Review – Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 304 pages
Publisher: Del Ray
Release Date: August 26, 2008
ISBN-13: 978-0345501165
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

“It is a world like our own in every respect . . . save one. In the 1950s, random acts of possession begin to occur. Ordinary men, women, and children are the targets of entities that seem to spring from the depths of the collective unconscious, pop-cultural avatars some call demons. There’s the Truth, implacable avenger of falsehood. The Captain, brave and self-sacrificing soldier. The Little Angel, whose kiss brings death, whether desired or not. And a string of others, ranging from the bizarre to the benign to the horrific.

As a boy, Del Pierce is possessed by the Hellion, an entity whose mischief-making can be deadly. With the help of Del’s family and a caring psychiatrist, the demon is exorcised . . . or is it? Years later, following a car accident, the Hellion is back, trapped inside Del’s head and clamoring to get out.

Del’s quest for help leads him to Valis, an entity possessing the science fiction writer formerly known as Philip K. Dick; to Mother Mariette, a nun who inspires decidedly unchaste feelings; and to the Human League, a secret society devoted to the extermination of demons. All believe that Del holds the key to the plague of possession–and its solution. But for Del, the cure may be worse than the disease.”

This was an interesting urban fantasy type book about an alternate world where a set of demons periodically possess people. It’s a stand alone book and a creative read, but was a little hard to follow at times.

Parts of the story get a bit ambiguous and hard to follow; Del is struggling with his reality and some other realities which can be a bit tough to keep track of. However, it ended up being a decent story that kept my attention up to the end.

I really enjoyed the world-building. I also loved how supportive Del’s family was despite him going through some pretty rough stuff throughout the story. I also thought the twist at the end was interesting and completely unpredictable without seeming contrived.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It was a creative urban fantasy read with some amazing world-building, an engaging story, and characters that are flawed but still surprisingly likable. I would recommend to those who enjoy gritty urban fantasy that’s a bit ambiguous at times.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Goodreads Reading Challenge
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge