Pandemonium is Daryl Gregory‘s first novel.

Plot:
When he was a little boy, Del was possessed by a demon – a not-uncommon occurrence since the 1950s. The demon was finally exorcised but then Del, now adult, gets into a car accident and that seems to shake something loose in his head. Something that’s desperately trying to get out. It seems that the exorcism didn’t work that well after all. But that just puts Del on the map for the Human League who are trying to rid humanity of the demonic epidemic.

Pandemonium honestly surprised me. I expected a different book than what I got. One that wasn’t as smart or as good. Surprises like this really should happen more often.

When I took Pandemonium from the shelf, I did so thinking that it would be a read that didn’t take up too much of my brain space, but that it would be quick and entertaining. And it was both very entertaining and I tore through it in a matter of hours. But it was much brainier than I expected it to be. I just didn’t expect the direction it was going at all – which was a good direction to take, no doubt about it.

Quite apart from that, I very much like Del and his brother. Their relationship feels very real, very sibling-y. And Mother Mariette was great, too, though I wasn’t that happy about the romantic turn of her relationship with Del. It was clear that it was coming, so I could prepare myself and didn’t mind it that much but I would have preferred if they had done without.

I love how Gregory incorporates pop culture into his world in the form of his demons. Those demon descriptions and episodes interspersed through the story are generally beautiful, in a creepy, creepy way. I had goosebumps for most of the time during the book.

Summarizing: If you have any love for demons and/or pop culture, you should totally read it.