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Book Review: The Demon by Victory Witherkeigh

 

 

The Demon by Victory Witherkeigh

BookBaby, 2024

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8350951110

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy:  Amazon.com

 

The Demon  is a sequel to The Girl, a coming-of-age story grounded in Tagalog folklore and mythology, about a Filipina-American girl whose family has promised her body to a demon on her 18th birthday as part of fulfilling an ancestral pact, but will have to choose whether to fulfil it. I haven’t had the opportunity to read it, but I suspect The Demon makes much more sense if you’ve read The Girl. 

 

The Demon starts with the demon, Hukloban taking over the physical body of the girl, who is nameless in the book. It isn’t an easy transition, and not only is the demon now overwhelmed with the physical sensations of her mortal body, but she has lost her memories and most of her demonic powers. Since Hukloban cannot remember anything, it’s unclear why the girl was taken over, what bargain she made, or who she is. Second-in-command to Sitan, the Master of Death, when he asks her she cannot remember why she wanted to be part of the mortal world. Thousands of years old, the demon will have to find her way in the human world, while satisfying her demonic needs and fulfilling her end of the bargain, made with Filipino hero Lapu-Lapu, to keep his bloodline prosperous. As in her previous book, it is a story about making choices, self-determination, and being human. How does a death goddess manage the body, mind, and emotions of a teenage girl?

 

I found this compelling, but also confusing. Witherkeigh has written an ambitious story and is juggling a lot of balls: Hukloban’s story as a college student in the modern world, trying to reconstruct herself; her relationships with the girl’s family (there are a lot of them), where the girl’s relationships are entangled with her dulies to fulfill the bargain; the far past, when she initially met Sitan (I didn’t realize they were part of the Tagalog pantheon); the confusion of her love affairs and friendships; her frustration about the benefit Lapu-Lapu’s bloodline has taken from colonizers and dictators because of the bargain; the lack of choice available to women. There are some very adult themes and conversations about death, as well as BDSM, addiction, abortion, toxic relationships, and grooming.

 

While I found The Demon to be an interesting book, it wasn’t an immersive one, as I had to keep stopping to look things up, and I found the ending unsatisfying. It was unusual enough that it kept me reading, but other readers may find it’s too much work. Witherkeigh is talented, though, and I know we will see more from her.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Posted on February 3, 2025 by , Reply

Book Review: The Dreams of Demhe (Lost Carcosa #3) by Joseph Sale

The Dreams of Demhe (Lost Carcosa #3) by Joseph Sale

Blood Bound Books, 2024

ISBN: 2370015765491

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy: Amazon.com

 

This is the third book in the Lost Carcosa series.  Reviews for the prior two books, The Claw of Craving and The City of Corpses can be found on this site.

 

When we last left off, protagonist Alan Chambers and his companions had won a great victory over the forces of darkness, but the evil Princess Cali had escaped after killing her father.  The Dreams of Demhe covers their pursuit of Cali through the fabled Desert of Demhe, to stop her before she can join forces with the Demon King.

 

Not surprisingly, the book stacks up well against the previous two installments.  No doubt, Joseph Sale is a superbly gifted writer, and his prose is strong, as always.  The story does have a somewhat different feel from the prior two.  It’s more introspective, and focuses more on the inner strengths and weaknesses of the characters, as opposed to having them surmount various obstacles in the Carcosa world.  This is facilitated in the story by the Desert of Demhe, where most of the book takes place.  It’s a place of visions, where the apparitions seen are tailored to each character, and prey upon their deepest fears.

 

The setting is what gives the book its unique flavor, and is also likely to divide readers of the series.  Those that prefer stories that focus on what makes the main characters tick will likely have this ranked as the best in the series, while readers that prefer more action-oriented stories will probably prefer the previous volumes.  It’s a very good read, but an altered direction for the series.  There’s plenty of internal conflict built into the story, especially in Alan’s case.  He has to contend with the Claw he bears on his arm, which has an intelligence of its own, and is often in opposition to what Alan’s heart tells him.  Also, the visions of the Desert cause Alan to learn some things about his companions that would have been better left hidden, in the interest of keeping the companions unified in their purpose of stopping Cali.

 

The viewpoints of the other characters also factor in: can they keep supporting Alan, even though he knows their worst fears and failings?  People in the book (and in real life) keep secrets for a reason. When the veil of secrecy is lifted, it has the potential to tear the group apart, and the cracks start to show by the end of the story.  There are also two notable twists to the narrative that are likely to become pivotal in the series. One concerns Alan, the other concerns LeBarron, the actor in the group.  It’s an inward-looking book, and an entertaining one.

 

The bottom line here is, it’s another good entry in one of the best series to come out in a long time, in the dark fantasy genre.  Now, when do we get the next one?  Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

Posted on August 29, 2024 by , Reply

Book Review: Prince of the Wasteland (The Book of Thrice Dead #1) by Joseph Sale

Cover art for Prince of the Wasteland by Joaseph Sale

Prince of the Wasteland (The Book of Thrice Dead #1) by Joseph Sale

The Writing Collective, 2022 (originally published 2014)

ISBN: 9798841855231

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy:  Amazon.com | Bookshop.org

 

 

With post-apocalyptic novels, there’s King’s The Stand, McCammon’s Swan Song…and then there’s everything else.  However, Joseph Sale’s Prince of the Wasteland ranks pretty high among the books of the “everything else” pile.  Mixing the bleakness of a post-nuclear world with a touch of magic and dark fantasy towards the end, it’s certainly worth the read.

 

Prince is set entirely in the ruins of New York City,  which is run by a small group of humans known as the Apostles, who have supernatural powers they received from somewhere (the answer to that comes later in the book).  Despite their powers, they are still all too human, as infighting and the problems of the old world still persist (apparently, nuclear war did not solve the problem of drug addiction).  However, they are united in their purpose to maintain their status as rulers, so they destroy anyone else in the city who shows any hint of having the same otherworldly abilities they possess.  The Apostles are certainly the most interesting part of the book. They have cool names like Slick, Bleak Heart, Razor, and the Man in the Black Hat, and their names often pertain to their abilities.  Some of the abilities are what you would expect, but others are quite creative, with Slick’s ability to turn his perspiration into an oily lubricant being the most intriguing, as well as handy for getting in and out of tight places!

 

The overall plot centers on the Man refusing to kill Lucy, a child with supernatural powers, and what he has to do to hide his disloyalty from the ruler of New York City, the Prince.  He wants to help Lucy, not an easy thing to do, since the Prince has powers of his own that make subversion difficult.  Lucy does play a critical part in the book, but she feels more like a foil to the others.  The real stars of the story are the Apostles, with all the intrigue and excitement that comes with a group of selfish backstabbers trying to work together to stay in power.

 

There’s also the separate plot thread of the Fool King, who maintains his own sort of kingdom in the sewers, that ties into the main story as it goes along.  It’s a fairly eclectic mix, but it all hangs together to provide a good read that most dark fantasy fans should love.  The main takeaway is although this was one of his first novels, it’s clear that with Prince, Joseph Sale was already a talent to be taken seriously.  His writing isn’t as developed here as it is in the incredible Carcosa series, but it was already a good deal better than many authors.

 

My bottom line on this one is: definitely worth reading, especially for post-nuke fans.  This is the first in a series of six books, who knows where it will go from here?  Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

Posted on May 8, 2024 by , Reply
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