gilda_elise

On the hottest Fourth of July weekend in decades, two men have come to Hopewell, Illinois, site of a lengthy, bitter steel strike. One is a demon, dark servant of the Void, who will use the anger and frustration of the community to attain a terrible secret goal. The other is John Ross, a Knight of the Word, a man who, while he sleeps, lives in the hell the world will become if he fails to change its course on waking. Ross has been given the ability to see the future. But does he have the power to change it?

At stake is the soul of a fourteen-year-old girl mysteriously linked to both men. And the lives of the people of Hopewell. And the future of the country. This Fourth of July, while friends and families picnic in Sinnissippi Park and fireworks explode in celebration of freedom and independence, the fate of Humanity will be decided . . .

A novel that weaves together family drama, fading innocence, cataclysm, and enlightenment, Running with the Demon will forever change the way you think about the fantasy novel. As believable as it is imaginative, as wondrous as it is frightening, it is a rich, exquisitely-written tale to be savored long after the last page is turned.

This is the beginning. Long before there was Shannara, or at least before it had come out of the shadows, there was our world. But our world may be ending, and humans could be going with it. It’s up to a lame man and a young girl to see that that doesn’t happen.

As with Armageddon’s Children, I find Brooks’ “real world” books so much more intriguing than those of Shannara. The characters seem more real, more fleshed out, and more complex. John Ross has only limited powers, and Next Hopewell been taught not to use hers. While the story is one of good vs evil, those around them are also fleshed out, not just cardboard cutouts to prop up the two main characters. You want them to survive as well. But, as with most of Brooks’ books, some do, some don’t.

While technically fantasy, the book veers into horror, as does all evil. The story is forceful and enthralling; I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.