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Summary: A PREMIER READING
Review: Considered by many to be the quintessential horror tale The Exorcist loses none of its chilling power over time, especially when read by the author. Published for the first time in 1971 and made into a blockbuster film two years later, this is the story of a demon-possessed 12-year-old whose only hope seems to lie with a somewhat ineffectual priest who is tormented by his own visions of faithlessness. Loosely based on a true1940's case of demon possession Blatty's fictionalizatio is terrifyingly real. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: I really enjoyed this book! It wasen't that scary, but I liked it a lot. I also liked the movie, too. I would definetly recommend reading it.
Rating: 
Summary: not as good as i was hopin'
Review: this was an ok book, but it was a lot of the time pretty boring and not as gross or scary as i was hoping {not scary at all, actually} the only part that was kinda gross was the excerpt from that satanic book thing but besides that it was jsut a sick girl with a deep voice and seizures...i was mostly dissapointed w/ this book because the world didnt end and everyone didnt die and it wasnt suspensful......i guess if i {or you} want a {probably} gross book, i should just get the satanic book that the excerpt in this book was taken from....{SERIOUSLY! even i thought that excerpt was really gross, and it was only a few paragraphs!}
Rating:
Summary: not scary but still great
Review: I am only 13 and was not scared by this book at all, though it was amazingly gripping and I could not put it down until I was finished. My dad told me not to read this book until I was older and I could definetaly see his point there were some very disgusting scenes in this book, but all this said this is still an amazing book that I would recomend to anyone who has a high tolerance to this type of thing, if you liked any book by Stephen King then you will througly enjoy this book as I beileve that it paints pictures in your mind that no other horror book I have read does.
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Summary: Scary, Isn't it?
Review: I have borrowed the book, "The Exorcist" from a friend of mine. I started reading it and I can't put this book down. I love it eventhough it's really scary. I didn't expect that it will be much scarier than ever. I have watched the film about how many years ago. I forgot all about it. But when I've read the book, those memories strike back. I've read it for 3 days. Starting from 10pm upto 4am. I was so frightened especially when the clock strikes at 12. Well, anyway, about the book, some parts are so disgusting. Like the part when Regan vommitted green substances. When you've read it you can really imagine what was going on. There are also parts which I really hated like the description of the Black mass. It was so disgusting and I can't believe it. But i think it's somehow true. This book gives me an idea of exorcism and stuffs. well, that's all!
Rating:
Summary: Maybe the Best Horror Novel Ever Written
Review: It's too bad that the film of the Excorcist is such a terrifying classic because I think it leads a lot of people to overlook the novel. However, the Excorcist might be the most finally crafted horror novel ever written. It's scope is limited. There are no exoctic settings and the novel remains primarily focused and the possession of the little girl. But this is all part of its beauty because as we sink deeper and deeper into the realm of demonic possession it becomes easy for the reader to see and to feel the fear and terror that grips all the individuals who come in contact with the possessed. It's been some time since I've read the novel so names and whatnot I seem to forget, but I do remember reading this and not being able to sleep afterwards. I know that sounds cliched, but this is the only case in my life where I can say that and have it be true.
Rating:
Summary: An unforgettable read with profound implications
Review: William Peter Blatty's seminal novel of demonic possession took the nation and much of the world by storm when it was published in 1971, and the movie adaptation of The Exorcist ranks as one of the most famous horror movies of all time. Many, many readers over the years have described it as a quite unsettling if not frightening read; I envy these people because I didn't find the book at all shocking or scary. I was actually more affected by the inner turmoil of Father Karras than anything else. His doubts over his own faith, the horrible guilt he feels for having left his aged mother alone when he became a Jesuit priest, and some of his scattered sad childhood memories make of him a philosophical, sentimental character who serves as the main liaison between the reader and the events of the novel. What we see through Father Karras' eyes is a complex, troubling vision of life and death, a conduit of our own philosophical and religious struggles. The plot of the The Exorcist is well-known to just about everyone. Chris MacNeil and her daughter are living in Georgetown while Chris is filming a new movie. The energetic and happy child, Regan, suddenly begins to change. Strange things begin to happen in the house - rustling noises are heard at night, objects seem to disappear and reappear in strange places, and Regan begins to complain about her bed shaking at night. When Regan's state of mind begins to deteriorate, Chris seeks medical help for her daughter, but the doctors, after a series of complete, agonizing tests, can find no evidence to support their theories of a condition brought about by a lesion in the temporal lobe of the brain. Regan continues to worsen, making wild animal noises, struggling with her caretakers with superhuman strength, cursing like a drunk pirate, speaking with several different voices, projectile vomiting a nasty green substance, claiming to be the devil himself, and - in what is probably the most shocking image of all - hideously violating herself with a religious icon. She eventually has to be strapped into bed for the protection of her as well as those around her. Desperately, the nonreligious Chris turns to the Jesuit priesthood for help, asking for an exorcism to be performed on her daughter. Father Karras studies the case, attempting to find a medical explanation for Regan's behavior even after he witnesses some extraordinary things in Regan's room and converses with the demon claiming to reside within her. In the end, Father Merrin, whom we met in a highly symbolic scene at the beginning of the book, comes to perform an exorcism, engaging once again in battle a demon he had defeated years earlier. The book concludes in a particularly strong, dramatic, and satisfying way. The descriptions of Regan's behavior and increasingly disturbing actions are laid out in quite open and impacting ways here, but I think this aspect of the story is expressed much more effectively in the movie. It's one thing to read about projectile vomiting, a head spinning completely around, and the other physical manifestations of Regan's condition, but it's something else to actually watch it presented visually onscreen. The book's main strength, in my opinion, comes in the form of the character of Father Karras. The novel provides much deeper access into the mind and soul of this tragically troubled character, and herein is to be found the true heart of the book. The exorcism itself does not take center stage the way it does in the film. Despite all of its religious and demonic attributes, I believe Peter William Blatty's novel is a deep look inside the heart of man as he attempts to make sense and keep the faith in the face of the sometimes revolting human condition. Those who have seen the movie will benefit greatly from a reading of Blatty's novel. There are a number of sub-plots covered only in these pages, and much of the symbolic and quite subtle aspects of the harrowing drama are not captured in the film at all (or are awkwardly included in the form of symbology that the casual viewer may not notice or recognize). It is interesting for me to ponder why so many find The Exorcist a truly frightening reading experience while I really do not. Perhaps those who are not religious have never really examined pure evil as straightforwardly as they are forced to in the form of this possessed child. In any event, I believe the horror many feel at this undeniably gripping and disturbing story comes not from a vision of the events so vividly described herein, but rather from a consciousness of the changes and perhaps fears wrought upon their own heart and soul by the implications of the experience.
Rating:
Summary: Quite disturbing
Review: I'll keep this brief. Blatty does a phenomenal job taking a truly original (at least to me) subject and refining it into a literary masterpiece. The Exorcist takes you off guard, the way it nonchalantly discusses murder, "Black Mass," and other truly evil things which I will refrain from saying, for fear of censorship. This is a classic! Don't be cheap and say "Oh, I watched the movie, so I can take scary stuff!" READ THE BOOK! You will be changed forever.
Rating:
Summary: Leaves you thinking
Review: I'm a believer, and I actually liked this book! As a believer I search for three things from everything: truth, beauty and purpose, and I found all three from the Exorcist. Yes, even beauty.
The terrifying story is told so well that the book is like a tormentor you don't want to leave you alone. Slow beginning is actually brilliantly well thought from the author. You follow the silent and mysterious questions until they scream all around you when the story of the possessed little girl finally reaches its climax.
All the pages about father Karras who has to question over and over again about his faith in supernatural things don't feel at all out of place. The way he and doctors and psyciatrists try to explain everything that happens to the once so sweet Regan-girl is almost as scary as the story itself. How hard it is to admit that there is so little we can see, know and understand!
The exorcism-ritual in Regan's bedroom is (naturally) little exaggerated, but that couldn't be noticed by anyone who hasn't been involved with possessions. Because that really has happened!
In the end father Merrin and father Karras pay the price for freeing Regan, and father Karras finally finds the peace and forgiveness before he dies. The book leaves questions in the air, and it tells you that those questions are not stupid or childish at all. What is reality and how to live in it safely? I guarantee, this book has more to say than 'boo'!
Rating: 
Summary: Shocking
Review: I read this novel years after its original publication date and I must say that even with the horror novels of today, this book is still a page turner. Reagan, the daughter of a movie star Chris, suddenly begins acting strangely. As the book progresses, every scientific diagnosis and drug available has been tried. Reagan is diagnosed with some for of severe hysteria. With nothing else works to change Reagan increasing distasteful (to say the least) behavior -- and people start dying, Chris turns to a minister to perform an exorcism. You also learn that Reagan has been playing with a Ouija board and speaking with a spirit called Captain Howdy (ever see Strangeland with Dee Snider -- now I know where he got that screen name). All in all it's a great book. If it doesn't terrify you, you'll at least be shocked because Reagan does ALOT of shocking things.
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