Dorkgasm Gonzo Is God

            Everyone knows at least something about the Fall. As children and adults, we've all heard the tales of Lucifer and his war with God that resulted in all of the rebellious angels being cast down into the Abyss. Wayne Barlowe asks an exceptionally interesting question with his novel God's Demon. How long is long enough to be punished?

            The story begins with Eligor, a demon who has been through something awful. As he settles back into his life, we are treated to the story of his master, the Demon Lord Sargatanas. Sargatanas is one of the angels cast down from Heaven who has been charged with taking care of the myriad souls imparted into Hell's burning landscape. Using souls as building blocks, he created his city masterpiece Adamantinarx-Upon-The-Archeron. However, the Demon Lord did not rest easily, and his millennia-long struggle with his own remembrance of the Lord's countenance begins to weigh heavily on his own mind. Meanwhile Beelzebub, the Lord of Flies, is beginning to sense some resistance to his mandates from Sargatanas and begins to plot the downfall of Adamantinarx and Sargatanas.

            Of course, events can only get more interesting from this point. While Sargatanas begins to plan his rebellion against the throne, the long-forgotten first wife of Adam, Lilith, and a soul whose identity is truly surprising aids him. There are abundant political intrigues, philosophical discussions aplenty, and actual romance, too. Rest assured, though, when this book decides to get dirty, it gets really dirty. There are battles in this book that make it the supernatural equivalent of Gettysburg, depicted with an amazing depth of strategy, a solid amount of action, and gore that should keep any horror fan happy. In the end, there is a resolution that sat well with me, but may give other readers pause as it is not really an ending, but a beginning.

            The level of detail in this book is incredible. Barlowe has created a Hell so visually stimulating that I felt that I could see it in my mind while I was reading the book. Not only is the landscape of Hell so intricately depicted, but the denizens of the fiery abyss are written in the same visually descriptive language. If that were not enough, the author has also painted several key scenes and characters which can be accessed on the God's Demon website. The daily activities of demons and souls alike are shown to be as mundane as ours, yet with deeper meaning at times. One of the most interesting factors in this book, though, is the political climate of Hell. It is simply amazing to read the level of detail put into the varying ranks and fiefdoms down below, and Barlowe has clearly put a lot of work into the development of this world. I shudder to think about all the time spent crafting this world, as it feels like the work of years spent in development. John Milton of Paradise Lost fame is quoted much, and it shows that Milton influenced this book in some way. When Milton wrote “Awake, arise, or be forever fall'n”, he may well have been commenting on Sargatanas's plight directly.

            If you could not tell by the amounts of praise I seem to be throwing at this book, I highly recommend it to everyone reading this review. The idea of redemption amongst demons will more than likely provoke some excellent conversations with literary types, while the crash-boom-bang of all the battles will no doubt thrill those looking for a more exciting read. With sex, romance, blood, redemption, and vengeance on the table, I am one hundred percent sure that everyone can find what they are looking for in this book.