God's Demon
by Wayne Barlowe
352 pp. Tor. $24.95
Reviewed by Paul Stotts
Writing a novel about Hell is an extremely challenging endeavor, since the author is speculating about the primal mystery of human existence—death. To be intrinsically human is to ponder: what happens at the moment of my death? This question naturally leads every human to visualize an afterlife, even if they conceive there is not one. Religion and theology unify these personal visualizations of an afterlife into one coherent descriptive idea.
In Christian theology, Hell is the punitive afterworld filled with fallen angels and tortured souls. The modern visualization of Hell comes overwhelmingly from John Milton’s classical poem “
Wayne Barlowe’s “God’s Demon” resides in the overwhelming shadow cast by John Milton, and the novel intelligently embraces this fact. Barlowe follows upon
In the novel, Hell is a network of different wards, varying in size and political power, with each ruled solely by their Demon-Major. This ruling class of Demon-Majors owes allegiance to the ruler of Hell, Prince Beelzebub, who rules in Lucifer’s stead. Each ward has its own political, civic and martial organizations with various demons fulfilling these tasks. Human souls, tyrannized by their demon overlords, are used for manual labor, or even worse, transformed into the ‘bricks’ that constitute the buildings of Hell. Lord Sargatanas is the ruler of Adamantinarx-Upon-The-Acheron, the glowing jewel of Hell’s cities. He remains tortured by the Fall, restless, and searching for a greater meaning in his existence. Convinced of the possibility of redemption, Sargatanas strives to regain what has been lost, the Above. Struggling against the confines of Hell, Sargatanas must battle Beelzebub for the ultimate control of Hell. With his closest confidantes, Eligor and Valefar, the human Soul-General Hannibal, and the consort, Lilith, Lord Sargatanas assembles an army to challenge the ruler of Hell. But will he succeed in overthrowing Beelzebub? Can he be redeemed and, once again, return to the Above?
The imagery of the book is unique and well-imagined, giving the reader a comprehensive panorama of Hell. Barlowe, who is a well-renowned artist, paints as effectively with his words as with his brushes. The cities of Dis, ruled by Beelzebub, and Adamantinarx are lovingly described to the point of being their own characters, full of life and a real presence. The contrast between the characterization of Dis and Adamantinarx further reflects upon the vast differences between their respective rulers, Beelzebub and Sargatanas. Dis is a city of despair, while Adamantinarx is a city of hope. The characters, too, are vividly described. Beelzebub, whose physical form is constituted by thousands of flies, has a true alien presence and an evilness beyond logical comprehension. Sargatanas is majestic and lordly, a gentle king who is tortured by a conflicted soul. There is a shallowness and lack of complexity to the characters, once the reader has moved beyond the amazing imagery, though. Some depth to the demon characters would have greatly helped, since I did not feel emotionally invested in them.
The story unfolds through multiple points of view. Insight into the main characters most often arises out of the perception of them by the point of view character. This narrative structure may be the greatest hindrance to establishing a greater depth to the characters. At heart, “God’s Demon” is a straightforward tale of good versus evil without many turns in the middle. It is Barlowe’s vivid imagery of Hell which makes the novel what it ultimately is: a simple, but well-imagined story.
Last Word:
“God’s Demon” is a fascinating visualization of Hell. Barlowe concentrates on his strengths, description and imagination, in his telling of the battle for Hell. The story is simple, classical in nature, and the characterization lacks real depth. Despite these flaws, Wayne Barlowe’s “God’s Demon” is an above-average novel, particularly for its superior achievement in visualization.
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