'The Box of Demons' Review

 Spotting it last week in my local bookshop, I prepared myself to fall in love with Daniel Whelan’s The Box of Demons. Bickering yet affable demons, the end of days, more druids than you can shake a dowsing rod at – what’s not to like? Unfortunately, the book is plagued by a few demons other than the ones it promises . . .

Ben Robson, a lonely, bullied boy of 14 has always carried his demons with him – quite literally. Orf, Kartofel and Djinn, three troublesome demons with a penchant for mischief, reside in a small wooden box that never leaves Ben’s side, as it causes him physical pain to do so. But everything changes when Ben is visited by an angel, who tells him he must return the box to hell – or else it will bring about the apocalypse.

In synopsis, the novel sounds brilliant – a cross between Good Omens and . . . well, it just sounds a lot like Good Omens, really, which is what drew me to it in the first place. Unfortunately, it never quite lives up to those expectations, but it’s still a damn good attempt.

One thing that is consistently spot-on with The Box of Demons is the writing style; throughout the novel, Whelan walks the delicate tightrope between tongue-in-cheek and taking the piss. There are occasional moments where you can almost sense that Whelan wants to make some sarcastic comment on the situation, but withholds; he leaves that to his characters instead, and to much greater effect – there’s nothing quite so satisfying as a character who is fully aware of the ridiculousness of their own predicament.

There’s some brilliant characterisation too; chapter four, written from the perspective of Druss the rabbit, is perhaps the most hilarious and heart breaking scenes in the entire book, while The Adversary (The Opposition as he prefers, or Satan to you and I) is utterly charming and a far cry from the typical portrayals that the devil receives.

Unfortunately, The Box of Demons suffers from a few crucial flaws, which drag the end product down more than a little. One of the key points of the novel, Ben’s love of a Warhammer-like game, sadly seems to bog down the narrative, and its usage as the deciding factor in the ultimate battle between the forces of good and evil feels cheesy and ham-fisted, making the tail-end of the novel disappointing.

Pros 

• Relatable protagonist
• Three demons are a delight
• Writing style is consistent and fluid
• Gorgeous pop-up hardback
• Druss chapter is both brilliant and heartbreaking

Cons

• All the character's names are a bugger to remember
• Written in a YA style, yet the content seems to target a more adult audience of Warhammer fans
• Climax lacks oomph

6.5/10