New Horror: Devils Kill Devils
In Devils Kill Devils (forthcoming from Tor Nightfire, 2024), Stoker-nominated Johnny Compton’s sophomore effort to follow his stellar Spite House, a hidden community reminiscent of those in Cadwell Turnbull’s No Gods No Monsters meets the squabbles-turned-bloodbath vengeance battles from Cassandra Khaw’s Food of the Gods.
When wounded protagonist Sarita learns she really has been chosen, she’s faced with a question: When SHTF, just how much faith in herself does she have? Simultaneously, distraught mother-in-law Hannah blames Sarita for her woes; and Hannah, too, is more capable than your average, wary mother-in-law. From the moment Sarita weds Hannah’s son, the two are set on a path against one another, and we bear witness to the fallout. And these consequences are not the sort usually seen when mother-in-law stands against daughter-in-law. Sarita—meet Hannah. Cosmically horrific results ensue.
The premise of the story is uniquely of Compton’s voice, and its telling brings characters to the page in a manner both familiar and welcome. We root for the characters. We understand where they’re coming from. They’re—bursting out of their skin? Whoa, now. This is new.
Compton’s got moves. He weaves together the key points of view and spins a yarn that keeps us reading, telling us a new kind of vampire story—one that borrows from Eastern European lore as well as invents some tricks of its own. The result is admirable. As story development goes, the pacing is at times confounding, as scenes often run too long or too short compared to that befitting their importance, and at least one long backstory sequence could have been eliminated completely without any loss for readers understanding core characters. That said, this book is more than just readable. It’s quite good. And while it would be hard to measure up to Spite House, a book I still recommend on the regular, Compton here has swung big and turned out something never seen before. And that’s what worthwhile art is. We swing big, and we try to do something different. He’s succeeded on both counts.
Title: Devils Kill Devils
Author: Johnny Compton
3.5 of 5⭐s
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Scheduled Release Date: 9/24/2024
When wounded protagonist Sarita learns she really has been chosen, she’s faced with a question: When SHTF, just how much faith in herself does she have? Simultaneously, distraught mother-in-law Hannah blames Sarita for her woes; and Hannah, too, is more capable than your average, wary mother-in-law. From the moment Sarita weds Hannah’s son, the two are set on a path against one another, and we bear witness to the fallout. And these consequences are not the sort usually seen when mother-in-law stands against daughter-in-law. Sarita—meet Hannah. Cosmically horrific results ensue.
The premise of the story is uniquely of Compton’s voice, and its telling brings characters to the page in a manner both familiar and welcome. We root for the characters. We understand where they’re coming from. They’re—bursting out of their skin? Whoa, now. This is new.
Compton’s got moves. He weaves together the key points of view and spins a yarn that keeps us reading, telling us a new kind of vampire story—one that borrows from Eastern European lore as well as invents some tricks of its own. The result is admirable. As story development goes, the pacing is at times confounding, as scenes often run too long or too short compared to that befitting their importance, and at least one long backstory sequence could have been eliminated completely without any loss for readers understanding core characters. That said, this book is more than just readable. It’s quite good. And while it would be hard to measure up to Spite House, a book I still recommend on the regular, Compton here has swung big and turned out something never seen before. And that’s what worthwhile art is. We swing big, and we try to do something different. He’s succeeded on both counts.
Title: Devils Kill Devils
Author: Johnny Compton
3.5 of 5⭐s
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Scheduled Release Date: 9/24/2024
No comments have been added yet.
