Review by OB Brian -- The Demon of the Well

[OB Brian]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Demon of the Well" by James B. Hendricks.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Demon of the Well by James B. Hendricks is a fantasy story that takes place in the Tarim region of Xinjiang province of China, centuries ago. It is divided into two parts and is from a first-person perspective.

In the first part - The Trader's Story - an old trader narrates the adventure of his youth to the Devil's Springs. While en-route to a distant city on business, the trader encountered two ex-soldiers, searching for an ancient magical chalice. The trader joined the quest as a guide since the former soldiers had lost their way. He hoped to acquire the cup for himself and end the war that had devastated his home. Obtaining the goblet turned out to be more difficult than he expected, as its location was in the realm of the wily, yellow demon of the well.

The second part (The Second Journey) takes place several years after the expedition of the trader and soldiers. A youth accompanies the old trader back to the well to retrieve something he lost. Can he face the guileful demon of the well? Will he get that which he craves?

The Demon of the Well by James B. Hendricks is a lovely narration. The author structured it like a poem, and explains, in the introduction, why he adopted this approach. The stanzas are simple, with each made of four lines that rhyme to create musicality. The poem comprises a prologue, kernel, and epilogue. The core further splits into the two adventures aforementioned. The two tales are a flashback within a flashback and a flashback, an aspect I liked most.

The author described the novel in short and simple lines, yet detailed enough to imbue in a reader a picture of the settings, events, and mannerisms of the characters. He used basic English in his writing, making the poem easy to understand. Moreover, he employed humour at one point or another, which made the poem a joyous read. Furthermore, each page of the book contained five stanzas that made it appealing to the eye.

There was nothing I disliked about The Demon of the Well. The editors of the book did a commendable job; I only encountered a single error in the entire text, which did not interfere with my reading. Also, the book was devoid of vulgarity and sexual content. By writing the book like a poem, the author broke the monotony of continuous prose that is characteristic of fantasy novels. Plus, the narration was original and straightforward. Accordingly, I score The Demon of the Well by James B. Hendricks at four out of four stars. I recommend it to lovers of poetry and fiction. Since it does not undermine any moral values, The Demon of the Well can be enjoyed both by youngsters and adults.

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The Demon of the Well
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[AnnOgochukwu]

I've just finished reading this book and I can testify that it deserves 4 stars. I enjoyed reading your review, it really captured the essence of this work.