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The Devil's End
FOR SEVENTY YEARS, HE HAS WAITED...
In Sharon Vallery, at teen slumber parties and around campfires, the story is told. Seventy years ago, on Halloween night, Nathaniel and Myrantha Ober made a pact sealed by bloody human sacrifice...a pact with the devil himself.
THIS HALLOWEEN, EVIL WILL RETURN...
Nancy Snell is the most popular girl in high school. She is beautiful and wealthy, and she has discovered the key to unlimited power. The occult force that was summoned to this sleepy town decades ago. She has already chosen the perfect victim needed to perform the ritual: the new girl in town, Lana Bremmers.
THE DEVIL'S END
Once again the town of Sharon Valley will be the doorway to the legions of darkness. And the devil will have his payment in blood, on an even more terrifying Halloween night.
In Sharon Vallery, at teen slumber parties and around campfires, the story is told. Seventy years ago, on Halloween night, Nathaniel and Myrantha Ober made a pact sealed by bloody human sacrifice...a pact with the devil himself.
THIS HALLOWEEN, EVIL WILL RETURN...
Nancy Snell is the most popular girl in high school. She is beautiful and wealthy, and she has discovered the key to unlimited power. The occult force that was summoned to this sleepy town decades ago. She has already chosen the perfect victim needed to perform the ritual: the new girl in town, Lana Bremmers.
THE DEVIL'S END
Once again the town of Sharon Valley will be the doorway to the legions of darkness. And the devil will have his payment in blood, on an even more terrifying Halloween night.
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First published April 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
September 29, 2019
After reading Debra Fowler's delightfully demented What's Wrong with Valerie? (1991), I knew I wouldn't wait long before digging into this one. The Devil's End is a slightly more typical early 90s horror novel, but done very well. Think of it as a teen soap opera from the era like Beverly Hills 90210 or something, only with black magic, witches, demons, etc. Actually that sounds a bit like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but trust me, this is much nastier and more depraved. The overall tone and feel of it is similar to something like Ray Garton or early Edward Lee, only not quite as gross and sex-filled as the latter (still pretty gross though).
It takes place in your standard small southern town where, on Halloween night 70 years ago, an old witch couple, Myrantha and Nathaniel Ober, made a pact with a powerful demon using a blood sacrifice. The couple is long dead now, but the demon still means to keep its end of the bargain. It just needs someone to conjure it once again. Popular, stuck up high-schooler Nancy -- who, like a lot of other kids in town, knows the legend of the Obers -- may be just the one to do it, especially after she finds the Ober's old spell book hidden inside their crypt. Soon strange, inexplicable things are happening throughout the town, and people are ending up dead, or changed drastically. Is Nancy responsible? New girl in town Lana suspects Nancy of practicing black magic, but no one really believes her, except her newly-met sort of boyfriend, and he only hesitantly. Soon Nancy has her eye on Lana. Halloween is coming up, and Nancy has big plans for the new girl.
There's a lot more to it, but that's the basic gist of it (this review would get really convoluted really fast if I tried to cover all the plot points). It's definitely a fun read, and Fowler has an engaging writing style that kept me pulled in even during the scenes of typical high school life. Because you never knew when some jaw-dropping crazy-ass shit was about to go down, especially in the second half. It's pure demons-out-the-ass insanity, and I dug it. Others would probably think it's stupid, so it comes down to the reader's tolerance for camp, much like Valerie?, but even more so here. The perspective jumps around constantly between various high school students, their parents, teachers, etc., but there's not a lot of bloat here, and each storyline kept me pretty much absorbed the entire time. Also, the reader is never totally sure what Nancy is up to due to limited POVs from her, which I liked.
Anyone in the mood for some fun, trashy horror done right during Halloween season could certainly do worse than this.
4.0 Stars.
It takes place in your standard small southern town where, on Halloween night 70 years ago, an old witch couple, Myrantha and Nathaniel Ober, made a pact with a powerful demon using a blood sacrifice. The couple is long dead now, but the demon still means to keep its end of the bargain. It just needs someone to conjure it once again. Popular, stuck up high-schooler Nancy -- who, like a lot of other kids in town, knows the legend of the Obers -- may be just the one to do it, especially after she finds the Ober's old spell book hidden inside their crypt. Soon strange, inexplicable things are happening throughout the town, and people are ending up dead, or changed drastically. Is Nancy responsible? New girl in town Lana suspects Nancy of practicing black magic, but no one really believes her, except her newly-met sort of boyfriend, and he only hesitantly. Soon Nancy has her eye on Lana. Halloween is coming up, and Nancy has big plans for the new girl.
There's a lot more to it, but that's the basic gist of it (this review would get really convoluted really fast if I tried to cover all the plot points). It's definitely a fun read, and Fowler has an engaging writing style that kept me pulled in even during the scenes of typical high school life. Because you never knew when some jaw-dropping crazy-ass shit was about to go down, especially in the second half. It's pure demons-out-the-ass insanity, and I dug it. Others would probably think it's stupid, so it comes down to the reader's tolerance for camp, much like Valerie?, but even more so here. The perspective jumps around constantly between various high school students, their parents, teachers, etc., but there's not a lot of bloat here, and each storyline kept me pretty much absorbed the entire time. Also, the reader is never totally sure what Nancy is up to due to limited POVs from her, which I liked.
Anyone in the mood for some fun, trashy horror done right during Halloween season could certainly do worse than this.
4.0 Stars.
December 25, 2019
The Obers, a family obsessed by witchcraft, is hanged on Halloween eve after having kidnapped a baby. Legend has it the didn't die. In a bit long winded highschool story you come to know how old evil reaches out for new people to use. Well, to me the story didn't work well. It was too much highschool horror with too many cliches and too few compelling elements. Maybe it was better when the book was first published but nowadays is seemed a bit dusted and cheesy. The cover is absolutely first class but the story itself didn't come up to my expectations. I was a bit disappointed after reading this book.
October 11, 2019
Okay, I went back to give this one another shot, and still could not completely finish. However, what I did get to made me dislike it even more.
October 30, 2019
The Devil's End is such a fun read and it kept me entertained from start to finish. It has a compelling story, a great cast of characters, and a bunch of crazy shit!
Sharon Valley residents Nathaniel and Myrantha Ober both died on Halloween night seventy years ago. Local legend says they were into witchcraft and made a pact with the devil. In the present day Nancy, one of the most popular girls in high school, breaks into the Ober's tomb and finds their spellbook. Meanwhile, Lana is a teenage girl who moves to Sharon Valley with her mother and younger brother Luke. Nancy has her eye on new girl Lana to be a ritual sacrifice but things soon get out of hand...
The only negative for me was the outdated terms and racial stereotypes but unfortunately they are a sign of the time it was written. Aside from that there is a lot to like about The Devil's End. Fowler's writing is really enjoyable to read and she has a wickedly dark humour. Also, she is not afraid to get gross and gruesome! There were some moments that had me cringing and laughing at the same time.
Overall this was a ton of fun and definitely perfect to read at Halloween (or any time of year!)
Sharon Valley residents Nathaniel and Myrantha Ober both died on Halloween night seventy years ago. Local legend says they were into witchcraft and made a pact with the devil. In the present day Nancy, one of the most popular girls in high school, breaks into the Ober's tomb and finds their spellbook. Meanwhile, Lana is a teenage girl who moves to Sharon Valley with her mother and younger brother Luke. Nancy has her eye on new girl Lana to be a ritual sacrifice but things soon get out of hand...
The only negative for me was the outdated terms and racial stereotypes but unfortunately they are a sign of the time it was written. Aside from that there is a lot to like about The Devil's End. Fowler's writing is really enjoyable to read and she has a wickedly dark humour. Also, she is not afraid to get gross and gruesome! There were some moments that had me cringing and laughing at the same time.
Overall this was a ton of fun and definitely perfect to read at Halloween (or any time of year!)
July 6, 2020
Thank you to Capricorn Literary for sending an audiobook download in exchange for an honest review! Video review to come...
A Halloween book review in July?? Yes. This happens every year. Get used to it, cuz I'm ready for Halloween!
The Devil's End by D.A. Fowler was originally published by Pocket Books in 1992 and has been out of print ever since. Fortunately, Capricorn Literary has come to the rescue yet again! They picked up the rights to all of Fowler's books, so we now have a brand new paperback edition of The Devil's End as well as an audiobook narrated by Michael Reaves, who also narrated The Black Cat by John Russo which I reviewed last year. Michael's voice is gravelly and gruff and perfect for vintage horror.
Synopsis: In Sharon Valley, at teen slumber parties and around campfires, the story is told. Seventy years ago, on Halloween night, Nathaniel and Myrantha Ober made a pact sealed by bloody human sacrifice...a pact with the devil himself.
Nancy Snell is the most popular girl in high school. She is beautiful and wealthy, and she has discovered the key to unlimited power. The occult force that was summoned to this sleepy town decades ago. She has already chosen the perfect victim needed to perform the ritual: the new girl in town, Lana Bremmers.
Once again the town of Sharon Valley will be the doorway to the legions of darkness. And the devil will have his payment in blood, on an even more terrifying Halloween night.
This book was like an amped up version of the popular '90s Point Horror series. It had all the high school drama of those books, but with extra doses venom. It is far more vulgar, mean-spirited, darker, gorier, and more depraved than Point Horror ever got, especially toward the end. As the evil begins to poison the minds of the townspeople, things. get. crazy. The ending literally had my mouth hanging open, and yet I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day. It's just delightful in its mayhem. Though, for this reason, I can't recommend it to anyone with a weak stomach or to those who are easily offended. There are also some racial jokes and slurs toward a character with mental disabilities, so be forewarned: this book is a product of its time.
My main gripe with The Devil's End is the long list of characters which began to get tangled in my brain, but of those characters there were a few standouts that I really enjoyed reading about, especially Lana Bremmers. I found her to be a well-written character. I also loved reading about Nancy Snell, as awful as she may be.
Overall, this is a must read for anyone who enjoys vintage horror, and the audiobook gets the Library Macabre seal of approval as well. Thanks, Capricorn Literary!
A Halloween book review in July?? Yes. This happens every year. Get used to it, cuz I'm ready for Halloween!
The Devil's End by D.A. Fowler was originally published by Pocket Books in 1992 and has been out of print ever since. Fortunately, Capricorn Literary has come to the rescue yet again! They picked up the rights to all of Fowler's books, so we now have a brand new paperback edition of The Devil's End as well as an audiobook narrated by Michael Reaves, who also narrated The Black Cat by John Russo which I reviewed last year. Michael's voice is gravelly and gruff and perfect for vintage horror.
Synopsis: In Sharon Valley, at teen slumber parties and around campfires, the story is told. Seventy years ago, on Halloween night, Nathaniel and Myrantha Ober made a pact sealed by bloody human sacrifice...a pact with the devil himself.
Nancy Snell is the most popular girl in high school. She is beautiful and wealthy, and she has discovered the key to unlimited power. The occult force that was summoned to this sleepy town decades ago. She has already chosen the perfect victim needed to perform the ritual: the new girl in town, Lana Bremmers.
Once again the town of Sharon Valley will be the doorway to the legions of darkness. And the devil will have his payment in blood, on an even more terrifying Halloween night.
This book was like an amped up version of the popular '90s Point Horror series. It had all the high school drama of those books, but with extra doses venom. It is far more vulgar, mean-spirited, darker, gorier, and more depraved than Point Horror ever got, especially toward the end. As the evil begins to poison the minds of the townspeople, things. get. crazy. The ending literally had my mouth hanging open, and yet I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day. It's just delightful in its mayhem. Though, for this reason, I can't recommend it to anyone with a weak stomach or to those who are easily offended. There are also some racial jokes and slurs toward a character with mental disabilities, so be forewarned: this book is a product of its time.
My main gripe with The Devil's End is the long list of characters which began to get tangled in my brain, but of those characters there were a few standouts that I really enjoyed reading about, especially Lana Bremmers. I found her to be a well-written character. I also loved reading about Nancy Snell, as awful as she may be.
Overall, this is a must read for anyone who enjoys vintage horror, and the audiobook gets the Library Macabre seal of approval as well. Thanks, Capricorn Literary!
September 8, 2023
The dictionary definition of a hot mess. Just sloppy and boring, with an annoyingly frantic ending, and none of the characters had anything near what would qualify as a personality. Awesome cover though.
October 8, 2021
Fowler wrote some amazing horror stories during her short career-- What's Wrong With Valerie? and What's Wrong With Tamara? were both brilliant and original. Hence, I was let down with TDE, which lacked all that made her other novels so great. TDE is an almost 'paint by numbers' 90s horror novel; while it had some good aspects, this was definitely pretty meh.
The story is set in a small town in South Dakota and most of the main characters are high school teens. 70 years or so ago two 'witches' were caught sacrificing a baby and promptly hung; their young daughter was adopted and moved away. Now, about a week before Halloween (the date the witches offed the little tyke), a pair of girl friends comes up with the brain child to go check out the tomb the witches are buried in. In one of the empty coffins, a ledger is found that contains rites to Satan! Shortly thereafter (and involving a few animal sacrifices), one the teens starts casting spells, which really are debts to Satan himself...
Unlike the Valerie or Tamara novels, this one starts really slow, with endless teen dynamics and struggles with their parents, teachers, etc. Fowler evidently felt the need to have a massive cast, but none of them were really very developed; I can see why readers struggle with the first half of the book. Now, things do start to get interesting later on (and what a crazy ending!), but in a way, it is too little, too late. Small town invaded by agents of Satan? Could be good, but this felt like Fowler just had to pay the bills. 2.5 stars, rounding up (that ending!).
The story is set in a small town in South Dakota and most of the main characters are high school teens. 70 years or so ago two 'witches' were caught sacrificing a baby and promptly hung; their young daughter was adopted and moved away. Now, about a week before Halloween (the date the witches offed the little tyke), a pair of girl friends comes up with the brain child to go check out the tomb the witches are buried in. In one of the empty coffins, a ledger is found that contains rites to Satan! Shortly thereafter (and involving a few animal sacrifices), one the teens starts casting spells, which really are debts to Satan himself...
Unlike the Valerie or Tamara novels, this one starts really slow, with endless teen dynamics and struggles with their parents, teachers, etc. Fowler evidently felt the need to have a massive cast, but none of them were really very developed; I can see why readers struggle with the first half of the book. Now, things do start to get interesting later on (and what a crazy ending!), but in a way, it is too little, too late. Small town invaded by agents of Satan? Could be good, but this felt like Fowler just had to pay the bills. 2.5 stars, rounding up (that ending!).
October 5, 2019
Page-turning Horror, adolescent angst gone vicious, coming of age into a world of madness, Witch Hunting, Satanism, Demonic-Darkness-is-about-to-cover-the-Earth; plus one of the funkiest Denouements I've ever encountered: I was riveted. Not too many characters I liked, though there were a couple; but even jerks don't deserve all this. A contemporary version of the Witch craze of the 16th and 17th centuries, only now there's good reason; sometimes when there is suspicion there are grounds for it. A plethora of extreme gore and violence (including children and animals and certain aberrant perversions), so if particularly sensitive, proceed with caution. If extreme horror doesn't disturb, continue on. THE DEVIL'S END is highly suspenseful and the tension is rampant. And that ending!!
November 6, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up for GR.
Special thanks to Capricorn Literary for a free audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review!
This book had a BONKERS ending. Out of the three I've gotten to, this is my least favorite D.A. Fowler book that I've read thus far. I think the plot and characters are kind of predictable for most of the story, but the ending was truly insane. I think the ending was so weird and strange that it elevated my reading experience. The ending of this book is definitely not suited for casual horror readers.
Special thanks to Capricorn Literary for a free audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review!
This book had a BONKERS ending. Out of the three I've gotten to, this is my least favorite D.A. Fowler book that I've read thus far. I think the plot and characters are kind of predictable for most of the story, but the ending was truly insane. I think the ending was so weird and strange that it elevated my reading experience. The ending of this book is definitely not suited for casual horror readers.
October 30, 2023
I looked forward to this 1990s story about witches from the author of the classic "What Is Wrong with Valerie?". But unfortunately, it felt too derivative and lacked any special spark in execution.
Though set during Halloween, the novel lacks any of that magical Halloween atmosphere. The book is also another cash-in on Stephen King's "It," with a bunch of kids in a small town plagued by evil, but fails to bring us a villain as memorable as Pennywise. What we get in "Devil's End" is an ancient demon with cheesy dialogue clearly modeled after Freddy Krueger.
The writing is serviceable, but there are moments when Fowler tries to be edgy only to have it come across as childish, thus losing any impact a scene may have. Overall, the tone is inconsistent, sometimes timid, sometimes faintly comedic, and sometimes brutally dark, but none of it works on a high level.
The characters, for the most part, are okay. The main heroine is bubbly, spunky, honest, confident, and genuinely good-hearted, despite lamenting the recent separation of her parents. Her love interest also seems like a nice guy, who has learned to hide stress behind a patina of humor without coming across as a complete clown. Almost everyone else is depicted as white trash.
The narrative takes huge leaps of logic to move the plot along, which still seems to crawl at a snail's pace. For example, a girl suspects her friend of having stolen a ledger of magic spells to curse one of their high school teachers. She has no particular evidence for this. She ends up being right, but had no way of knowing this in the first place. Not only that, but she tells a few adults of her suspicion, which immediately leads to the whole town taking it seriously to the point where a church group abducts the would-be sorceress to baptize her in one unintentionally funny exorcism.
If you want something that captures the pulpy entertainment of horror novels and movies from the late 80s and early 90s, you might enjoy "Devil's End," but this one just didn't click for me.
Though set during Halloween, the novel lacks any of that magical Halloween atmosphere. The book is also another cash-in on Stephen King's "It," with a bunch of kids in a small town plagued by evil, but fails to bring us a villain as memorable as Pennywise. What we get in "Devil's End" is an ancient demon with cheesy dialogue clearly modeled after Freddy Krueger.
The writing is serviceable, but there are moments when Fowler tries to be edgy only to have it come across as childish, thus losing any impact a scene may have. Overall, the tone is inconsistent, sometimes timid, sometimes faintly comedic, and sometimes brutally dark, but none of it works on a high level.
The characters, for the most part, are okay. The main heroine is bubbly, spunky, honest, confident, and genuinely good-hearted, despite lamenting the recent separation of her parents. Her love interest also seems like a nice guy, who has learned to hide stress behind a patina of humor without coming across as a complete clown. Almost everyone else is depicted as white trash.
The narrative takes huge leaps of logic to move the plot along, which still seems to crawl at a snail's pace. For example, a girl suspects her friend of having stolen a ledger of magic spells to curse one of their high school teachers. She has no particular evidence for this. She ends up being right, but had no way of knowing this in the first place. Not only that, but she tells a few adults of her suspicion, which immediately leads to the whole town taking it seriously to the point where a church group abducts the would-be sorceress to baptize her in one unintentionally funny exorcism.
If you want something that captures the pulpy entertainment of horror novels and movies from the late 80s and early 90s, you might enjoy "Devil's End," but this one just didn't click for me.
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October 28, 2021This Halloween-set supernatural horror from Debra Fowler-- 90s horror's uncontested champion of misanthropy-- gifted me with the next level of the pitch black humor and gruesome carnage I came to expect after reading her earlier WHAT'S WRONG WITH VALERIE? (1991). Fowler populates witch-cursed Sharon Valley with a large cast of fully realized characters, but they exist largely for the pints of blood that can be drawn from them and splashed across the pages. THE DEVIL'S END is a book where even the ghosts get killed. Truly, this is one messy, blunt, mean-spirited beast from heck, repeatedly upsetting my expectations in a most delightful manner while building to an apocalyptic denounement that needs to be read (and re-read) to be believed. Not for the queasy or the starry-eyed, but a perverse thrill for any blood-hungry curmudgeons out there.
Available in print, ebook, and audiobook from Capricorn Literary! I listened to the audiobook and had a blast.
Available in print, ebook, and audiobook from Capricorn Literary! I listened to the audiobook and had a blast.
October 9, 2020
This was a fun read perfect for October. There's teenage romance, teenage drama, witches, demons, and plenty of gore and death. It all takes place in a small town that is the perfect environment for this type of story.
October 25, 2021
Fun vintage horror. Fowler never disappoints. Half a star added for the batshit OTT ending.
August 27, 2022
3.5
My experience with this book reminded me of my early teen years, staying up late with my brother binge watching cheesy teen horror movies late at night on USA network. It was such a good time.
The Devils End follows a charade of zany characters in the small town of Sharon Falls SD. A town doomed for evil, 70 years earlier Myrantha and Nathaniel Ober sold their souls to the devil himself-well at least thats what the legend says. In this story we follow Lana, a new girl that arrives in Sharon Falls from Tyler, TX. With her being the new girl she grabs the attention of the more popular crowd at school. Nancy and Marla are the queen bees in this town, and they are the epitome of “mean girls”. They are downright nasty to their peers, teachers at schools, and even their boyfriends. With not much to do in their small town they have a sinister plan to break into the tomb of Myrantha and Nathaniel Ober and make this the most epic Halloween ever. Little do they know they’re about to unleash an ancient evil that will stop at nothing until all the lives of Sharon Falls are destroyed.
Man this book was a wild, fun ride. It has all the horror tropes you could ever want in one book; witchcraft, occult, small town legend, possession, and demons. I think this is the perfect read for the spooky season. In true D.A. Fowler fashion the cast of characters in this story are absolutely zany and say/do all the dumbest things, but that's what makes her books so much fun. With the perfect blend of humor and horror, you’ll be gasping in disgust and laughing in the same breath. This was a slower build, so for most of the story we are just watching the progression of horrific events. The ending was far out, just when I thought we would get a nice warm ending, after being assaulted with depravity the whole ride, we get slapped with one more tragic event.
This book reads like a movie-now it is not lost on me that this zany brand of writing won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, if you are looking for a fun, quick read for the spooky season I really think you should add this one to your list. Please check for trigger warnings on this book before reading and if you are not a fan of a horror book that is not afraid to go in really dark places, even for horor, do not pick this up.
My experience with this book reminded me of my early teen years, staying up late with my brother binge watching cheesy teen horror movies late at night on USA network. It was such a good time.
The Devils End follows a charade of zany characters in the small town of Sharon Falls SD. A town doomed for evil, 70 years earlier Myrantha and Nathaniel Ober sold their souls to the devil himself-well at least thats what the legend says. In this story we follow Lana, a new girl that arrives in Sharon Falls from Tyler, TX. With her being the new girl she grabs the attention of the more popular crowd at school. Nancy and Marla are the queen bees in this town, and they are the epitome of “mean girls”. They are downright nasty to their peers, teachers at schools, and even their boyfriends. With not much to do in their small town they have a sinister plan to break into the tomb of Myrantha and Nathaniel Ober and make this the most epic Halloween ever. Little do they know they’re about to unleash an ancient evil that will stop at nothing until all the lives of Sharon Falls are destroyed.
Man this book was a wild, fun ride. It has all the horror tropes you could ever want in one book; witchcraft, occult, small town legend, possession, and demons. I think this is the perfect read for the spooky season. In true D.A. Fowler fashion the cast of characters in this story are absolutely zany and say/do all the dumbest things, but that's what makes her books so much fun. With the perfect blend of humor and horror, you’ll be gasping in disgust and laughing in the same breath. This was a slower build, so for most of the story we are just watching the progression of horrific events. The ending was far out, just when I thought we would get a nice warm ending, after being assaulted with depravity the whole ride, we get slapped with one more tragic event.
This book reads like a movie-now it is not lost on me that this zany brand of writing won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, if you are looking for a fun, quick read for the spooky season I really think you should add this one to your list. Please check for trigger warnings on this book before reading and if you are not a fan of a horror book that is not afraid to go in really dark places, even for horor, do not pick this up.
March 22, 2022
This book makes "The Exorcist" look like Humpty Dumpty! And, TRIGGER WARNINGS:
DO NOT read if you are bothered by graphic scenes of incestuous (and Violent!) rape of a small child by a parent, and the torture; murder and eating of a boys pet puppy! Otherwise, I loved this hard to find in it's original form; horror classic!!
Synopsis: In Sharon Valley, at teen slumber parties and around campfires, the story is told. Seventy years ago, on Halloween night, Nathaniel and Myrantha Ober made a pact sealed by bloody human sacrifice...a pact with the devil himself.
Too bad that Fowler never lived long enough (ala Ruby Jean Jensen) to see her works become cult classics. This book was originally released in 1992 the year after her breakthrough novel; "What's Wrong With Valerie" and I loved this sick and disturbing novel just as much as I did 'Valerie'! Now this book deals with every cliche in horror:
Witchcraft, demons, devil worship, incestuous rape, possession, rape, eating of a pet puppy.....and it goes on and on. Now, if you are upset by any of these subjects this book is NOT for you to read! There were scenes in this book especially the possession ones, that made 'The Exorcist' look like a child's nursey rhyme! Yes, it is THAT graphic!!! And I loved it!
I listened to the audiobook because I do not own this book in paperback.......nor will I EVER pay for this one. Great read and very gut wrenching!!!
4.5 🩸😱
DO NOT read if you are bothered by graphic scenes of incestuous (and Violent!) rape of a small child by a parent, and the torture; murder and eating of a boys pet puppy! Otherwise, I loved this hard to find in it's original form; horror classic!!
Synopsis: In Sharon Valley, at teen slumber parties and around campfires, the story is told. Seventy years ago, on Halloween night, Nathaniel and Myrantha Ober made a pact sealed by bloody human sacrifice...a pact with the devil himself.
Too bad that Fowler never lived long enough (ala Ruby Jean Jensen) to see her works become cult classics. This book was originally released in 1992 the year after her breakthrough novel; "What's Wrong With Valerie" and I loved this sick and disturbing novel just as much as I did 'Valerie'! Now this book deals with every cliche in horror:
Witchcraft, demons, devil worship, incestuous rape, possession, rape, eating of a pet puppy.....and it goes on and on. Now, if you are upset by any of these subjects this book is NOT for you to read! There were scenes in this book especially the possession ones, that made 'The Exorcist' look like a child's nursey rhyme! Yes, it is THAT graphic!!! And I loved it!
I listened to the audiobook because I do not own this book in paperback.......nor will I EVER pay for this one. Great read and very gut wrenching!!!
4.5 🩸😱
November 2, 2020
Overal I would say 3.75. I enjoyed the writting style, easy to follow and keeps you going. The plot is fun, but sort of gets out of controll at the end. Seems like a couple of stories were put together and then not given the depth they needed. Still enjoyable with an ending you will not see coming!
October 11, 2022
The Devil's End is such a fun read i liked it its a Great Horror Book
October 14, 2022
I read this for book club. Never again.
October 19, 2022
What a crazy mess. This dude likes to write about some really disturbing shit. Too many characters, hard to follow the story line. The ending was pretty wild and redeemed at least 1 star.
August 18, 2023
I hate being so awful about this, but this was so boring. Not worth the read.
November 1, 2023
This was an interesting one for Spooktober. Not bad but not great either.
October 9, 2021
This was my third horror book this month and it was the high school horror pulp I needed. An exciting story with a majestic mystical overlay of evil. We are in the most toxic setting of all time; small town high school. There’s sex, murder, sacrifice, and everything else that makes a good horror book juicy and worth a read. I love books that start in the deep past and move forward and this was one of them. These teenagers decide to recreate a human sacrifice for the devil, because he requires blood. We are introduced to the pretty new girl, and her neighbor who is the towns whipping boy. I really don’t want to give too much of the story away because it was such a fun perfect October read. I highly suggest this for horror fans and big readers. It’s the perfect kind of book for people who eat these up.
October 15, 2019
The devil's end is a horror story about supernatural evil things that go on in a small town that involves a bunch of teenagers, their parents and witchcraft. The story shows the different points of view of the characters. there is also another different horror in this story going on that people are not aware of until towards the end.
There are evil Demons intent on wreaking havoc and a young teenage boy has a total breakdown and goes on his own path Of darkness. Neither one seems to be aware of the other.
I really enjoyed this book, it's Perfect for reading on Halloween night, it gets pretty dark in some scenes so I would recommend this book for adults.
There are evil Demons intent on wreaking havoc and a young teenage boy has a total breakdown and goes on his own path Of darkness. Neither one seems to be aware of the other.
I really enjoyed this book, it's Perfect for reading on Halloween night, it gets pretty dark in some scenes so I would recommend this book for adults.
November 23, 2019
Wow. Racism, pets murdered, and just plain bad. Skip this one. It's AWFUL.
Read
October 27, 2020DNF around 50-60%. The story could’ve been good but the characters were awful. I didn’t care about any of them. Animal abuse as well abuse to a mentally challenged person.
December 30, 2022
Well, *that* was a book.
January 7, 2020
This starts off pretty normal. New girl in town wants to get to know the local kids before starting school midway through the year. She unfortunately gets on the bad side of the most popular clique of girls because one of their on-again-off-again boyfriends approaches the new girl to make his girl mad. The new girl meets the boy next door; literally the school's biggest pariah, a kid with developmental disabilities and the body of a adult giant. She feels bad for him since his mom is abusive. She takes on his puppy as a favor and the boy's crush for her begins.
Meanwhile the mean girl crew gets mixed up in some town folklore and one of them starts going a little too far with the old witch legend.
Of course Halloween approaches, bad things keep happening and the new girl gets deeper down the rabbit hole of weird social dynamics as she tries to integrate into the teen population. She starts dating Bruce, a nice-guy stoner who's really not her type but he likes her so that's ok.
So the first half of the story is build up and character development. You immediately hate the crappy mean popular kids, have a soft spot for Lana the new girl and the misunderstood Spiro neighbor boy. But as time goes on, you start to not like Lana as much as it becomes apparent her truer nature. She's not as good a girl as you'd like to think. Spiro seems more and more disturbed and his family dynamics more and more troublesome.
The 2nd half of the story stirs you right into screamer horror movie territory with tons of gore and shock value violence. You're wondering who's going to end up alive at the end.
The story is pretty original although it follows many of the same horror movie formulas with predictable outcomes or so much shock value its hard to suspend disbelief. Lots of cruelty and a bit of animal cruelty which was ironically the part I found the hardest to listen to.
If you like horror and blood and guts and R-rated themes, this is a great guilty pleasure of their genre.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Meanwhile the mean girl crew gets mixed up in some town folklore and one of them starts going a little too far with the old witch legend.
Of course Halloween approaches, bad things keep happening and the new girl gets deeper down the rabbit hole of weird social dynamics as she tries to integrate into the teen population. She starts dating Bruce, a nice-guy stoner who's really not her type but he likes her so that's ok.
So the first half of the story is build up and character development. You immediately hate the crappy mean popular kids, have a soft spot for Lana the new girl and the misunderstood Spiro neighbor boy. But as time goes on, you start to not like Lana as much as it becomes apparent her truer nature. She's not as good a girl as you'd like to think. Spiro seems more and more disturbed and his family dynamics more and more troublesome.
The 2nd half of the story stirs you right into screamer horror movie territory with tons of gore and shock value violence. You're wondering who's going to end up alive at the end.
The story is pretty original although it follows many of the same horror movie formulas with predictable outcomes or so much shock value its hard to suspend disbelief. Lots of cruelty and a bit of animal cruelty which was ironically the part I found the hardest to listen to.
If you like horror and blood and guts and R-rated themes, this is a great guilty pleasure of their genre.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
October 21, 2021
Minor Spoilers
2.5/5
This one is weird. Like, William Johnstone weird. When you read Johnstone horror , however, you tend to accept the zaniness of his pure-crap pulp. I was feeling spellbound with the overall backstory that was presented at first-the close-knit community of Sharon Valley, S.D. must relive the wrath of a decades old curse when a high school student makes a pact with the devil, and rehashes the hush and fear that has been kept mum for many years by some of the local elders.
The nightmarish beginnings are unraveled slowly, and this gives the readers a chance to party with some of the rowdy and rambunctious teenagers. Halloween is just around the corner, right!? That’s also when Satan himself will make his presence known. None of the teenagers are particularly attractive in slasher sense, with the exception of an intellectually disabled giant, Spiro Guenther, who snaps, and just loses it after enduring years of constant bullying by his fellow classmates.
The demonization and overall possession of the town occurs through a “body snatcher” type transition that is ill-suited and far too raunchy, even for me. If you like hermaphroditic demons who fuck themselves, then this is for you.
2.5/5
This one is weird. Like, William Johnstone weird. When you read Johnstone horror , however, you tend to accept the zaniness of his pure-crap pulp. I was feeling spellbound with the overall backstory that was presented at first-the close-knit community of Sharon Valley, S.D. must relive the wrath of a decades old curse when a high school student makes a pact with the devil, and rehashes the hush and fear that has been kept mum for many years by some of the local elders.
The nightmarish beginnings are unraveled slowly, and this gives the readers a chance to party with some of the rowdy and rambunctious teenagers. Halloween is just around the corner, right!? That’s also when Satan himself will make his presence known. None of the teenagers are particularly attractive in slasher sense, with the exception of an intellectually disabled giant, Spiro Guenther, who snaps, and just loses it after enduring years of constant bullying by his fellow classmates.
The demonization and overall possession of the town occurs through a “body snatcher” type transition that is ill-suited and far too raunchy, even for me. If you like hermaphroditic demons who fuck themselves, then this is for you.
October 11, 2020
Literally just finished this book, and my brain is just like... wtf? What did I just read?
So there's a hefty amount of drama between high schoolers AND adults, so that's sort of annoying, but it's what builds the story. I give the author credit for not holding back on anything, er... gory or twisted, or gut wrenching... but there were some times my stomach flipped. I'd say it's worth reading at least once, if you like suspenseful thrillers/horror stories (a perk that this one is based within October, no doubt Halloween played a part) definitely rated R... but I promise if you read while hungry, there are parts that will make you lose your appetite!
I feel the characters were decently drawn out, kind of. There are some grammar errors, and some unanswered questions. It could have been left open for a second book, but it was published in 1992, so don't count on it. I probably wouldn't read this again, but also, I'm not upset that I read it in the first place.
So there's a hefty amount of drama between high schoolers AND adults, so that's sort of annoying, but it's what builds the story. I give the author credit for not holding back on anything, er... gory or twisted, or gut wrenching... but there were some times my stomach flipped. I'd say it's worth reading at least once, if you like suspenseful thrillers/horror stories (a perk that this one is based within October, no doubt Halloween played a part) definitely rated R... but I promise if you read while hungry, there are parts that will make you lose your appetite!
I feel the characters were decently drawn out, kind of. There are some grammar errors, and some unanswered questions. It could have been left open for a second book, but it was published in 1992, so don't count on it. I probably wouldn't read this again, but also, I'm not upset that I read it in the first place.
November 6, 2023
I read this book for Halloween and I'm glad I did because it's not something that I normally read and it definitely fits a certain strange genre, which I ended up liking more than I probably should have. I felt guilty reading such a crazy book full of demons, witchcraft, and bad acts. It was like a 90's teenage horror movie. I found it entertaining and I enjoyed it but it's definitely not for the faint of heart. There was some over the top gore and violence. The ending was over-the-top insane. But I'm not going to lie- I enjoyed it and will likely read more by this author. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 5. I listened to it on audiobook and the narration was pretty good.
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