Genre

Horror, Mystery

Audience

Adult

Author’s Worldview

Catholic

Year Published

1983

Themes

Pain, Grief, Possession, Ghosts, Crucifixion, Doubt, Murder, Mental Illness

 

Reviewed by

A.R.K. Watson

Let me just say right off the bat that this book has the single best plot twist I have ever read.

A sequel to Blatty’s famous The Exorcist, I was initially skeptical, thinking that this might be one of those sequels that the publisher pushed the author to write, rather than one that flowed naturally from the events of the first book. To my surprise, I enjoyed this even more than The Exorcist.

Legion follows the Jewish detective Lieutenant Kinderman as he investigates a string of murders, beginning with the cruel crucifixion of a young boy. Impossibly the murders mirror that of a long dead serial killer. Is this a copycat, or is something supernatural afoot? After the events of The Exorcist, Kinderman is no longer sure. Following the tradition of his Jewish faith to wrestle with God, and grieving the death of a friend from the first novel, Kinderman is struggling to reconcile the concept of a loving God with a world where pain and evil seem to rule the day. The result is a book that provides the reader a language to reconcile this problem in terms that Catholics, Jews, and Atheists will understand and find comfort in. For this reason, and that thrilling plot twist, it is my personal favorite of Blatty’s trilogy.

It’s also worth mentioning that, unlike The Exorcist, I did not find this book scary, perhaps because the only dead child in the book is in the first chapter. And his murder, while sad and disturbing, is not dwelled upon for long before the plot moves forward. There is another murder later in the book that some might find scary, as it involves some penis mutilation. Perhaps my inability to physically empathize blunted the horror of it for me.

One thing I especially appreciate about Blatty is that even though he is a horror author he never relies on gratuitous violence. Gratuitous violence happens, of course, but it is never dwelled up or described in a way that would encourage the reader experience excitement or entertainment. Blatty shows he is a true master of his craft by instead using the beauty of language to confront true evil. The greatest thrills his stories give come from moments when the characters trust a higher power and fall into the arms of grace without any sort of spiritual comfort to cushion them. While the killer in this book mutilates and degrades his victims, the book itself does not revel in that mutilation but describes the facts of what happened in a manner respectful of human dignity.

Blatty continues to prove a reliable author for both the Catholic, Protestant and secular reader and a credit to Catholic arts everywhere. Although the events in this book can be understood without having read The Exorcist, they will be better enjoyed if you have read the first book.

Get Catholic Books & eBooks for as little as $1 to FREE

Brother Wolf by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson

Swept into a werewolf hunt with two nuns, a dashing guardian and a jolly priest, Athene Howard applies her intellectual skills to unravel this mysterious new Papist world.

Siren Spell by Karina Fabian

Immortal dragon Vern can handle anything—until a curse turns him human…

Lord of the Rings & the Eucharist by Scott L. Smith

What do trees have to do with Bread & Wine?

Demons are Forever by Declan Finn

Marco flees from his fears of hurting Amanda by taking a job to train Vampire Hunters in San Francisco. Should be a quiet job right?

Climb the Tree by Michael Bertrand

Investigations into a haunted suburban community mixes the fun of Stranger Things with the other-worldly sense of Tales from the Loop and the madness of House of Leaves.

Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

In a post-apocolyptic world a small Catholic monastery fights to preserve civilization for the next age.

Leaf by Niggle…by J.R.R. Tolkien

Leaf by Niggle isn’t nearly as well-known as LOTR and The Hobbit, but it is as beautiful and moving in its own way.

Murder in the Vatican by Ann Margaret Lewis

Sherlock Holmes teams up with Pope Leo XXIII to solve crimes in the Holy City.

The Singer not the Song by Audrey Erskine Lindop (AKA The Bandit and the Priest)

A priest and a bandit king face off for the fate of a small Mexican town in this thrilling western adventure.

Celtic Crossing by Len Mattano

Relic lost, and faith found.

Soul Cycle books I – IV: by Brian Niemeier

In a evil universe a band of space pirates begin a journey of revenge that instead takes them in search of the true, the good and the beautiful.

Tortured Soul by Theresa Linden

Looking for a book that puts Christ not just back into Christmas but into Halloween too? Throw in a dash of ghost story, mystery, and romance and you have A Tortured Soul.

Officers and Gentlemen by Evelyn Waugh

Evelyn Waugh’s brilliant examination of the moral fatigue of men at war.

Shadow in the Dark by Antony Barone Kolenc

An immersive mystery and an amateur sleuth set in the walls of a 12th century English monastery

The Fire of Eden (The Harwood Mysteries Book 3) by Antony Barone Kolenc

The mystery of a stolen treasure might hold the key to Xan’s discernment about whether God is calling him to the priesthood or to Lucy.

The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas

Would you die for a flower? Would you kill for one? Providence, romance, and danger rule in this tense, heart-warming prison romance.

August & September New Book Releases

Step into Fall with a Good Book

Nun of My Business by Karina Fabian

When a nun hires Vern to prove that a new pop song is evil, the dragon suspects his new client might be hiding something.

Anyone But Him by Theresa Linden

What if you woke up one day and didn’t recognize the person you were sleeping next to?

Good to the Last Drop by Declan Finn

Marco thought his problems were over when he took on the vampire council, until he gets bit by a werewolf. Will this ruin things with his vampire girlfriend?