The Devil's Descendants

by Paul Barry

By the time I was ten I would no longer worry about Angels on my shoulder. I would no longer believe there was a tally of my deeds, both good and ill. I would no longer believe in Heaven, or Hell, or God or the Devil. The Saints would hold no special place in my heart.By age ten I was no idiot.I did not believe.But I was an idiot.And so were theyThey tell you that Hell is vast.They tell you that Hell is a place of agonising torment.They tell you that Hell is the fate that awaits the wicked.And they tell you that Hell is a prison for all eternity.Idiots.They only got it half right.

334 pages, Paperback

Published August 23, 2018

About the author

Paul Barry is an author of one book so far. And it's pretty short. He works as a software engineer and lives in Cork (in Ireland) with his wife, son and delusions of grandeur. He likes eating and spends an inordinate amount of time thinking about food and all the books he is planning on writing, but has just not gotten to yet.

Reviews

[Zally (ZenithMeridian)]

Nice use of the supernatural as potential metaphor in this one and the blend of the fantastical and real world is lovely. The other thing that makes this blend really work for me is Thomas, our 10 year old protagonist. Kids blend reality and make believe all the time and it is easy to imagine this child either truly experiencing the super natural OR, framing his own abuse in a way his young mind understands.

There is an actual supernatural element, I just like seeing other options as well as I read.

The ending was a little abrupt like other reviews have stated but it was not totally jarring. Frustrating yes, but not jarring. Overall this book was entertaining, not mind blowing but a good weekend read nonetheless.

[Cormac Smyth]

'The Devil's Descendants' is short, but fiercely engaging, as Thomas takes us inside his head as he journeys, through mystery, family, school, friendship and belief, to an unexpected coming of age (of sorts).

I picked it up and didn't put it down until I had finished it, and it reminded me of 'The Golden Compass' and 'Assassin's Apprentice'.

Very much looking forward to Book 2.

[Kelly Knapp]

Life Sucks!

Thomas is a 10 year old boy living in a strict home. His father is kind and loving but as a traveling merchant is gone more than home. Thomas' mother is a religious woman who does not believe in sparing the rod, but it is the bully at school that mars his happiness and sets the future. What lessons will Thomas learn?

[Sarah]

Very good read, nicely paced & well written. The fantasy element is not over-done with just enough detail to provide a grounding for the plot & character development. I enjoyed the restraint of the ending which was satisfying but at the same time left me looking forward to book 2.

[Aileen]

An excellent book, it is fast paced and with really great characters I can't wait for the next installment of the series.

[Kristy]

Review

The book explained characters well. I was not prepared for what I saw as an abrupt ending. It seems like this book should be continued to another book but no mention of that