Review of The Devil's Eclipse
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Shivangi barik
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Review of The Devil's Eclipse
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Devil's Eclipse" by Christopher Williams.]
The Devil’s Eclipse is an anthology series by Christopher Williams that comprises several stories about things that go bump in the night. A demon makes sure a deranged, perverse ex-military officer gets his due. A fervent, religious wife starts having feelings towards the Pastor, who is not who he appears to be. Sick and tired of the racism they face, a woman of color decides to take a drastic step to win back their neighborhood. An infestation of insects gets out of control. A house with a dark corner, both literally and figuratively, refuses to be exorcised. The military abuses their experimental prowess, which backfires eventually. Shapeshifting, man-eating aliens visit our planet and are in for a surprise.
Not for the faint of heart, the stories in this book are undeniably not ones we come across on a regular basis. These are intense stories that bring to light certain darker aspects of the human psyche which are not often discussed about. The unexpected twists and shocking endings constantly keep the reader on edge.
It is rather difficult to find any positive aspect of this book. Whereas, there are several downsides to it. To begin with, the stories are needlessly gruesome and disturbing, especially since there is no warning beforehand. It is mentioned that the book contains stories of the horror variety, but there are several themes in the book, such as sexual abuse, which may be a trigger for certain people, and require prior warnings.
The book is also littered with over a dozen errors. There are errors in spelling, punctuation, general grammar, and sentence formation. In addition to these, the stories are chock-full of instances where the sentence is not grammatically incorrect but does not fit well either. The words successfully convey the meaning the author wanted but do not befit the sentence. In an attempt to write complex, intricate sentences, the author has often misused words and phrases, which reduces the readability of the story. Some such phrases used are, ‘floundering coat’, ‘in excess of thirteen years' and ‘barrage of moles’.
Furthermore, the book has not been professionally edited. On several occasions, it seems to be written almost heedlessly. There are sentences where the same word has been used twice, once with the correct spelling, and once with an incorrect variety.
The insensitive stories, lack of prior trigger warnings, and error-ridden writing cause me to rate Christopher Williams’ The Devil’s Eclipse 1 out of 4 stars.
The book can be read by readers of ages 18 and above as it contains several sensitive themes, inappropriate language, and graphic descriptions of violence which would be unsuitable for younger audiences. However, I would not recommend it to anyone as the stories have extremely gruesome, disturbing, and graphic content that can be traumatizing for certain readers.
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The Devil's Eclipse
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Devil’s Eclipse is an anthology series by Christopher Williams that comprises several stories about things that go bump in the night. A demon makes sure a deranged, perverse ex-military officer gets his due. A fervent, religious wife starts having feelings towards the Pastor, who is not who he appears to be. Sick and tired of the racism they face, a woman of color decides to take a drastic step to win back their neighborhood. An infestation of insects gets out of control. A house with a dark corner, both literally and figuratively, refuses to be exorcised. The military abuses their experimental prowess, which backfires eventually. Shapeshifting, man-eating aliens visit our planet and are in for a surprise.
Not for the faint of heart, the stories in this book are undeniably not ones we come across on a regular basis. These are intense stories that bring to light certain darker aspects of the human psyche which are not often discussed about. The unexpected twists and shocking endings constantly keep the reader on edge.
It is rather difficult to find any positive aspect of this book. Whereas, there are several downsides to it. To begin with, the stories are needlessly gruesome and disturbing, especially since there is no warning beforehand. It is mentioned that the book contains stories of the horror variety, but there are several themes in the book, such as sexual abuse, which may be a trigger for certain people, and require prior warnings.
The book is also littered with over a dozen errors. There are errors in spelling, punctuation, general grammar, and sentence formation. In addition to these, the stories are chock-full of instances where the sentence is not grammatically incorrect but does not fit well either. The words successfully convey the meaning the author wanted but do not befit the sentence. In an attempt to write complex, intricate sentences, the author has often misused words and phrases, which reduces the readability of the story. Some such phrases used are, ‘floundering coat’, ‘in excess of thirteen years' and ‘barrage of moles’.
Furthermore, the book has not been professionally edited. On several occasions, it seems to be written almost heedlessly. There are sentences where the same word has been used twice, once with the correct spelling, and once with an incorrect variety.
The insensitive stories, lack of prior trigger warnings, and error-ridden writing cause me to rate Christopher Williams’ The Devil’s Eclipse 1 out of 4 stars.
The book can be read by readers of ages 18 and above as it contains several sensitive themes, inappropriate language, and graphic descriptions of violence which would be unsuitable for younger audiences. However, I would not recommend it to anyone as the stories have extremely gruesome, disturbing, and graphic content that can be traumatizing for certain readers.
******
The Devil's Eclipse
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Phobia Relief by Kalliope Barlis
