The Devil's Game [Paperback]

Poul Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1985

Seven people--including a porno star, a mercenary soldier, and a woman who cannot afford the treatment to save her child--come to Havener's Island to play a deadly game with a million tax-free dollars as the prize. But they are unaware their host is following the instructions of an inhuman creature--and even Havener doesn't know the real purpose of his demonic master's game.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Baen (November 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671559958
• ISBN-13: 978-0671559953
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,971,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Devil's Game, December 7, 2004

By 

Andrew Merkevicius (Nebraska) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Devil's Game (Paperback)

I have to disagree with the other reviews on this book. To be fair, the cover of the book and the back cover description is a little misleading, because the main focus doesn't really fall on the creature Samuel but on Sunderland Haverner; however, as a story in itself and the way Poul composes the tale I found that the book was well written and somewhat disturbing. We can all make our interpretations on to who or what Samuel is, but it's very possible Samuel never really existed, except in Sunderland's mind. The characters are far from being stereo-typed, unless you are stereo-typing their lives and their background. Each character had their own personalities, and as the days wore on they all started to change, and all for the worst. I give this book 4 stars, because it was well written and Poul mastered the art of different views real well. However, I think parts of it did drag on to the point of confusing or turning off the attention of the reader.

2.0 out of 5 stars A major disappointment, December 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Devil's Game (Paperback)

I am a big fan of Poul Anderson's, but this book was probably his worst. We never find out who Samael, the apparition, is, and wanting to know who he was was all that kept me going through this overly introspective story.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing exceptional...., January 5, 2009

By 

me in the back of the bus - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Devil's Game (Paperback)

I happened across this book at my local library three years ago and decided to read it today mainly due to a lack of any other worthwhile fictional reading material. Though I will admit to finishing this novel in one read and being moderately entertained by it, it is certainly not something that will stand out as a trully profound story. The character developement can be captivating, but book falls flat with its ending and there is trully a lack of any original horror or "creepiness" elements.