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The Devil's Alphabet

by Daryl Gregory (Goodreads Author)

3.51 of 5 stars 3.51 · rating details · 551 ratings · 109 reviews

From Daryl Gregory, whose Pandemonium was one of the most exciting debut novels in memory, comes an astonishing work of soaring imaginative power that breaks new ground in contemporary fantasy.

Switchcreek was a normal town in eastern Tennessee until a mysterious disease killed a third of its residents and mutated most of the rest into monstrous oddities. Then, as quickly a...more

Paperback, 388 pages

Published November 24th 2009 by Del Rey (first published November 6th 2009)

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Jul 12, 2012 Bandit rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was my second Gregory book in 3 days, because I loved the first one, Raising Stony Mayhall, so much. Maybe it was too soon or maybe Stony set up my expectations so very high, this book fell a bit short for me. It was still very good and very well written, but something about the subject matter just didn't wow me. The best thing about this book, just like with the last one, was the wild idea grounded with such incredible interesting characters. It was filed in scifi at the library, but it's...more

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Oct 17, 2011 Savinien rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: disappointing

The Devil's Alphabet starts out like a supernatural thriller, but quickly loses steam and finishes in a muddle of character resolutions without the kindness of a climax.

The premise is fascinating and unusual--an unknown disease mutates a town full of people into three different kinds of beings, while several people remain untouched. One of those untouched people, called "skips," leaves--only to return years later when a friend commits suicide.

Unfortunately, Gregory never really figures out whe...more

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Aug 20, 2010 Juushika rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: status-borrowed

Switchcreek was once a small town like any other, until a mysterious disease swept through, killing many residents and transforming even more into one of three new humanoid species. Pax is an even rarer oddity: a human left untouched by the disease. Now, 13 years after leaving, Pax returns to his childhood home to attend a friend's funeral, and his stay in Switchcreek may reveal much about his own past and the town's strange biology and society. The Devil's Alphabet's intrigue is its premise. Un...more Switchcreek was once a small town like any other, until a mysterious disease swept through, killing many residents and transforming even more into one of three new humanoid species. Pax is an even rarer oddity: a human left untouched by the disease. Now, 13 years after leaving, Pax returns to his childhood home to attend a friend's funeral, and his stay in Switchcreek may reveal much about his own past and the town's strange biology and society. The Devil's Alphabet's intrigue is its premise. Unusual and often mysterious, Switchcreek's strangeness is what grabs the reader's interest and holds it through the length of the novel. Gregory often manages a balance between confusion and explication that avoids frustration while encouraging constant investigation, a recipe for a compelling, addicting novel. But the unusual premise—and the emphasis placed upon it—is also the book's greatest weakness. Many questions offered by the premise go unanswered, which is realistic and understandable but also leaves the book without a strong conclusion: the premise ends at it began, complex and mysterious, begging another look—but offering none.

The emphasis placed upon the premise meanwhile overshadows other aspects like character and plot. These aspects do still exist, of course: Pax rides the edge of antihero, making him at once deeply flawed and sympathetic, and the distinctly human, uniquely alien individuals and societies of Switchcreek offer significant interest and depth; together, this makes for a strong cast of characters. The plot, built on the mystery of Pax's friend's death, is solid but unremarkable. It goes through the motions of beginning, middle, and end; the problem comes when the plot ends and the mystery of the premise, which has capitalized the reader's attention, continues. Would that more of Pax's childhood had been brought to light to put more emphasis on his childhood friendships and more of the reader's focus—and satisfaction—on the characters and plot. As it stands, Alphabet is unbalanced—not so much as to distract from the pleasure of reading it (indeed the book is almost compulsively readable), but enough to leave a lingering question at the end: "What that all?" I recommend the book with reservations. It's intriguing, often compelling, but in its conclusion it's inescapably flawed.(less)

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Jul 30, 2010 Sue rated it 3 of 5 stars

Paxton Martin, a preacher’s son, is returning to his hometown of Switchcreek, TN, for the funeral of a childhood friend. Pax left Switchcreek 12 years ago, soon after an outbreak of Transcription Divergence Syndrome devastated the population of the small town. TDS, or The Changes, killed a third of the people living in Switchcreek and caused three different mutations in most of the people left alive. The victims of TDS-A, or Argos, became gray-skinned and grew to abnormal heights. TDS-B victims,...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Leslee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

This book is centered around a small southern community called Switchcreek - where, over a decade ago, an unfortunate and mysterious epidemic occurred which turned most of the population into 3 distinct groups of mutant-like 'clades' - The Agros, who are thin, tall, fast and strong - The Betas, the females of which can procreate without the need of any male interaction - and The Charlies, short, and fat, with males that have a strange side effect in their later years.

This one again suffered fro...more This book is centered around a small southern community called Switchcreek - where, over a decade ago, an unfortunate and mysterious epidemic occurred which turned most of the population into 3 distinct groups of mutant-like 'clades' - The Agros, who are thin, tall, fast and strong - The Betas, the females of which can procreate without the need of any male interaction - and The Charlies, short, and fat, with males that have a strange side effect in their later years.

This one again suffered from the 'biting off more than it can chew' syndrome same as the last book I read, Lev Grossman's The Magicians; although in this case, I am more than willing to admit that maybe some of it just went over my damn head. There's a reason I don't read much hard sci-fi. All the scientific mumbo jumbo and quantum physics just float about my head like those stars around cartoon characters when they've been hit too hard. Still, there was so much going on here, so many distinct storylines that never seem to get developed or finished.

(view spoiler)

I do recognize that part of the reason why Gregory might not want to answer these questions is tied into what I think is the overarching theme of the novel itself - humankind's desire to control our own manifest destiny and the growth of our civilization and species, and our fear of anything 'strange' and 'different' that might arise. But I just wanted some answers damn it. I just don't think I'm the right market for this kind of novel. I was left wanting in the end and felt like the book left more questions than they answered. Gregory is a capable author with interesting ideas, but I don't think this particular novel of his was for me. (less)

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Jul 16, 2012 Hud-c rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, mystery, worth-to-read, thriller, reviewed

WARNING: I don't use SPOILER TAGS!

Paxton Martin, a son of a preacher, came from the town of Switchcreek - which several years ago was plague with a mysterious disease. The illness which was tagged as Transcription Divergence Syndrome or TDS transform the locales physical characteristics, thus, creating a 3 kind of species - the argos (the giant ones and gray-skinned), betas (hairless with an obscure face that was likened to a seal) and the charlies (the ones who suffers from the symptoms of obes...more WARNING: I don't use SPOILER TAGS!

Paxton Martin, a son of a preacher, came from the town of Switchcreek - which several years ago was plague with a mysterious disease. The illness which was tagged as Transcription Divergence Syndrome or TDS transform the locales physical characteristics, thus, creating a 3 kind of species - the argos (the giant ones and gray-skinned), betas (hairless with an obscure face that was likened to a seal) and the charlies (the ones who suffers from the symptoms of obesity). However, Pax was a skipped (a human unchanged and untouched by the disease) and he bolted out of town after the devastation. He abandoned everything - his family friends - Jo Lynn and Deke and his hometown. Nevertheless, Pax must come back to unravel the mystery of Jo Lynn's death and learn the truth about the devastation that invade Swithcreek. And also, finally, settle the lingering question of his own identity shaped by the tragedy of Switchcreek.

On the characters:
Paxton Martin intrigued me the first time. He is a mysterious character. And it vagued me how he had left Switchcreek. I was under this delusion that there was something underneath more than the occurrence of plague which forced him to go and I was right. And at the same time he aroused my curiosity, Pax also frustrates and confuses me. Its like he keeps on switching identities like someone with a Multiple-Personality Disorder. He's at times, apathetic, has this self-induced paranoia, (maybe that the drug's doing - VINTAGE), have questions about his sexuality and some time he seems to be a responsible and loving man. Yet, the multiple facets Gregory created to portray Pax didn't bulge me in giving up this book. And it also amaze me how Gregory describe the mutants produced by TDs. Its like I can imagine how they really look as I read through the pages. (And I usually commend those books which describe their characters the best especially the "unusual, nonhuman ones".)

I've read before several science fiction and though I cannot acutely distinguish this as one since in my premise, it should be in several genres. The idea of parallel universe was a great one. My only regret that it wasn't proven in this book. It became just a theory. And I was not surprised how Pax found out the answer to Jo Lynn's death and who killed her. The Twins were suspicious from the very start and the repetitive description about the Betas state of mind and body reveals some clues. If you put two and two together, you'll end up having the same conclusion as mine. And i also praised the author for exploring the defect and strength of human nature.

All in all, this book raised lots of issues about mutation, abortion, evolution, morality etc. Have you ever thought what if something like this happen in the real world? Anyway, putting aside that rhetorical question, the Devil's Alphabet is an enjoyable read though it do had flaws. And I will disregard that. Would I recommend this book? I would. End of review. (less)

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Jan 18, 2012 Candice Kamencik rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am torn on how to rate this book. Do I rate it on just what is there, or what *could* have been (and I wish was) there? It should probably get a 3.5, but since I can't, I have to go with a 3.

I have to start with the good - I blew threw this book! I really, *really* wanted to know what happened next, and the little bits of tantalizing information kept pulling me on. Definitely a good read in that respect. Unfortunately, I feel like by the end I had been dropped on my face, and all the foreshado...more I am torn on how to rate this book. Do I rate it on just what is there, or what *could* have been (and I wish was) there? It should probably get a 3.5, but since I can't, I have to go with a 3.

I have to start with the good - I blew threw this book! I really, *really* wanted to know what happened next, and the little bits of tantalizing information kept pulling me on. Definitely a good read in that respect. Unfortunately, I feel like by the end I had been dropped on my face, and all the foreshadowing just lead no where. :( There were so many questions left unanswered that it was frustrating! Which theory on the origination of TDS is correct? Was it ever figured out? Why do the betas breed so fast and will they out populate the other clades? Why aren't the alphas reproducing at all/do they start? What is the real and actual purpose of the charlie vintage in the scheme of their race/species? Does TDS continue to spread? Does the town get out of quarantine or are they eliminated? Does the main character ever get past his "uncomfortable in his body" feeling and find meaningful relationships? All these things were points that were set up in the book but never resolved. There was no grand THIS IS HOW IT ALLLLLL WORKS! answers at the end. Hell, had the book ended with a "To be continued..." message I would have been happier because at least then I would have a chance for my questions to be answered! The biggest issue was the these questions were what the plot was built on, so to have them unresolved detracts mightily from the book overall.

I wanted to see a grand resolution, maybe have the clades not be as separate as they thought, but all meant to function together as a new kind of nuclear unit (a la Dreamsnake bu Vonda McIntyre). If not a "happily ever after" ending, at least some forward as to how things turned out, even some vague and nebulous idea that left readers with a sense of closure would have upped this books value exponentially.

In the end, story was good, writing was decent, but the book didn't meet its potential and left me feeling flat. (less)

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Mar 01, 2011 Paperclippe rated it 4 of 5 stars

If there was a 4.5 star option, I would give it to this book. I can't give it a 5 for two reasons - the main character, Paxton, slipped between useless and unlikable, and clever and funny, far too often to be interesting or realistic. Secondly, this is another book that wanted to be science-fiction but didn't know enough about the science to properly fictionalize it.

Aside from that, this novel's execution is almost perfect: the small town politics, the divisions between people, and the way that...more

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Mar 26, 2010 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

As a reader, I operate under a strict "you can't judge a book by its cover" policy. The Devil's Alphabet tested that resolve, though. When I picked it up at the library, my 4-year-old daughter cringed. "Ew, that's scary, mom," she said. And she's right - the cover art is a little dark. But like many books, I quickly discovered that the image on the cover is more unsettling than any of the content within.

I was expecting a sci-fi/horror story, but I was surprised to discover that Daryl Gregory's...more As a reader, I operate under a strict "you can't judge a book by its cover" policy. The Devil's Alphabet tested that resolve, though. When I picked it up at the library, my 4-year-old daughter cringed. "Ew, that's scary, mom," she said. And she's right - the cover art is a little dark. But like many books, I quickly discovered that the image on the cover is more unsettling than any of the content within.

I was expecting a sci-fi/horror story, but I was surprised to discover that Daryl Gregory's second novel is really neither of these things. Sure, it's sci-fi in that the story takes place in an alternate reality with some pretty fantastic characters unlike anything I've ever encountered. But beneath all that, The Devil's Alphabet reads more like a gothic southern mystery akin to something Charlaine Harris might dream up.

The plot is too complicated and rich to sum up effectively in a short review, but here's it in a nutshell: Paxton Martin is the prodigal son returning to his hometown of Switchcreek, Tenn. to attend his childhood best friend's funeral. But Switchcreek is not your average small town --it's the site of the TDS crisis, an unexplained epidemic that swept through the community 15 years ago and left 30 percent of the town dead, and nearly everyone else changed in some way. His best friend, Deke is an "argo" -- the result of the first wave of the disease, which left people gray-skinned, sterile and more than 8-feet tall. His friend Jo, recently deceased, was turned into a beta -- the spontaneously-breeding, bald, burgundy-skinned victims of the second wave of the disorder. Paxton's father, Harlan -- a former pastor -- is a "charlie" -- the morbidly obese clade that emerged in the final stage of the Changes. Paxton himself is a rare "skip" - someone that made it through the TDS outbreak without any physical effects whatsoever.

Paxton quickly discovers that all is not right in his hometown. His father seems to be going insane, and needs care Paxton isn't sure he's able to provide. The former church secretary, Rhonda, is now Mayor Rhonda -- and has become a scheming, manipulative leader bent on preserving her town, but most importantly, her Charlie clade at any cost. Half the town is addicted to a strange drug called The Vintage. And all is not as it seems when it comes to Jo's apparent suicide -- or her 12-year-old beta twin daughters.

The plot is multi-layered and one of the most creative I've read in years -- I was drawn into the murder mystery as well as all the strange politics and relationships of the town. But the characters are also top-notch. Pax is a great narrator, because his outsider status, lack of life direction and self-understanding allows him to discover the mysteries of the town right along with readers.

All in all, don't judge a book by its cover. I feel like many of the people that would most enjoy The Devil's Alphabet might be unwilling to pick up the book just because of the unsettling cover art. This is a gothic murder mystery first. Yes, there are a few gross elements in the book, and some unconventional sexual content is inferred, but for the most part, it's a story that is one part science, one part science fiction and one part good, old-fashioned small town secrets. (less)

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Feb 14, 2010 notyourmonkey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-read, kindle, scifi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Really interesting concept and fundamental ideas; even better was how the characters used to communicate those ideas were round and interesting as people and not just as capital-i Ideas; even even better was its handling of both East Tennessee and sexualities other than hetero - subjects which I will fully admit are rather close to my heart and thus may be somewhat swaying in my judgement.

However - and this is a big however - the way I feel that I am forced to interpret the ending is complete,...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Kathryn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, sci-fi-fantasy-book-club

I finished reading this novel today for my Sci-Fi Fantasy Book Club meeting tomorrow night (April 9th, 2013). I very much enjoyed this book, which is an exploration of what being the Other means to one’s self and to Others, along with being a good murder mystery.

Paxton Martin has been living in Chicago for twelve years when the novel opens in the summer of 2010, working at a succession of forgettable fast food jobs. He left the small town of Switchcreek, in eastern Tennessee, at the age of fifte...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Arthur Kittler rated it 2 of 5 stars

The only reason I even finished this book was because I had squandered away so much time plodding through the first half of it, hoping that it would get better....it didn't.
The main character, Pax, is an apathetic underachieving drug user who has/had a love-hate relationship with his father. Another of the main characters is a less than honest power hungry mayor who does whatever it takes to protect her people.
The plot is one that seems to be over-used; a small town whose population is the vi...more

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Jul 21, 2010 Pygmy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, mystery

Well-written and interesting....but the main character is not the brightest, has a fairly blah personality, and a genetic predilection for drug addiction. Which...kind of puts a damper on me loving this book the way I liked the author's previous book Pandemonium. Also, they never do figure out how exactly the disease/transformations are occuring; they throw around some outlandish ideas of alternate universes, but while I read the story, I never felt that the idea was truly serious. The story has...more

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Dec 26, 2010 Merredith rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: other-supernatural

This book started out great, then fizzled towards the end. The main guy, Pax, comes back to his hometown at the death of his childhood best friend, who has apparently hung herself, but he doesn't believe it. While there he sort of reconnects with his other old best friend, and a whole complicated relationship with his estranged father. Pax left the town when he was about 14 because the town mysteriously went through changes, where a third of the town died, and most of the rest, except for Pax an...more

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Oct 26, 2010 Dana "dew" rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hmmm... This book is a bit difficult to rate. <3.5 stars>

I picked this book up solely on the cover art.
Although... I did read part of the synopsis from the back cover --- which I almost never do--- so I had some idea as to the premise of the book.

The premise is basically this:

Small town in Tennessee is the site of a mysterious disease that 1/3 of the population doesn't survive and the vast majority that do are changed into one of three strains of strange new beings: Argos, Betas, and Char...more

Hmmm... This book is a bit difficult to rate. <3.5 stars>

I picked this book up solely on the cover art.
Although... I did read part of the synopsis from the back cover --- which I almost never do--- so I had some idea as to the premise of the book.

The premise is basically this:

Small town in Tennessee is the site of a mysterious disease that 1/3 of the population doesn't survive and the vast majority that do are changed into one of three strains of strange new beings: Argos, Betas, and Charlies. A few people, including the main character, Paxton, are referred to as "skips" as they came through physically unchanged.

Pax returns to his hometown, after a 15 year absence, to attend the funeral of a one-time close friend. He doesn't plan on staying long, but well....

What comes next is a very unique story that has great world-building and intriguing characters. However, it doesn't really read like a biological thriller or a possible murder mystery, as one might think from the description on the back cover. And it certainly doesn't read as a horror or monster story as one might think from the cover art &/ or title of the book.

To enjoy the book, it is perhaps best that you don't try to categorize it or put it in any specific genre. I found myself putting the book down often... not because I didn't like it, but because it often moves a bit slowly. There were also a few occasions in which the jargon/ scientific gobbledygook pulled me out of the story. The world and characters were interesting enough that I always picked the book back up though.

I found the book thought-provoking on quite a few levels; and though not always entirely likable, I enjoyed the lead character and his journey of discovery --- from the town's secrets to his own journey of self discovery. For me, that is what the book really is about --- Pax reconciling relationships and his memories of how he, his friends, and towns folk were before he left with his current perceptions of everyone.

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Mar 14, 2010 Renata rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a young man who returns to his small town in TN to attend the funeral of a high school friend and to possibly reconnect with his father. But on the first page the reader quickly realizes this is not just any small southern town. Switchcreek had been struck by a disease fourteen years earlier that killed about a third of the population and changed the majority in ways that still left scientists stumped. Pax's friend Deke became an argo, muscles and bones stretch...more

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Nov 08, 2009 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Ceridwen, Richard, Donald, Brad...

Gregory's stuff can be boiled down to some high concepts (an alternate history of an America plagued by constant demon possession; a town struck by sudden transformations of its population into three new species), 'though they're never reduced to simple narrative beats or big-Plotted thumping. They're almost deceptively calm, measured, and contemplative once you get past the simple, utterly strange narrative hook that centers each novel.

And they're damn good. (In retrospect, Gregory's first nov...more Gregory's stuff can be boiled down to some high concepts (an alternate history of an America plagued by constant demon possession; a town struck by sudden transformations of its population into three new species), 'though they're never reduced to simple narrative beats or big-Plotted thumping. They're almost deceptively calm, measured, and contemplative once you get past the simple, utterly strange narrative hook that centers each novel.

And they're damn good. (In retrospect, Gregory's first novel was way better than my old rating suggests.)

This one follows the return of prodigal son Pax, who left small-town Switchcreek some years back, after the catastrophic mutations which killed off 30% of the population and transformed most of the rest into three distinct clades, each with their own new physical and metaphysical traits. I wasn't sure what to expect going in--I'd heard it called sci-fi, then horror--but I don't think I was prepared for the commitment to character. Here's this cool idea, ripe for all kinds of hyperbolic plucking--government conspiracy, apocalyptofantasy, horrific King-esque town-torn-apart shenanigans... but instead we get a gorgeous study of a number of characters and a community, the "human" dynamics transformed but the novel focused intently on how people live (even when they become other kinds of people). There are meditations on family and power and the mandate of biology (butting heads with the desire for individual agency); there are studies in grief and addiction and self-righteousness. But that might make it sound all preachy, the speculative just a neat bit of flummery meant to get you to read past the fable to see the world. Well.... it ain't. Or it ain't just: Gregory is committed to this strangeness, to see and think about and untangle the rich strange emotions such a profound alteration might have. So the novel resists reading its alienness as merely trick-suited humanity; these aren't metaphors, they're characters. And yet--the rich possibility is there. How do we deal with difference, others' and our own?

I was reminded of Shirley Jackson and Ray Bradbury. A really lovely, engrossing book. (And apparently just popped up on the Publishers Weekly best of the year list, one of only a few sci-fi/horror works to get a nod.)
(less)

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Jan 21, 2011 Lize rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, deeply-strange

I went to the library looking for Daryl Gregory's "Pandemonium", which was checked out. But this one was in, and the cover drew me like a magnet. (It's a neat trick with the eyes--wish I'd thought of it.) The story begins like this: Paxton Martin, lately of Chicago, is returning home to the small town of Switchcreek, Tennessee, for the funeral of a childhood friend who has committed suicide. Switchcreek is no ordinary place, however. Fifteen years before, the entire town was infected with what's...more

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Dec 03, 2009 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, dystopian

I thoroughly enjoyed The Devil's Alphabet. It truly had a little bit of everything--crime, love, addiction, struggles for acceptance.

This story reads a bit like a braid to me. There are three main plots that all tie together in the end. There is the mystery surrounding Jo-Lynn's suicide (whether or not it was suicide and if not, who is responsible?). In addition there is the attempt at connection and resulting complications in Paxton and his father's relationship. And finally there is the specul...more

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Feb 08, 2010 Bookmarks Magazine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mar-apr-2010

Daryl Gregory's work, particularly his short stories, has drawn a great deal of critical attention, but he set the bar for genre-busting fiction with Pandemonium, his critically acclaimed debut. The Devil's Alphabet follows in that vein, stirring sf, horror, and fantasy into a potent brew. Graphic imagery drives the story, and storytelling is always front and center, though Gregory has a knack for crafting strong characters. And even in a narrowly focused setting, he manages to deal with some pr...more

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Sep 21, 2010 Molly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, sci-fi, read-in-2010

Pax is a likable character who left his hometown of Switchcreek, Tennessee after the Changes occurred at the age of 14. It begins with him returning home for the funeral of one of his best friends Jo Lynn, who happened to be a beta. During the changes three different segments of the population came into being. There are the tall, strong, deep voiced argos, the small, hairless, wine colored betas and the fat charlies. Pax was a "skip", which is someone who got passed over during the changes. His...more

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Nov 18, 2010 Paula Hebert rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

this one was really different from my usual picks, but it turned out to be a really good story, quite science fictionish, but with that "could that really happen" thing nagging at your brain after you're done with it. it seems that fifteen years before, a genetic anomaly suddenly attacked a small town in tennessee, changing the inhabitants, those that survive, into three distinct types, the argos, chalky white giants; the betas, maroon self reproducing humanoids, and charlies, who grow into mass...more

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Mar 10, 2010 Michael rated it 2 of 5 stars

Much like Pandemonium, Gregory's debut novel, The Devil's Alphabet feels tepid -- like washing hands in water too cool to be comfortable, yet ultimately not bothersome enough to fiddle with the faucet knob (you simply know that in a few seconds, the scrubbing will be done), and just like Pandemonium, I rolled quickly into the second half realizing that while this book wasn't going anywhere very interesting, it would be over before I knew it.

Gregory feels like the sort of writer who lacks the ima...more

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Apr 05, 2010 Daniel Withrow rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book does what science fiction does at its literary best: it uses the book's MacGuffin to explore human nature.

Some irritating French deconstructionist wrote a really cool essay in which he talked about the point of androids in fiction was to figure out what it meant to be human by examining something almost, but not quite, human. Look at Data, for example, or Pinocchio. This story turns that on its head: many of the people inside are externally inhuman but are entirely human in their moti...more

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Feb 22, 2010 Caressa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: couldn-t-finish

Great idea, great writing, great first third!!

Then it takes a nose dive. *insert explosion sound effects here* The writing is still great, but the plot gets bogged down by Pax's apathy. I kept reading, thinking that each chapter was going to be the one that picks up the pace. After another 50 pages, I just wanted to finish the book purely on principle. But by the time I had slogged through 75% of the novel, I thought, "If Pax still just doesn't care, why should I?"

Maybe "The Devil's Alphabet" t...more

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Jan 30, 2011 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011, e-books

An interesting old time southern town story that happens to be the epicenter of a world changing scientific anomaly. This is a story that is a conspiracy, a mystery, and a sons acceptance of his past and his heritage. The science behind the "changes" are interesting and thought provoking. Like Gregory's first novel, this one uses off humor to drive the story forward. Pax is a believable protagonist, and I found him easy to like and to empathize with. The novel is short and to the point and gives...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Twobusy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had high, high hopes for this novel —perhaps unreasonably high. Gregory's debut "Pandemonium" basically blew my socks off, and when I heard the premise for this novel - a small town in TN is struck by a strange phenomenon that kills off 1/3 of the residents, and transforms most of the survivors into three different kinds of not-quite-humans - I was fascinated. And while the book did indeed deliver a pretty fascinating account of this microcosmic post-transformational society (as seen through t...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Gerri Leen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-author

Daryl Gregory is one of the most exciting new authors to come on the scene in a long, long time. He manages to take the extraordinary and put it to the level of the everyday. I've seen him compared to Stephen King, and that's probably right (I don't enjoy King's fiction all that much, although I adore his On Writing). This book is very different than Gregory's first novel Pandemonium, but still packs a very large punch as he once again uses non humans to examine the human condition. And once aga...more

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Feb 09, 2010 Cathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a strange book, but I'm glad I read it. Paxton, the protagonist is difficult to love, although it's easy to understand why he is flawed. Pax flees his hometown after a terrible plague strikes. The disease kills half the inhabitants and changes most of the other ones. Pax returns to attend the funeral of a female friend, who has apparently committed suicide.

The provides a credible imagining of what would happen to a small town struck by such an unthinkable event. Some have compared it t...more

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Sep 10, 2011 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-copy, fiction, sci-fi

Such an intriguing premise... with a disappointing lack of follow-through.

A genetic mystery-- The Changes--- mutating or killing most of the population of Switchcreek twelve years ago, and suddenly occurring in Ecuador: never resolved or explained.

Paxton, the main character, comes back to town for the funeral of his best friend, which the town calls a suicide. After a number of run-ins with characters of a dubious nature, he becomes convinced she was murdered. After finally discovering her murde...more

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About Daryl Gregory

Award-winning author of Pandemonium, The Devil's Alphabet, and Raising Stony Mayhall.

He is also the writer of comics such as Dracula: The Company of Monsters and Planet of the Apes, both from BOOM! Studios.

His first collection of short stories is Unpossible and Other Stories, by Fairwood Press (October, 2011).

Daryl lives in State College, Pennsylvania.

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Books by Daryl Gregory

Planet of the Apes Vol. 2: The Devil's Pawn

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Quotes from The Devil's Alphabet

“If this is what it's like to be human, he thought, no wonder the world is so fucked up.” — 3 people liked it

“Jesus, he 's blogger," Pax said. "Arrest him, Deke.” — 1 person liked it

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