Reviews

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

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weaponizedfun's review against another edition

4.0

This was by far not the most terrifying book I have ever read. It was a good book, and I understand why it melds with the screenplay, but there were significant parts that bothered me, which I wonder have to deal with certain 1970's prejudices and beliefs. The biggest parts of why that is to me will come across as spoilers. Did I like it, for the most part? Yes. But I never felt as creeped out as I feel I should have. I'm glad I finally read it, 3.5 stars, rounded up, because I have a bit of the soft spot for the movie.

kas3y's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

angelface777's review against another edition

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4.0

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty...

So I read the 2nd book first. Woops. In my defense I was given Legion by a friend and it says on it NOWHERE that it's a sequel. I didn't even know it was a sequel until I had about 12 pages left and I was telling Erin what the book was about.

"Angel," she says, "You're just telling me the plot of The Exorcist III."

Well then! So, I have now finished The Exorcist as well. They are VERY different books. The Exorcist is actually pretty close to the movie *shudder* Plenty of disturbing scenes in both. I basically enjoyed all the characters. Kinderman is STILL my favorite. Legion is more of a crime novel with a little sprinkling of possession for a little flavor at the end. The VERY end. I'm actually kind of surprised by how timid Legion seems compared to The Exorcist in terms of gruesome. A priest very briefly being described at beheaded and holding his own head in his lap is pretty small potatoes compared to what the author had that poor Regan doing whilst possessed.

Now I guess we have to watch The Exorcist III based on Legion (The Exorcist II). Yeesh!

hitmanmunkey's review against another edition

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3.0

always find it funny when the movie is better than the source material

jeconn71's review against another edition

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5.0

Not going to lie, this one really kept me hooked. This was a very well told, suspenseful thriller. The characters were each well defined. Everyone had enough layers where you could both differentiate, as well as relate to (save for the possessed, but she was also given solid character shades overall). The story itself was very well crafted. The author adapted his own book for the classic film, and you can definitely tell, the movie is very faithful to it. I will say certain parts of the possession play better on the screen than in literature. It’s definitely needed to set the mood, but it definitely makes you uncomfortable at times (which is definitely the point given the subject of the book). All that being said, this is an excellent read for one of the greatest Halloween movies of all time. Fans of the film, or horror fans in general, would find this book endlessly compelling. Even if you’ve seen the movie first, it’s certainly worth a read. I highly recommend this book, it’s excellent.