“Pandemonium” by Daryl Gregory

“Pandemonium”

By Daryl Gregory

(Del Rey)

Even in a world in which entitities of some sort – Spirits? Avatars? Pop-culture archetypes from the collective unconscious? – occasionally possess hapless people, compelling them to act out in bewildering and dangerous ways, Del Pierce is a dangerous exception. While most of these acts of possession are singular and short-lived, Pierce’s demon never left him. As a youth he was possessed by a mischief-making entity called “the Hellion,” and after a car accident Pierce discovers that it’s back again and ready to resume control. With the spirit raging inside his brain, Pierce and his brother set out for help. Their quest brings them to the door of a mysterious Mother Mariette, an Irish nun in a splinter-of-a-splinter faction of the Catholic Church, and to the attention of “Valis,” an alien entity currently in possession of science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, while a secret society of demon hunters with the improbable name of “The Human League” look to Pierce as a possible solution to the problem of possession.

Rather than split-pea soup-spitting Babylonian entities from the dawn of time, Gregory’s demons are recognizable archetypes from a century of American popular culture. There’s “Truth,” a spirit that compels the possessed to don fedoras and trenchcoats, grab twin pistols and fight injustice, “The Captain,” a shield-toting avatar of the American Way, “The Little Angel,” whose kisses bring death to the sick and countless others. But why they’re so recognizable is a mystery that will take an entire book to uncover. Happily, it’s a journey worthwhile.

This fast-paced gonzo tale full of oddball pop culture nods that will delight and amuse science fiction fans, who will enjoy playing “spot the reference” as much as the story itself.