{"product_id":"the-case-against-satan-isbn-9780143107279","title":"The Case Against Satan","description":"\u003cb\u003eBefore \u003ci\u003eThe Exorcist \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eRosemary’s Baby\u003c\/i\u003e, there was \u003ci\u003eThe Case Against Satan\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBy the twentieth century, the exorcism had all but vanished, wiped out by modern science and psychology. But Ray Russell—praised by Stephen King and Guillermo del Toro as a sophisticated practitioner of Gothic fiction—resurrected the ritual with his classic 1962 horror novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Case Against Satan, \u003c\/i\u003egiving new rise to the exorcism on page, screen, and even in real life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTeenager Susan Garth was “a clean-talking sweet little girl” of high school age before she started having “fits”—a sudden aversion to churches and a newfound fondness for vulgarity. Then one night, she strips in front of the parish priest and sinks her nails into his throat. If not madness, then the answer must be demonic possession. To vanquish the Devil, Bishop Crimmings recruits Father Gregory Sargent, a younger priest with a taste for modern ideas and brandy. As the two men fight not just the darkness tormenting Susan but also one another, a soul-chilling revelation lurks in the shadows—one that knows that the darkest evil goes by many names.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.\"A sleek, compelling tale of diabolical possession that prefigures Ira Levin’s \u003ci\u003eRosemary’s Baby\u003c\/i\u003e.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"With gripping clarity and incisive wit, Russell weaves a suspenseful plot that's more of an intellectual thriller than a horror yarn. And at a time when there are still massive ideological battles being waged between science and religion — not to mention a Pope in the Vatican who's interpreting Catholic doctrine in a way that's inspiring to some and feather-ruffling to others — \u003ci\u003eThe Case Against Satan\u003c\/i\u003e retains its harrowing, relevant edge.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—NPR\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"There's nothing lurid or sensationalist here . . . just some good scares and a hell of a tale told with economy and wit.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—The Chicago Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Provocative, shocking, moving.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Kirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"[A] sincere and subtle tale of ultimate evil that feels less dated than many of the works it inspired.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—The Seattle Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"What cannot be doubted is importance of Ray Russell’s novel. It was a predecessor of many famous fictions involving exorcisms, a subject all but forgotten at the time. This book began a sub-genre of literature and is arguably its finest example. It is a well-written and accessible work that is delightfully full of careful nuance, yet free from weighty judgments and pesky dogmatic diatribes. But, most of all, it is a fantastic horror story. Instead of watching \u003ci\u003eThe Exorcist\u003c\/i\u003e for the umpteenth time this Halloween season, read this short but thought-provoking and dramatic novel instead.\"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Portland Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Russell links postpulp literature and the Grand Grand Guignol tradition with the modern sensibilities of America in the 1960s...[He is] a fascinating combination of the liberal and the heretic.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Guillermo del Toro\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eRay Russell\u003c\/b\u003e (1924–1999) was a pioneer of the modern horror genre. As an editor at \u003ci\u003ePlayboy\u003c\/i\u003e, he helped publish such writers as Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, and Charles Beaumont. His best known work, \u003ci\u003eSardonicus\u003c\/i\u003e, was called by Stephen King “perhaps the finest example of the modern Gothic ever written.” He received the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1991.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLaird Barron\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer of horror fiction. He has received three Shirley Jackson Awards, for his collections \u003ci\u003eThe Imago Sequence and Other Stories \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eOccultation and Other Stories \u003c\/i\u003eand for his novella \u003ci\u003eMysterium Tremendum\u003c\/i\u003e. His other works include two novels, \u003ci\u003eThe Light Is the Darkness \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Croning\u003c\/i\u003e, and a story collection, \u003ci\u003eThe Beautiful Things That Awaits Us All\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in upstate New York.","brand":"Penguin Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303317917925,"sku":"NP9780143107279","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780143107279.jpg?v=1767738611","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-case-against-satan-isbn-9780143107279","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}