a Thirties classic for all time
One of the truly great books of popular fiction, a classic of pacing, atmosphere and larger-than-life character. The Duke de Richleau tries to rescue his friend Simon from meddling with Satanism, and the pace never lets up, with one set piece after another: the house in St Johns Wood, the Sabbat on Salisbury Plain, the siege in the Pentagram, the kidnapping of the child, the raid on the temple... on top of that it's packed with seemingly real occult lore and a mouth-watering attention to food and drink and other good things - terrific, terrific stuff...

Still a Good Read
Wheatley, like Edgar Wallace, Dornford Yates and others before him, was an enormously popular author in his lifetime who almost overnight disappeared from the bookshelves. Revisiting some of his books that I had enjoyed as a youngster in the 1960s, there is no doubt that they do now seem very dated and some of the attitudes which the author deemed virtuous may now be questionable, even to those who don't subscribe to "politically correct" viewpoints. There is also the issue of conversations between characters in Wheatley's books, which are often hopelessly unrealistic and veer between something out of Michael Palin's "Ripping Yarns" and a lecture by a particularly tedious teacher or politician.

And yet! For all the flaws, dated attitudes and often preposterous scenarios, one thing Dennis Wheatley did possess was an incredible imagination, and an ability to keep readers on the edge of their seats in a way which few of his contemporaries or writers today can achieve. If you are prepared to make allowance for the fact that Wheatley is writing in a very different era from our own, and overlook (or skip!) some of the more ludicrous speeches, then the best of Dennis Whealey's books can still offer a "thumping good read!" It is unfortunate that when remembered at all, Wheatley is recalled as an "occult" writer as only a small proportion of his prolific output actually used Black Magic themes. However, "The Devil Rides Out" is probably the most famous of Wheatley's books and ranks as one of his best. It really is a cracking adventure, describing how a small party of friends led by a French aristocrat try to rescue one of their companions, who has been seduced by the dark arts, from the clutches of a powerful black magician. Even if you regard Black Magic and all its rituals and practices as complete nonsense, the book is so full of atmosphere and so well-paced (not always true of other Wheatley books) that you are still swept along by the fantastic (in every sense of the word) storyline. I wouldn't agree with some reviewers who rate this story up alongside Stoker's "Dracula", but of its type this is still a very good example. Give it a try and you may just get hooked enough to seek out some of the author's other books (tip: look for his earlier books as, like other writers (Conan Doyle for example) his powers did wane in old age.



Not the best read I've had.

I first became acquainted with this book - oddly enough, when I was a child. I used to share a bedroom with my two older brothers - one of which was considerably older. He once brought home this novel (much against my parents wishes) and I got curious. I was rather naughty, and though I was really too young, I recall sneaking the book after my brother had finished it and read it for myself. But in relation to what I read - I don't remember; only that I do recall finishing it. However, I recently purchased this book again to see what I would make of it now all these years later, and as an adult. I've just finished reading it.

It's well-acclaimed (or so I believe) yet to be honest, I found this story a little 'too' incredible. Ironically, it wasn't the parts you'd expect - the satanistic story or practises that I had a real problem with, but the quite 'ordinary' happenings and scenarios that just weren't credible at all! For example; after having your child kidnapped by Satan Worshippers, one would would not sit around with relatives and friends chatting and begin to make and eat sandwiches!?? (that's if you had any appetite at all!!) Further to this; when off to Paris where the abductors are supposed to have taken the child, one close family friend comments on how he'd always wanted to take a 'spontaneous' trip to Paris with some kind of 'smile' upon his face - this I found way beyond any kind of rationale... Further still; I'm not sure one can be 'forced' to be hypnotised (this may be debatable) but I'm pretty certain if it could be done, that it could not be achieved simply by one person holding your eyes open - whilst another stares into them - I mean come on; one only has to move one's eyeballs! I don't think either that a family would sit in some kind of 'protective' circle from the surrounding forces of evil, and have their young child in the same house - let alone just upstairs and in bed! Then of course there was also the scene at which Rex leaves a young woman in his car on her own that he knows wishes to escape whilst he gets out to make a call in a 'Phone Box... Hence the obvious; she drives off in his car!

Now, I may sound pretty harsh on this, but this is only a small sample of what I read that I just found too hard to believe with any kind of tolerance - even for a somewhat knowingly 'far-fetched' story. However, despite it all I did finish it, but it wasn't the best read I'd ever had, (pretty obvious!) and certainly did not live up to any of its reputation - at least as the much-acclaimed novel I thought I recalled in my memory...



Not the best read I've had.

I first became acquainted with this book - oddly enough, when I was a child. I used to share a bedroom with my two older brothers - one of which was considerably older. He once brought home this novel (much against my parents wishes) and I got curious. I was rather naughty, and though I was really too young, I recall sneaking the book after my brother had finished it and read it for myself. But in relation to what I read - I don't remember; only that I do recall finishing it. However, I recently purchased this book again to see what I would make of it now all these years later, and as an adult. I've just finished reading it.

It's well-acclaimed (or so I believe) yet to be honest, I found this story a little 'too' incredible. Ironically, it wasn't the parts you'd expect - the satanistic story or practises that I had a real problem with, but the quite 'ordinary' happenings and scenarios that just weren't credible at all! For example; after having your child kidnapped by Satan Worshippers, one would would not sit around with relatives and friends chatting and begin to make and eat sandwiches!?? (that's if you had any appetite at all!!) Further to this; when off to Paris where the abductors are supposed to have taken the child, one close family friend comments on how he'd always wanted to take a 'spontaneous' trip to Paris with some kind of 'smile' upon his face - this I found way beyond any kind of rationale... Further still; I'm not sure one can be 'forced' to be hypnotised (this may be debatable) but I'm pretty certain if it could be done, that it could not be achieved simply by one person holding your eyes open - whilst another stares into them - I mean come on; one only has to move one's eyeballs! I don't think either that a family would sit in some kind of 'protective' circle from the surrounding forces of evil, and have their young child in the same house - let alone just upstairs and in bed! Then of course there was also the scene at which Rex leaves a young woman in his car on her own that he knows wishes to escape whilst he gets out to make a call in a 'Phone Box... Hence the obvious; she drives off in his car!

Now, I may sound pretty harsh on this, but this is only a small sample of what I read that I just found too hard to believe with any kind of tolerance - even for a somewhat knowingly 'far-fetched' story. However, despite it all I did finish it, but it wasn't the best read I'd ever had, (pretty obvious!) and certainly did not live up to any of its reputation - at least as the much-acclaimed novel I thought I recalled in my memory...



Not the best read I've had.

I first became acquainted with this book - oddly enough, when I was a child. I used to share a bedroom with my two older brothers - one of which was considerably older. He once brought home this novel (much against my parents wishes) and I got curious. I was rather naughty, and though I was really too young, I recall sneaking the book after my brother had finished it and read it for myself. But in relation to what I read - I don't remember; only that I do recall finishing it. However, I recently purchased this book again to see what I would make of it now all these years later, and as an adult. I've just finished reading it.

It's well-acclaimed (or so I believe) yet to be honest, I found this story a little 'too' incredible. Ironically, it wasn't the parts you'd expect - the satanistic story or practises that I had a real problem with, but the quite 'ordinary' happenings and scenarios that just weren't credible at all! For example; after having your child kidnapped by Satan Worshippers, one would would not sit around with relatives and friends chatting and begin to make and eat sandwiches!?? (that's if you had any appetite at all!!) Further to this; when off to Paris where the abductors are supposed to have taken the child, one close family friend comments on how he'd always wanted to take a 'spontaneous' trip to Paris with some kind of 'smile' upon his face - this I found way beyond any kind of rationale... Further still; I'm not sure one can be 'forced' to be hypnotised (this may be debatable) but I'm pretty certain if it could be done, that it could not be achieved simply by one person holding your eyes open - whilst another stares into them - I mean come on; one only has to move one's eyeballs! I don't think either that a family would sit in some kind of 'protective' circle from the surrounding forces of evil, and have their young child in the same house - let alone just upstairs and in bed! Then of course there was also the scene at which Rex leaves a young woman in his car on her own that he knows wishes to escape whilst he gets out to make a call in a 'Phone Box... Hence the obvious; she drives off in his car!

Now, I may sound pretty harsh on this, but this is only a small sample of what I read that I just found too hard to believe with any kind of tolerance - even for a somewhat knowingly 'far-fetched' story. However, despite it all I did finish it, but it wasn't the best read I'd ever had, (pretty obvious!) and certainly did not live up to any of its reputation - at least as the much-acclaimed novel I thought I recalled in my memory...

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