Originally published at Fangoria.com on November 16, 2009
DEMON DAYS, written by D.L. Snell and Richard Finney, delivers paranoid thrills into an end-of the-world scenario. This is a race against time for a young woman who must prevent the apocalyptic prophecy from coming true.
Sandy and her fiancé, Tom, are suddenly thrust into a dangerous battle against demonic, dark forces. While enjoying themselves on a relaxing vacation, the lives of the loving couple are completely changed after they end up in a horrible helicopter accident. Sandy comes away from the wreckage with a few cuts and bruises but Tom is not so fortunate. His appearance and personality is suddenly altered after having a near death experience.
During his profound near death experience, Tom believes he saw an angel surrounded by brilliant light. The angelic figure calmly reassured him it was not his time to leave. Tom has a higher purpose now as he is meant to serve the Angel of Light. But this was not a heavenly encounter with an angel. Instead Sandy’s fiancé was saved by a demon and he is now being manipulated to bring about the apocalypse.
I liked the premise about people who have had near death experiences being used as vessels for diabolical purposes. I expected the story to delve more into this but instead the novel turns into a religious/conspiracy thriller. Sandy uses her vast resources as a journalist to uncover clues about an imminent assassination plot, which Tom is ordered to become a part of. Chapters 12 to 15 become a nail-biting page turner when the investigation leads Sandy being trapped in an excrement-covered basement.
The novel climaxes with a surprising plot twist but leaves the reader wanting more with its open-ending. The abrupt conclusion asks the reader to return for the upcoming sequel. What hurts the novel most is that I felt like I was only reading half a story, which is why I am uncertain if the series is meant to be epic in scope.
Authors Richard Finney and D.L. Snell crafted a spell-binding tale with a plot twist I was not expecting. DEMON DAYS is a good, fast read comprised of conspiracy theories but leaves a lot of details unresolved at the conclusion. For those who want to continue, they should look for the follow-up: DEMON DAYS: ANGEL OF LIGHT.
For more information about DEMON DAYS, check these websites: http://www.finneyandsnell.com/ and http://www.ape-entertainment.com/
