This was nothing that I expected it to be, it was so much more!
Rating: 5/5
Bear witness to the ghosts and dark gods of Motor City, revealed by the light of a fiery cityscape. It’s the night before Halloween and Detroit is burning in a celebration of arson and vandalism. Devil’s Night is a unique collection of interconnected urban horror stories taking you back to October 30th, 1987. Drawing inspiration from Michigan legends such as the Nain Rouge and the Hobo Pig Lady, Lawson weaves a rich and haunting tapestry of terror and tragedy. Inside these pages, you will find cursed vinyl records, inner-city druids, diabolical priests, and slim slivers of hope. Devil’s Night burns with Curtis M. Lawson’s signature brand of supernatural dread. This is smart psychological horror, ablaze with visceral imagery, with equal measures of heart and heartache.
I received a special edition copy of Devil's Night by Curtis M. Lawson himself and I couldn't be more thankful! I enjoyed this through and through. And I found all the illustrations gorgeous. Thank you so much for this opportunity!
This was nothing that I expected it to be, it was so much more! Going into this, I thought the title was just that, a title. It wasn’t until after starting the first short story that Devil’s Night was more than just a title. I ended up doing a little research and it is in a fact a real thing, mainly in Detroit, Michigan. It’s because it was mainly only Detroit for why I had never heard of it. And actually, during my little research, I found a meme that shows a map of the US, and basically everywhere around Michigan has no idea what Devil’s Night is! I found that meme quite funny.
Now, what is Devil’s Night? It’s the day before Halloween, and the best way I can describe it is that it is a real-life day of Purge. People would cause unlawful chaos and destruction especially starting fires. It was especially bad during the 70s-80s where arson rates were between 500-800 in a year on and around Devil’s Night. It wasn’t until the 90s that crime lowered and now there are very minimal reports.
After researching this premise, this book makes a lot more sense and was a lot more enjoyable. The premise of this collection of short stories is all the stories take place in a single night in Detroit, Michigan in 1987.
I’m not going to go through all the stories as there were 14 of them, and this review would become an essay if I did. But I will say, I enjoyed them all! I don’t think I have ever said that about a collection before. There’s normally at least one I don’t end up liking especially when there are numerous stories like this one. Each story was wildly different, none of them were the same. Some incorporated the supernatural, including Nain Rogue who was often associated with Devil’s Night, and if one were to see this create on the night of, they could expect something unfortunate to happen. It was interesting to read the stories that included Nain Rogue, it helped paint a better picture for Devil’s Night.
But I will say, I enjoyed them all! I don’t think I have ever said that about a collection before.
All the stories had a great flow, none of them felt slow or boring. The order they were in as well felt good, too. We went from the beginning of the night into the following morning. I definitely had some favorites as well.
All the stories had a great flow, none of them felt slow or boring. The order they were in as well felt good, too.
This collection gave me strong Stephen King vibes. I saw similar styles in the stories from the characters to the descriptions. While it was also uniquely its own. I could see any King fans enjoying this thought!
Overall, this was such a great collection! I absolutely loved it! It’s perfect for a horror fan. It’s definitely not for the light of heart. It’s also perfect for Halloween. I think anyone who’s a fan of horror or Stephen King would enjoy this one.
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