The Official Site
Caught a glimpse of the first early, advance review of The Demonologist today (in Booklist) and…they liked it! Nice Friday weekend that-first-drink-is-actually-deserved-this-time kickoff.
“The evil of Milton’s pandemonium comes to life . . . Pyper’s novel takes on ‘things that go bump in the brain’ and delivers a stirring entry in the supernatural thriller genre.” — Booklist
Thank you to Kate Mosse – busy on the road with her new book, Citadel – for this!
“The Demonologist is that rare thing – a novel that is both genuinely terrifying and erudite. The research is excellent and lightly worn, the pace and cleverness of the plot thrilling. One of the most exciting works of fiction I’ve read for some time.”
— Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel
This is a very special day.
What? Nothing marked on your calendar? Hmmm…strange. Because today is…
Only Four Months Until The Demonologist is Published Day!
(Okay, maybe that’s only considered a big deal within a rather small circle. But still. They have Give Your Cat a Hug Days and Thank Your Dry Cleaner Days, so why not?)
In this morning’s edition of USA TODAY, there is a panel discussion among romance authors about their picks for Scariest Novel Ever. I was delighted to find there, amongst the less surprising appearances of The Exorcist, The Shining (and probably my fave) The Turn of the Screw, my own first novel, Lost Girls. (Thank you, Molly O’Keefe!)
Yes, it was a pleasant kick to start the day. But it triggered something more in me, a reflection on Lost Girls – a novel first published thirteen years ago now – and the interesting life it continues to lead. People still come up to me (not in great numbers, but with consistency) at readings or events to say what LG meant to them. (Just this past weekend, at an IFOA panel which I moderated here in Toronto, a woman – hi Maggie! – came up to have her Lost Girls signed – her second Lost Girls, as she lost her first and insisted on having it replaced).
It’s a book that has inspired a song (by the Pacific Northwest’s Green Pajamas), an art installation piece, and alternative cover art send to me by readers.
Anyway, I’m pleased that LG continues to poke its head up from time to time (or, more appropriately, thrust its dead hand up out of cold waters…) May you disturb sleep and discourage northern lake swims for years to come.
USA TODAY – Lost Girls Scariest Novel Ever Pick
Thank you, Brunonia!
— Brunonia Barry, New York Times and International Best Selling Author of The Lace Reader and The Map of True Places
Multiple Stoker Award winner Sarah Langan is another writer I admire. I think of her as a “go to” name for exemplary New Horror work – emotion-fueled, real and grounded. It’s why I was so bowled over by what she sent to my InBox this morning:
“Andrew Pyper is a rare breed. Reading The Demonologist is like running through a house on fire – you’ve got to get through; nothing will stop you. And when you’re out, brokenhearted and bewildered, you’re left wondering if what happened was real. That’s Pyper’s brilliance: he does it so well you never see the fiction. Contemporary and masterful, this is grown up horror for grown up people.”
– Sarah Langan, three-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Audrey’s Door
Michael Koryta is a different writer from me. His interests, his style, his terrain, his people are all his own. But we also share certain inclinations, particularly an interest in marrying the supernatural with the grounded, the fantastical with the visceral. It’s why his response to The Demonologist is doubly meaningful for me – they are words that come from a writer I admire, and also a writer who knows what I’m up to:
“As compelling and smoothly chilling a tale as you’ll find this year. The Demonologist shows an enormously gifted writer at the top of his game, producing a novel of eerie menace and unique depth. Those of us who write supernatural stories do not throw the names Ira Levin, William Peter Blatty, and Peter Straub around lightly. You’ll be hearing all three associated with Mr. Pyper soon, and all such comparisons are warranted, the highest praise I can offer.”
Michael Koryta, New York Times Bestselling author of The Prophet
A while back, I read a book I just loved: Christopher Buehlman’s first novel, Those Across the River. Beautifully and seductively written, at once hallucinatory and visceral, thrilling both in its performance and in the pleasure of finding a new writer to cheer on to the next book. Oh yes, and it’s scary and unsettling as hell.
I sent Christopher The Demonologist in the spirit of admiration for his work, and the suspicion that he and I might have some overlapping obsessions when it comes to taking a twist to the so-called real world. He just wrote to say that I was right. (Another kind soul I look forward to thanking in whisky…)
“Andrew Pyper’s satisfying prose propels a narrative sure to please readers with or without a dog-eared copy of Milton’s Paradise Lost on their shelves. If you’re looking for smart horror that chills without resorting to Grand Guignol, give The Demonologist a look.” — Christopher Buehlman
So you finish a novel. And then what happens is, even prior to publication, early readers get their hands on it (or have it thrust into their hands). They read it. Simple, right? Yes. But also nerve-wracking, because these early readers are often professional readers who know their stuff. Leading booksellers, critics, successful authors. When one takes the time to read your not-yet-officially-in-existence book and then ends up liking it? I’m telling you, it lets you take a breath or two of untroubled air. One more person in the world who doesn’t think you’re nuts!
So – deep breath – I’m pleased to share the kind words from the internationally bestselling mystery and thriller author (and also recent new James Bond writer) Jeffery Deaver on The Demonologist:
“Richly crafted, deliriously scary and compulsively page-turning from beginning to end. Imagine The Exorcist and The Da Vinci Code as penned by Daphne du Maurier. Don’t miss this one!” – Jeffery Deaver
I just took on an exciting assignment adapting a novel – not one of my own – for feature film! I love the project (obviously), and I’m looking forward to digging in. More details to come. For now, just wanted to share the news.