By Daryl Gregory (website, blog, other Daryls)
Del Rey
Excerpt (pdf, html)
It is a world like our own in every respect . . . save one. In the 1950s, random acts of possession begin to occur. Ordinary men, women, and children are the targets of entities that seem to spring from the depths of the collective unconscious, pop-cultural avatars some call demons. There’s the Truth, implacable avenger of falsehood. The Captain, brave and self-sacrificing soldier. The Little Angel, whose kiss brings death, whether desired or not. And a string of others, ranging from the bizarre to the benign to the horrific.
As a boy, Del Pierce is possessed by the Hellion, an entity whose mischief-making can be deadly. With the help of Del’s family and a caring psychiatrist, the demon is exorcised . . . or is it? Years later, following a car accident, the Hellion is back, trapped inside Del’s head and clamoring to get out.
Del’s quest for help leads him to Valis, an entity possessing the science fiction writer formerly known as Philip K. Dick; to Mother Mariette, a nun who inspires decidedly unchaste feelings; and to the Human League, a secret society devoted to the extermination of demons. All believe that Del holds the key to the plague of possession–and its solution. But for Del, the cure may be worse than the disease.
The author of this novel has been published in many of the big magazines--F&SF, Asimov's, Hitchcock's, plus a bunch of anthologies. It's getting some great reviews, but ususally, demons and I don't mix. However, he's a fellow computer programmer, which to me is very cool. His blog reflects a sense of humor that I don't see in the blurb, so I'll have to check out Graeme's review. Also, check out that page on other Daryls; very cute.
6 comments:
Ooooo, I like demons! My love of demons goes back to The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop. Sadly I haven't found its match yet :(
This has been getting great recommendations everywhere. I hope to rescue it from my deepening TBR pile soon.
Those TBR piles . . . they just get deeper and deeper.
Wow, this sounds awesome. Damn you Tia, with your dratted recommendations! *shakes fist*
These showcases are actually not recommendations; they are only announcements. I announce every debut I hear about. At the time I write the showcases, I have not actually read the book yet.
I'm glad it sounds good to so many of you, because I'll probably pass on this one. I'm just not into demons.
Thanks for the link Tia! :o)
I really enjoyed this one and totally recommend it if you're into this sort of thing...
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