Necromancy of the Demon Maiden: A Gothic Tale of Podolia

by Barak A. Bassman

In the late 17th-century, in Turkish-occupied southern Poland, a kabbalist faces vicious persecution from his fellow Jews because of his secret adherence to the teachings and practices of the disgraced false messiah, Sabbatai Zevi. Forced to take refuge with a dreamy and unstable Polish count in a nearby castle, the Jewish mystic is soon forced to summon a demon maiden to fulfill the aristocrat’s yearnings for a woman with whom to live out his fantasies of walking amongst the goddesses and queens of the ancient world. But the noble lord and his reluctant necromancer quickly lose control of the demon bride–with horrific and bloody consequences.

Blending themes from heretical and messianic strains of Jewish mysticism and Gothic fiction of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Necromancy of the Demon Maiden: A Gothic Tale of Podolia is a meditation upon the temptations of fantasy and magic and the longing to find vestiges of divine goodness scattered and trapped in places of darkness.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology, Historical, Paranormal, Historical Fiction, Gothic

67 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 10, 2019

Reviews

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a Jewish Kabbalist is forced to bring the lustful fantasies of his protector to life, he uses his esoteric knowledge to summon a demon.
There is a lot going on in this novella underneath what is already a great story. Warnings about the yearning for illusions over appreciation of the life we are here to live. The fascination of magical learning as we aspire to understand the universe and come closer to touching God. The deceptions we can fall into that blind us to truth.
All in all, this is an excellent book with hidden meanings enveloped in even deeper meanings if we are willing to finds the gems obscured within. I loved it! 5 stars.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this is a GR giveaway and it’s a fun little treat. Faust but with Sabbateans, basically. If you like niche horror, this is about the nichest you can get, and I’m happy to have won it.

[Sue Knox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different and good

[Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though this review is about Bassman's Necromancy of the Demon Maiden, I feel the need to divulge that I read this short book right the same night that I finished Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco, and it's fascinating that they both have the same message, at least to me.

This book succinctly warns about the dangers of falling so deeply into fantasy that you end up creating a dangerous reality. Even if I hadn't had the Kabbalah and descent into madness/indulgence on the mind thanks to Eco, I still would have been pulled into this story.

It's a great Gothic tale that is easy to get into and I'm putting it in my pocket as a rec for other Halloween and demon loving friends because, on the surface, it's a great story. But deep down, there's a soul to this book and a warning to dreamers. Maybe that's a bleak interpretation and I'm reading into it too much, but those were my personal takeaways.

[Ira Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim volume of a book was an interesting tale based on Jewish mysticism. It tells the story of a Jewish mystic, who conjures a demon in the form of Helen of Troy, at the behest of a Polish count, who threatens to harm the Jews in his district if the mystic doesn’t cooperate. Of course, all goes downhill from there. Skillfully told.

[Bridget's Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a GoodReads giveaway book. It was an interesting quick read. It combined elements of paranormal and religion. I enjoyed it, but it would not be everyone's cup of tea.

[Hugh Pfabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** Disclosure: I received this ebook as a free giveaway through Goodreads. No requirement to give a review, or a good one, but, since I want to support authors who are trying to get their work out there, I am happy to leave an honest review. ***


I'm giving this one four stars, though I feel that it is probably more like a 3 1/2 per my personal writing style tastes, but I'm rounding up for the subject matter, which I do enjoy, as well as acknowledging that just because a style isn't one that clicks with me, personally, doesn't mean that it is bad.

The story is told through conversation, a "Then I did this..." style, but there are also sections where it is told in the third person. None of this is wrong, by any means, but I think that I would have preferred, once the narrative conceit was established, to stick with it through, with the exception of an ending that was clearly not meant to be part of the conversation. I think that that would have read better, and also would have made the ending a little more impactful.

Other than the above, the story is well-written, though the style is not completely to my taste. The way events move along, and the style of conversation, plus the elements that are skipped, remind me very much of some classic writers like Henryk Sienkiewicz, which I suspect is the intent. Unfortunately, it isn't a style that really clicks with me.

As for content, this is one that I was very much looking forward to. I am fascinated by religion, by the occult, and by Slavik history in general, and Polish history in particular. This should very much have been my book. Unfortunately, it didn't go all that deep into any of these, and a lot of these elements were rushed past quickly (not quite with a hand wave, but not much more).

I appreciate that this is the style of the writing, and this is the style of the 1800s(ish) authors that I believe are being mimicked here, but I simply wanted MORE of some things that were not this authors focus in writing this book (presumably).

Well written for the type of cautionary tale and 19th century book that I believe was intended by the author, but just not ultimately satisfying for me personal tastes.

I will, however, probably keep my eyes open for other books by this author, if for no other reason than to see if this is his style or simply the style that he thought best fit this particular tale.

[Morgan Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Necromancy of the Demon Maiden is a spooky and Gothic cautionary tale about the arrogance of two men believing that they are exempt from the throes of addiction simply because they both happen to be learned men of privilege, and the consequences of their arrogance on themselves, their loved ones and the world in general.
At just under a hundred pages, we are introduced to some very interesting and well developed main characters that demonstrate to us readers the folly of men who aspire to selfishness, fantasy and escapism instead of treasuring the overabundance of blessings they have in real life.
This book is a unique and original story, and I was left wishing that the book was longer. I recommend reading this book to anyone who is looking to read a short spooky tale of high quality and who enjoy Gothic occult and demonic stories.

[Rose Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads and I wasn't sure what to expect. It was a short story perfect for a Halloween read. I did enjoy it. It's a Jewish mystic tale with a twist. I was already engrossed in the story when the Jewish Kabalist tells the true tale later on. It was very good. I probably should have given it 3 1/2 stars or 4, but the subject matter isn't my favorite. However Bassman does a wonderful job setting up the plot and making you gasp at the end. I will most likely seek out more books by Basman.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful quick read that kept me entertained for an evening. My lasting impression is the honest self-reflection of the main character, and the very human tendencies and justifications of those involved in the tale. The setting and premise are well developed, researched, and explained without dragging the reader through too much background detail. To me it also had a very "classic" horror feel that I am partial to.

[delaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

I won it for free in a giveaway. Not what I typically read, but interesting nonetheless. I did have trouble getting through it, but, it wasn’t bad. Personally have no other opinion of it.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Goodreads giveaway

Another great story, well written, very engaging

[Julie Goodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting quick read.

[Shanon Whitfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and knowledgeable

[Alicia Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! A gothic horror at its finest! I was easily lost in the fanatical world of magic and what an amazing ride. I highly recommend to everyone. Happy reading!

[Deanna]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. It just wasn’t for me. I did DNF

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good storyline and read

[Kelsey Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book as a giveaway for kindle on goodreads.

When I read this book I was pleasantly surprised how much I really enjoyed the story! The only parts I had difficulty with were understanding when the characters were speaking or certain words that I didn't understand (Pan being one of the main ones).

[Summer ReadsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Necromancy of the Demon Maiden: A Gothic Tale of Podolia, written by Barak A Bassman- a Good Reads Giveaway Review

I’d like to start by saying although I didn’t give it a 5 star, it was an enjoyable read. Bassman has an individualistic way of encompassing Judaism and a gothic like horror story through a short synopsis of the main characters life before and after summoning a “sex demon” for his Polish count to avoid his threats. There were parts that I thought could have much more elaboration to increase the quality of the story. The key takeaway of not divulging into the forbidden fruit is an old message but one that always seems to stick.
#goodreadsgiveaway