IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award winner 2009, World Fantasy Award nominee 2009, Mythopoeic Fantasy Award nominee 2009, The Shirley Jackson Award nominee 2009.
It is a world like our own in every respect... save one. In the
1950s, random acts of possession begin to occur. Ordinary men, women,
and children are the targets of entities that seem to spring from the
depths of the collective unconscious, pop-cultural avatars some call
demons. There's the Truth, implacable avenger of falsehood. The
Captain, brave and self-sacrificing soldier. The Little Angel, whose
kiss brings death, whether desired or not. And a string of others,
ranging from the bizarre to the benign to the horrific.
As a
boy, Del Pierce is possessed by the Hellion, an entity whose
mischief-making can be deadly. With the help of Del's family and a
caring psychiatrist, the demon is exorcised... or is it? Years
later, following a car accident, the Hellion is back, trapped inside
Del's head and clamoring to get out.
Del's quest for help leads
him to Valis, an entity possessing the science fiction writer formerly
known as Philip K. Dick; to Mother Mariette, a nun who inspires
decidedly unchaste feelings; and to the Human League, a secret society
devoted to the extermination of demons. All believe that Del holds the
key to the plague of possession – and its solution. But for Del, the cure
may be worse than the disease.
"Look out, Lethem! Daryl
Gregory mixes pop culture and pathos, flavoring it with Philip K. Dick.
Pandemonium possesses every quality you want in a great novel, and the
good news is it's only his debut." – Charles Coleman Finlay, Hugo and Nebula Award-nominated author of The Prodigal Troll
