A Boy Possessed

by Jon Athan

The life of Jamie Cruz, a single father, begins to crumble when his eleven-year-old son, Casey, begins to exhibit signs of mental illness. At first, he turns to a doctor for help. To his dismay, Casey's behavior inexplicably worsens as the boy becomes more aggressive—more violent. When Casey's actions begin to challenge the laws of nature, their once-peaceful home becomes a house of unimaginable terror. Jamie is forced to question everything he knows. He tackles every possibility—psychological and supernatural—and enlists the aid of doctors, a parapsychologist, and a priest to help him save his son. But, what are they fighting? And is it too late to save Casey? Jon Athan, the author of Her Suffering and Madness at Madison Mall, brings you a battle between good and evil, mind and soul, and father and son in this supernatural horror story. Please This novel is a remake of a previously-released book titled In the Name of the A Horror Novel. The book has been completely re-written from beginning to end and features a new chapter as well as over 10,000 words of new content. This is not your average re-release.

Genres: Horror

199 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 9, 2018

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so before we get to the story, I want to call attention to the true talent that Jon Athan displays here. I’ve read a ton of his books and so many of them are just these vicious revenge, body horror, serial killer type stories. Tons of gore and violence and nastiness, and you would be right to typecast him. But then he has these occasional books where it’s like a totally different person wrote it. They’re longer, with deeper plots, meaningful characters, and are a totally different experience. But again, he enjoys his normal fare, and he’s damn good at it, however is fully capable of writing well beyond that, too. Now the story has some great plotpoints and I really enjoyed the conflicts between Jamie, Wilson, and Fabian. It was necessary to give some more depth to this tiny cast of characters to make things not just feel like a normal exorcism story. And for the most part it was, and played out how you’d expect, but it’s still a well-written horror tale. Now exorcisms, hauntings, and some other subgenres tend to not deviate too much from a limited number of plots. Aside from The Exorcist (1973), which is a true classic, the other most memorable reimagining was the episode of the Boondocks where Stinkmeaner comes back from hell and takes over Tom’s body. It is so ridiculously funny, that I’m laughing at just the thought of Uncle Ruckus playing the role of the preacher. Just amazing. But this was very well done and will appeal to Athan’s current followers and anyone new to his books.

[Shadow Girl]

I purposely just re-read A Boy Possessed for the second time. (Previously In the Name of the Devil).
You get to see just how far a father is willing to go, and the pain he endures, to save his son from something he doesn't (yet) understand.
It's an emotional ride through doctors, psychiatrists, old frenemies, and finally a priest - all to explain something that can't possibly be happening to his baby boy. He soon realizes once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth, and nothing will keep him from trying to make it end.
The additions and rewrites did improve on In The Name of the Devil, so if you haven't read A Boy Possessed yet, get to it!

[Adam Wilson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am beginning to lose patients with Athan by this point. He knows how to construct a compelling plot and interesting characters, but the guy could benefit a great deal from a proofreader. In this book, a boy possessed with a demon with supernatural strength is handcuffed to a bed so tightly that his hands and feet have turned black. His father still manages to change the kid’s pajamas without unlocking a single cuff. He does this after “scratching his hair” about fifty times. Scratches his hair? Dude, what the fuck are you talking about and why do all of your characters constantly sniffle? Are they allergic to bad writing? Athan is beginning to be a fantastic, if unneeded, example that quantity over quality is never a good thing. If his books were written well, or at least proofread once or twice, I would have given every single one four or five stars. These books aren’t offensive because of the violence and disturbing content. I find the lack of care for the finished product to be far more offensive than something like a scene of stoma rape. Please, please clean this up!!! I am just an asshole on the internet complaining and I am far from an expert but I will edit these books for free! I want them to be the best they can be so, so badly. These stories deserve better. That’s why I keep reading novel after novel by Athan and yet still complain about the quality of the writing. As always, keep ‘em coming but get a proofreader or two. Get rid of the same phrases that plague every damn book. Don’t use the words sun and son in the same sentence. Don’t have characters dig their fingers into their hair. Stop sniffling! Stop having every negative emotion displayed by every fucking character explained by them being disappointed.
In short, writing offensive, not plot. Writing = bad, story = good. Words be shit, nighty-night story be yum.

[DA · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've not read many exorcism books but this was pretty good. I did find the character of Jamie a little annoying, but it didn't turn me off from finishing.
This was my first book by Athan and I was expecting something a little more grusome, I still liked it though and I have a long list of his books I went to read.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

Last year I had the opportunity to read my first Jon Athan title, Do Not Disturb. I liked it enough to want to read more of the author, so I decided on A Boy Possessed. I'm thankful that this was not mu first read by the author, otherwise it would more than likely would have been my last read. Yeah, it's that bad.

The title is self-explanatory in that the book is about a boy possessed by a demon, and if you've read other novels about demonic possession, you pretty much know what you're in for, as the book doesn't offer up anything new. What follows is widower Jamie Cruz trying to get the help his son needs. The main players are Jamie Cruz and his son, Casey, a parapsychologist by the name of Wilson Clark, and a disgraced, homeless ex-priest, Father Fabian Fernando, who still happens to wear his backward collar. The relationships between these characters are the book's first failing. Jamie is supposed to love his son, but nothing in their interaction makes us believe that. Clark has a grudge against Cruz because of something Cruz did in the past to further his own career. Strike 1, against Cruz. He set out to ruin a man for his own personal gain. Likewise, there's no love lost between Clark and Fabian, as Clark exploited Fabian to further his own career. Strike 2, against Clark. So if either of these men die during the course of the story, you don't really care. Father Fernando's shame is a failed exorcism. And, if the demon is to be believed, he's also a pedophile, something which the priest vehemently denies (methinks the lady doth protest too much), so the priest's character is drawn into question. And you never really get to know Casey, so there's no emotional investment there, either. It's not gonna be a blow to the gut if the kid dies. And all these characters who harbor grudges against other characters seem far too willing to let bygones be bygones, when nothing believable has been said or done to make you believe they've been swayed into helping. Part of the reason for that is because the dialogue comes across as stilted and lacks a natural flow.

It also felt as though the author failed to do any research, and instead relied on films like The Exorcist for his knowledge. As a result, when Jamie runs the medical gamut to find out what's wrong with Casey, it doesn't feel real, as the tests and all the results are glossed over, and all the interactions with the medical practitioners is summarized rather than relayed. Did the author feel as though all the technical aspects would only sere to bog down the story? Possibly. It certainly feels that way.

The other issue I had is the pacing of the book. It's a slow read, and that seems to be because the author was more concerned with what happens next and nothing else. There's zero suspense, no nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat moments where you need to push through to find out what happens next. Sadly, the ending doesn't come nearly fast enough.

I'm not going to let this one read determine the fate of the author in my TBR list. Everybody is entitled to an "off day." But if you are in the market for a possession story, let the power of Christ compel you to pass this one by and look for something else.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 5 out of 5]

There may be some spoilers so beware...

A Boy Possessed - This book was a blast. Very short around 200 pages. This is a story about a possession but on steroids (when I say like that is like fast and furious - it's not like other possession novels where there is a lot of character development, a lot proceedings and so on. Here is a tale where a young boy starts behaving differently after something strange happens in a friends house (probably molestation by the parent). We've got this single father trying to cope with it but failing miserably, you've got people thinking that probably he is abusing his son and then he turns to a person who truly hates him because he discredit his parapsychology novel. Then the last weird piece is the inclusion of a Priest convicted of child molestation. Weird stuff all around but very good and entertaining. 86/100

[Lenn ♡ | anatomyofabooknerd (IG) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

My 10th book this year and probably my last read for the month of January is A Boy Possessed by Jon Athan. This is also my first Jon Athan book. Despite my fondness of watching exorcism films, this is the first novel that I've read about it as I am just starting to read books from the horror/extreme horror genre. The whole reading experience felt like watching a horror film!

In this novella, we follow father and son, Jamie and Casey. Casey is just an ordinary boy and Jamie is doing his best to raise Casey properly without a mother. Honestly, since I have watched a lot of exorcism films, this wasn't as frightening to me as it might for others. Instead, it was heart-breaking and it made me realize how much a parent would go just to save their child.

The ending was kind of abrupt, but it made sense, I guess. I enjoyed reading this as I root for Jamie and Casey throughout the story. I think that there could have been more to the story though.

[Tam French · Rating 5 out of 5]

Left me wanting more!!

Another great book by Jon! I do see the similarities between this and The Excorsist. Still found it to be very intense and it kept my attention! But the ending did leave me wanting more...maybe a sequel somewhere down the road?? Off to read another one of your hellish books!

[Justin Tai Sen Choy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my least favourite of the Jon Athan books that I have read recently. The violence was very tame compared to the others and the story was dissapointing. I hoped that there would be a twist at the end, that would have saved the narrative. Oh well, it was a quick read and I hope to find a better one to read next.

[Cherish · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of Jon Athan’s early books. If you have read his later stuff, you know his writing has improved so much over the years. The plot was interesting. Nothing very original, but some parts were super creepy. However, the writing itself just isn’t very good. I recommend reading Jon Athan’s most recent books for great writing and plots.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it was ok. A bit over the top melodramatic and there was no creepy factor when the boy goes from normal to full on possessed seemingly overnight. I think I would have like it more if it had been free.

[Deeds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic story😋

This story was exciting, entertaining and just WOW!!!. The Exorcist was one of my Favorite Movies of all time. Jon has done a fantastic job with this story !!!. He is an Amazing storyteller and is a PHENOMENAL writer!!.

[Thomas Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

For fans of The Exorcist, this book was very sad, the ending was not what I was expecting. Worse character I think was the father, not the priest but the boy's father Jaime. His decisions and thought process was just abnormal.

[Fiona Seabrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

Really enjoyed the book. I couldn't put it down as I had to read the next chapter. Captured your interest from start to finish. Recommend

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Gripping thrilling not like generic demonic possession horror movies this book was thrilling to the end highly recommend lots of unexpected twists

[❤ArtfullySinful❤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A disgraced priest, a dead author, an abused child...”

History seemed to have a very haunting pattern of repetition, as This troubled story of demonic possession would unfold. As a single father, Jamie Cruz begins to witness the horrific changes in his eleven year old son Casey Cruz. Unexplained behavior changes including violent outburst and attacks, malicious taunting, and the horrifically haunting details he seemed to possess following his mother’s death years prior. At a loss and with doctor after psychologists both being unable to pinpoint the reasonings behind Casey’s shifting demeanor, Jamie is left staring into possibilities he never would of dreamed touching. From slipping a fellow classmate fragments of glass into their milk, to the cruel twist of words that dropped from his lips, Casey was becoming overshadowed by a monster.

“You're dying. It's eating your brain, it's killing you slowly, but you'll be dead soon. You know it, but you won't admit it. It doesn't matter. When your time comes, I will be there to escort your pathetic soul to the foyer of Hell. I give you my word.”

Turning towards his once close friend Wilson Clark; a man who spent years trying to prove the realism of possession and demons. Someone who Jamie spent so many hours degrading and whispering about the lies he speaks, up until he learned he might be his son’s only hope.

[CARLEEN · Rating 2 out of 5]

NOT ENOUGH!

I have read over a dozen Jon Athan books and this one was just not enough for me. It lacked the sick horror, terror, gore, revenge and that Jon Athan ummph I'm used to.

I see a window for a sequel and I think Jon Owes ME a sequel to make up for this disappointing effort.🤷🏿‍♀️