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A review by historic_chronicles
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty.
"Perhaps evil is the crucible of goodness...and perhaps even Satan - Satan, in spite of himself - somehow serves to work out the will of God."
There are very few people who have not heard of the blockbuster sensation The Exorcist and its movie legacy. Genre-defining, it can be difficult to truly emphasise how impactful William Peter Blatty's novel was to the world of horror. However, it created a sub-genre of its own, amassing a cult-like following that still proves extremely popular to this day.
While filming for her latest movie in Georgetown, actress Chris McNeil begins to experience drastic changes with her usually sweet-natured eleven-year-old daughter, Regan. Beset by foul language, amnesia, and sudden violent outbursts while medical professionals fail to discover the cause behind Regan's condition. Pushed by her desperation, Chris turns to a troubled priest and psychiatrist, Damian Karras, but what he will encounter will be beyond his greatest fears.
After having had a very mixed experience with audiobooks in the past, I decided to give The Exorcist a go in this format. Narrated by the author himself, I was captivated from the start. To hear a book read by the author themselves is a beautiful thing. William Peter Blatty truly read his novel in the way that he intended it to be read. His voice was chillingly calm, which allowed the tension to build to an almost unbearable height. The level of dread I had throughout this book was overpowering.
This is a book that must be read at some point during every horror fan's life, regardless of whether you end up enjoying it or not. Should you happen to pick it up, I will recommend the audiobook version as it has managed to change my opinion on audiobooks completely, but there is currently a beautiful edition just released by @harperperennial in their Olive Editions - I very much have my eye on this!
As the seasons shift and Halloween edges closer, I like to read more themed books in between the history-related works. There is no doubt that this book was the perfect starter to the spooky books collection.
"Perhaps evil is the crucible of goodness...and perhaps even Satan - Satan, in spite of himself - somehow serves to work out the will of God."
There are very few people who have not heard of the blockbuster sensation The Exorcist and its movie legacy. Genre-defining, it can be difficult to truly emphasise how impactful William Peter Blatty's novel was to the world of horror. However, it created a sub-genre of its own, amassing a cult-like following that still proves extremely popular to this day.
While filming for her latest movie in Georgetown, actress Chris McNeil begins to experience drastic changes with her usually sweet-natured eleven-year-old daughter, Regan. Beset by foul language, amnesia, and sudden violent outbursts while medical professionals fail to discover the cause behind Regan's condition. Pushed by her desperation, Chris turns to a troubled priest and psychiatrist, Damian Karras, but what he will encounter will be beyond his greatest fears.
After having had a very mixed experience with audiobooks in the past, I decided to give The Exorcist a go in this format. Narrated by the author himself, I was captivated from the start. To hear a book read by the author themselves is a beautiful thing. William Peter Blatty truly read his novel in the way that he intended it to be read. His voice was chillingly calm, which allowed the tension to build to an almost unbearable height. The level of dread I had throughout this book was overpowering.
This is a book that must be read at some point during every horror fan's life, regardless of whether you end up enjoying it or not. Should you happen to pick it up, I will recommend the audiobook version as it has managed to change my opinion on audiobooks completely, but there is currently a beautiful edition just released by @harperperennial in their Olive Editions - I very much have my eye on this!
As the seasons shift and Halloween edges closer, I like to read more themed books in between the history-related works. There is no doubt that this book was the perfect starter to the spooky books collection.