Review of The Demon of the Well

[zainherb]

[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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I love poetry; the combination of functionality and aesthetics found only in poems. That the poet writes with attention to both content and style makes poems extra special to me. Over time, I have tried many poetry books and found myself getting lost and bored within the first few lines. This happens often enough, that I wonder sometimes if I perhaps I am losing my taste for poetry. Then I stumble across a poetry book that reaffirms for me the presence of that love of poems. This is one such book.

In The Demon of the Well, a youngster whose name we do not know, tells us about an old trader. He found this trader intriguing; the trader’s robe sparkled sometimes and his eyes glinted. He and his friends would hang around this trader’s shop, asking to hear his story. After declining multiple times, the trader finally told them his story.

He told them of how he had travelled far, beyond a place in the desert called Devil’s Hills to a place called Devil’s Springs. In exchange for a magic cup found in Devil’s Springs, he sold his soul to a demon, then regretted it soon after. Now, because of this folly, for 18 years, the demon has caused drought. There has been no rain, and the vegetation has suffered. The old trader needs to go back to the demon to take his soul back, but who will help him, and what will he give for his soul?

James B. Hendricks wrote this story in clear lyrical poems. Although the metre changed occasionally, I believe most of the lines were in iambic tetrameter. The plot was interesting, and gripping; I didn’t want it to finish and yet I could not stop reading once I started. The ending was rather unexpected. The poems told the story succinctly while rhyming prettily. This was my favourite part of the book. The editor did a fantastic job as there was not a single typographical and grammatical error in the book. I also loved that there were no irrelevant details that usually serve as fillers in prose.

There was nothing I disliked about the book. The Demon of the Well gets four out of four stars for the abovementioned reasons. Those who love poetry will love this book. If you are one of those who are tired of reading poems, the meanings of which escape you, or poems that do not rhyme, you will enjoy this one. Children and adults both can read this book. If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be epic. The author said in the introduction that he spent years putting this book together. I’ll say it was time well-spent. I certainly hope he writes more so I can read them.

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The Demon of the Well
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[Dzejn_Crvena]

Perfect timing! I recently read a poem. Now I'm going to try this one because it sounds like an engaging book to read. I'm new to reading poetry, so I hope this will keep me entertained. Thanks for your detailed review.

[zainherb]

Perfect timing! I recently read a poem. Now I'm going to try this one because it sounds like an engaging book to read. I'm new to reading poetry, so I hope this will keep me entertained. Thanks for your detailed review.

I highly recommend it.
Thanks for reading and commenting.