The Demonologist
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Description
**WINNER OF THE 2014 THRILLER AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL**
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 is among the world's leading authorities on demonic literature, with special expertise in Milton's "Paradise Lost." Not that David is a believer--he sees what he teaches as a branch of the imagination and nothing more. So when the mysterious Thin Woman arrives at his office and invites him to travel to Venice and witness a "phenomenon," he turns her down. She leaves plane tickets and an address on his desk, advising David that her employer is not often disappointed.
That evening, David's wife announces she is leaving him. With his life suddenly in shambles, he impulsively whisks his beloved twelve-year-old daughter, Tess, off to Venice after all. The girl has recently been stricken by the same melancholy moods David knows so well, and he hopes to cheer her up and distract them both from the troubles at home.
But what happens in Venice will change everything.
First, in a tiny attic room at the address provided by the Thin Woman, David sees a man restrained in a chair, muttering, clearly insane... but could he truly be possessed? Then the man speaks clearly, in the voice of David's dead father, repeating the last words he ever spoke to his son. Words that have left scars--and a mystery--behind.
When David rushes back to the hotel, he discovers Tess perched on the roof's edge, high above the waters of the Grand Canal. Before she falls, she manages to utter a final plea: "Find me."
What follows is an unimaginable journey for David Ullman from skeptic to true believer. In a terrifying quest guided by symbols and riddles from the pages of "Paradise Lost, "David must track the demon that has captured his daughter and discover its name. If he fails, he will lose Tess forever.
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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 is among the world's leading authorities on demonic literature, with special expertise in Milton's "Paradise Lost." Not that David is a believer--he sees what he teaches as a branch of the imagination and nothing more. So when the mysterious Thin Woman arrives at his office and invites him to travel to Venice and witness a "phenomenon," he turns her down. She leaves plane tickets and an address on his desk, advising David that her employer is not often disappointed.
That evening, David's wife announces she is leaving him. With his life suddenly in shambles, he impulsively whisks his beloved twelve-year-old daughter, Tess, off to Venice after all. The girl has recently been stricken by the same melancholy moods David knows so well, and he hopes to cheer her up and distract them both from the troubles at home.
But what happens in Venice will change everything.
First, in a tiny attic room at the address provided by the Thin Woman, David sees a man restrained in a chair, muttering, clearly insane... but could he truly be possessed? Then the man speaks clearly, in the voice of David's dead father, repeating the last words he ever spoke to his son. Words that have left scars--and a mystery--behind.
When David rushes back to the hotel, he discovers Tess perched on the roof's edge, high above the waters of the Grand Canal. Before she falls, she manages to utter a final plea: "Find me."
What follows is an unimaginable journey for David Ullman from skeptic to true believer. In a terrifying quest guided by symbols and riddles from the pages of "Paradise Lost, "David must track the demon that has captured his daughter and discover its name. If he fails, he will lose Tess forever.
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Product details
- Hardback | 285 pages
- 152 x 231 x 33mm | 454g
- 05 Mar 2013
- Simon & Schuster
- English
- 1451697414
- 9781451697414
- 814,984
Review quote
"A smart, thrilling, utterly unnerving novel. Pyper's gift is that he deeply respects his readers, yet still insists on reducing them to quivering children. I like that in a writer."--Gillian Flynn "#1 "New York Times" bestselling author of "Gone Girl" "
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Our customer reviews
My Summary: David has never believed in demons, or Hell, or anything even closely resembling the things on which he finds himself an expert. His work has brought him fame in the literary community, but David refuses to believe in anything that cannot be explained.
When a mysterious woman appears offering David a chance to test his expertise and make a lot of money in the process he reluctantly agrees, thinking it is just what he needs. With his daughter Tess in tow, he travels to Venice to bear witness to the strange 'phenomenon'.
But things are not what they appear to be, and a string of events leads to David's daughter being taken from him by a mysterious demonic entity with a keen interest in David. With nothing but his knowledge on Paradise Lost - a book he thought he knew inside out - David must journey to rescue his daughter from the Unnamed, all the while fighting the very things he refused to believe existed.
My Thoughts: I've always been a huge fan of the paranormal, so I did a little happy dance when I found this book in my mailbox. Years of watching Supernatural taught me a very important lesson: don't mess with demons. But that's exactly what our main character does. Stubbornly refusing to believe in anything paranormal - all while claiming to be an expert on the topic - gets our MC into quite the situation.
I loved the flow of the story, as well as the backdrop: there's something about Venice that just invites the supernatural, don't you think? David's love for his daughter was endearing, and his journey to save Tess had me on the edge of my seat. The author is incredibly skilled at combining a variety of paranormal elements and still managing to make the story work. Pyper's use of Paradise Lost had me itching to re-read it myself to see if I could discover any hidden codes of my own.
The Demonologist was incredibly well-written. I ended up finishing it in just over eight hours, so you know it's definitely worth a look!
Final Thoughts: I definitely recommend this novel to fans of the paranormal, as well as anyone who enjoys shows like Supernatural.show more
by Stephanie
