The Exorcist

Rating:
Summary: Kind of a Let Down...
Review: Very creepy book! I liked it, but I was disappointed that I wasn't as scared as I thought I would be. I saw the movie first and it didn't really affect me that much either, except it is one of my favorite movies. The book is very well written, exciting, and there are some parts that spooked me, but otherwise it didn't scare me too much. If there's any book out there scarier than this one tell me and I'll try it.

Rating:
Summary: Wildly cool and scary.
Review: The book was chilling.Slow and boring at times but the excorsism part creeped me out.Movie was great too.

Rating:
Summary: VERY GOOD, SLOW AT TIMES
Review: The book is an extremly scary book for the weak of heart. Personally Ive read scarrier books, and im still looking for a good scare. At time it seems that the emotions of the characters are a bit 'over emotional'...but it still was a kick-butt book. END

Rating:
Summary: The Exorcist = Excellent!
Review: I recently read this book for school, and between the unique characters and the spine-tingling plot, I found this book to be one of the best I've read. Anyone who figures they can just see the movie, go ahead since it's a good movie, but if you read the book you'll notice they left significant parts out.

Rating:
Summary: A psychological torture chamber of words.
Review: The Exorcist remains to some the most horrifying tale ever told to a mass audience. Certainly it is one of the works most mentioned when people are asked if there was a book that particularly scared them. There are many reasons why, foremost I believe is the way in which the reader tests their beliefs in their particular religion and particularly Catholisism. Set in the beautiful Georgetown, Washington D. C. area, the house itself is within walking distance to the Jesuits at Georgetown, a place incidentally where William Peter Blatty attended for a while. It would stand to reason that someone should be familiar with a certain religion to so realistically dessimate all beliefs held to be fable or lore. This is an author that feels his work and it shows. The Exorcist is the story of demonic possession. The Exorcist is, however a detective story also, as well as a psychological torture chamber of words. The novel is about 12 year old Regan MacNeil, the daughter of a moviestar mom who is somewhat atheistic, who one day begins to realize things are not as they should be with her daughter or her home. Enlisting the help of doctors, a detective and finally the church, she confronts her religious beliefs head on, only to find that one of the priests from the church is also struggling with the same thoughts on a much larger scale. The characters from this book simply stand out from the pages; Father Merrin, the elder priest, Father Karras the young assistant, and Lt. Kinderman are realistic and powerful. They all blend and support the story perfectly. The Exorcist is not a novel to be taken lightly. When I first read it I was fourteen and on a trip with my father and brother. Ironically we were headed to Virginia Beach, with a short layover in Washington D.C. Reading in the back of the car, I began to see signs for Georgetown. Traveling over a bridge I looked up to see the steps that play a part in the novel, although I hadn't known they were the actual steps. We looked for the address, thought we had found! it once then were stunned as the forbodding storm clouds crept overhead that we had indeed stumbled upon the actual location for the book and the movie. Let me tell you, at fourteen I began to question whether my Catholic beliefs were as they should be. The Exorcist is a masterpiece for the kind of book it is, and I recommend it highly, although be warned, this is a book that will stay with you for years to come. .

Rating:
Summary: Just one more chapter, and that's it!
Review: I kept closing the book, putting it down, killing the light and hitting the sack. Of course, only to get back out of bed, turn on the light, pick up the book, and open it for "just one more chapter!" My point, obviously, is that you can not put this book down. Having been a fan of the movie, I got tired of people telling me, "the book was even better!" They were right. READ THE BOOK!

Rating:
Summary: THE MOST FRIGHTENING THING THAT I HAVE EVER READ!
Review: This book is so terrifying that I couldn't sleep until the demon was cast out of the the girl's body at the end. If you thought the movie took you to the edge, the book will take you all the way. It is disappointing, however, to see no new books coming from Blatty.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Book!
Review: This was the best book that I have ever read.
Blatty made the whole thing seem so real. It
is no surprise that this was a best-seller.
The movie was great too, but I think I liked
the book better, it went into more detail
about what was happening. I suggest you read
the book if you haven't. It's a great book.

Rating:
Summary: one of the most horrifying books ever written.
Review: I thought that the exorcist was one of the most terrifying books ever. When I first read it, I had to keep all the lights turned on and I couldnt sleep all night. It was definitely one of the best books I have ever read though and I highly recommend it to those of you who are looking for a good scare.

Rating:
Summary: Not What You Think
Review: First, this is unquestionably the most terrifying book I have ever read. Secondly, many readers seem to enjoy the book but miss the point. I find it amusing that many hard-core Christian types are down on this book (i,e, it glorifies Satan, etc.), as that shows that they clearly do not know anything about it. The entire point of the book is that a priest, trained in the ways of science (he is a Psychiatrist) has through his pursuit of science lost his belief in God. His lack of faith in God brings with it a disbelief in the existance of Satan as well. When he is asked to see the possessed girl, Regan, it is as a priest, to confront what is clearly (to the mother) a case of demonic possession. Instead he approches the situation with his scientific rather than his spiritual training, and sees the girl as insane and thus treatable via science, rather than possessed. Even in the face of all evidence, he steadfastly refuses to admit that there is anything supernatural about the girl's condition, though science has so far failed miserably to treat the girl. We get insight into this when he arranges a exorcism (for cathartic, not spiritual, reasons) and interacts with a priest who is a believer, has performed exorcisms in the past, and is very respectful and afraid of the power of a very real Satan. At one point, the young priest discusses the possession of Regan, and tells the old priest that he cannot understand what Satan might stand to gain from harming an innocent girl. The old priest replies that in a possession it is not the possessed who is the target, but rather the persons around the possessed. Upon hearing that, and upon hearing some very personal attacks on the young priest by the possessed/insane Regan, it becomes obvious that the young priest is the target of Satan's attack, and the priest's lack of faith is what has made him a target. Later, after the death of the old priest, and upon the occurance of some shocking and blatantly supernatural occurances, the young priest comes to believe that the girl really is under possession by Satan. At that point, the logic is obvious. If Satan exists, then God must exist also, and this brings a sudden reawakening of the young priest's faith. This gives him the strength to spiritually combat Satan and defeat him, and thereby rescue the girl. So, the point is that the priest has lost his faith to science, and is not able to effectively counter Satan until his belief in God returns. Thus Heaven triumphs over Hell, and I really can't understand why this would be lost on the many naysayers who have tried to steer people from this shocking book. One wonders who is truly the pawn in the plot of this book; Regan, in Satan's attack on the young priest; or Satan himself, in some heavenly strategy to bring the priest back into the fold. Note that I have deliberately oversimplified the story line so as not to ruin the book for those who have yet to read it. Be forewarned that the book is complex, shocking, graphic (violence and perverse sexuality) and is terrifying, but you will not find a better horror novel anywhere. I can't recommend this book highly enough, but it is not for the faint hearted. I also find it noteworthy that after at least five reads of the book, I (a thirtyish man) still find it necessary to sleep with the light on for a few days after finishing the book