A couple weeks ago, I was standing in my hot, stuffy, Brooklyn laundromat… waiting for the clothes to dry. And anyone who goes to the laundromat knows that a hot and humid day means more quarters spent at the dryer. Well, this was a day I didn’t mind the extra time and money spent, because I had Daryl Gregory’s debut novel Pandemonium to read. I kid you not… this novel was giving me the chills. And that’s at 95 degrees!
Pandemonium is all about possession. I could simply say the possessions are by demons, but that’s not entirely true. The “demons” in this novel are pop-culture archetypes. Imagine your favorite pulp fiction or comic book character taking control of your body, using your body to do superhero stuff (throw boulders, stop bullets, jump off cliffs) and when they’re done, you waking up to the bodily consequences of it all. It’s not pretty… but it is still way cool… as long as you’re not the one being possessed.
Pandemonium takes place in the world as we know it, so there is no fantastical world-building necessary. There are just those pesky demons possessing people. The story centers around our main character Del Pierce. Del was possessed by the demon known as the Hellion when he was a child. The Hellion is a Dennis the Menace character that possesses young boys and turns them into little brats, running amok with slingshots. Add a little demon-sized strength to that equation and you have a real problem child on your hands. Del's family and psychiatrist help exorcise the demon. But fast forward years later to a 20-something Del, who starts having major "voices-in-my-head" issues after a near fatal car accident. It appears that the demon never left.
The story follows Del on his quest to find answers and ultimately get rid of the demon that is still hanging around. Awesome scenes of demonic possessions around the US and the world are peppered throughout the novel, giving the reader a glimpse at what the world would be like if these were a frequent occurance. The first scene in the book features the Painter, which forces the possessed to paint a picture, even if there are no paint brushes nearby. You can just imagine how messy that could get. Other demons such as The Captain, which possesses soldiers in self-sacrificing missions, to the Little Angel, which possesses young girls who give a deadly kiss, are wonderfully imagined and seem familiar at the same time.
After finishing Pandemonium, I had to tell everyone about it. It's a book I would recommend to both the seasoned science fiction/fantasy fan and the casual mainstream reader. It may just be my new favorite book this year!
Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory goes on sale August 26, 2008.
Isn't it awesome??!! In this case I really do love to say I told you so. There's just something about this book ... the writing is so tight, the story actually has surprises, I never really guessed the ending (which is becoming a rarer thing these days), and Philip K. Dick makes an appearance. Who could ask for more? It's just--for lack of a more appropriate word--COOL.