Compared by early readers to such classics as The Magus, The Shining, and Ghost Story, The Holy will take you on a terrifying journey across a dark American landscape inhabited by those Others who were here long before we were. Called guardians by shamans, gods by pagans, and demons by churchmen, they themselves are indifferent to what we call them. Nonetheless they take an interest in our affairs and from time to time draw to them those who would travel a road not found on any of our cultural maps. David Kennesey accepts their invitation, not guessing that he must inure himself to betrayal, mass murder, and bestiality to attain the shattering enlightenment he has yearned for all his life.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A detective goes demon hunting in this supernatural mystery from the bestselling author of Ishmael. Chicago sexagenarian private eye Howard Sheim is hired by millionaire Aaron Fischer to probe the existence of Baal, Ashtoroth and Moloch, "false gods" named in the Old Testament book of Exodus. The search leads him to a self-styled mystic who, after reading his future with tarot cards, refers Howard to a teenage seer, Richard Holloway. The boy tells him that there are those living among us-he calls them "yoo-hoos"-who are not really human, though he has no idea exactly what they are. After consulting a rabbi and a warlock, the skeptical Howard is about ready to throw in the towel and go back to his missing-person cases. The narrative switches to follow the quixotic odyssey of 42-year-old Midwesterner David Kennesey, who suddenly abandons his wife and 12-year-old son and heads west without a thought to his destination. Separately, his wife and son embark on their own quests to find him. After adventures in Chicago and Vegas, David stumbles into a mountain Shangri-La inhabited by a woman named Andrea and her coterie of oddball denizens. Back in Chicago, Howard-now with David's son-tracks David to Andrea's, where he finds out that the gods are alive and up to their old tricks. Quinn's playful metaphysical sleuthing and cast of chimerical figures are entertaining, but fans of Ishmael and After Dachau may feel that this book doesn't have quite the originality or moral weight of his earlier efforts.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Beginning with Ishmael (1992) and proceeding to After Dachau [BKL F 15 01], Quinn has used fiction to entice readers into questioning the increasingly destructive nature of Western civilization. In his sixth novel he wisely skips the bossy lectures that burden his earlier works and presents an electrifying, provocative, and dryly amusing thriller with cosmic dimensions. The quest begins when wealthy Chicagoan Aaron Fisher hires nearly retired private investigator Howard Schiem, an ex-boxer with the face to prove it, to undertake a very strange case: Aaron wants to know what became of Baal, Ashtaroth, and Moloch, the old gods whom the Old Testament castigates as false. Howard ends up having his Tarot cards read and helping young Tim from Indiana look for his father, who has inexplicably abandoned his orderly life and headed west. Howard and Tim follow suit, and the terrifying supernatural events that transpire on dark highways and rugged mountains, in neon-bright Las Vegas and a desert mansion, do indeed uncloak the old gods, and reveal the holy life force that blazes in everyday splendor right here on precious earth. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 42 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Anyone familiar with this author's work knows that there's no one quite like him writing today. It's as if he starts every book saying to his readers, "You think you've got me pegged, don't you. Well, take a look at THIS!" Then he proceeds to write something unlike anything you've ever read (and unlike anything he's ever written).
I've read all his books, most of them several times, and I can tell you that in THE HOLY he outdoes himself--and everyone else around. It's in a class of its own. The only book that comes close is John Fowles' THE MAGUS, and I personally think THE HOLY is a better, deeper, and more enthralling novel.
In my opinion, the thematic heart of Quinn's novels is not Saving the World (as many might say) but rather The Quest. Quinn's heroes aren't looking for love, happiness, or wealth. They want THE ANSWER--to the profound questions that trouble us all in a world that seems to be going mad. But not all his heroes are asking the same questions (or getting the same answers). Two seemingly unrelated quests drive THE HOLY--both strange, both even a little mad--but they ultimately converge in a maelstrom of passion, violence, death, and transfiguration that is unmatched in any book I've ever read.
This isn't just Quinn's best. I honestly can't name a novel that I'd rank above it.
27 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When you read Stephen King or Anne Rice or Clive Barker, you know they're only kidding. They don't really believe in demon-possessed cars, immortal vampires, or faerie worlds hidden in large carpets. When you read The Holy--a novel as fantastic, as gripping, and as terrifying as any produced by King, Rice, or Barker--you'll know that Daniel Quinn isn't kidding.
In this regard (and this only), The Holy is similar to The Exorcist, another book by an author who wasn't kidding (it was based on the true story of a child's demonic possession in the 1940s). People reacted powerfully to The Exorcist, both as a book and as a film, because they perceived clearly that William Peter Blatty wasn't just giving them a fright they would later laugh about. (I've always believed The Exorcist probably brought more people to the Roman Catholic Church than The Song of Bernadette did.) Even if you aren't a believer, reading or seeing The Exorcist can make you teeter in your disbelief.
Quinn's book will have the same effect on you. It will have the same effect, because you'll recognize that the supernatural realm he's exploring is not one he just made up to give you a scare. It's a realm that humans have acknowledged and taken seriously for as long as there have been humans, a realm familiar to shamans in every land, a realm discussed in the scriptures of every religion (including the Bible), a realm that was alive and thriving before the first humans walked the earth and will be alive and thriving when we're gone. The jacket notes describe the inhabitants of the realm this way: "They knew us before we began to walk upright. Shamans called them guardians, myth-makers called them tricksters, pagans called them gods, churchmen called them demons, folklorists called them shape-shifters. They've obligingly taken any role we've assigned them, and, while needing nothing from us, have accepted whatever we thought was their due--love, hate, fear, worship, condemnation, neglect, oblivion."
The publisher describes this as a metaphysical thriller, and it is. But it's also much more. Like any really great book, it's one you'll definitely want to read more than once.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Well, here we go again. Daniel Quinn is not an instant access author. The first time I read Ishmael, I got so impatient with the book that I tried to throw it into an active fireplace. Luckily I missed and decided to put it back on my shelf. That was 7 or 8 years ago. About two years after that I decided to pick it up again, because I was trying to make my then fiance' happy. I didn't like it all that much more, but stayed with it anyway. And that patience made all the difference. The Holy is a different type of book, but the mechanism is the same. I know that almost doesn't make sense. You see, in order to appreciate Quinn, you really have to "listen" while you read, which is a strange necessity for reading a book. His characters can infuriate you because of their godawful myopia, and then all of a sudden, you realize it's you that's the nearsighted one. At least I think that's his point. He is an acquired taste that is worth pursuing. Don't give up on him. Hear him out. You'll be glad you invested the time.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
an utter disappointment
Let me begin by stating Daniel Quinn is by far my favorite author. Ishmael, My Ishmael, and Story of B are simply some of the best books i've ever read. Read more
Published on February 8, 2010 by Jerry L. Ross
Deeper and Deeper...
"The Holy" is not to be taken at face value. To do so is to ruin the amazing opening to another "sight" that "The Holy" presents to us all. Read more
Published on July 31, 2007 by eternal now
Quinn is getting closer
Having read "After Dachau" the day before I read "The Holy", I was prepared to served up another rather bland, superficial novelization of some rather remarkable ideas. Read more
Published on July 29, 2007 by Kraye Grymonnt
Hmmm . . .
Not one of Daniel Quinn's best works. Too much of a fairy tale quality.
Published on March 8, 2007 by J. Wagner
A Daring Novel
This is perhaps Quinn's most daring book to date. Ishmael, The Story of B, and My Ishmael highlighted problems with the way we treat the Earth, how salvationist religions... Read more
Published on April 11, 2006 by Jonathan Fesmire
My First Daniel Quinn Disappointment
I am sad to say that I was disappointed with this novel. I have been an avid fan of Quinn's since I read Ishmael. Read more
Published on February 16, 2006 by Brandon J. Smith
Cut out the middle
The first 70 and last 20 pages are worth reading. Skip the rest. The book is less about "old gods" and more about a private investigator and a boy trying to find his dad. Read more
Published on October 14, 2005 by J. Cochran
Wow. A whole lot of nothing....
I have to be honest about what I expected when picking up this book. I was hoping for an "American Gods" (by Neil Gaiman) experience, filled with personal discovery and... Read more
Published on March 14, 2005 by N. Schroeder
Falls short of expectations
I've been a big Daniel Quinn fan since reading "Ishmael." But this novel was a disappointment. Read more
Published on March 9, 2004
DECENT ONE
If you are looking for a Stephen King like book, don't waste your time. But if you are looking for philosophical approaches just buy it. You won't regret it.
Published on February 27, 2004 by A. Ercan Gegez
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
It may be that the club's founder imperfectly understood the quotation when he chose it. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Las Vegas, David Kennesey, Edgewater Beach Hotel, Howard Scheim, Bob Gaines, Yacht Club, Dudley Case, Richard Holloway, Bryn Mawr, Joel Bailey, Denise Purcell, Ellen Kennesey, Horse Killer, John Dee, Morningstar Path, New Mexico, Fremont Street, Jack Golding, Middle East, Two of Pentacles, Daniel Quinn, Glenwood Springs, King of Pentacles, Tim Kennesey, Andrea de la Mare New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
It may be that the club's founder imperfectly understood the quotation when he chose it. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Las Vegas, David Kennesey, Edgewater Beach Hotel, Howard Scheim, Bob Gaines, Yacht Club, Dudley Case, Richard Holloway, Bryn Mawr, Joel Bailey, Denise Purcell, Ellen Kennesey, Horse Killer, John Dee, Morningstar Path, New Mexico, Fremont Street, Jack Golding, Middle East, Two of Pentacles, Daniel Quinn, Glenwood Springs, King of Pentacles, Tim Kennesey, Andrea de la Mare New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 6
books:
See all 6 books this book cites
- Tales of Adam by Daniel Quinn in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- After Dachau by Daniel Quinn in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Judgment Day by James F. David on page 212
- The Queen of Spades and Other Stories : A New Translation by Alexander Pushkin on page 246
- Going On by Joyce Howard on page 57
See all 6 books this book cites
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