Only the Devil Is Here: Some Great Ideas Trapped in a Cliché Tale
Only The Devil is Here by Stephen Michell
This was a random read. I have a backlog of ebooks I bought real cheap on sales. And I was really indecisive and decided to read on at random. And the book I decided to read is Only The Devil is Here by Stephen Michell.
So the story begins with a blood bath. A little boy named Evan hides in horror as a stranger breaks into his home and murders his adoptive parents. He tries to escape, but the man catches him. His name is Rook and he intends to deliver the child to some certain people because the kid is special. But what seems to be angels and demons are plaguing them the whole way.
The good? The book follows a simple, almost dull cliché story, but focuses on some deeper elements that makes it shine. When the story decides to dive Rook’s past, it’s fascinating to see how he came who he is, and how he turned his back on god. Then there is the story line of Evan and Rook’s unlikely bond, which is intriguing as well. Also the mystery of why everyone is after the boy is interesting.
The bad? Detail is lacking. The writing is a bit bland. It was hard for me to play attention until the story strayed into the sub plots. Action was a little hard to follow. Then the mythology is unclear. Sometimes it seems like there are angels after them, but other times some random rock band members. Then there are those infected by something that turns them evil. They are infected by the night, I think, and I’m not sure what that means. And then there’s cult of some kind. It was never clear. Also the ending is intriguing, but it’s a bit of a dark ending many maybe.
Overall, this is an interesting but not great read read. The best way to explain it is, it's like stumbling across an almost good made for TV movie on a rainy sunday afternoon. It will entertain you by playing with some good ideas, but is still low budget flawed story you seen before. It’s worth the read. It’s just not the greatest read. And it’s short too. But there’s no reason not to give it a try if your interested.
2 ½ smoothies out of four
Overall Rating: Some Great Ideas Trapped in a Cliché Tale
