3 out of 4 stars
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The Devil’s Side by Hector Saga is a book in the crime/horror genre. It is the first installment in this series.
Recession, growing unemployment, dangers of climate change, etc are ailing humanity. The ensuing disruption provides fodder for a satanic group to attract people to their cause and initiate anarchy in the streets of Britain. This group has already started harming the innocents, with a number of women becoming the victims of the rituals practice by it. Jake, a British detective, wants to solve these murders but stumped in his investigation, he seeks the help of Paul Doolan, one of the Church’s foremost exorcists. The latter tells him about the growing rumors of a mighty, evil wizard, called Ichiban, planning to wreak havoc on humanity. Emma Murtagh wants to recuperate from her past wounds, so she decides to relocate to a quaint rural town and settle in her new house there, but it looks like the house does not want her to live in peace. How is Jake’s quest connected with the strange happenings at Emma’s house? Will Jake and the MI5 succeed in stopping Ichiban from initiating the destruction of humanity?
The author’s writing style is smooth, easy to follow and the descriptions used in some portions of the book are beautiful. The story is written from multiple perspectives and connects the two seemingly unrelated lives of Emma and Jake effortlessly. The elements of horror and exorcism are combined with crime with a certain ease.
At the onset itself the author has put his cards on the table, since the reader is not left with any doubt as to who is the villain of this piece, or is it so? What is good and what is evil? This is one question that comes up time and again in the book, partnered with the question of existence of God and the Devil. However, these questions are more of a cover since the real question that the book is posing is something else. Human beings have inflicted grave damage to the environment and caused an ecological imbalance, for which they should pay, but is the punishment envisaged by Ichiban too high a price to pay?
Th readers might find themselves agreeing with the logic behind the actions of the apparent negative character in the book. The other major characters in the book are also well developed, with the author explaining their emotions and motivations in great detail.
I was a bit disappointed on one account. The author did not invest adequately in developing the story. There were some portions which could have been more detailed and some parts of the book could have been less random. There were some creases in the story which need to be smoothed out.
Despite some hiccups, the story is gripping and engrossing. It has a lot of potential which can be explored in the succeeding novels in this series. I rate it 3 out of 4 stars.
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The Devil's Side
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