Review by Olabode Joshua -- The Demon of the Well

Olabode Joshua · Post by **Olabode Joshua** » 12 Sep 2020, 14:09

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

4 out of 4 stars

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How do you trick a demon into releasing your soul? Do you offer him a greater gift? Do you challenge him to a fight? Obtain the answer by grabbing your copy of The Demon of the Well by James B. Hendricks.

The Demon of the Well is a fantasy story written in a poetic form with rhyming verses right from the prologue to the epilogue. It tells the story of a trader who joins two brothers on a journey to find a magic cup capable of giving its possessor knowledge of the future. However, as they arrive at Devil's Springs, the location of the magic cup, the brothers decide to kill the trader. Unfortunately for the trader, he trips while fleeing from them, but he quickly uses this to his advantage and asks the brothers to leave him alone since there was no way he could survive the desert with a sprained ankle. Luckily, they fell for the ruse and agreed to his request. Unknown to them was the fact that using the cup came with its own consequences. Even worse was that a demon resided in that place. What will become of them? You'd have to find out yourself.

The biggest thing I liked about this book was its novelty. Prior to reading this book, I had yet to see a fantasy book written in a poetic form. I was spellbound right from the second page. I can't accurately describe how I felt when I got to the point where the author used the word, “yon.” It appealed to a poetic streak I didn't know I possessed. Suffice to say, I now consider myself a fan of poetry. I also liked how James Hendricks dedicated this book to the reader and his account of how he came about this poem. It was not only incredible, but it was also believable. I couldn't help but consider the possibility of the story being a fragment of some ancient town's history.

Nevertheless, I found the story to be too short. Why didn't the author go into details as to how the demon came to be a permanent fixture in Devil's Springs? Also, why didn't he provide the names of the characters? The characters would have been more relatable if they'd had names.

Notwithstanding, I rate The Demon of the Well by James B. Hendricks 4 out of 4 stars because it was unique and excellently edited. It contained neither profanity nor eroticism. I would have rated it lower, but I'm just too impressed with the combination of poetry and fantasy to rate it any lower.

Therefore, I recommend this book to every book lover out there. I also noticed that the rhythm of this book makes it a great fit for children. Consequently, The Demon of the Well can be read by anyone as long as they can comprehend its contents.

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The Demon of the Well
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Saint Bruno · Post by **Saint Bruno** » 20 Sep 2020, 04:03

Lovely to recommend to all, especially the kids. Thanks for this lovely review and recommendation.

Sou Hi · Post by **Sou Hi** » 20 Sep 2020, 21:05

Thank you for your detailed review. Sounds like this is an accurate example of the saying "What goes around comes around".

rahilshajahan · Post by **rahilshajahan** » 21 Sep 2020, 03:44

Wow! Fantasy+Poetry=Awesome. Will give this one a read soon. Thanks for an insightful review!

Ellylion · Post by **Ellylion** » 21 Sep 2020, 10:27

A fantasy story written in a poetic form sounds very intriguing

Thanks for a great review!

Drado_27 · Post by **Drado_27** » 21 Sep 2020, 13:11

I've never seen someone explore fantasy genre in a poem. Enjoyed reading your review!

Adanna Inya · Post by **Adanna Inya** » 21 Sep 2020, 18:12

Can't even imagine myself reading about demons. Lol. Beautiful review.

Olabode Joshua · Post by **Olabode Joshua** » 22 Sep 2020, 05:14

Adanna Inya wrote: ↑21 Sep 2020, 18:12 Can't even imagine myself reading about demons. Lol. Beautiful review.

Awww... C'mon it's not scary at all. The demon is just like the villains we see in children's shows.

Bigwig1973 · Post by **Bigwig1973** » 02 Oct 2020, 16:53

Nice review! Especially the first part about tricking a demon. I commented that this remined me of Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (there's also a song by Iron Maiden) and the Charlie Daniel's Band song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - the author replied that he did have or was familiar with the Coleridge piece! Kinda cool!