Review by holsam_87 -- Demon Freaks

[holsam_87]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Demon Freaks" by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Demon Freaks by J. R. R. R. (Jim) Harrison is very unique take on the paranormal fiction genre. It makes fun of a lot the typical horror tropes, such as demon possession and the forces of darkness. It was kind of like Monty Python, but instead of knights and kings it was with teenagers that are part of a band that were battling evil warlocks and monsters. Plus, also they were just trying to do was study for their SATs.

The main characters are twins Bing and Ron Slaughter, and their friends Prathamesh "Meat" Kimitri and Kaitlyn Krimpsen. These four are part of a band where Bing is the band frontier, Ron is the backup singer, Meat is the drummer and Kaitlyn is the keyboard player. The boys decide to meet up at Meat's family cabin after school to study for the SATs that are set to take place the next morning. While they wait for Kaitlyn, they decide to play some of their songs.

However, as they're about to start playing, a freak thunderstorm starts and they notice a person coming to the cabin. Turns out, its their hated history teacher, except that he has been possessed by a dagger of all things. That's when all the excitement really kicks into high gear. Mr. Brom is being chased by the Servants of Darkness or "SOD" who are trying to get the dagger back from him.

I really don't want to go into too much more detail because a lot more happens. I will say this, there is a big showdown between the forces of good and evil. The kids all have a lot of self reflection and clarity because they all face life and death multiple times throughout the night. It does seem pretty intense at times, but that's what drew me in from the very beginning.

Like I said before, Demon Freaks is fun, campy, and adventurous. It does have lots of references to popular culture such as Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, since there is a legion of evil and a possessed dagger like "The One Ring" that controls others to do its bidding. I was completely absorbed from the very beginning. If more of Mr. Hardison's books are like this, then I would like to read them.

Some things that people probably won't like are how often Ron exclaims 'Jesus Christ' and the fact that Bing questions about whether God exists or not since its pretty obvious that demons and monsters do exist. Another thing that they might not like is the connotation of rituals and magic. There's also the fact that golfers are shown as being evil. If you can overlook these things, then this book will be the one for you.

4 out of 4 stars is what this book deserves, if I were to award it any less, it would be appalling. It

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Demon Freaks
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