In the summer of 2017, a lot of things went weird. There wasn’t just one thing, not really. But a lot of little things added up, until one day, nothing was recognizable. Henry, a young man who battles his own demons resulting from a lifetime of homelessness, anxiety, and abandonment, haphazardly attempts to understand what happened to him at the hands of the Black Star Institute. There’s … something inside him now, commingled with his own pain and heartache and street-taught instincts of fight and flight. It’s something that burns when he’s out of control. Something that burns just about everything. He’s not too bright, but he’s got help out there that he has no idea about. Enemies, too.
more
Wow! What a book! I don’t even have words to adequately describe how engrossing and thought-provoking The Little Demons Inside is (and I’m an author). I started this book without being sure what to expect. I found characters that were well-developed and enjoyable, a plot that kept me turning the pages and guessing about what would happen next, and questions about life and humanity to ponder. This is one of the best books I’ve read this year and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series to see what happens next. If you haven’t read Micah Chaim Thomas, add his books to your list. You won’t be disappointed.
I love magical realism so when I picked up this book that notes what it is and isn’t, I was curious to see how Thomas executed those promises. He did it very well.
‘The Little Demons Inside’ is an engaging contemporary book with deep philosophy woven in. Released in 2017, the world is very reflective of social concerns within society. While magic is accepted in Thomas’ world, it is given to the characters through experimentation, succeeding in giving a special few powers. What it is that sets those few apart from the others discarded from the experiment is never fully realized.
What ‘The Little Demons Inside’ comes down to is that the world and its motives are grey. Adding in magic isn’t going to make anyone a perfect hero nor make them a cruel villain. Amongst the good, there is the bad. Amongst the bad, there is the good.
Throughout the book, the reader is treated to plenty of action, complex characters, and an intriguing plot that is laced with varied levels of magic. I highly recommend ‘The Little Demons Inside.’
The Little Demons Inside is a highly intelligent novel, built around a simple premise: people are experimented on and get some special powers. There’s magical healing. There’s mind control. The main character can start fires by controlling the nature of matter. There’s a conspiracy. There are alternate dimensions. All things you may have seen before (especially if you dig Stranger Things and Legion, which this book is kind of a mixture of – though still wholly original) but you’ve never seen them like this. It’s frankly, amazing.
This isn’t a superhero story, though there are superheroes. And it isn’t an end-of-the-world villain story, though it has that as well. It’s much more than any of that. It’s an exploration of place in society, expectations, hopes (both true and false), and the nature of love.
Honestly, I’ve never read anything quite like it. Not just story-wise, but in terms of prose as well. It’s a beautifully-written work, one which at times reminded me of work by Michel Faber or Jeff Vandermeer. Not in the actual words though, so much as in the way they’re strung together evokes beauty and emotion.
Anyone who’s looking for a heady trip of a story, with strong (nonstereotypical) characters who traverse consciousnesses, dimensions, place and time all in a journey that culminates in a question of ultimate sacrifice should pick this up.