God’s Demon

By: Wayne Barlowe

Narrated by: Adam Verner

The powerful Lord Sargatanas, Brigadier-general in Beelzebub's host, is restless. For millennia Sargatanas has ruled dutifully over an Infernal metropolis, but he has never forgotten what he lost in the Fall. He is sickened by what he has done and what he has become. Now, with a small event - a confrontation with a damned soul - he makes a decision that will reverberate through every being in Hell. Sargatanas decides to attempt the impossible, to rebel, to win his way Home and bring with him anyone who chooses to follow...be they demon or soul. He will stake everything on fighting all the abominable forces of Hell arrayed against him, when the prize is nothing less than redemption.

©2007 Wayne Barlowe (P)2010 Audible, Inc

Critic reviews

"Fascinating.” (Guillermo del Toro, Director of Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth)

“Scary stuff? Maybe. Gross and hideous and disgusting? Now and then. There’s also hope and loyalty and internecine plotting—politics as usual and unusual….Hopes, fears, escapes, affections, acceptances all roil in the ashy smokes above and around the characters.” (The San Diego Union-Tribune)

“A fierce and stout narrative that echoes certain other fantasy classics even more so than it does the canonical authors Milton and Dante, while retaining a splendid novelty of conception….given all these inflowing currents into the mighty river of Barlowe's own imagination, the book attains a weighty magnificence.” (SciFi.com)

Engrossing Fantasy!

Barlowe’s world building is expansive and detailed. His storytelling is original and unpredictable, with a satisfying end.

Post-ironic hell in artistic rendering

Any additional comments?

When I read that Barlowe is an artist who has worked for films, things clicked for me. This is a text full of images. Barlowe describes a hell that is stiff, stiff to the point of becoming a series of panoramas.

In a sense, this is a post-ironic novel. It might as well have been written hundred years ago, although I doubt authors of that time would have had that much material from popular culture to draw upon when describing hell. Barlowe's demons don't joke. They take on dramatic postures and deliver Shakespearian lines. They are more like Greek Gods than creatures of the pit, albeit Greek Gods with deformed exteriors.

Yes, the novel's cosmology bears resemblance to those found in books like Gaiman's Sandman and Ennis' Hellblazer. But again, the irony is entirely gone. As is, interestingly, the cynicism. Barlowe is a very anti-modern author, who also seems to take his created world very seriously. The best comparison is perhaps with Tolkien, who was similarly devoid of distance to his subject matter.

Now, does this make for a good book? Yes, I think it does. Firstly, it is beautiful to the extent that hell can be beautiful. The book conjures up strange, hellish landscapes where the souls of the damned suffer under the yoke of their demon lords, but where the latter also indulge in aesthetic pleasures and have millenia to perfect their arts and their cities. Secondly, it is an unusually hopeful book that might even be described as anti-cynic. Thirdly, it has a nicely structured drama at its core, that is easy to engage in and follow.

The book reads as a classical tale of empire. I was reminded of the Chinese Romance of the Three Kingdoms. This worked fine for me. However, I suspect it is not a book for everyone, and that some readers may find it slow-paced, dry and demanding. Structure is a keyword. If you are a reader that can discern and enjoy complex structures in the novels you read, you will enjoy Barlowe's work. If you only read what is on the present page, I suspect you will not.

A gorgeous and poetic look at...Hell?

I absolutely love this book. Never have I imagined Hell as such a wonderfully ugly yet beautiful place. Barlowe's words and story are effortlessly given life by Adam Verner's fantastic narration. Highly recommended!

Dull

It could have been half the length. I stuck it out, but I wish I had not.

Sucks you in

I read this book twice in the paperback form and loved it. it's even better being able to hear it playing while your able to drive and tend to tasks. it's such a a great story and never gets dull.