend time catching up with his daughter. Shes in her 20s now and works as a rock reporter for a big magazine. Thing take a weird turn for them when bevs freind/ manager turns up dead. Not only that but his daughter is now missing. Around this time bev meets a priest who is educated in not only god but demons. Just so happens it's a good thing too because bev will need his help when he finds out why all these things are happening and how he and his daughter are connected.
February 18, 2019
Un pésimo intento de novela de horror. Los protagonistas no tienen personalidad; son personajes que nunca se desarrollan. La trama va apresurada y no deja que la acción se desarrolle adecuadamente. Las escenas "grotescas y horrendas" no provocan absolutamente nada, ya que el autor abusa de ciertas imágenes y las pasa a la carrera una y otra vez.
Las primeras cien (100) páginas dan la impresión de que va a ser un texto salvable, pero nunca levanta. Me costó muchísimo trabajo terminarlo.
Las primeras cien (100) páginas dan la impresión de que va a ser un texto salvable, pero nunca levanta. Me costó muchísimo trabajo terminarlo.
June 7, 2023
When I read The Demonologist, I had never read a book like it. It was so disturbing and dark, but so fascinating.
I have since read more books like it, but none have grabbed me the way this book did.
I have since read more books like it, but none have grabbed me the way this book did.
November 22, 2017
This book is horrifying.
April 10, 2019
If you are faint of heart this book is not for you.
November 12, 2021
This reads more like a sub-mediocre gore/porn crossover with 90s garbage daytime show "touched by an angel", starring early Nickelback, than it has any resemblance to horror. 0 stars.
October 18, 2023
Great Read. it started out slow but when I go to page 88 the rest just flew by.
I will be on the look out for more from Michael Laimo.
I will be on the look out for more from Michael Laimo.
May 31, 2024
So much like the exorcist in the beginning then towards the end its just awful!
June 11, 2025
This started off well but started dragging for me 1/2 way thru & never regained steam. Decent enough book but not one I'd read again.
September 5, 2008
So you're an aging rock star... well they say your aging, you are in your forties... but you only just hit the big time with your last album, anyway - so you just finished a 9 month tour, get home to your daughter and suddenly you have problems. Not your normal rock star problems, instead you have headaches, terrible nightmares, visions and hallucinations. Then you have that strange guy following you, and an invitation that seems more of a threat than a party...
This is a book about possession, our main character Bev (yes, Bev is a guy) is showing all of the signs of being possessed, people around him are now in precarious positions, his daughter goes missing and suddenly there is a priest who shows up that seems to know what is going on.
This was a very mediocre horror book, not that the premise wasn't interesting. We have page after page of Bev's dreams which are just excuses for gore and sexual perversion and until the end, don't add anything to the story itself. Most of our characters are very flat, we don't have much background or even a chance to get to like Bev before he's having issues. The writing style gets a bit tedious and the flipping back and forth between our good guys and bad guys really takes a lot of the mystery out of the nasties. The basis of the plot is that a 2000 year old demonologist who had attempted to gain the power of Legion (the 13 demons that Jesus cast out of a man and into a herd of swine) but was foiled in his first attempt, is now possessing a man in LA and is re-attempting his original plan.
Even though this book is pretty easy to follow, it feels very muddled. I think this is because we keep switching points of view and then back and forth between the dreams and the voices in his head. Then we keep jumping back and forth between times (LOTS of flashbacks). When we finally get to our big battle and it's really not that great... I mean sure there is plenty of blood, but there is a lot that is glossed over. And the ending... do yourself a favor and stop reading before you get to the last 3 pages, because that completely blows the rest of the book.
This is the second Laimo book that I have read, and I enjoyed the first one "Dead Souls" immensely. This book however was more of a snoozefest for me. Much of what is here comes across as a slightly garbled mess of influences and ideas that never quite came together as a cohesive polished story. There were parts of this book that were quite good, however as a whole it never solidified into a full story. I found myself struggling to read through the dream sequences, which although quite gory and filled with repulsive sexual exploits of demons, were boring to me. I mean you can only read about someone standing in lava and watching demons "doing" their daughter for so many pages.
Now I am a Christian, but I admit that I'm not entirely up on the Bible... but from what I understand the tale that this is taken from doesn't completely mesh with the story in this book. I can't really comment on specifics other than perhaps the rounding of the dates to 2000 years but I'm not going to fault Laimo for rounding.
I generally do longer reviews, but I don't want to come across as a hater, because as I said... some parts of this book were pretty good, and the idea itself was interesting enough. If you are just looking for a mindless read that goes by pretty quick then this should suffice. I just wouldn't go out of your way to buy it. Laimo is a good writer, just not in this particular book.
This is a book about possession, our main character Bev (yes, Bev is a guy) is showing all of the signs of being possessed, people around him are now in precarious positions, his daughter goes missing and suddenly there is a priest who shows up that seems to know what is going on.
This was a very mediocre horror book, not that the premise wasn't interesting. We have page after page of Bev's dreams which are just excuses for gore and sexual perversion and until the end, don't add anything to the story itself. Most of our characters are very flat, we don't have much background or even a chance to get to like Bev before he's having issues. The writing style gets a bit tedious and the flipping back and forth between our good guys and bad guys really takes a lot of the mystery out of the nasties. The basis of the plot is that a 2000 year old demonologist who had attempted to gain the power of Legion (the 13 demons that Jesus cast out of a man and into a herd of swine) but was foiled in his first attempt, is now possessing a man in LA and is re-attempting his original plan.
Even though this book is pretty easy to follow, it feels very muddled. I think this is because we keep switching points of view and then back and forth between the dreams and the voices in his head. Then we keep jumping back and forth between times (LOTS of flashbacks). When we finally get to our big battle and it's really not that great... I mean sure there is plenty of blood, but there is a lot that is glossed over. And the ending... do yourself a favor and stop reading before you get to the last 3 pages, because that completely blows the rest of the book.
This is the second Laimo book that I have read, and I enjoyed the first one "Dead Souls" immensely. This book however was more of a snoozefest for me. Much of what is here comes across as a slightly garbled mess of influences and ideas that never quite came together as a cohesive polished story. There were parts of this book that were quite good, however as a whole it never solidified into a full story. I found myself struggling to read through the dream sequences, which although quite gory and filled with repulsive sexual exploits of demons, were boring to me. I mean you can only read about someone standing in lava and watching demons "doing" their daughter for so many pages.
Now I am a Christian, but I admit that I'm not entirely up on the Bible... but from what I understand the tale that this is taken from doesn't completely mesh with the story in this book. I can't really comment on specifics other than perhaps the rounding of the dates to 2000 years but I'm not going to fault Laimo for rounding.
I generally do longer reviews, but I don't want to come across as a hater, because as I said... some parts of this book were pretty good, and the idea itself was interesting enough. If you are just looking for a mindless read that goes by pretty quick then this should suffice. I just wouldn't go out of your way to buy it. Laimo is a good writer, just not in this particular book.
July 19, 2015
Before I say anything else, I should mention that I don't usually like priests vs. demons type stories. I consider THE EXORCIST, for example, a screamingly funny comedy. I liked the first half of THE DEMONOLOGIST, mostly because it was a mystery about what is happening with a middle-aged rock star's mind. He's hearing voices and seeing things, and there's a strange man leaving him messages. I love that kind of thing, although I kind of knew what was coming down the pike at me, considering the title and the prologue. The second half got too silly for me. The Legion story is one of my favorites from the New Testament, and I like what Laimo tried to do with it, but I just couldn't take it seriously. I did like the twist in the end, even though I saw it coming from a mile away.
October 2, 2009
This was the first book that I picked up by Michael Laimo. It took me awhile to finish it, because at the time I only read in school. When I did finish it I saw the major potential Laimo had in his writings. This is what made me become a fan of him. Personally, this book wasn't really my cup of tea, but if you're into this type of thing, then so be it. Like I said before I saw potential in his writing in this book, and looked into more of his books.
The characters of this book are very well developed and in depth. I just didn't care much for the story line myself.
The characters of this book are very well developed and in depth. I just didn't care much for the story line myself.
May 10, 2010
What a creepy book! This was an exciting and quite grotesque book! Not to mention a book that I should not have started reading so late at night! It genuinely gave me the creeps (yucky, yucky beetles...) Still, it was an interesting premise that could have been a bit more researched, but was still thrilling nonetheless. The ending was a bit of a disappointment, but, really, I am not sure that there were too many other options for a conclusion. I wonder if a sequel or something was planned? I would definitely read another book by this author!
March 11, 2010
Quick fun read. But the ending leaves much to be desired.
August 12, 2011
I found this to be a very intense read. Lots of nasty things going on.
June 29, 2012
Not a horrible book, but not great either. A clever take on the sub-genre of satanic horror, but it lacks a sense of realism. Laimo stretches too far in this book.
April 17, 2013
This novel provides a rendition of Hell that I'd never considered. If you enjoy horror books about demon-possession and a truly unique perspective of hell, this is for you.
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