"With THE WAKENING, Faherty delivers a demonic possession tale done right. Chilling supernatural events and depictions of pure evil populate a story that spans decades without effort. This story of characters, both tragic and heroic, converging from across the country to keep a powerful demon at bay will keep you turning pages deep into the night, which is the worst possible time to read a book this unnerving."
"Another excellent book with three dimensional characters, well written plot and a narrative that never bores but excites. A definite must read."
The Literary License Podcast
Strap in tight for JG Faherty’s THE WAKENING—it’s a wild ride that spins through forty years of demonic possession, giving the traditional ‘good versus evil’ a 180-degree twist of the head when the saviors aren’t so saintly, and the demon draws the characters in like moths to a flame that turns out to be a blow torch. Told in a countdown style that's effectively nerve-jangling, there’s lots for horror lovers to chew on.
Praise for HELLRIDER:
"I've been a fan of JG Faherty's for many years now, and his latest book is just what you'd expect. Unlikely heroes, unexpected monsters, endless twists and turns—you really can't go wrong with Faherty when you're looking for a scary read!"
"Forget Captain Howdy (The Exorcist). JG Faherty has taken possession to a terrifying new level. Read this with holy water close at hand!"
"With this epic story, J.G. Faherty lays out a cornucopia of horrific delights, a demon dripping with evil and, as for the town... Let’s just say that should you find yourself on the highway and see a turning sign for Hastings Mills, keep on driving. As far away and as fast as you can."
2022-07-21
Asmodeus, known as the prince of demons, pledged its vengeance on the Rev. Leo Bonaventura five decades ago, and has come to Earth to claim its prize. The story is told over the course of a half-century, starting with the inciting incident—in which Bonaventura exorcised Asmodeus from the body of a 12-year-old boy in Guatemala—and moving forward. It jumps ahead a decade with each chapter and visiting locales around the world to show how various characters—including ghost hunters in Hastings Mills, New York, and feared Ohio twin sisters Claudia and Shari, who have very unusual abilities—arrive at the same place with the same goal of eradicating the demon. Mysterious, disturbing events ramp up over time, from spontaneous suicides and unexplained murders to a student séance gone awry and bizarre weather events, adding to a sense of growing chaos. The prose is engaging and suspenseful throughout, and the descriptions, particularly of scenes of demonic possession, are often vivid: “Dazzling bursts of white light exploded from the rafters. Everywhere they appeared, flames flickered to life across the aged wood. The townspeople tumbled over, their eyes burned away. Swarms of beetles emerged from the sockets and skittered across the floor.” Amid such fireworks, the character relationships also feel convincing. However, the offbeat chronology and shifting third-person character perspectives sometimes make the story difficult to follow. Along the way, the narrative strongly addresses themes of guilt and how it relates to religion; for example, one major character, also a priest, is an abuser of young children, and the work disturbingly delves into his thought process: “Ain’t Christianity the best? his subconscious whispered, while he mentally recited the Hail Mary. Defile your soul for what, the hundredth time? Two hundredth? But say a few imaginary invocations and all is forgiven. You’re a clean slate again.”
A tense paranormal tale with an unusual, if sometimes-disjointed, narrative structure.
