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Demon Night
Nightmares come vividly to life for a man who awakens from his dreams to find his room savagely destroyed and an eerie voice beckoning him back to the small town where his parents died violently
310 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
3 people are currently reading
230 people want to read
About the author
J. Michael Straczynski
1,365 books1,287 followersJoseph Michael Straczynski is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1993–1998) and its spinoff Crusade (1999), as well as the series Jeremiah (2002–2004) and Sense8 (2015–2018). He is the executor of the estate of Harlan Ellison.
Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009), was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012), and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics.
A prolific writer across a variety of media and former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, and Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers and Artisans.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer viewpoints to influence the look and feel of his show. Two prominent areas where he had a presence were GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.
Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009), was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012), and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics.
A prolific writer across a variety of media and former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, and Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers and Artisans.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer viewpoints to influence the look and feel of his show. Two prominent areas where he had a presence were GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 11, 2022
It is a shame that Straczynski did not write more novels, because this one is pretty good. Set in a small town in Maine (yes, King started something with that), the story revolves around an interesting group of characters, some locals, some transients, that encounter supranational terror! The main protagonist returns to the small town after 15 years or so after his parents were killed in an accident and he was shipped to an aunt in the midwest. To really give a summary would be to give spoilers, so I will not focus on that here.
Straczynski writes well and nicely develops characters you have some empathy with. This came out toward the end of the horror boom (1990) and still holds up well. Not too reliant upon well worn tropes, Straczynski paces the narrative well, really moving the story along. 3.5 stars
Straczynski writes well and nicely develops characters you have some empathy with. This came out toward the end of the horror boom (1990) and still holds up well. Not too reliant upon well worn tropes, Straczynski paces the narrative well, really moving the story along. 3.5 stars
March 4, 2012
Yes, this is another one of those "evil lurks in a small town in Maine" horror novels, but it is very well done. Well written with strong likable characters. The author has since moved on to much more lucrative comics, tv and film with success and, as a fan of his for years, it's nice to see that he is equally talented as a novelist. Solid 3.5 stars. Recommended to horror fans.
January 3, 2023
Promising start which developed into a snooze fest. Another reviewed call this 'discount Stephen King' and I have to agree.
July 27, 2021
Something wicked in a nearby cave lurks while the citizens of a Maine town go about their sordid little lives. Eric the kid who lost his parents returns to the town as a grown man and with Jedi powers, while a local scientist discovers some eerie cave paintings. A local lout then stumbles into the cave, discovers an ancient evil of some kind and mayhem ensues.
It's smalltown Maine again, with its quaint little vignettes of local life. The sad part is that none of the lives are as interesting as the writer thinks, and there are far too many of them. There are a lot of loose puzzle pieces but they form no discernible image. Storylines are dropped, new ones spring up all the time, characters bleed into one another and so on.
The writing is alright, with attention to small and interesting details, and a good visual atmosphere. But by the middle the structure begins to fall apart, with nothing much happening, just a lot of repetition, with the ending being a remarkably mediocre experience. Although truth be told my interest at that point was already long gone, but I guess so was the author's.
Apparently J. Michael Straczynski, later of Babylon 5 and comics fame, wanted to write a horror novel that he'd like to read. Somehow the end result reads a lot like a discount version of a Stephen King novel, which means basically it's like a Rick Hautala novel. The idea of a chosen saviour fighting an ancient evil, on the other hand, is familiar from F. Paul Wilson's novels. But unlike its influences, Demon Night ends up being a confusing affair which never cashes in on its promise.
It's smalltown Maine again, with its quaint little vignettes of local life. The sad part is that none of the lives are as interesting as the writer thinks, and there are far too many of them. There are a lot of loose puzzle pieces but they form no discernible image. Storylines are dropped, new ones spring up all the time, characters bleed into one another and so on.
The writing is alright, with attention to small and interesting details, and a good visual atmosphere. But by the middle the structure begins to fall apart, with nothing much happening, just a lot of repetition, with the ending being a remarkably mediocre experience. Although truth be told my interest at that point was already long gone, but I guess so was the author's.
Apparently J. Michael Straczynski, later of Babylon 5 and comics fame, wanted to write a horror novel that he'd like to read. Somehow the end result reads a lot like a discount version of a Stephen King novel, which means basically it's like a Rick Hautala novel. The idea of a chosen saviour fighting an ancient evil, on the other hand, is familiar from F. Paul Wilson's novels. But unlike its influences, Demon Night ends up being a confusing affair which never cashes in on its promise.
October 4, 2008
I liked this book very much. It is a different genre from what I normally read...but well worth the read. It took me a little longer than normal to read this...mostly because I would end up having nightmares about the story. It is spooky and very well written. I'm glad I picked up at the book store for a dollar. It was a dollar well spent. If you like something a little spooky and written really well....give Demon Night a read. You will enjoy it!
December 3, 2018
Another DNF. I made it about 76 pages in. Hardly anything happened. Only one or two scenes that were spooky at all. The rest boring mundane life FILLED with sexual objectification of the women characters. I mean one of the POV writers was supposed to be a creep, but the nice guy did it too! There was a description of a woman my age and I discovered that I am OLD but that's ok cause even old women can still be hot enough to be sexual objects! Now JMS wrote my favourite tv series of all time, which had some brilliant women in so I was quite surprised by this! Bad early writing I guess! But I feel like he really should have known better.
May 9, 2019
Some books just flow and leave me wondering where the time went. This one is definitely in that category.
July 24, 2021
The best small town horror novel not written by Stephen King. Put it on your reading list.
July 10, 2020
La historia bastante buena, no es el mejor libro del mundo pero se lee rápido y es entretenido.
May 11, 2023
me dormí pero bueno rescato q es el primer libro de terror del autor. Buen intento Michael
July 21, 2024
A complete rip-off of Salem's Lot. It even has a quote from Salem's Lot in the prologue which I think is particularly, hilariously brazen. Still, a good piece of genre hack-writer horror.
April 13, 2025
Enjoyable horror .
September 22, 2016
Reseña de Sergio Robla para Zona Negativa:
http://www.zonanegativa.com/la-noche-...
Las cuevas…
Eso es lo último que señaló su padre, entre los hierros retorcidos en que se había convertido el coche. Las cuevas que se abrían como una boca maléfica al otro extremo del lago.
Eric revive en sus pesadillas una y otra vez el accidente de tráfico que mató a sus padres y cuando despierta su apartamento está completamente destrozado, resuena una voz en el interior de su cabeza que le dice: “Vuelve a casa…”
Su casa está en Dredmouth, un pueblo de la costa de Maine, un sitio tranquilo donde nunca pasa nada… Donde los niños roban periódicos a sus vecinos… Donde una madre escucha voces en su cabeza… Donde alguien ha empalado al gato de los Kincaid… Un pueblo que quizá no sobreviva a la noche de los demonios.
La primera novela de J. Michael Straczynski nos relata una sencilla historia de tintes fantásticos y alguno de terror, enmarcada, como el propio autor confiesa, en la tradición de las novelas de terror de los años 80-90. Sin duda el planteamiento nos hace evocar algún que otro título de la época, y a medida que avanzamos en la lectura descubrimos claramente sus muchas influencias, aunque Stephen King es la más evidente…
Eric, el protagonista, vuelve como un extraño a su pueblo natal, lugar que no visita desde la muerte de sus padres. Al momento sabemos que tiene extraños sueños y que posee unos poderes que no sabe controlar (no es algo explícito, pero Straczynski no se molesta en ocultarlo o darle demasiado misterio al tema, aunque haya bastantes interrogantes). Dredmouth Point es una localidad tranquila con sus pequeños defectos, como es habitual en esta clase de libros: aparentemente todo es paz y armonía, pero siempre hay quien se acuesta con quien no debe, o quien maltrata a alguien, o quien tiene alguna malsana perversión. El pueblo está ubicado junto a un lago, y éste, junto a unas cuevas donde vivieron indios algonquinos, y que se encuentran cargadas de historias extrañas.
Las cuevas indias pronto se hacen evidentes para el lector como el origen del mal que centrará la trama principal, aunque a los personajes les costará más darse cuenta, mucho más. Straczynski afirma que la gran virtud del libro es su falta de pretensiones a la hora de escribirlo (fue escrito para él mismo, y guardado en un cajón durante más de un año hasta que su agente le pidió que escribiera una novela), pero a mi parecer esta supuesta “virtud” se convierte en un arma de doble filo. El libro está escrito principalmente enfocado a los personajes, mientras que paralelamente vemos como el mal se va extendiendo silenciosamente. Sin embargo, el fuerte de Straczynski en esta novela no son los personajes sino la acción. El autor sostiene que lo que él quería era escribir una historia sobre esos personajes, unos que le importaban, pero el resultado final adolece de un defecto común en los novelistas primerizos, y es obviar a personajes que uno cree conocer a la perfección. En la prosa se percibe el cariño del autor por ellos, pero no lo transmite a quien lee.
El lector, curtido en mil batallas como ésta, se da cuenta rápidamente que los “dones” de Eric, y ese destino suyo del que tanto se habla pero que tarda tanto en definirse, le conducirán inevitablemente a enfrentarse al mal de las cuevas, pero Straczynski no ha sido capaz de mantener al lector interesado en el personaje y sus vivencias con las gentes del pueblo hasta que llega ese momento. Uno no puede evitar querer ver más de la oscuridad que se extiende por el pueblo, cada vez que aparece “se come la cámara”. Por otra parte, después de presentar gran cantidad de personajes, cuando llega el tramo final de la historia, hace limpieza rápidamente y se centra en los principales para la propia Noche de los Demonios, cosa que se agradece.
Sin duda, a partir del momento en que tanto el misterio desaparece llega lo mejor del libro. Una iglesia asediada por demonios, un pueblo asolado por la oscuridad, el enfrentamiento con el destino… No me extenderé en la explicación porque creo que vale la pena leerlo. Straczynski lo desarrolla con un ritmo impecable e implacable, conduciendo al lector a una velocidad de vértigo hacia el explosivo final. Si bien podría haber sido una grandísima historia, creo que se ha visto afectada por la falta de objetivo, y aunque no es una novela destacable sí posee grandes momentos y es una primera novela más que aceptable. Así, La Noche de los Demonios supone una novela curiosa en general e interesante en particular para todos aquellos que quieran ver de qué es capaz el guionista en este medio. De ser publicada el resto de su bibliografía, será interesante ver como evoluciona Straczynski en esta faceta.
http://www.zonanegativa.com/la-noche-...
Las cuevas…
Eso es lo último que señaló su padre, entre los hierros retorcidos en que se había convertido el coche. Las cuevas que se abrían como una boca maléfica al otro extremo del lago.
Eric revive en sus pesadillas una y otra vez el accidente de tráfico que mató a sus padres y cuando despierta su apartamento está completamente destrozado, resuena una voz en el interior de su cabeza que le dice: “Vuelve a casa…”
Su casa está en Dredmouth, un pueblo de la costa de Maine, un sitio tranquilo donde nunca pasa nada… Donde los niños roban periódicos a sus vecinos… Donde una madre escucha voces en su cabeza… Donde alguien ha empalado al gato de los Kincaid… Un pueblo que quizá no sobreviva a la noche de los demonios.
La primera novela de J. Michael Straczynski nos relata una sencilla historia de tintes fantásticos y alguno de terror, enmarcada, como el propio autor confiesa, en la tradición de las novelas de terror de los años 80-90. Sin duda el planteamiento nos hace evocar algún que otro título de la época, y a medida que avanzamos en la lectura descubrimos claramente sus muchas influencias, aunque Stephen King es la más evidente…
Eric, el protagonista, vuelve como un extraño a su pueblo natal, lugar que no visita desde la muerte de sus padres. Al momento sabemos que tiene extraños sueños y que posee unos poderes que no sabe controlar (no es algo explícito, pero Straczynski no se molesta en ocultarlo o darle demasiado misterio al tema, aunque haya bastantes interrogantes). Dredmouth Point es una localidad tranquila con sus pequeños defectos, como es habitual en esta clase de libros: aparentemente todo es paz y armonía, pero siempre hay quien se acuesta con quien no debe, o quien maltrata a alguien, o quien tiene alguna malsana perversión. El pueblo está ubicado junto a un lago, y éste, junto a unas cuevas donde vivieron indios algonquinos, y que se encuentran cargadas de historias extrañas.
Las cuevas indias pronto se hacen evidentes para el lector como el origen del mal que centrará la trama principal, aunque a los personajes les costará más darse cuenta, mucho más. Straczynski afirma que la gran virtud del libro es su falta de pretensiones a la hora de escribirlo (fue escrito para él mismo, y guardado en un cajón durante más de un año hasta que su agente le pidió que escribiera una novela), pero a mi parecer esta supuesta “virtud” se convierte en un arma de doble filo. El libro está escrito principalmente enfocado a los personajes, mientras que paralelamente vemos como el mal se va extendiendo silenciosamente. Sin embargo, el fuerte de Straczynski en esta novela no son los personajes sino la acción. El autor sostiene que lo que él quería era escribir una historia sobre esos personajes, unos que le importaban, pero el resultado final adolece de un defecto común en los novelistas primerizos, y es obviar a personajes que uno cree conocer a la perfección. En la prosa se percibe el cariño del autor por ellos, pero no lo transmite a quien lee.
El lector, curtido en mil batallas como ésta, se da cuenta rápidamente que los “dones” de Eric, y ese destino suyo del que tanto se habla pero que tarda tanto en definirse, le conducirán inevitablemente a enfrentarse al mal de las cuevas, pero Straczynski no ha sido capaz de mantener al lector interesado en el personaje y sus vivencias con las gentes del pueblo hasta que llega ese momento. Uno no puede evitar querer ver más de la oscuridad que se extiende por el pueblo, cada vez que aparece “se come la cámara”. Por otra parte, después de presentar gran cantidad de personajes, cuando llega el tramo final de la historia, hace limpieza rápidamente y se centra en los principales para la propia Noche de los Demonios, cosa que se agradece.
Sin duda, a partir del momento en que tanto el misterio desaparece llega lo mejor del libro. Una iglesia asediada por demonios, un pueblo asolado por la oscuridad, el enfrentamiento con el destino… No me extenderé en la explicación porque creo que vale la pena leerlo. Straczynski lo desarrolla con un ritmo impecable e implacable, conduciendo al lector a una velocidad de vértigo hacia el explosivo final. Si bien podría haber sido una grandísima historia, creo que se ha visto afectada por la falta de objetivo, y aunque no es una novela destacable sí posee grandes momentos y es una primera novela más que aceptable. Así, La Noche de los Demonios supone una novela curiosa en general e interesante en particular para todos aquellos que quieran ver de qué es capaz el guionista en este medio. De ser publicada el resto de su bibliografía, será interesante ver como evoluciona Straczynski en esta faceta.
February 12, 2008
In an afterword, the author describes how this book came to be. He was looking for a good horror read, scanned the shelves, read synopses, yada yada yada, and still couldn't come up with anything that reached out and grabbed him. So he decided to entertain himself & write the novel he wanted to read. I can feel his pain...normally I work very hard to find just the right horror novel to read. Demon Night, provides a small edge of suspense which I like in a good horror novel, and it definitely kept my interest.
Brief plot summary (no spoilers)
The book can be divided into three parts. In the first part, we meet the main character of the book, Eric Matthews, nee Langren, who is a drifter and who suffers from violent (and I do mean violent) nightmares. Eric wakes up from one nightmare in which he hears his father telling him to come home. Well, Eric's dad has been dead since Eric was 8, so he knows that he must drift a little more toward where he was born & lived until he was 8 -- a little town in Maine. We also meet the rest of the characters in the town.
In part two of this novel, weird things start to happen. Tempers are flaring, there is a bizarre murder/suicide, and other weird happenings. All of these events seem to coincide with the discovery and desecration of an ancient chamber in one of the town's caves. No one really knows what the heck is going on except Eric.
Obviously part three contains the climax of this book, but I don't want to go into that here just in case someone else decides to read this book.
I must have missed what the sealed up room in the church had to do with anything & I was kind of disappointed there, but the rest was pretty good. Considering it was a first effort, he didn't do too badly.
Brief plot summary (no spoilers)
The book can be divided into three parts. In the first part, we meet the main character of the book, Eric Matthews, nee Langren, who is a drifter and who suffers from violent (and I do mean violent) nightmares. Eric wakes up from one nightmare in which he hears his father telling him to come home. Well, Eric's dad has been dead since Eric was 8, so he knows that he must drift a little more toward where he was born & lived until he was 8 -- a little town in Maine. We also meet the rest of the characters in the town.
In part two of this novel, weird things start to happen. Tempers are flaring, there is a bizarre murder/suicide, and other weird happenings. All of these events seem to coincide with the discovery and desecration of an ancient chamber in one of the town's caves. No one really knows what the heck is going on except Eric.
Obviously part three contains the climax of this book, but I don't want to go into that here just in case someone else decides to read this book.
I must have missed what the sealed up room in the church had to do with anything & I was kind of disappointed there, but the rest was pretty good. Considering it was a first effort, he didn't do too badly.
October 5, 2014
I was going to rate this book 2 stars until I realized that I didn't enjoy one moment of reading it. The book should really be about 200 pages, not 340. They way it's printed/written with chapter breaks etc add about an extra 100 printed pages to a very thin plot.
It hurts me to say it, because I really love JMS (especially his comic book work), but this book is a must skip for his fans. Read Rising Stars or Supreme Power instead.
It hurts me to say it, because I really love JMS (especially his comic book work), but this book is a must skip for his fans. Read Rising Stars or Supreme Power instead.
June 18, 2009
JMS' Demon Night is a pretty standard Chosen Hero vs. Evil Force horror/fantasy. What made it stand out from the masses of other books with a similar premise is the characters.
The author takes his time establishing the primary players in the drama to unfold, giving us a glimpse into their lives and minds. In this regard, it was very similar to reading a mid-80s King novel.
The author takes his time establishing the primary players in the drama to unfold, giving us a glimpse into their lives and minds. In this regard, it was very similar to reading a mid-80s King novel.
November 27, 2013
Yes, -that- J. Michael Stracznski, though it appeared before B5. Who knew? It's really a pretty good horror novel, in a King-influenced vein. It's well worth settling in with next to the fireplace on a winter evening!
December 1, 2008
exactly the same as salem's lot. i don't understand why this book was written.
April 7, 2012
More of a 2.5. Predictable story and not very good style. Had its moments, though.
December 30, 2016
Novela de terror de JMS publicada en castellano por Norma, como el #13 de su ya difunta Colección Brainstorming.
Read
August 23, 2008isbn,original
April 10, 2017
I thought it was kind of weak, but it probably would have made a neat movie, unsurprisingly. I guess JMS's real strength is more in screenwriting/comic writing than novel writing. That being said, I'd still give him a few more chances, as I believe this was a debut novel.
The main character seemed a bit underdeveloped with a kind of obligatory romance forced in. The finale was pretty good, which is a reverse of the usual horror trend where the end is frequently the worst part. Still, it's not terrible and can be read pretty quickly.
The main character seemed a bit underdeveloped with a kind of obligatory romance forced in. The finale was pretty good, which is a reverse of the usual horror trend where the end is frequently the worst part. Still, it's not terrible and can be read pretty quickly.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews