The Demonologist

A Novel

By: Andrew Pyper

Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd

Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Fans of The Historian won't be able to put down this spellbinding literary horror story in which a Columbia professor must use his knowledge of demonic mythology to rescue his daughter from the Underworld.

Professor David Ullman's expertise in the literature of the demonic - notably Milton's Paradise Lost - has won him wide acclaim. But David is not a believer.

One afternoon he receives a visitor at his campus office, a strikingly thin woman who offers him an invitation: travel to Venice, Italy, witness a "phenomenon", and offer his professional opinion, in return for an extravagant sum of money. Needing a fresh start, David accepts and heads to Italy with his beloved 12-year-old daughter, Tess.

What happens in Venice will send David on an unimaginable journey from skeptic to true believer, as he opens himself up to the possibility that demons really do exist. In a terrifying quest guided by symbols and riddles from the pages of Paradise Lost, David attempts to rescue his daughter from the Unnamed - a demonic entity that has chosen him as its messenger.

©2013 Andrew Pyper (P)2013 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

I had expectations... really HIGH expectations

I am not sure what to say. Expecting high horror, horrific situations, demons fighting the powers of good...? If you say yes, then don't come to this book! I loved the premise and how it starts, but then it drops totally when you get to 50% of the book. There are so many questions, details, promises of infinite nightmares, but it doesn't deliver. I was listening to the audiobook and panicked when I was missing 20 minutes of book and nothing had happened or better said too much was missing to happen. Yes, I had demonic yelling, personal demons, and "dead" people talking... but I was not impressed or blown away.

The narration was incredible and it made an excellent job with this book. I am disappointed that my expectations got in between the narration and the book. What was the point? Why did we go through all this random journey? How did we resolve it? Like why??? I got to finish this novel just because the narration got me to hook and intrigued but that was all... If I had read this book, I might have gone down to 2 stars.

It seems that the story, even though it has a purpose, failed on delivering it or to make any sense.

Great build up but ending....eh

I actually did enjoy this book. I love the theme of real possessions and sceptics being converted. The cross country trek was a good addition too. The ending threw it off. I was expecting more and it kind of fell flat.

50 stars

This is Easily my favorite book ever. If you have any doubts- read this book!

Interesting story

A bit predictable...but, not a bad story. I listen a lot while driving to and from work, so this book was a good listen; but I wasn't tempted to listen outside of my ride. Simply put, It was a good listen - but not good enough to keep me in the car!

Love Hate

Would you listen to The Demonologist again? Why?

Sure

What other book might you compare The Demonologist to and why?

It is not like anything I have read before

Which scene was your favorite?

The playground scene.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I tried but was very unsuccessful. Life got in the way. It was very riveting. I was on the edge of my seat.

Any additional comments?

I hated how it ended. I felt like the climax was at the end. I left me wanting more. Does this mean there is a part 2 on the horizon???

Finally found a GOOD and SCARY story!!

Narrator was fantastic.
I did not want the story to end.
Creepy moments at times that HAUNT you!
Believe I'll listen to this one more than once.

Excellent narration; entertaining enough

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

This book was entertaining and well written. If it disappoints it is because it has the potential to be better than it is. Some characters are well developed while others remain incomplete and the plot could have been tighter. Somehow the end is not fulfilling. I would recommended to someone looking to be entertained and mildly scared.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The overall concept of the book was interesting. The role of Venice and the description of the city by the writer were not as interesting as they could have been

What about John Bedford Lloyd’s performance did you like?

The narration was very adequate

Was The Demonologist worth the listening time?

I enjoyed listening and was certainly entertained

The Demonologist: A Novel, by Andrew Pyper

What's the book about?

David Ullman is a professor from Columbia University. Although he teaches about Milton’s Paradise Lost, he considers himself an atheist and could not care less for about the supernatural world. As everything seems to be falling apart in his personal life, his believes will be put to a test when he loses his daughter to what seem to be a Demon.

What about the main character?

David is a very depressive person. As he calls it, melancholy has been a constant in his life. An atheist, an unbeliever ever since young age when he lost his brother. Everything in his personal life seems to be falling apart as we begin the book; his wife is leaving him for another professor, his best friend is sick and depression seems to be getting stronger, even though he fights it for his daughter. One amazing characteristic about him is that he loves Tess (the daughter) so much that he will risk his life, his psyche and anything necessary to recover her.

Final thoughts:

When I saw that this book was compared to The Historian I was afraid since I was VERY disappointed at that book. However, I really enjoyed The Demonologist. It was a perfect read (eh, audio) for October. The audio has a very good narrator, John Bedford Lloyd, who adds to the story. He really committed to the voices, specially the demon. At certain point I was walking back home, at night…at actually got scared while listening to it.

I think the book is very entertaining and has a good pace, enough background (history, mythology) to teach you a bit, without feeling like a lecture, which is one of the problems I had with The Historian.

Loved this story!

This story was so intriguing. You mischaracterized to David and feel his pain. Great ending too. I highly recommend this book!

Fantastic

Love conquers all! Enjoying all the books I’ve read by Andrew Pyper - definitely recommend his books.