Customer Reviews

Demon Night

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before Straczynksi became a big name for his Babylon 5 series, he wrote two above average horror novels: Otherside and Demon Night. The latter is the best of the two, (in my opinion,) and a really entertaining horror novel. In the tradition of King's 'SALEM'S LOT, a young man returns to his hometown to try and piece together the forgotten horrors of his childhood. During the process a lair of vampire-like demons are unleashed from a remote cave and the town is infected one by one. If you enjoy horror, and appreciate good creepy fun from an author who knows how to tell a good story, seek this book out. I'm sorry to see it out of print.

"Demon Night" is an interesting read, definitely recommended for fans of Straczynski, author of "Othersyde" and creator of the hit syndicated sci-fi TV series "Babylon 5." Although it is strongly reminiscent of Stephen King's "'Salem's Lot," it is worth reading on its own merits too. The storyline is compelling, a fascinating variant on the "vampires overtake a small town" plot. I prefer Straczynski's scriptwriting and short stories to his novels. But the novels are also worthwhile, especially for diehard fans.

Stracynzski's first novel, which he admittedly wrote because he wanted to read a novel like this one, is a mixed blend of horror, Indian legend and paranoia. The charactes are pretty well developed, although Eric's is a little discombobulated at times; Liz is also a little opaque. However, once the novel gets going, and it takes a while, you're hooked on who is going to get possessed next, and how will Eric defeat the demons? I was disappointed at the ending in which the identity of the first through isn't revealed.
However, it is reminiscent in ways of SALEM'S LOT and THE STAND, and is a very interesting novel.

Although formulaic (as is most horror), this one has the advantage of being written by Babylon 5's creator and primary writer. The result is a tightly-plotted thriller, with people given enough character to make them real. Set in a sleepy town in the Northeast, the main character turns out to be a guardian, with hints at the end of a much larger playing field. Like many quest novels, this guardian doesn't understand his heritage and must find it before he can turn the tide of the ancient evil. But he is no callow youth, but rather a mature man, confused and tormented by a talent he doesn't understand and can't control. The focus is on the people and how they react to the situation, rather than the evil itself. A better-than-average horror tale.

I picked this up the other day knowing I had a bit of time off around Thanksgiving, and wanting something quick and fun to read. This book did not disapoint.

It's a pretty straight forward story with enjoyable characters and a decent threat for them to overcome. It moved fast and kept me interested right up until the end. It isn't a long read -- I read it in one day -- but the length felt about right for the story.

I really found nothing to quible about, and don't agree with some of the more critical reviews on this site (although the general consensus of the reviews does seem positive.) In particular, I remember one review stating the story should have focused more on one of the side characters (the Priest,) rather than the main character Eric, and I disagree completely. I found Eric and his powers interesting, and thought the part played by the Priest in the story fit well as it was.

Anyway, this book was just about exactly what I expected it to be when I picked it up, and was exactly what it should have been. Sometimes you're in the mood for a book you have to work at, sometimes you want something that will simply entertain you. Like Joe R. Landsdale's Dead in the West, this book fits squarely in the latter.

I love JMS's Spider-man and Supreme Power and Rising Stars comic books, and I definitely enjoyed reading his first book. However, I kept expecting a bigger payoff, a deeper story, and more engaging characters. The "team" that battled the demons were interesting, but I felt that they were very "by the books." What really would have hooked me was more insight into the demons that were hell-bent on taking over the town. Why exactly did they want this small little town in Maine? Who exactly was the head demon? And the ending was also a bit of a letdown. BUT, the novel had enough interesting ideas and cool fight scenes and dialogue that I'd definitely recommend it! I'd love to see what JMS could do now with a dark horror novel, after years of honing his craft!!

A first novel can be a scary thing; the first screenplay I wrote (all 98 pages of it)was pretty darn frightening. I wrote it for the same reason JMS wrote this novel--the entertainment I wanted to see hadn't been produced. "Demon Night"'s strengths include strong characters, well written prose and thoughtful observations. The plot manages to incorporate a lot of things we've seen before but in a new, fresh fashion. The pacing and prose make "Demon Night" an easy read. I will admit, though, that the pacing at the beginning was a bit of a challenge but the mystery about why and how the main characters room was demolished while he was asleep kept me focused on moving along to the next chapter.

This reprint by ibooks features a funny and entertaining new afterword by JMS in which he describes why he wrote the novel and how it came to be published. The style of the novel reminds me of Stephen King crossed with Dan Simmons, William F. Nolan and with a dash of Peter Straub thrown in. It's clear that he wrote the novel to entertain himself but also as a tribute of sorts to the contemporary horror novelist he enjoys reading.

"Demon Night" compares favorably with the best horror ficition written by Simmons, Straub and King and has a minor flaw that is characteristic of King's novels; with such a great set up and pay off, JMS doesn't quite know how to end the novel with the original band it deserves. That's o.k. as the point of the novel isn't the destination so much as the journey and sights we see along the way.

I bought this because I love Straczynski's comic book work, especially Midnight Nation. But the novel was slow and unimaginative. The characters are well developed, the dialogue is great, but the story just sort of flops about like a fish out of water, not knowing what to do next. The real meat of the story is between the priest and the demons, and even between the priest and the professor, but we're forced to read about some guy who has telekenetic powers and sees shadowy demons and blah blah blah. The priest story should have taken precedent. Still, he's a gifted writer and I've read a lot worse. For my money, pick up Midnight Nation, it's a much better romp through the world of the undead.

I picked this up while browsing in a bookstore because of the author's name. My husband introduced me to Babylon 5, so I now know JMS to be a good TV writer.

What had me buy DEMON NIGHT was that two weeks after skimming the first few pages in a bookstore, I was still interested in reading it. I am glad I invested the time and money. It is a solidly satisfying horror novel -- not great, but better than many. The opening pages that hooked me describe a young man who awakes from a nightmare about seeing his parents die in a car wreck, to find his apartment trashed. Again. In the worst way yet. And now he knows that it is time to go back to the small town in Maine where it all started. It's time. Something is calling him home.

I especially enjoyed the 6 page afterword in which JMS talks about how DEMON NIGHT came to be written and published. He wrote it for himself, because he could not find the novel he wanted to read. Any aspiring writer will find the afterword interesting and perhaps useful, and any JMS fan will likely be fascinated. It is funny, chatty and leaves you with a sense of having gotten to speak with JMS about how he did it.

It's not a great novel, but it's a very good one. I recommend it!

The book takes a long time to get started. There is too much time spent on unimportant characters and the dialog is sometimes painful to read.
BUT, about halfway through everything changes. You can see the author grow as a writer taking on his first novel. The prose evolves nicely, the dialog sharpens and the characters grow dimensions. And most of all, the story takes off and never slows down.
Overall a nice enjoyable read.