Synopsis
No one expected the apocalypse would be broadcast via phone call. But in this chilling sequel to Fever House, anyone who managed to survive that doomsday call has a harrowing answer to the question, “Where were you when the Message came through?”
Five years after the event that drove most of the global population to madness, the world is overrun with the “fevered”—once-human, zombielike creatures drawn indiscriminately to violence and murder. In a campaign to restabilize the country, the massive corporation known as Terradyne Industries has merged with the U.S. government in a partnership of dubious motives, quarantining major American cities behind towering walls and corralling the afflicted there with the hope, they say, of developing a vaccine.
In Portland, where it all began, guilt-ridden detective John Bonner scours the city’s darkest corners for clues to humanity’s redemption. In New England, Katherine Moriarty mourns the devastating losses of her husband and son while in hiding from Terradyne. And across the ocean in France, a sixteen-year-old girl named Naomi Laurent discovers she has a disturbing and powerful gift—which may just be the key to the world’s salvation.
Equal parts gruesome and beautiful, The Devil by Name is a heart-stopping, breakneck saga of survival. As its characters’ paths inevitably collide across the ravaged landscape of a post-apocalyptic America, they are united by the desire to not just escape death but to carve out some way to live anew.
Everything starts and ends in the fever house.
Review
The biggest thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!
Forget those sweet feelings of security, the grips of reality as you know it, and enter Keith Rosson’s astounding, apocalyptical world torn to shreds by The Message with the sequel to Fever House, The Devil By Name. Picking up five years after the phone call that changed the world, it’s abundantly clear that the fabric of society has been ripped to shreds thanks to the events that transpired at the end of Fever House (this is my polite way of telling you to pick that book up). Among those still kicking around with questionably sanity are John Bonner, a man saddled with a whole lotta guilt, and Katherine Moriarity, a woman living among the wreckage and battling the throes of grief. It’s a bleak, bleak world post-Message with fevered lurking, a government-partnered corporation known as Terradyne running what’s left of the show, and no solution for this madness in sight. But somewhere in France, a young girl may hold a glimmer of hope. The Devil By Name is a novel born of intensity, crafted expertly by Rosson who implements high degrees of action and conviction to gift us one hell of a duology.
The mechanics of this fervent novel are constructed through multiple narratives showcasing the somber state of the entire world. We jump from Bonner to Katherine, voices we’re familiar with and that are equally emotionally charged for reasons described in book one. Rosson also introduces new characters along the way, ones that manage to inspire so much love and so much hate. This is an expansive story without borders, conquering topics of politics, religion, love, hate, faith, and hope. More impressively, these are subjects that are woven into this narrative with grace and ease thanks to brilliant, diverse characterization. Rosson’s world lends itself to the fundamentally organic nature of these confrontations, all while our attention is raptly held amidst the slow unfurling of further chaos.
Perhaps what stole my heart most of all with these books is the character of Katherine Moriarty. The Katherine we meet in Fever House is far removed from the Katherine we revisit in The Devil By Name and for damned good reasons. She’s a woman who has been put through the unthinkable, given her relationship with Matthew Coffin, the fate of her son Nick, and the weight of her unintentional responsibility tied to The Message through “The Blank Letters.” However, Katherine is tough as nails. Sure, she has moments of helplessness, of not seeing the merit of fighting for one more day in this hellscape, but that’s not how Rosson leaves her, penning a character arc that will move you to tears. She’s written with grit, tenacity, and the propensity for hope despite all this violence around her. She’s resilient.
And this is a very, very violent novel. No punches are held regarding body horror, ruthless situations of nerve-shredding fear, or existential dread. Safety is a foregone idea in the post-Message world, something that is painstakingly clear thanks to Rosson’s intentional hand. Yet, there are sprinkles of hope to be found throughout, a poeticism that taps into the humanity this fictional world has long forgotten. It’s a unique balance that’s found, one that makes this story extra poignant in a real world marked by so much turmoil.
It’s no understatement to say that The Devil By Name is a novel that leaves you breathless. Fever House was built upon these same blocks with each page turned ratcheting the stakes a little higher and then a little higher still. However, The Devil By Name wastes no time, has no patience, and is quick to put the pedal through the damn floor. It’s rock ‘n’ roll. It’s metal. It’s masterfully constructed chaos that will rip your heart apart and then, unthinkably, put it back together. And I cannot recommend this duology enough.
The Devil By Name by Keith Rosson releases on September 10th from Random House.
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