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The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner
The frantic parents of Little Billy Wagner are at a loss as to what to do when their son shows signs of demonic possession. When the medical community can offer no answers, they turn to their Catholic Church. The Archbishop a prominent hawk in the war on Satan is more than willing to help the Wagners. Though in precarious health ( His bypasses had bypasses ), he always knew The Evil One would show up on his watch and he s now ready to send in the exorcists. But first, the Church has to determine whether Little Billy Wagner is demonically possessed. Enter the handsome Father Leopold Mackenzie. Father Leo wants to be a priest. He believes God wants him to be a good priest. He aspires to return to a parish in Bolivia where he spent many happy days in his favorite llama-wool sweater and was accepted by the kind Boliviano parishioners. To make this happen, he just needs to do a good job on the Billy Wagner matter and keep the lovely Veronica Fields, from the parish s conversion class, far away from him and in moments of weakness not think of ways to make her his rectory mate. Father Leo visits the Wagners and soon determines that Little Billy is clearly possessed, but, the question is, by what? Knowing an underlying medical cause must first be ruled out, Father Leo starts gathering information and medical reports and hires the famed Jesuit psychiatrist, the dhoti-wearing Father Caspar Wieland, MD/PhD/SJ. Meanwhile, the Archbishop gathers his exorcism team (including bringing in ex-special forces Monsignor Krebs, despite his handling of the exorcism in The River City Delirium Tremens Burro Incident ) and prepares to make the case to the Vatican to get the authority to send in the exorcists. Can Father Leo stop a Rush to Exorcism before it s too late? Or is Little Billy demonically possessed, and by trying to stop the exorcism, is Father Leo allowing Satan and his legion into America s heartland?
234 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 3, 2015
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January 28, 2018
When Mary and Bill Wagner take notice of their twelve year old son's extreme change in personality and witness his scary and strange behavior, they do what any lost parent would - they seek professional help. They take him to see various doctors, but no one in the medical community seems to be able to find anything wrong with him. At a loss on how to help their 'Little Billy', they desperately turn to their Catholic church for guidance.
Bishop Waller has had enough of Mary Wagner's insistent calling and letter writing, and finally decides to bring her case up to the Archbishop. To his surprise, the Archbishop doesn't think its as insignificant as he does. In fact, the archbishop see's the Wagner's case as something that could greatly help him confirm his life's preachings and complete his ultimate mission.
You see, when the Archbishop was a young priest working in Wisconsin, he and another were given the task of preforming an exorcism. However, they were never able to complete it and the archbishop knew in his heart - that will not be the last time he see's evil first hand. Later on in life, while he was giving his most favorite sermon on " the growing threat of Satan to our unsuspecting souls ", he notices that some attendees are ignoring him for their phones. That incident, known as "L’Affaire Texting", confirmed his belief that we live in dire times and made him feel now, more than ever, that he has to open peoples' eyes to the dangers of Satan and make them see how distractions are detaching people from God's work.
With his precarious health and old age, the Archbishop is desperate to quickly find something that will prove to the world that Satan is alive, active, dangerous and should not be ignored (especially by electronic gizmos).
As the archbishop begins gathering his exorcism team and prepares to present the case to the Vatican, Father Leo has been sent to investigate the Wagner case. Father Leo definitely believes the boy is possessed - but the question is: by what? Father Leo hires the help of Father Casper and searches for answers through medical records, observation and other methods to determine the cause of the boy's state.
The Archbishop is determined to make Little Billy his "smoking gun", but Father Leo is as equally determined to be a model priest and wants to do right by the Wagner's and by God. Can he stop a rushed exorcism that might not even be necessary- or will Father Leo be allowing Satan and his legion into America's heartland by going against the Archbishop's plans?
The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner by Francis J. Flynn is a short and fast paced horror - comedy tale of an exorcism gone wrong. Content warning - This is an adult read that pokes fun at religion (among other things), so if you think you might find that offensive, then this book might not be for you.
The world building is good and this story is full of quirky and colorful characters to enjoy. The writing is easy to follow - I'm not a very religious person, but I never got lost in understanding the story.
However, I did get confused when the author would change scenes / POV's. The transitions were never really clear or obviously indicated; you would go from one thing to the next with out realizing the situation changed until a sentence or two later. After a while, I did get used to it, but I feel the story would have flowed much better if that were changed. The author uses tons of descriptions for his characters, environment, etc, and while I love reading the details, I did feel like they sometimes took away from the story line. I never realy found the descriptions boring, the character ones were definitely fun to read, but they sometimes just made me feel sidetracked. Also, with all the descriptions and the humorous moments the characters had, I wish there were given a little more depth.
This book starts off with a gorey action scene that will draw in any horror fan's interest. While it does have it's dark moments, as any tale of exorcism would, I never found it scary (not even a little bit). This book is full of humor and satirical jokes that will be sure to entertain anyone who enjoys dark comedy; it had me laughing just a few pages in.
**** Thank you to Booktasters for introducing me to this author and thank you to Francis J. Flynn for giving me the chance to read and review his work. ****
Bishop Waller has had enough of Mary Wagner's insistent calling and letter writing, and finally decides to bring her case up to the Archbishop. To his surprise, the Archbishop doesn't think its as insignificant as he does. In fact, the archbishop see's the Wagner's case as something that could greatly help him confirm his life's preachings and complete his ultimate mission.
You see, when the Archbishop was a young priest working in Wisconsin, he and another were given the task of preforming an exorcism. However, they were never able to complete it and the archbishop knew in his heart - that will not be the last time he see's evil first hand. Later on in life, while he was giving his most favorite sermon on " the growing threat of Satan to our unsuspecting souls ", he notices that some attendees are ignoring him for their phones. That incident, known as "L’Affaire Texting", confirmed his belief that we live in dire times and made him feel now, more than ever, that he has to open peoples' eyes to the dangers of Satan and make them see how distractions are detaching people from God's work.
With his precarious health and old age, the Archbishop is desperate to quickly find something that will prove to the world that Satan is alive, active, dangerous and should not be ignored (especially by electronic gizmos).
As the archbishop begins gathering his exorcism team and prepares to present the case to the Vatican, Father Leo has been sent to investigate the Wagner case. Father Leo definitely believes the boy is possessed - but the question is: by what? Father Leo hires the help of Father Casper and searches for answers through medical records, observation and other methods to determine the cause of the boy's state.
The Archbishop is determined to make Little Billy his "smoking gun", but Father Leo is as equally determined to be a model priest and wants to do right by the Wagner's and by God. Can he stop a rushed exorcism that might not even be necessary- or will Father Leo be allowing Satan and his legion into America's heartland by going against the Archbishop's plans?
The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner by Francis J. Flynn is a short and fast paced horror - comedy tale of an exorcism gone wrong. Content warning - This is an adult read that pokes fun at religion (among other things), so if you think you might find that offensive, then this book might not be for you.
The world building is good and this story is full of quirky and colorful characters to enjoy. The writing is easy to follow - I'm not a very religious person, but I never got lost in understanding the story.
However, I did get confused when the author would change scenes / POV's. The transitions were never really clear or obviously indicated; you would go from one thing to the next with out realizing the situation changed until a sentence or two later. After a while, I did get used to it, but I feel the story would have flowed much better if that were changed. The author uses tons of descriptions for his characters, environment, etc, and while I love reading the details, I did feel like they sometimes took away from the story line. I never realy found the descriptions boring, the character ones were definitely fun to read, but they sometimes just made me feel sidetracked. Also, with all the descriptions and the humorous moments the characters had, I wish there were given a little more depth.
This book starts off with a gorey action scene that will draw in any horror fan's interest. While it does have it's dark moments, as any tale of exorcism would, I never found it scary (not even a little bit). This book is full of humor and satirical jokes that will be sure to entertain anyone who enjoys dark comedy; it had me laughing just a few pages in.
**** Thank you to Booktasters for introducing me to this author and thank you to Francis J. Flynn for giving me the chance to read and review his work. ****
September 29, 2020
IThe Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner by Francis J. Flynn was quite an enjoyable and witty satire about one the Catholic Church's most taboo subjects, Exorcism. Is little Billy Wagner demonically possessed or is there a less sinister answer?
I honestly found this book to be loads of fun ( Father, forgive me.) The characters were all great especially the Monsignor, he was hilarious. I also loved the Llama ( which by the way, Llama and Alpaca fiber is actually SUPER SOFT). I loved how Flynn was able to merge together all the varying characters and their various storylines into one cohesive story. The only downfall for me was that I was expecting a horror novel and this is 100% not horror. This book could easily be considered dark comedy and if that's a genre you enjoy I highly recommend giving this book a look.
I recieved a digital copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I honestly found this book to be loads of fun ( Father, forgive me.) The characters were all great especially the Monsignor, he was hilarious. I also loved the Llama ( which by the way, Llama and Alpaca fiber is actually SUPER SOFT). I loved how Flynn was able to merge together all the varying characters and their various storylines into one cohesive story. The only downfall for me was that I was expecting a horror novel and this is 100% not horror. This book could easily be considered dark comedy and if that's a genre you enjoy I highly recommend giving this book a look.
I recieved a digital copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
May 4, 2019
The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner by Francis J. Flynn was an enjoyable read. The characters were well-developed and the plot was more dark comedy than horror. I was a little disappointed by the description and name of the book because I thought it was a horror book but it turned out to be more comedic than I thought. Even had me laughing out loud at some parts. The author did a great job grabbing your attention but some of the points of view shifts were hard to follow which made me go back and re-read certain parts. All in all, I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it.
I received a review copy of this book from the author through @Booktasters for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
I received a review copy of this book from the author through @Booktasters for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
October 17, 2017
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts, opinions, and ramblings are my own.
In Francis J. Flynn's humorous and witty satirical novel, The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner, the Devil is alive and well- and this modern world of sin and texting is diverting our attention away from the presence of the Prince of Darkness. At least it is, according to the Archbishop presiding over Gateway City, MO where Saint Anthony's parish is located. After an incident of the Archbishop witnessing a teenage boy texting during the homily he was saying (an incident that would be hereby be known by the Archbishop's colleagues and followers as "L'Affaire Texting"), his resolve to face that evil head on as a way for people to understand the evils the modern world has brought upon it while we're all too distracted with our electronic devices.
His opportunity comes in the form of (not so) little Billy Wagner, a rather large twelve year old boy, whose parents, Mary and Bill Wagner, are desperate for help from the Catholic Church. Little Billy has caused disturbance after disturbance at his school (the book begins with "the knife incident), and now he won't leave his room, just growing gaunt and playing video games all day. Not to mention his rage, speaking in tongues, drawing pentagrams on his walls, and superhuman strength. The Archbishop sees this as a golden opportunity to warn the world that Satan is upon us. What better way to show the world that the evil must be fought by exorcising a supposed demonically possessed tween boy?
From there the Archbishop assigns various priests to investigate and assess little Billy Wagner, but it all eventually falls on Father Leo, a young, level-headed, and likable priest, who is determined to see if Little Billy is indeed demonically possessed or just a spoiled, entitled modern twelve year old on too many ADHD pills. But the bureaucracy and zeal of the Catholic Church gets in the way and with a growing list of colorful Church clergyman, a religious medical "expert," Saint Anthony's parish's overworked Hispanic landscaper/line cook/artist/jack of all trades, and a Wiccan stripper thrown into the mix, the exorcism (and book, in general) comes to a climactic boiling point that no one could anticipate or expect (least of all the reader!).
Flynn write a sharp, hilarious satire that not only makes us laugh at the bureaucracy, chain of command, and fanaticism of the Catholic Church (which is only too familiar with people who have grown up in the Church), but also humanizes what could have been cartoon-ish caricatures of the characters of the book. While we still scoff and chuckle at the ridiculousness of some of the thoughts and actions of the characters, we do feel for them, like Mary Wagner (worried about her son and if she made him this way, by ignoring him and watching too many of her Lifetime-esque based on a true story TV movies) and especially the unsung hero and scapegoat, Father Leo. Struggling with his growing feelings for the beguiling Veronica, a woman he met in the religious conversion class he was teaching, and missing the small parish in Bolivia, where he truly felt he was doing God's work by helping the people there, his confusion and sadness feels real and true, despite all of the amusing absurdity surrounding the multiple characters and story-lines.
Flynn's writing style is quick and witty with gems of wry, humorous one-liners, quips, and back stories that fill page after page. While some of said back stories may go on for longer than necessary and tend to get dull at times, it's quite remarkable that Flynn is able to fit so many different character's thoughts, perspectives, and information into one 200 plus page book. But the overall humor and surprising amount of emotion involved in this novel makes this a surprising and impressive read.
Should You Read It? A horror novel this is not, so if that's what you want to read, you'll most likely be disappointed at the lack of gore, demonic entities, and seriously creepy moments. But if you like satirical novels, or like horror novels and just want to give satire about the genre a try, I would definitely recommend The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner. I had never read a satirical novel before and I'm a big horror fan, so reading this one was the perfect introduction to the genre. Plus, as a big fan of The Exorcist and the whole exorcism/possession subject in general, this was a fantastic and funny take on a subject I love.
Review originally on http://thatweirdgirllife.com
In Francis J. Flynn's humorous and witty satirical novel, The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner, the Devil is alive and well- and this modern world of sin and texting is diverting our attention away from the presence of the Prince of Darkness. At least it is, according to the Archbishop presiding over Gateway City, MO where Saint Anthony's parish is located. After an incident of the Archbishop witnessing a teenage boy texting during the homily he was saying (an incident that would be hereby be known by the Archbishop's colleagues and followers as "L'Affaire Texting"), his resolve to face that evil head on as a way for people to understand the evils the modern world has brought upon it while we're all too distracted with our electronic devices.
His opportunity comes in the form of (not so) little Billy Wagner, a rather large twelve year old boy, whose parents, Mary and Bill Wagner, are desperate for help from the Catholic Church. Little Billy has caused disturbance after disturbance at his school (the book begins with "the knife incident), and now he won't leave his room, just growing gaunt and playing video games all day. Not to mention his rage, speaking in tongues, drawing pentagrams on his walls, and superhuman strength. The Archbishop sees this as a golden opportunity to warn the world that Satan is upon us. What better way to show the world that the evil must be fought by exorcising a supposed demonically possessed tween boy?
From there the Archbishop assigns various priests to investigate and assess little Billy Wagner, but it all eventually falls on Father Leo, a young, level-headed, and likable priest, who is determined to see if Little Billy is indeed demonically possessed or just a spoiled, entitled modern twelve year old on too many ADHD pills. But the bureaucracy and zeal of the Catholic Church gets in the way and with a growing list of colorful Church clergyman, a religious medical "expert," Saint Anthony's parish's overworked Hispanic landscaper/line cook/artist/jack of all trades, and a Wiccan stripper thrown into the mix, the exorcism (and book, in general) comes to a climactic boiling point that no one could anticipate or expect (least of all the reader!).
Flynn write a sharp, hilarious satire that not only makes us laugh at the bureaucracy, chain of command, and fanaticism of the Catholic Church (which is only too familiar with people who have grown up in the Church), but also humanizes what could have been cartoon-ish caricatures of the characters of the book. While we still scoff and chuckle at the ridiculousness of some of the thoughts and actions of the characters, we do feel for them, like Mary Wagner (worried about her son and if she made him this way, by ignoring him and watching too many of her Lifetime-esque based on a true story TV movies) and especially the unsung hero and scapegoat, Father Leo. Struggling with his growing feelings for the beguiling Veronica, a woman he met in the religious conversion class he was teaching, and missing the small parish in Bolivia, where he truly felt he was doing God's work by helping the people there, his confusion and sadness feels real and true, despite all of the amusing absurdity surrounding the multiple characters and story-lines.
Flynn's writing style is quick and witty with gems of wry, humorous one-liners, quips, and back stories that fill page after page. While some of said back stories may go on for longer than necessary and tend to get dull at times, it's quite remarkable that Flynn is able to fit so many different character's thoughts, perspectives, and information into one 200 plus page book. But the overall humor and surprising amount of emotion involved in this novel makes this a surprising and impressive read.
Should You Read It? A horror novel this is not, so if that's what you want to read, you'll most likely be disappointed at the lack of gore, demonic entities, and seriously creepy moments. But if you like satirical novels, or like horror novels and just want to give satire about the genre a try, I would definitely recommend The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner. I had never read a satirical novel before and I'm a big horror fan, so reading this one was the perfect introduction to the genre. Plus, as a big fan of The Exorcist and the whole exorcism/possession subject in general, this was a fantastic and funny take on a subject I love.
Review originally on http://thatweirdgirllife.com
August 21, 2020
Let me start out by saying I enjoyed this book.
When I chose to read this book I was under the assumption there would be more horror to it, and while there were a few scenes that actually had me turning pages quicker because if the action, this was mostly a humorous story. By humor I mean a dry, satire-like humor, which isn't a bad thing, just different than I expected. It almost reminded me of what an adult cartoon would be like, kind of a Monty Python feel as well.
The author does an excellent job at going into cast detail and descriptions that paints a very vivid picture for the reader but sometimes these drawn out scenes were a little off putting.
I did like that the author gave the characters extensive backgrounds, sometimes it was too much, but it helped give the story more realism and life knowing these characters had life outside of the straightforward story of Billy.
The author clearly knows what they are doing as a writer because of the unexpected twists (especially at the end). I very much enjoyed that part.
I would have liked to have been more a part of the story though. The author tells us the story through several key characters and side characters but it is very much telling rather than showing. I would like to feel more emotion, tension, anticipation, etc. I want to be in the moment rather than read about it.
I do recommend this book for anyone looking for an interesting read because it is for sure that. I'm interested to see what this author does in the future with their writing.
When I chose to read this book I was under the assumption there would be more horror to it, and while there were a few scenes that actually had me turning pages quicker because if the action, this was mostly a humorous story. By humor I mean a dry, satire-like humor, which isn't a bad thing, just different than I expected. It almost reminded me of what an adult cartoon would be like, kind of a Monty Python feel as well.
The author does an excellent job at going into cast detail and descriptions that paints a very vivid picture for the reader but sometimes these drawn out scenes were a little off putting.
I did like that the author gave the characters extensive backgrounds, sometimes it was too much, but it helped give the story more realism and life knowing these characters had life outside of the straightforward story of Billy.
The author clearly knows what they are doing as a writer because of the unexpected twists (especially at the end). I very much enjoyed that part.
I would have liked to have been more a part of the story though. The author tells us the story through several key characters and side characters but it is very much telling rather than showing. I would like to feel more emotion, tension, anticipation, etc. I want to be in the moment rather than read about it.
I do recommend this book for anyone looking for an interesting read because it is for sure that. I'm interested to see what this author does in the future with their writing.
February 2, 2021
*I received a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review. No compensation has been given and I write this book review willingly. A big thanks to Francis J. Flynn and BookTasters!*
Introduction
Now, what a title: Exorcism! Shocking, I know. But when it comes to horror stories, whether movies or books, my favorites are about possession (demonic, please). Why? I don’t know but I find it fascinating and horrifying. So, when I was offered by BookTasters (thanks!) to read The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner, how could I say no? It was right there in the title!
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, while it has some strong flaws, it’s also pretty enjoyable and I had a good feeling reading it.
Care to know all of my reasons and why it’s a good book nevertheless?
Read on, folks!
Come with me into the abyss of a possession story…
(My review is not that dark, don’t worry.)
The Positive Sides
The best point of this book is definitely its brazen humour. It’s pretty good, funny, and sometimes dark—it also has a habit of bouncing at you when you least expect it! Sometimes it’s sarcastic, other times ironic, but always good and well thought. Oftentimes I would find myself smiling, chuckling or outright laughing. A very good point indeed because not all books manage that with me! (I find most humour in books fall flat, not because I’m hard to make laugh, haha.)
Also, while I knew this was a horror book, I didn’t expect it to get so dark and gorey right in the beginning! But gosh was it good, creepy and satisfying! I loved it!!!! I remember reading it late at night with eyes wide opened. Ha ha, I had to take a break from reading for a few seconds, then resume it. Talk about a surprise!
Moreover, I really enjoyed the gruesome plot of possession, and how the priests would be conflicted towards each other and this case. It showed that priests are human too, flawed, though they have a good will. The plot kept me reading as I wanted to know what truly happened to Little Billy Wagner and those priests. What horrors would unfold. I’m a sucker for possession stories (bad, I know *shakes her head but #noregrets*)!
This book gave me a good feeling. I mean, when I read the book, it was highly enjoyable (despite its weaknesses) and I cared about the characters, who were entertaining, human and fun. I can’t really explain it, but when I resumed reading every night, I would smile and feel cozy and calm. As though I was pulled into the book and I was fine with it. Or maybe meeting with an old friend? My stomach felt light and so did my heart. Cheesy, I know, but true.
The Negative Sides
I found there were unnecessary repetitions. For example, the word “cookie” appeared twice in the same sentence and the author rarely makes use of pronouns, too; there are many more occurrences of same words in a single sentence/paragraph, which becomes annoying and tiresome enough to roll one’s eyes. It sometimes comes across as poor writing, but I don’t believe that’s the case because the rest is well described, the characters are interesting, etc. I would just suggest using more synonyms, pronouns or rephrasing. Otherwise, it’s the worst flaw of this book, and that makes it not so bad. ;)
Another thing that bugged me was how unclear the transitions are from one character to another. I often had to go back a few sentences to understand we’d switched characters. This quickly became confusing.
Lastly, there is what I call “backstory dump”. You switch to another character and it’s in the present (I mean they’re doing something NOW) and then suddenly you’re in their past for you don’t know how many pages and you kind of lost the whole point to begin with. Their backstories are interesting and necessary, but I think information could be sprinkled here and there without breaking the rhythm so much.
In Conclusion
But you know what? Despite these flaws some would consider either too major or numerous, I rather liked it and enjoyed my reading experience. So, I give The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, and I encourage any horror or humour enthusiastic to pick it up for its great and true characters, its good horror and gore scenes, as well as fun plot and humour.
Introduction
Now, what a title: Exorcism! Shocking, I know. But when it comes to horror stories, whether movies or books, my favorites are about possession (demonic, please). Why? I don’t know but I find it fascinating and horrifying. So, when I was offered by BookTasters (thanks!) to read The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner, how could I say no? It was right there in the title!
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, while it has some strong flaws, it’s also pretty enjoyable and I had a good feeling reading it.
Care to know all of my reasons and why it’s a good book nevertheless?
Read on, folks!
Come with me into the abyss of a possession story…
(My review is not that dark, don’t worry.)
The Positive Sides
The best point of this book is definitely its brazen humour. It’s pretty good, funny, and sometimes dark—it also has a habit of bouncing at you when you least expect it! Sometimes it’s sarcastic, other times ironic, but always good and well thought. Oftentimes I would find myself smiling, chuckling or outright laughing. A very good point indeed because not all books manage that with me! (I find most humour in books fall flat, not because I’m hard to make laugh, haha.)
Also, while I knew this was a horror book, I didn’t expect it to get so dark and gorey right in the beginning! But gosh was it good, creepy and satisfying! I loved it!!!! I remember reading it late at night with eyes wide opened. Ha ha, I had to take a break from reading for a few seconds, then resume it. Talk about a surprise!
Moreover, I really enjoyed the gruesome plot of possession, and how the priests would be conflicted towards each other and this case. It showed that priests are human too, flawed, though they have a good will. The plot kept me reading as I wanted to know what truly happened to Little Billy Wagner and those priests. What horrors would unfold. I’m a sucker for possession stories (bad, I know *shakes her head but #noregrets*)!
This book gave me a good feeling. I mean, when I read the book, it was highly enjoyable (despite its weaknesses) and I cared about the characters, who were entertaining, human and fun. I can’t really explain it, but when I resumed reading every night, I would smile and feel cozy and calm. As though I was pulled into the book and I was fine with it. Or maybe meeting with an old friend? My stomach felt light and so did my heart. Cheesy, I know, but true.
The Negative Sides
I found there were unnecessary repetitions. For example, the word “cookie” appeared twice in the same sentence and the author rarely makes use of pronouns, too; there are many more occurrences of same words in a single sentence/paragraph, which becomes annoying and tiresome enough to roll one’s eyes. It sometimes comes across as poor writing, but I don’t believe that’s the case because the rest is well described, the characters are interesting, etc. I would just suggest using more synonyms, pronouns or rephrasing. Otherwise, it’s the worst flaw of this book, and that makes it not so bad. ;)
Another thing that bugged me was how unclear the transitions are from one character to another. I often had to go back a few sentences to understand we’d switched characters. This quickly became confusing.
Lastly, there is what I call “backstory dump”. You switch to another character and it’s in the present (I mean they’re doing something NOW) and then suddenly you’re in their past for you don’t know how many pages and you kind of lost the whole point to begin with. Their backstories are interesting and necessary, but I think information could be sprinkled here and there without breaking the rhythm so much.
In Conclusion
But you know what? Despite these flaws some would consider either too major or numerous, I rather liked it and enjoyed my reading experience. So, I give The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, and I encourage any horror or humour enthusiastic to pick it up for its great and true characters, its good horror and gore scenes, as well as fun plot and humour.
April 19, 2018
Just a little spoiler: - This is not a Horror book. Prepare yourself to laugh… a lot!
This novel is the most hilarious, Ironic and subtly bold critics against Catholic Church I’ve ever read.
Do not expect “a very serious complaint about Catholic Church priests”, this book goes further and instead of this mentioned cliché, the author does a criticism about how obsolete this institution is and how their clergy are mentally lazy, inert, arrogant and coward and has a strong certainty of impunity. Just an example, I believe that most readers, at the very beginning of the book, are going to take a time to understand if the history takes place at Middle Ages or in current century.
Little Billy Wagner is a preteen that behave very strangely, really. You will confirm this afterward. So after a very basic and poor medical investigation about his weird behavior, their emotionally instable and reckless parents appeal to a Catholic Church since they suspect of a possible demonic possession.
Then, in a very much jumbled and irresponsible way, a team of exorcists comes to a conclusion that the devil really takes Little Billy Wagner body, so they undertake a decisive and powerful exorcism section to fight against the Devil.
Actually all the characters of this novel are emotionally instable and express character failures not only the clergy but the boy’s parents have a strong plot of fault, they are a very much unconnected couple and don’t care so much about the boy and the marriage indeed.
But maybe, there is one character that is an exception in this entire parade plot of bizarre people, at least he seems to be more aware, in a certain degree, of the whole situation: - Father Leo, the main character!
I wish you a very good read!
This novel is the most hilarious, Ironic and subtly bold critics against Catholic Church I’ve ever read.
Do not expect “a very serious complaint about Catholic Church priests”, this book goes further and instead of this mentioned cliché, the author does a criticism about how obsolete this institution is and how their clergy are mentally lazy, inert, arrogant and coward and has a strong certainty of impunity. Just an example, I believe that most readers, at the very beginning of the book, are going to take a time to understand if the history takes place at Middle Ages or in current century.
Little Billy Wagner is a preteen that behave very strangely, really. You will confirm this afterward. So after a very basic and poor medical investigation about his weird behavior, their emotionally instable and reckless parents appeal to a Catholic Church since they suspect of a possible demonic possession.
Then, in a very much jumbled and irresponsible way, a team of exorcists comes to a conclusion that the devil really takes Little Billy Wagner body, so they undertake a decisive and powerful exorcism section to fight against the Devil.
Actually all the characters of this novel are emotionally instable and express character failures not only the clergy but the boy’s parents have a strong plot of fault, they are a very much unconnected couple and don’t care so much about the boy and the marriage indeed.
But maybe, there is one character that is an exception in this entire parade plot of bizarre people, at least he seems to be more aware, in a certain degree, of the whole situation: - Father Leo, the main character!
I wish you a very good read!
May 28, 2018
There is something about children exorcisms, now if anyone is expecting a horror book, that is something this book is certainly not, not in the regular, classical sense, anyway. Yet in a very unsual, ironic kind of way, Francis J. Flynn managed to scare me in a more practical manner, the ways some people strive to achieve their goals.
As soon as I opened this book I was drawn into a satire world, in which every character was driven by a different motive, yet with a common end. It's a satire of a world we barely get to know, as people tend (or tended) to see priest as noble, selfless beings always in search of a greater good. not here though, and that's what's so fun about this book, it depicts people as people, with virtues and defects, and it does so in a funny, ironic way that made me not want to put it down.
As soon as I opened this book I was drawn into a satire world, in which every character was driven by a different motive, yet with a common end. It's a satire of a world we barely get to know, as people tend (or tended) to see priest as noble, selfless beings always in search of a greater good. not here though, and that's what's so fun about this book, it depicts people as people, with virtues and defects, and it does so in a funny, ironic way that made me not want to put it down.
July 15, 2017
Talk about how quickly things can go wrong in a matter of seconds when the wrong people get involved. The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner is the story of how powerful corrupted leaders can affect the lives of so many.
After some terrifying incidents at home and school Mary Wagner is concerned her son, Little Billy Wagner might be demonically possessed. She writes and calls Bishop Waller for help, he believes the situation will resolve on its own, but reluctantly seeks the help of the city's Archbishop, who happens to believes "there's a growing threat of Satan to our unsuspecting souls" and that Little Billy's possession is the "smoking gun". He wants Bishop Waller to contact the Wagner's parish pastor, Monsignor Krebs and instructs him to conduct a thorough assessment of Little Billy's case in order to get the Vatican's approval to hold a Right of Exorcism.
Well, Monsignor Kreb, who was dubbed Krazy Kreb after an exorcism gone wrong back in his day, felt he should not get involved in another Exorcism, plus he would rather sit on his easy chair and watch Turner Classic Movies with his housekeeper Sheree. So, he gets his associate pastor, Father Leo to do the work instead. Father Leo, a young ambitious priest hops right on the case to make sure Little Billy gets the appropriate help he needs, but the hierarchy of the church gets in the way and things go completely wrong for everyone involved.
This story is full of humor and irony and is very entertaining. I never thought I would laugh through an exorcism. The characters are colorful and well developed. I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end and recommend this book to fellow readers.
After some terrifying incidents at home and school Mary Wagner is concerned her son, Little Billy Wagner might be demonically possessed. She writes and calls Bishop Waller for help, he believes the situation will resolve on its own, but reluctantly seeks the help of the city's Archbishop, who happens to believes "there's a growing threat of Satan to our unsuspecting souls" and that Little Billy's possession is the "smoking gun". He wants Bishop Waller to contact the Wagner's parish pastor, Monsignor Krebs and instructs him to conduct a thorough assessment of Little Billy's case in order to get the Vatican's approval to hold a Right of Exorcism.
Well, Monsignor Kreb, who was dubbed Krazy Kreb after an exorcism gone wrong back in his day, felt he should not get involved in another Exorcism, plus he would rather sit on his easy chair and watch Turner Classic Movies with his housekeeper Sheree. So, he gets his associate pastor, Father Leo to do the work instead. Father Leo, a young ambitious priest hops right on the case to make sure Little Billy gets the appropriate help he needs, but the hierarchy of the church gets in the way and things go completely wrong for everyone involved.
This story is full of humor and irony and is very entertaining. I never thought I would laugh through an exorcism. The characters are colorful and well developed. I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end and recommend this book to fellow readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2018
I was surprised by this book. When you think of exorcism your mind is automatically drawn to ‘The Exorcist’ movie type scenario. At least mine is. This was not the case with this one.
This was told through different members of the clergy-Catholic church-ranging from Priests, Bishops, Archbishop. Which was refreshing as I assumed the main focus would be on the demonic possession of the 12 year old boy in the story & told through his parents.
Mary Wagner contacts the Bishop as she believes her son has been possessed. There is a lot of red tape now-a-days, one cannot simply trot around to the house with holy water & a cross it has to go up the ranks.
Mary Wagner the boys mother is somewhat a single parent-her husband-Billy being away a lot on ‘business’.
What transpires later is Billy Wagner’s confession to Father Leo (Closed confession behind the screen where you hear the good stuff) is he has been attending to a different kind of ‘business’ the person he is having this ‘business’ with professes their involvement in Wicca and magic and advises Billy that they have invoked a spirit into his son-Little Billy.
Billy believes this person has caused his son to become possessed.
Little Billy went from being a relatively normal child to having the voice of a man much older, speaking in latin, cursing, not leaving his room.
His Mother has a great likeness to my favourite character in the books sister-Monsignor Krebs who is the Pastor in Saint Anthony’s-where the Wagner’s attend hence him becoming part of the’ exorcism team’. Monsignor Krebs is unable to fathom the likeness of Mary Wagner to his sister Agnes that he hasn’t seen for many years he is naturally drawn to her and wants to protect her.
Monsignor Krebs likes to drink, Monsignor Krebs believes Father Leo is gay, Monsignor Krebs has a marvellous outlook & realizes he is having feelings for his housekeeper 30 years his junior who also has a hunchback & isn’t much good at making cookies.
Father Leo is somewhat fresh to the clergy having spent some time in Bolivia in the company of Father Pablo who incidentally has a domesticated pet Llama named Monty (which is fabulous) he is assigned to St Anthony’s on his return-with Monsignor Krebs living in the same parish dwelling. He also becomes part of the ‘exorcism team’. Monsignor Krebs walks in on Father Leo singing & dancing ‘With his arms flapping around like a dirty bird on a farm’-this really made me laugh.
The members of the clergy in this book are frankly hilarious for such a serious topic-there were parts I did gasp at-that were very serious & unexpected.
The exorcism goes wrong. The clergy end up in court. The litigation in the court room is superb. The ending is very unexpected. I don’t like to give too much away in reviews-it’s like when someone tells you the end of a movie while you’re in the middle of watching it. I will definitely read this again & highly recommend.
This was told through different members of the clergy-Catholic church-ranging from Priests, Bishops, Archbishop. Which was refreshing as I assumed the main focus would be on the demonic possession of the 12 year old boy in the story & told through his parents.
Mary Wagner contacts the Bishop as she believes her son has been possessed. There is a lot of red tape now-a-days, one cannot simply trot around to the house with holy water & a cross it has to go up the ranks.
Mary Wagner the boys mother is somewhat a single parent-her husband-Billy being away a lot on ‘business’.
What transpires later is Billy Wagner’s confession to Father Leo (Closed confession behind the screen where you hear the good stuff) is he has been attending to a different kind of ‘business’ the person he is having this ‘business’ with professes their involvement in Wicca and magic and advises Billy that they have invoked a spirit into his son-Little Billy.
Billy believes this person has caused his son to become possessed.
Little Billy went from being a relatively normal child to having the voice of a man much older, speaking in latin, cursing, not leaving his room.
His Mother has a great likeness to my favourite character in the books sister-Monsignor Krebs who is the Pastor in Saint Anthony’s-where the Wagner’s attend hence him becoming part of the’ exorcism team’. Monsignor Krebs is unable to fathom the likeness of Mary Wagner to his sister Agnes that he hasn’t seen for many years he is naturally drawn to her and wants to protect her.
Monsignor Krebs likes to drink, Monsignor Krebs believes Father Leo is gay, Monsignor Krebs has a marvellous outlook & realizes he is having feelings for his housekeeper 30 years his junior who also has a hunchback & isn’t much good at making cookies.
Father Leo is somewhat fresh to the clergy having spent some time in Bolivia in the company of Father Pablo who incidentally has a domesticated pet Llama named Monty (which is fabulous) he is assigned to St Anthony’s on his return-with Monsignor Krebs living in the same parish dwelling. He also becomes part of the ‘exorcism team’. Monsignor Krebs walks in on Father Leo singing & dancing ‘With his arms flapping around like a dirty bird on a farm’-this really made me laugh.
The members of the clergy in this book are frankly hilarious for such a serious topic-there were parts I did gasp at-that were very serious & unexpected.
The exorcism goes wrong. The clergy end up in court. The litigation in the court room is superb. The ending is very unexpected. I don’t like to give too much away in reviews-it’s like when someone tells you the end of a movie while you’re in the middle of watching it. I will definitely read this again & highly recommend.
February 15, 2019
I received this book courtesy of the author and @BookTasters The name and the genre it is put under is suggestive of a horror book but it is not so. In fact it is a satirical and some what funny account of today's church, clergy and shows a glimpse of what it was and what it should have been. Kudos to the author who brings out subtle humour in such a tale that too in a tactful manner
The book doesn't any way poke fun but brings out the humour through the situations. The Exorcism part is the best in the book and the way it goes horribly wrong is just unexpected. The ending is again a plot twister and leaves room for interpretation and probably and hopefully a sequel. The story also shows any incompetent and not up to date superior in the hierarchy harms the ideology and efficiency of those who are competent and capable to bring change and those are the most sufferers.
The only shortcoming of this book the confluence of too many characters and incidents, backstories which creates a little confusion and also jumps from scene to scene thus losing continuity in some places but still it is a very good read one of the best parodies that I've read
The book doesn't any way poke fun but brings out the humour through the situations. The Exorcism part is the best in the book and the way it goes horribly wrong is just unexpected. The ending is again a plot twister and leaves room for interpretation and probably and hopefully a sequel. The story also shows any incompetent and not up to date superior in the hierarchy harms the ideology and efficiency of those who are competent and capable to bring change and those are the most sufferers.
The only shortcoming of this book the confluence of too many characters and incidents, backstories which creates a little confusion and also jumps from scene to scene thus losing continuity in some places but still it is a very good read one of the best parodies that I've read
January 23, 2019
This is truly an enjoyable read. The ending is way totally not what I expected it to end, which is really good. I like it when author's manage to twist the story and end it way beyond what I expected.
May 4, 2018
**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Please take note, this review does contain SPOILERS.**
SUMMARY:
The story opens with Billy Wagner sitting in class, jabbing a knife between his fingers, and his teacher discovering strange markings on the wall behind Billy’s desk, the markings appearing to be made up of the blood dripping from the various wounds on Billy’s hand. This incident gets him expelled. This incident also is the final straw that leads to his mother, Mary, contacting the local Bishop, Bishop Edmund Waller, to request her son be treated for possible demonic possession, i.e. he be exorcised.
The reader is then introduced to the group of religious leaders who play parts in the observation, research, and execution of the exorcism. Through Bishop Waller, the reader meets the Archbishop, Deacon Moe, two seminarians named Larry Flynn and Carl Lee, Father Clark Hull, Monsignor Wilhelm Krebs, and Father Leopold Mackenzie. It is Father Leo who is given the task of researching medical records, interviewing the parents, and observing Billy, in order to create a report to present to the Archbishop which is to be used in determining whether an exorcism needs to be sanctioned by The Vatican or not.
THOUGHTS:
I enjoyed this book quite a bit and look forward to reading more from this author. There were a few “a ha” moments for me, especially when it came to the revelation of who Veronica is at the end of the book. To that end, I initially wasn’t very interested in Father Leo’s relationship with Veronica; I found the portions with her a bit distracting (“She’s friendly, but kind of annoying” was my thought), but by the end of the book, her appearance in Father Leo’s storyline made a lot of sense. Veronica, it turns out, is a very important aspect of the story surrounding Billy’s possession, although it may not be obvious early on (or maybe it is obvious, and I just missed the clues, which is also quite possible).
The exorcism scene is reminiscent of the Keystone Cops silent films; the priests and seminarians involved are thrown against each other, against the walls, fall down, and run into things, completely messing up process. The order in which their names were written was a very nice wink at the Three Stooges (“Deacon Moe, Larry, and Carl Lee”). There’s at least 2 ways to interpret the demonic possession of Billy Wagner. 1) He was possessed because of the actions of his father’s mistress or 2) he’s going through puberty which would explain the deep voice and larger than normal limbs. Both options work for me, but unfortunately, the exorcism goes horribly wrong, resulting in significant injury to young Billy Wagner.
Leading up to the exorcism, a lot of information is provided about Father Leo. He was perfectly content being a priest in South America, and wanted more money for his parish there, which was admirable. I felt bad for him, as he works his way through the pre-exorcism investigation to determine if Billy really is possessed or if he actually has mental health issues. It would have been in his best interest to remain at his parish in South America, but that wasn’t a choice he was given. As caring and sympathetic as he is, he is, in the end, also the perfect scapegoat. When the exorcism results in significant mental and physical injuries to Billy, it is Father Leo’s career that is terminated by the Church. He is the one who is sent off into the world with nothing. I felt his punishment was unfair compared to Monsignor Krebs, who I felt was significantly more at fault for the harm done to little Billy Wagner, than Father Leo was. It’s always that way with scapegoats through, right? Someone always has to take the brunt of the blame, so why not go with the young priest who can go out into the world and find a new career path, instead of the older priest with a history of questionable exorcism actions?
As the book draws to a close, Leo makes his way to Veronica’s home, encountering her three very large dogs. Given what we know about Veronica by the end of the book, I’m thinking these dogs are actually hellhounds on loan to assist with the collection of pre-pubescent souls … or maybe they’re just overly protective of their dear, sweet, innocent owner, Veronica. (I’m still sitting squarely in camp #1). Veronica’s apartment is the LAST place Leo should be, but she’s all he has at this point. Once again, I felt very sorry for him. This young man’s life, as he knows it, is over and now he’s with an enticing, albeit odd(?) young woman who is a bit too eager to have him with her. The ending left me a bit uneasy, only because I know who/what Veronica is and do not see much of a happy ending for poor (former) Father Leo.
Overall, I enjoyed the way the story unfolded, with the exorcism being in the middle of the book, rather than the end. This allowed the reader to learn about the aftermath, what happened to each involved party and what their futures looked like. The only character I continue to wonder about, as far as his future is concerned, is Father Leo. The story was written in a way that allowed for sympathy, apathy, humor, contemplation, and concern for the characters as they move in and out of the narrative. I give this story 4 out of 5 stars.
SUMMARY:
The story opens with Billy Wagner sitting in class, jabbing a knife between his fingers, and his teacher discovering strange markings on the wall behind Billy’s desk, the markings appearing to be made up of the blood dripping from the various wounds on Billy’s hand. This incident gets him expelled. This incident also is the final straw that leads to his mother, Mary, contacting the local Bishop, Bishop Edmund Waller, to request her son be treated for possible demonic possession, i.e. he be exorcised.
The reader is then introduced to the group of religious leaders who play parts in the observation, research, and execution of the exorcism. Through Bishop Waller, the reader meets the Archbishop, Deacon Moe, two seminarians named Larry Flynn and Carl Lee, Father Clark Hull, Monsignor Wilhelm Krebs, and Father Leopold Mackenzie. It is Father Leo who is given the task of researching medical records, interviewing the parents, and observing Billy, in order to create a report to present to the Archbishop which is to be used in determining whether an exorcism needs to be sanctioned by The Vatican or not.
THOUGHTS:
I enjoyed this book quite a bit and look forward to reading more from this author. There were a few “a ha” moments for me, especially when it came to the revelation of who Veronica is at the end of the book. To that end, I initially wasn’t very interested in Father Leo’s relationship with Veronica; I found the portions with her a bit distracting (“She’s friendly, but kind of annoying” was my thought), but by the end of the book, her appearance in Father Leo’s storyline made a lot of sense. Veronica, it turns out, is a very important aspect of the story surrounding Billy’s possession, although it may not be obvious early on (or maybe it is obvious, and I just missed the clues, which is also quite possible).
The exorcism scene is reminiscent of the Keystone Cops silent films; the priests and seminarians involved are thrown against each other, against the walls, fall down, and run into things, completely messing up process. The order in which their names were written was a very nice wink at the Three Stooges (“Deacon Moe, Larry, and Carl Lee”). There’s at least 2 ways to interpret the demonic possession of Billy Wagner. 1) He was possessed because of the actions of his father’s mistress or 2) he’s going through puberty which would explain the deep voice and larger than normal limbs. Both options work for me, but unfortunately, the exorcism goes horribly wrong, resulting in significant injury to young Billy Wagner.
Leading up to the exorcism, a lot of information is provided about Father Leo. He was perfectly content being a priest in South America, and wanted more money for his parish there, which was admirable. I felt bad for him, as he works his way through the pre-exorcism investigation to determine if Billy really is possessed or if he actually has mental health issues. It would have been in his best interest to remain at his parish in South America, but that wasn’t a choice he was given. As caring and sympathetic as he is, he is, in the end, also the perfect scapegoat. When the exorcism results in significant mental and physical injuries to Billy, it is Father Leo’s career that is terminated by the Church. He is the one who is sent off into the world with nothing. I felt his punishment was unfair compared to Monsignor Krebs, who I felt was significantly more at fault for the harm done to little Billy Wagner, than Father Leo was. It’s always that way with scapegoats through, right? Someone always has to take the brunt of the blame, so why not go with the young priest who can go out into the world and find a new career path, instead of the older priest with a history of questionable exorcism actions?
As the book draws to a close, Leo makes his way to Veronica’s home, encountering her three very large dogs. Given what we know about Veronica by the end of the book, I’m thinking these dogs are actually hellhounds on loan to assist with the collection of pre-pubescent souls … or maybe they’re just overly protective of their dear, sweet, innocent owner, Veronica. (I’m still sitting squarely in camp #1). Veronica’s apartment is the LAST place Leo should be, but she’s all he has at this point. Once again, I felt very sorry for him. This young man’s life, as he knows it, is over and now he’s with an enticing, albeit odd(?) young woman who is a bit too eager to have him with her. The ending left me a bit uneasy, only because I know who/what Veronica is and do not see much of a happy ending for poor (former) Father Leo.
Overall, I enjoyed the way the story unfolded, with the exorcism being in the middle of the book, rather than the end. This allowed the reader to learn about the aftermath, what happened to each involved party and what their futures looked like. The only character I continue to wonder about, as far as his future is concerned, is Father Leo. The story was written in a way that allowed for sympathy, apathy, humor, contemplation, and concern for the characters as they move in and out of the narrative. I give this story 4 out of 5 stars.
September 9, 2019
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I received a free copy of this book from Booktasters in exchange for an honest review.
The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner by Francis J. Flynn is a surprisingly amusing novel. When 12 year-old Little Billy Wagner (who isn’t exactly little) starts showing signs of demonic possession, his parents don’t know what to do. Doctors can’t seem to figure out the problem, so his parents seek out assistance from the Catholic Church. The Archbishop (always in capitols) is ever vigilant in the war against Satan, and he’s ready to lend a helping hand. He assigns Father Leopold Mackenzie to determine if the boy is indeed possessed. But Father Leo has his hands full. He’s focusing on getting back to a parish in Bolivia where he worked in the past with another priest and his domesticated llama, Monty. Veronica, a beautiful new convert, often distracts him from his priestly work. Monsignor Krebs foists his duties onto Father Leo, so that he can drink and watch classic movies all day. When Father Leo visits with Little Billy, he determines that possession does seem likely, but to follow protocol, he wants to get an independent evaluation, turning to a strange Jesuit psychiatrist, Father Caspar Wieland, MD/PhD/SJ. But The Archbishop has other plans. He gathers an exorcism team, including Monsignor Krebs, also known as Krazy Krebs due to his actions during The River City Delirium Tremens Burro Incident, and prepares to present his case to the Vatican. Father Leo races to gather the appropriate evidence while The Archbishop rushes to prevent the devil from gaining traction in the heartland of America.
I love the way the author described things:
“The Archbishop was a jowly man. His jowls had jowls. He was shorter than average, with a heavy plinth of a body, nearly parted, thinning white hair; lusterless blue eyes, and wire-rimmed glasses. He reminded one of a no-neck high-school football coach (who sold life insurance on the side).”
“The gently rolling waters reflected the dark forest green of the overhanging tress and the golden rays from the noon sun high above. The foliage of the intertwining trees almost blocked out the urban landscape behind them. The forest was not just teeming with one shade of green, but there were lighter Kelly greens on the willowy leaves that draped into the water, dark olive green on the elm and oak leaves, and pine green on the tall scraggly conifers.”
Often, the author made me laugh by altering common names of places or people, such as describing one character as working at a popular chain restaurant called “Orangebee’s” or a popular movie made depicting an exorcism starring “Drew Tarrymore.”
I did note a number of spelling and grammar errors, and inconsistencies in the writing, such as alterations in the spelling of one character’s name from “Caspar” to “Casper” throughout the book. There is a connection made between Wiccan practices and devil worship, but as far as I know, there is no actual connection between the two. Overall, the book is a great read. I tend not to enjoy books about supernatural forces or church politics, but since the book also had a humorous overtone, I gave it a chance. I’m glad I did, because this was an enjoyable read. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars and would highly recommend it. It had surprisingly funny content, most of the characters were likable, and there were some surprising twists.
I received a free copy of this book from Booktasters in exchange for an honest review.
The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner by Francis J. Flynn is a surprisingly amusing novel. When 12 year-old Little Billy Wagner (who isn’t exactly little) starts showing signs of demonic possession, his parents don’t know what to do. Doctors can’t seem to figure out the problem, so his parents seek out assistance from the Catholic Church. The Archbishop (always in capitols) is ever vigilant in the war against Satan, and he’s ready to lend a helping hand. He assigns Father Leopold Mackenzie to determine if the boy is indeed possessed. But Father Leo has his hands full. He’s focusing on getting back to a parish in Bolivia where he worked in the past with another priest and his domesticated llama, Monty. Veronica, a beautiful new convert, often distracts him from his priestly work. Monsignor Krebs foists his duties onto Father Leo, so that he can drink and watch classic movies all day. When Father Leo visits with Little Billy, he determines that possession does seem likely, but to follow protocol, he wants to get an independent evaluation, turning to a strange Jesuit psychiatrist, Father Caspar Wieland, MD/PhD/SJ. But The Archbishop has other plans. He gathers an exorcism team, including Monsignor Krebs, also known as Krazy Krebs due to his actions during The River City Delirium Tremens Burro Incident, and prepares to present his case to the Vatican. Father Leo races to gather the appropriate evidence while The Archbishop rushes to prevent the devil from gaining traction in the heartland of America.
I love the way the author described things:
“The Archbishop was a jowly man. His jowls had jowls. He was shorter than average, with a heavy plinth of a body, nearly parted, thinning white hair; lusterless blue eyes, and wire-rimmed glasses. He reminded one of a no-neck high-school football coach (who sold life insurance on the side).”
“The gently rolling waters reflected the dark forest green of the overhanging tress and the golden rays from the noon sun high above. The foliage of the intertwining trees almost blocked out the urban landscape behind them. The forest was not just teeming with one shade of green, but there were lighter Kelly greens on the willowy leaves that draped into the water, dark olive green on the elm and oak leaves, and pine green on the tall scraggly conifers.”
Often, the author made me laugh by altering common names of places or people, such as describing one character as working at a popular chain restaurant called “Orangebee’s” or a popular movie made depicting an exorcism starring “Drew Tarrymore.”
I did note a number of spelling and grammar errors, and inconsistencies in the writing, such as alterations in the spelling of one character’s name from “Caspar” to “Casper” throughout the book. There is a connection made between Wiccan practices and devil worship, but as far as I know, there is no actual connection between the two. Overall, the book is a great read. I tend not to enjoy books about supernatural forces or church politics, but since the book also had a humorous overtone, I gave it a chance. I’m glad I did, because this was an enjoyable read. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars and would highly recommend it. It had surprisingly funny content, most of the characters were likable, and there were some surprising twists.
October 27, 2019
Disclaimer: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Any book with the word “exorcism” in the title is a horror novel, right? Well, in this case it is, but not the kind of horror you expect, as well as a great dose of humor you may not expect. In The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner, the evils on display are more bureaucratic than satanic, and the “forces of good” may be the very ones you don’t want on your side.
We watch the story unfold mostly through the eyes of Associate Pastor Father Leopold Mackenzie. Father Leopold is a good man, and he wants to be a good priest. Specifically, he wants to be a good priest at a parish in Bolivia, a country he’s fallen in love with during a summer mission there. Father Leo is a gentle man, just a little naïve, and while he is willing to go up against one of Satan’s demons to save the boy, he may well not be up to the machinations of his own pastoral colleagues.
St. Anthony’s is a parish of several colorful characters the reader will enjoy meeting – The Archbishop, Monsignor Krebs, Father Larry, Deacon Moe and several others. Pay attention, because nobody gets left out of this demon-driving-out production.
And what of the victim? Little Billy Wagner? Best (and frequently) described as a big-for-his-age 12-year-old boy, Little Billy has some, well, issues. Expelled from school after terrifying his teacher by using a Swiss Army Knife to play Stabscotch (aka “the game where you stab a knife between your fingers) and managing to slash the daylights out of his fingers in the process, he’s now confined to home, playing video games and, according to his parents, levitating his furniture.
Failing to find any help in the local medical and psychiatric community, Little Billy’s parents write to their parish church for assistance. The Archbishop, a serious hardliner and Hawk in the War of the Church against Satan, sends a team of priests and deacons to the Wagner home to begin an investigation. He is convinced by the mother’s letter that there is demonic evil afoot, but that pesky Vatican insists on investigations and documentation before an exorcism can be started. The initial assessment does not go well – in fact it deteriorates into something akin to a movie mashup between the Keystone Kops and the Four (or maybe Five) Stooges. It’s as effective as it is dull – not one bit.
The story escalates from there, mostly downhill, as the reader learns more about the parents’ doings, the kid’s behaviors, and the machinations of a bunch of clergy that all really just want to get a notch up in the church hierarchy, and don’t mind using a potential possession to get there.
The final chapter wraps it all up in ways you don’t expect, so I won’t spoil the fun by spilling the details here. I did subtract one star, only because the very, very ending is a little abrupt to be fully satisfying, though it is adequate and leaves you wondering if there may be more to the adventures of Father Leopold in the future.
Overall, I have to recommend The Exorcism Of Little Billy Wagner. The subjects are somewhat dark – possession, infidelity, how children are treated, the politics of religion and how harmful it can be – but at the same time the author presents these issues salted with plenty of laughs both gentle and loud. Pay attention – some of the nuggets of humor are just a little hidden and you don’t want to miss them.
Any book with the word “exorcism” in the title is a horror novel, right? Well, in this case it is, but not the kind of horror you expect, as well as a great dose of humor you may not expect. In The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner, the evils on display are more bureaucratic than satanic, and the “forces of good” may be the very ones you don’t want on your side.
We watch the story unfold mostly through the eyes of Associate Pastor Father Leopold Mackenzie. Father Leopold is a good man, and he wants to be a good priest. Specifically, he wants to be a good priest at a parish in Bolivia, a country he’s fallen in love with during a summer mission there. Father Leo is a gentle man, just a little naïve, and while he is willing to go up against one of Satan’s demons to save the boy, he may well not be up to the machinations of his own pastoral colleagues.
St. Anthony’s is a parish of several colorful characters the reader will enjoy meeting – The Archbishop, Monsignor Krebs, Father Larry, Deacon Moe and several others. Pay attention, because nobody gets left out of this demon-driving-out production.
And what of the victim? Little Billy Wagner? Best (and frequently) described as a big-for-his-age 12-year-old boy, Little Billy has some, well, issues. Expelled from school after terrifying his teacher by using a Swiss Army Knife to play Stabscotch (aka “the game where you stab a knife between your fingers) and managing to slash the daylights out of his fingers in the process, he’s now confined to home, playing video games and, according to his parents, levitating his furniture.
Failing to find any help in the local medical and psychiatric community, Little Billy’s parents write to their parish church for assistance. The Archbishop, a serious hardliner and Hawk in the War of the Church against Satan, sends a team of priests and deacons to the Wagner home to begin an investigation. He is convinced by the mother’s letter that there is demonic evil afoot, but that pesky Vatican insists on investigations and documentation before an exorcism can be started. The initial assessment does not go well – in fact it deteriorates into something akin to a movie mashup between the Keystone Kops and the Four (or maybe Five) Stooges. It’s as effective as it is dull – not one bit.
The story escalates from there, mostly downhill, as the reader learns more about the parents’ doings, the kid’s behaviors, and the machinations of a bunch of clergy that all really just want to get a notch up in the church hierarchy, and don’t mind using a potential possession to get there.
The final chapter wraps it all up in ways you don’t expect, so I won’t spoil the fun by spilling the details here. I did subtract one star, only because the very, very ending is a little abrupt to be fully satisfying, though it is adequate and leaves you wondering if there may be more to the adventures of Father Leopold in the future.
Overall, I have to recommend The Exorcism Of Little Billy Wagner. The subjects are somewhat dark – possession, infidelity, how children are treated, the politics of religion and how harmful it can be – but at the same time the author presents these issues salted with plenty of laughs both gentle and loud. Pay attention – some of the nuggets of humor are just a little hidden and you don’t want to miss them.
July 4, 2017
In Flynn’s novel, the strange behavior of a 12-year-old boy mobilizes his whole town.
The short novel opens with a crisis in faith. In Saint Anthony’s parish in Gateway City, Mo., surly, big-for-his-age Billy Wagner has begun acting very strangely—barricading himself in his room, playing with knives, etc. His frantic parents have had no success talking to him, so they write a letter to the bishop of their diocese, wondering if an exorcism might be in order. The bishop passes the letter up the chain of command to the archbishop, an imperious man—“His parents raised The Archbishop to be The Archbishop,”; “his first word was pater”—in precarious health: “His bypasses had bypasses.” The archbishop is currently enraged by an incident that’s become known as “L’affaire Texting”: From the pulpit, he spotted a young person tapping a message on some sort of electronic device. “Was he a spy?” the Archbishop wondered. Now, he’s seeking a more direct confrontation with evil, so he tells Bishop Waller, who instructs Monsignor Wilhelm Krebs (dubbed “Krazy Krebs” because of an incident involving a boy apparently possessed by the evil spirit of a donkey) to investigate. Krebs orders associate pastor Father Leopold Mackenzie to visit the Wagners and report back, but Father Leo is less dogmatic (and, though gentle, more heroic) than his superiors; he wonders if there might be a nonsupernatural explanation for the boy’s behavior. He files a long report expressing his reservations, but it’s promptly buried by the diocese hierarchy. That’s followed by a frenetic, often hilarious story involving a Wiccan pole-dancing stripper named Eve, the “vision of loveliness” named Veronica Fields, a bungled attempt at intervention on Billy’s behalf and a high-profile trial. Throughout, Flynn maintains a wry but affectionate stance toward the Catholic Church that’s wonderfully reminiscent of the best of J.F. Powers. The one-liners are good for serious laughs, but the occasional swerves into emotion are just as affecting, and the revelations of church corruption in the climactic courtroom trial are expertly handled.
A fun, fascinating send-up of the modern Catholic Church.
The short novel opens with a crisis in faith. In Saint Anthony’s parish in Gateway City, Mo., surly, big-for-his-age Billy Wagner has begun acting very strangely—barricading himself in his room, playing with knives, etc. His frantic parents have had no success talking to him, so they write a letter to the bishop of their diocese, wondering if an exorcism might be in order. The bishop passes the letter up the chain of command to the archbishop, an imperious man—“His parents raised The Archbishop to be The Archbishop,”; “his first word was pater”—in precarious health: “His bypasses had bypasses.” The archbishop is currently enraged by an incident that’s become known as “L’affaire Texting”: From the pulpit, he spotted a young person tapping a message on some sort of electronic device. “Was he a spy?” the Archbishop wondered. Now, he’s seeking a more direct confrontation with evil, so he tells Bishop Waller, who instructs Monsignor Wilhelm Krebs (dubbed “Krazy Krebs” because of an incident involving a boy apparently possessed by the evil spirit of a donkey) to investigate. Krebs orders associate pastor Father Leopold Mackenzie to visit the Wagners and report back, but Father Leo is less dogmatic (and, though gentle, more heroic) than his superiors; he wonders if there might be a nonsupernatural explanation for the boy’s behavior. He files a long report expressing his reservations, but it’s promptly buried by the diocese hierarchy. That’s followed by a frenetic, often hilarious story involving a Wiccan pole-dancing stripper named Eve, the “vision of loveliness” named Veronica Fields, a bungled attempt at intervention on Billy’s behalf and a high-profile trial. Throughout, Flynn maintains a wry but affectionate stance toward the Catholic Church that’s wonderfully reminiscent of the best of J.F. Powers. The one-liners are good for serious laughs, but the occasional swerves into emotion are just as affecting, and the revelations of church corruption in the climactic courtroom trial are expertly handled.
A fun, fascinating send-up of the modern Catholic Church.
October 7, 2020
[Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Booktasters (check them out their website and Twitter) and the author for a fair and honest review. All of my thoughts, opinions, and ramblings are my own]
Also, no spoilers in this one!
Horror is one of my most favourite genre and I wanted to read a chilling ghost story in these hot summer days.
I was delighted to find this book at that time. The blurb of the book was everything that I needed. However when I checked some reviews I read that this book is pretty humorous. I was intrigued to know how the author has blended humour with horror as when you see the word Exorcism you inevitably remember the movie Exorcist. But I found out as I read.
The Archbishop's faith in both God and Devil is profound and he strongly believes that Satan lives among us through the travesties called Phones. Otherwise anyone would never show the audacity to be bored during a sermon and text to others, SITTING IN THE FRONT ROW. So when he found out about Little Billy Wagner's unusual behaviour, his enormous strength at the age of 12, his extreme addiction to videogames(probably Devil's shadow comes from them), his more mature voice, his self-harm and finally the pentagram on the wall. Archbishop is convinced and the boy needed to be Exorcised.
Father Leo is sent to investigate and wanted the boy to be checked by physicians first but later after some close calls from the boy he is ensured about the demonic possession. So after granting permission from Vatican somewhat a troop of armed priests enter the Wagner household. Monsignor Krebs (who firmly believes in the power of brawn than brain) invites himself and everything gets...well...messy.
But what happens!! Sorry no spoilers. You have to read it yourself.
The book is essentially a dark comedy. Irony and Satire are the weapons to shred the corruption and duality in the churches. I was tickled all through the book.
• Brilliant characterization.
• Amazing plot construction.
• Witty diction. Perfect blend of humour and horror(or no-horror)
Also, no spoilers in this one!
Horror is one of my most favourite genre and I wanted to read a chilling ghost story in these hot summer days.
I was delighted to find this book at that time. The blurb of the book was everything that I needed. However when I checked some reviews I read that this book is pretty humorous. I was intrigued to know how the author has blended humour with horror as when you see the word Exorcism you inevitably remember the movie Exorcist. But I found out as I read.
The Archbishop's faith in both God and Devil is profound and he strongly believes that Satan lives among us through the travesties called Phones. Otherwise anyone would never show the audacity to be bored during a sermon and text to others, SITTING IN THE FRONT ROW. So when he found out about Little Billy Wagner's unusual behaviour, his enormous strength at the age of 12, his extreme addiction to videogames(probably Devil's shadow comes from them), his more mature voice, his self-harm and finally the pentagram on the wall. Archbishop is convinced and the boy needed to be Exorcised.
Father Leo is sent to investigate and wanted the boy to be checked by physicians first but later after some close calls from the boy he is ensured about the demonic possession. So after granting permission from Vatican somewhat a troop of armed priests enter the Wagner household. Monsignor Krebs (who firmly believes in the power of brawn than brain) invites himself and everything gets...well...messy.
But what happens!! Sorry no spoilers. You have to read it yourself.
The book is essentially a dark comedy. Irony and Satire are the weapons to shred the corruption and duality in the churches. I was tickled all through the book.
• Brilliant characterization.
• Amazing plot construction.
• Witty diction. Perfect blend of humour and horror(or no-horror)
February 1, 2018
he Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner is a humorous, highly entertaining read. It is the epitome of do not judge a book by it's cover. The title and cover scream horror but the droll which is evinced in the book makes it fun.
The story commences with a scene from Billy Wagner's classroom where he is jabbing a Swiss Army knife back and forth between his spread out fingers. With no medical condition to describe it, Mary and Bill Wagner take trickling blood, cussing, and screaming as the signs of demonic possessed and they turn to their Catholic Church for guidance. The fate of their son falls into the hands of Father Leopold Mackenzie a likeable mensch, who wants to make sure that every fact is covered before the exorcism but The Archbishop doesn't wants his 'smoking gun' to be extinguished and a exorcist team is on the case. In the chapter 'Operation Destroy Darkness' all hell breaks loose when amidst the exorcism process there are gatecrashers like Monsignor Krebs, a whole entourage of media and what not.
Tug of war between the truculent and the considerate Billy Wagner is the nescient and becomes the centre of the attention.
The writing style of Francis J. Flynn is articulate and epigrammatic. The world so build is plausible.
There is a full cast with some of the characters very well developed and standing out like phare, with entertaining side stories.
The whole attention to detail is lavishly baroque.
I would largely recommend this book as it kept me entertained the whole while with it's assortment of fantastic characters like the priests, the demon, the mother, the husband, the stripper, a llama and the throng of events happening in St. Louis, MO, makes it hard to put the book down.
The story commences with a scene from Billy Wagner's classroom where he is jabbing a Swiss Army knife back and forth between his spread out fingers. With no medical condition to describe it, Mary and Bill Wagner take trickling blood, cussing, and screaming as the signs of demonic possessed and they turn to their Catholic Church for guidance. The fate of their son falls into the hands of Father Leopold Mackenzie a likeable mensch, who wants to make sure that every fact is covered before the exorcism but The Archbishop doesn't wants his 'smoking gun' to be extinguished and a exorcist team is on the case. In the chapter 'Operation Destroy Darkness' all hell breaks loose when amidst the exorcism process there are gatecrashers like Monsignor Krebs, a whole entourage of media and what not.
Tug of war between the truculent and the considerate Billy Wagner is the nescient and becomes the centre of the attention.
The writing style of Francis J. Flynn is articulate and epigrammatic. The world so build is plausible.
There is a full cast with some of the characters very well developed and standing out like phare, with entertaining side stories.
The whole attention to detail is lavishly baroque.
I would largely recommend this book as it kept me entertained the whole while with it's assortment of fantastic characters like the priests, the demon, the mother, the husband, the stripper, a llama and the throng of events happening in St. Louis, MO, makes it hard to put the book down.
May 5, 2020
The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner is a horror comedy written by Francis J Flynn. The parents of a young teenager is are frantic as Little Billy Wagner shows satanic possessions.the medical community is not able to take hold of the situation which prompts Billy's desperate parents, especially his mother to seek guidance from the Church. After being sent numerous requests, letters and calls, Bishop Waller finally decides to help Mary Wagner.
Thereafter starts the observations, searches and execution of the exorcism and several other characters are introduced in this process such as Archbishop, Carl Lee, Deacon Moe and several other entertaining characters such as the Father Leopold Mackenzie and his daughter Veronica. Father Leo wants to be a good priest at a Parish in Bolivia. He is an honest been, willing to go up against one of Satan's demons to save Billy harmed start gathering information and medical reports. But RK Bishop gathered his exorcism team and prepare to make the case to the Vatican to get the authority to send in the exorcists. What happens next is for you to find out by reading the book.
It is a fast-paced book, very well written by Flynn. If we go by the name for the idea of the book, it seems like a horror thriller. But we are caught up by the unexpected humour very competently inserted by Flynn which pokes fun at the ideology of exorcism.character weather major or minor are very well developed and engrossing, each having their own significance in the making of the story. Overall this is an immensely entertaining book, a light read which will make one laugh and is highly suggested by me to give it a read.
Thereafter starts the observations, searches and execution of the exorcism and several other characters are introduced in this process such as Archbishop, Carl Lee, Deacon Moe and several other entertaining characters such as the Father Leopold Mackenzie and his daughter Veronica. Father Leo wants to be a good priest at a Parish in Bolivia. He is an honest been, willing to go up against one of Satan's demons to save Billy harmed start gathering information and medical reports. But RK Bishop gathered his exorcism team and prepare to make the case to the Vatican to get the authority to send in the exorcists. What happens next is for you to find out by reading the book.
It is a fast-paced book, very well written by Flynn. If we go by the name for the idea of the book, it seems like a horror thriller. But we are caught up by the unexpected humour very competently inserted by Flynn which pokes fun at the ideology of exorcism.character weather major or minor are very well developed and engrossing, each having their own significance in the making of the story. Overall this is an immensely entertaining book, a light read which will make one laugh and is highly suggested by me to give it a read.
July 6, 2018
Horror is one of my most favourite genre and I wanted to read a chilling ghost story in these hot summer days.
I was delighted to find this book at that time. The blurb of the book was everything that I needed. However when I checked some reviews I read that this book is pretty humorous. I was intrigued to know how the author has blended humour with horror as when you see the word Exorcism you inevitably remember the movie Exorcist. But I found out as I read.
The Archbishop's faith in both God and Devil is profound and he strongly believes that Satan lives among us through the travesties called Phones. Otherwise anyone would never show the audacity to be bored during a sermon and text to others, SITTING IN THE FRONT ROW. So when he found out about Little Billy Wagner's unusual behaviour, his enormous strength at the age of 12, his extreme addiction to videogames(probably Devil's shadow comes from them), his more mature voice, his self-harm and finally the pentagram on the wall. Archbishop is convinced and the boy needed to be Exorcised.
Father Leo is sent to investigate and wanted the boy to be checked by physicians first but later after some close calls from the boy he is ensured about the demonic possession. So after granting permission from Vatican somewhat a troop of armed priests enter the Wagner household. Monsignor Krebs (who firmly believes in the power of brawn than brain) invites himself and everything gets...well...messy.
But what happens!! Sorry no spoilers. You have to read it yourself.
The book is essentially a dark comedy. Irony and Satire are the weapons to shred the corruption and duality in the churches. I was tickled all through the book.
Brilliant characterization.
Amazing plot construction.
Witty diction.
Perfect blend of humour and horror.
Read more detailed review on my blog A Bookaholic's Utopia
I was delighted to find this book at that time. The blurb of the book was everything that I needed. However when I checked some reviews I read that this book is pretty humorous. I was intrigued to know how the author has blended humour with horror as when you see the word Exorcism you inevitably remember the movie Exorcist. But I found out as I read.
The Archbishop's faith in both God and Devil is profound and he strongly believes that Satan lives among us through the travesties called Phones. Otherwise anyone would never show the audacity to be bored during a sermon and text to others, SITTING IN THE FRONT ROW. So when he found out about Little Billy Wagner's unusual behaviour, his enormous strength at the age of 12, his extreme addiction to videogames(probably Devil's shadow comes from them), his more mature voice, his self-harm and finally the pentagram on the wall. Archbishop is convinced and the boy needed to be Exorcised.
Father Leo is sent to investigate and wanted the boy to be checked by physicians first but later after some close calls from the boy he is ensured about the demonic possession. So after granting permission from Vatican somewhat a troop of armed priests enter the Wagner household. Monsignor Krebs (who firmly believes in the power of brawn than brain) invites himself and everything gets...well...messy.
But what happens!! Sorry no spoilers. You have to read it yourself.
The book is essentially a dark comedy. Irony and Satire are the weapons to shred the corruption and duality in the churches. I was tickled all through the book.
Brilliant characterization.
Amazing plot construction.
Witty diction.
Perfect blend of humour and horror.
Read more detailed review on my blog A Bookaholic's Utopia
May 10, 2018
While Francis J. Flynn’s chosen profession may be as an attorney, “The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner” proves that his writing career is much more than a passing fancy or diversion. Written with the brio of an author with several novels on their vita, Flynn’s characters come to life quickly and deliberately. What separates Flynn from other authors in this genre is his brilliant sense of humor, which comes through his characters such as the cantankerous archbishop or the movie-loving, veteran monsignor who is a gun enthusiast with a penchant for surprising his junior, resident priest. The novel details the different priests and their life experiences and juxtaposes that with Billy Wagner and the rather dreary existence of his mother and somewhat smarmy life of his father. Needless to say, despite the Archbishop’s fervent desire to have a seamless exorcism, and the borderline obsessive prepartions by Father Mackenzie, the job doesn’t go as planned thanks to pugilistic Monsignor Krebs. Within the novel, readers are treated to the follies of the exorcists and their assistants. Ending in a way that only a novel of such humor could, and one that Flynn is obviously adept at traversing, “The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner” is a sheer delight for the reader and a wonderful addition to Flynn’s already full resume.
July 8, 2018
Let's be honest: That cover sucks. I wouldn't have picked up this book (or even bought it online) if it weren't for the fact that it was sent to me for a preview.
And that would have been my loss.
As the name suggests, it is about the exorcism of a little boy called Billy Wagner. But that does not prepare the reader for the humor within. The world of priests is so convincingly detailed and wittily etched that, at times, I forgot this is supposed to be horror. The author fills in so many incidents and back stories of the lead exorcists (often in brackets) that I wished that some had been sacrificed. This is a mere quibble, though.
The characters are all quirky without being annoying and the author takes his time to get to the exorcism. This and the character building might be a "too slow" for hardcore horror fans but the build up is engaging enough to keep you reading. The exorcism itself is outrageous, mixing dark horror with slapstick. More props to the author that the book does not end there. It goes on to examine the aftermath of the exorcism and what happens to the key-players.
It all ends on a note that might make you re-read some portions again!
A witty, gripping and well-written work. I am most interested in what the author comes up with next.
And that would have been my loss.
As the name suggests, it is about the exorcism of a little boy called Billy Wagner. But that does not prepare the reader for the humor within. The world of priests is so convincingly detailed and wittily etched that, at times, I forgot this is supposed to be horror. The author fills in so many incidents and back stories of the lead exorcists (often in brackets) that I wished that some had been sacrificed. This is a mere quibble, though.
The characters are all quirky without being annoying and the author takes his time to get to the exorcism. This and the character building might be a "too slow" for hardcore horror fans but the build up is engaging enough to keep you reading. The exorcism itself is outrageous, mixing dark horror with slapstick. More props to the author that the book does not end there. It goes on to examine the aftermath of the exorcism and what happens to the key-players.
It all ends on a note that might make you re-read some portions again!
A witty, gripping and well-written work. I am most interested in what the author comes up with next.
August 21, 2017
Ebook provided by the author via @BookTasters on Twitter,in exchange for an honest review.
First off bravo to whoever edited this.It is very rare that ebooks are this well edited.
This tagline says it all:A comedic read about an exorcism that goes horribly wrong!
This was a good read for me,as a fan of dark humor and horror comedy.I thoroughly enjoyed and laughed out loud at certain points in the book.I'm not Catholic,or overtly religious or political,and think it has a good balance.It's pretty easy to understand,so the reader shouldn't be scared off by those themes.I truly hope the Catholic church is not this inept.The not A-Team of exorcism,and two of the priests are named Moe and Larry?I got a kick out of the quirky cast of characters.Poor Father Leo and Ernesto,I was rooting for both of them.You need to pay attention to the characters because there is some for shadowing towards the ending.Speaking of the ending it surprised me a little bit.I thought that it was kind of a horror story type ending.You know that whole OH SNAP! moment.Overall, I thought it was a great book and if you have a chance you should read it.
First off bravo to whoever edited this.It is very rare that ebooks are this well edited.
This tagline says it all:A comedic read about an exorcism that goes horribly wrong!
This was a good read for me,as a fan of dark humor and horror comedy.I thoroughly enjoyed and laughed out loud at certain points in the book.I'm not Catholic,or overtly religious or political,and think it has a good balance.It's pretty easy to understand,so the reader shouldn't be scared off by those themes.I truly hope the Catholic church is not this inept.The not A-Team of exorcism,and two of the priests are named Moe and Larry?I got a kick out of the quirky cast of characters.Poor Father Leo and Ernesto,I was rooting for both of them.You need to pay attention to the characters because there is some for shadowing towards the ending.Speaking of the ending it surprised me a little bit.I thought that it was kind of a horror story type ending.You know that whole OH SNAP! moment.Overall, I thought it was a great book and if you have a chance you should read it.
December 20, 2020
The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner is a story about interesting people, and an exorcism happens between the lines.
When I first started this book, I was concerned that the story was going to follow the same path as many exorcism books before it. Indeed the first part of the book started out fairly rough around the edges. However, the more I read, the more I found I was being sucked into the ostensibly unimportant lives of the various cast. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. I found myself rooting for the character of Father Leo, and knowing more about him than most people I've dined with.
The book seems to not take itself seriously, which I respect entirely. I found myself laughing aloud when during the middle of exorcism itself I realized the priests' names sounded awfully familiar. The ending was also well done and tied everything up.
I do not consider myself a harsh critic, nor do I look for things while reading to look down on. Instead I ask myself if I enjoyed whatever I've just consumed. The answer in this case is: yes. Again, it started off roughly, but in the end I was won over.
When I first started this book, I was concerned that the story was going to follow the same path as many exorcism books before it. Indeed the first part of the book started out fairly rough around the edges. However, the more I read, the more I found I was being sucked into the ostensibly unimportant lives of the various cast. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. I found myself rooting for the character of Father Leo, and knowing more about him than most people I've dined with.
The book seems to not take itself seriously, which I respect entirely. I found myself laughing aloud when during the middle of exorcism itself I realized the priests' names sounded awfully familiar. The ending was also well done and tied everything up.
I do not consider myself a harsh critic, nor do I look for things while reading to look down on. Instead I ask myself if I enjoyed whatever I've just consumed. The answer in this case is: yes. Again, it started off roughly, but in the end I was won over.
March 6, 2018
This is my honest opinion and review of this book, I was lucky enough to get a free copy of this book from the author through twitter. (Book reads)
To start with you are given a lovely image of a child with mop hair stabbing the table between outstretched fingers. But he's not very good and with a few swears he's nicked himself a few times.
'Little Billy' is suffering with a demon and after an introduction of what seemed like ALL the priests we are looking at an exorcism. It’s not like you would expect with the films giving the ‘process’ a Hollywood makeover, but more real insight to the church.
For me like most things paranormal its difficult to decide on the real reason on why the child is afflicted with what he has.
Who would have known the Archbishop drank whole milk? There are some great moments that made me laugh. But overall, it’s more like a historical – factual story.
Still glad I read this.
To start with you are given a lovely image of a child with mop hair stabbing the table between outstretched fingers. But he's not very good and with a few swears he's nicked himself a few times.
'Little Billy' is suffering with a demon and after an introduction of what seemed like ALL the priests we are looking at an exorcism. It’s not like you would expect with the films giving the ‘process’ a Hollywood makeover, but more real insight to the church.
For me like most things paranormal its difficult to decide on the real reason on why the child is afflicted with what he has.
Who would have known the Archbishop drank whole milk? There are some great moments that made me laugh. But overall, it’s more like a historical – factual story.
Still glad I read this.
August 13, 2018
This is the kind of book that starts by grabbing your attention, after which it slows down for quite some time, only to pick up speed again toward the end of the book. The story is well thought out and a read not quite like anything else I have read - granted, I have very little experience with this genre, but still.
There are many different characters in this book, and each of them is introduced with a clear background and showcased characteristics. How they tie together does not become clear until quite far into the book. This is something that irked me a little, but might be considered interesting by other readers.
Some fact-checking and language-checking would not have hurt, nor a slight speed-up in the middle section of the book. Other than that, I found this book an entertaining read.
There are many different characters in this book, and each of them is introduced with a clear background and showcased characteristics. How they tie together does not become clear until quite far into the book. This is something that irked me a little, but might be considered interesting by other readers.
Some fact-checking and language-checking would not have hurt, nor a slight speed-up in the middle section of the book. Other than that, I found this book an entertaining read.
April 29, 2018
When the parents of Little Billy Wagner notice some very strange behavior in their 12-year old son, they have him examined by several different specialists. Without any concluding results and no sign of their son getting better, they call the local archdiocese to perform an exorcism. Well, that finally goes horribly wrong and add the whole story develops, we learn a lot about the characteristics of the priests involved, what makes the story seem more like an anecdote but it also shows the sense of superiority of some of the characters and their irresponsible management of the situation because of it.
The characters are very lively described, the plot is well developed and shows a star of humor. It has been an enjoyable read.
The characters are very lively described, the plot is well developed and shows a star of humor. It has been an enjoyable read.
November 22, 2018
The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner by Casey Flynn is brilliant! Don’t let the start and finish dates fool you. I have read several books and been busy with grad school as well as my full-time job and full-time family. The subtle satire in this book never made me laugh out loud, but I had some serious chuckles and grins. The characterization of the clergy is vivid and not too difficult to imagine. I almost felt as if “little” Billy were one of my former students with the same feckless parents.
Flynn has a knack for capturing the essence of her characters with effective diction and comical situations. I highly recommend this book and will probably give it as gifts for Christmas this year. It is smart, understated, and pure genius. I loved it!
Flynn has a knack for capturing the essence of her characters with effective diction and comical situations. I highly recommend this book and will probably give it as gifts for Christmas this year. It is smart, understated, and pure genius. I loved it!
September 5, 2020
This story is about an exorcism, but also about the nature of humanity and how it can get in the way of truth. Francis J. Flynn writes a tale that is inhabited by colorful characters, describing their needs and motivations in a way to make them truly come alive on the pages. These needs and motivations define the way the story unfolds, each person's characteristics a vital part of the plot. Sometimes scary, sad, beautiful or even tragicomic this is a story that might very well happen in real life but at the same time might not-because among the humanity of it all one has to ask oneself; is the Devil real?
Warmly recommended for its warmth, humor and thought-provoking ending.
Warmly recommended for its warmth, humor and thought-provoking ending.
December 30, 2019
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fairly fast enjoyable read. Following a small group of clergymen who are needed to carry out an exorcism. The story switches between each of them & their 'antics'.
I really enjoyed the different personalities of all the different characters & how at different times they clashed. I also really enjoyed the overall feeling of the book, as going into it blind I thought it would be a more serious book following a religious event but let me tell you I laughed out loud a good few times whilst reading.
Overall if your looking for something a bit different to read then I recommend this book!
This was a fairly fast enjoyable read. Following a small group of clergymen who are needed to carry out an exorcism. The story switches between each of them & their 'antics'.
I really enjoyed the different personalities of all the different characters & how at different times they clashed. I also really enjoyed the overall feeling of the book, as going into it blind I thought it would be a more serious book following a religious event but let me tell you I laughed out loud a good few times whilst reading.
Overall if your looking for something a bit different to read then I recommend this book!
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