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.
