Only the Devil Is Here

Michell’s mystical horror novel is a promising debut that leads off with a shocking kidnapping and rarely pauses for breath. Evan is a six-year-old child abducted by Rook, a terrifying brute. After killing Evan’s foster parents, Rook warns the boy, “I’m faster and stronger than any normal man... I am like no other thing in this world.” Rook is “one with the darkness,” a man with supernatural abilities that come at a price: every use of his power costs him a piece of his memory. Evan quickly learns that he is the target of a mysterious religious order, and the ferocious Rook is the only thing standing in its way. As the duo flee dangerous priests and people possessed by demons across a frigid Canadian landscape towards an unknown destination, Michell subtly upends expectations with a genuinely insightful examination of the essence of good and evil. By the novel’s end, Michell delivers an invigorating chase story, a suspenseful horror-action hybrid with memorably warped characters, and terrific B-movie cinematic flair. (Jan.)