First published 2008
Del Pierce survived childhood possession by the Hellion, a mischievous entity that nearly killed him before doctors drove it out. Years pass quietly until a car crash brings the demon roaring back, caged in his skull and desperate for freedom. Del searches for answers in a world where possession became commonplace in the 1950s. Pop culture archetypes now walk among humans as demons. The Truth hunts down liars. The Captain makes noble sacrifices. The Little Angel kills with her kiss. Del seeks help from Valis, the entity inhabiting science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, and Mother Mariette, a nun who stirs forbidden desires. The Human League, a secret organization, wants to eliminate all demons. Everyone believes Del holds the answer to ending the possession plague. But the cure they propose might destroy him along with the Hellion clawing at his mind.
Genres: science-fiction, fantasy, horror, action, paranormal, demons
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: United States
Period: 1950s, Contemporary
304 pages · ebook · Del Rey
Content warnings: body-horror, graphic-violence, mental-illness