Booklist

This entry in the Monsters and Mythical Creatures series certainly makes demons seem real. Beginning with an introduction that explains the origins of the devilish creatures, the book discusses demon-like entities throughout cultures and religions. Satan, the most important biblical evil entity, gets a full description. The book also provides information about demons’ abilities, such as shape-shifting, manipulating time, and, of course, human possession, and exorcism is given several pages. With devils such a prevalent part of so many cultures, there are plenty of images to choose from, and the book’s visuals, which include contemporary photos of ceremonies and artists’ renderings of demons, can be quite startling. Excellent sidebars, some only a sentence or two, cover topics such as the number of exorcists in the Catholic Church. Source notes and a bibliography complete this frightening, informative package.