The Devil's Day [Mass Market Paperback]

James A. Blish (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1990

A bored weapons entrepreneur enlists the greatest black magician of all time to perform a magical feat of stupendous proportions, and only one man--a simple Italian monk--feels the imminent danger. But the holy man must stand and watch helplessly as the magician unleashes the most powerful demons of Hell onto an unsuspecting world.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Baen (January 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671698605
• ISBN-13: 978-0671698607
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,054,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faust ain't got nothing on this modern retelling, March 16, 2000

By 

Kevin L. Nenstiel "omnivore" (Kearney, Nebraska) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Devil's Day (Mass Market Paperback)

The late James Blish was interested in what made humans "go," and he used his position as a writer of paperback science-fiction to examine the underpinnings of human desire. In this one, a man is so greedy for illicit profits that he contracts with a sorcerer to call up EVERY demon he's signed a blood contract with, more than seventy in all, to stir up conflict and violence. Well-researched where it comes to the diabloic material and believable where the human interactions are concerned. Originally written as two novels, which must have been very short indeed -- my combined volume is very slim and wouldn't do to level a wobbly table. Enjoyable both by those with an established interest in the occult and those who are simply interested in a good read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Black magic yields horrific and unintended results., December 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Devil's Day (Mass Market Paperback)

A criminal who is fascinated by black magic enlists the help of an expert, to attempt to unleash demons upon the Earth for one night. The result is disastrous. The book is composed of two short stories entitled Black Easter and The Day After Judgment, originally written seperately by Blish. Totally absorbing, fascinating and frightening, Blish's unique style and knowledge create a memorable book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Memorable and thought-provoking, February 8, 2004

By 

Bradford Daniels (Redmond, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Devil's Day (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book when it first came out, but forgot the title and the name of the author. It's been bugging me for years, because I often think of the story and characters. Today, I finally hit on the right search keywords, so now I'm going to get a used copy to replace the one that I haven't seen in years.

I was particularly struck by the attention to detail concerning the difficulties of being a sorcerer. Blish started from the premise that the rituals in old grimoires were would actually work, but only if followed accurately. The sorcerer must forge his own knife, for example... And the whole field doesn't lend itself to experimentation, so you can never be sure which unpleasant-to-obtain ingredients are really necessary.

By setting the groundwork so effectively in the first part of the book, he really grabbed my attention for the subsequent rather rather wild story of the aftermath of unleashing a group of demons to do whatever they wish for one night.

The ending is not really what you'd expect, either. I don't want to ruin the plot for anyone, so I won't go into detail, but I definitely would not recommend this book for someone with rigid theological views. Blish's conclusions are a bit reminiscent of Heinlein.