#the devil aspect

I'm still trying to get the hang of the whole "posting content" thing, but I think providing a reading wrap-up every month will allow me a little more to work with. January was a fairly standard reading month. I was able to get through ten books, though I added quite a few to my TBR. Kind of had a mini heart attack when I realized that, according to my Storygraph, I have about 1,731 titles on there. Well, at least I know I'll never run short of reading material.

The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell

Czechoslovakia, 1935: Viktor Kosrek, a newly trained psychiatrist who studied under Carl Jung, arrives at the infamous Hrad Orlu Asylum for the Criminally Insane. The facility is located in a medieval mountaintop castle surrounded by forests, on a site that is well known for concealing dark secrets going back many centuries. The asylum houses six inmates--the country's most treacherous killers--known to the terrified public as the Devil's Six.

Viktor intends to use a new medical technique to prove that these patients share a common archetype of evil, a phenomenon he calls The Devil Aspect. Yet as he begins to learn the stunning secrets of these patients, he must face the unnerving possibility that these six may share a darker truth.

Meanwhile, in Prague, fear grips the city as a phantom serial killer emerges in the dark alleys. Police investigator Lukas Smolak, desperate to locate the culprit (a copycat of Jack the Ripper), turns to Viktor and the doctors at Hrad Orlu for their expertise with the psychotic criminal mind. And Viktor finds himself wrapped up in a case more terrifying than he could have ever imagined.

The Devil Aspect is a book that's hard to put into words how to feel about it. There are so many layers to its Gothic atmosphere and the lingering malevolence you feel after turning that final page. It talks about the human capacity for violence and evil, the rise of facism in the 1930s, the effect of superstition and mythology on our perception and rationalization of certain events, all while delivering a compelling and thrilling mystery. It's one of those mysteries where, if you play close attention, all the clues are there right before you, with a red herring or two thrown in for good measure. While I wasn't able to predict the exact outcome, once everything was revealed, I was able to say "Oh yeah, that makes sense." It's a puzzle you piece together without knowing the final image, only to nod in satisfaction when you're finally able to complete it.

I will admit, I'm not a fan of stories set in the World War II era, or even the years leading up to it, as I find them to be particularly one note and depressing. You're not going to find much levity or hope in this book, but Craig Russell did a great job of keeping the time frame as a sort of secondary setting rather than one that dominates the story. It feeds into the concept of evil being naturally drawn to the asylum housing the most sadistic and dangerous criminals, as well as giving context to the characters' opinions and values. It also leaves the reader with a sense of defeat towards the end, that, even though the story is over and evil has been exposed, there are still horrendous things ahead. It's a dark place to leave the story, but it's definitely appropriate.

If you are a fan of dark thrillers and mysteries, you'll probably have a great time with this one. Just be aware that there is a lot of disturbing content, such as cannibalism, murder including children, discussion of pedophilia and rape, demonic goings on, discussions of eugenics, etc. 

Wickedly good reviews are in for ‘The Devil Aspect’ (sorry). 

Criminal Element | Book Review: The Devil Aspect

SYFY Wire | Author Craig Russell Enters an Evil Asylum in His New Gothic Thriller, The Devil Aspect

INTRODUCING THE DEVIL’S SIX: THE VEGETARIAN. 

“Mrs. Valentová was a painfully thin, priggish-looking woman of about forty. The kind of woman you would pass on the street without noticing, she was dressed in an unexceptional skirt, blouse and cardigan and had the mien of a provincial schoolmistress. She looked hollow-cheeked and sunken-eyed in a way that suggested undernourishment rather than a natural tendency to leanness. Before they had entered the patient’s quarters, Professor Románek had explained that Mrs. Valentová’s extremely particular attitude towards her diet presented ‘difficulties’.”

INTRODUCING THE DEVIL’S SIX: THE WOODCUTTER.

“The Woodcutter’s appearance was strangely disconcerting: dressed in nondescript city clothes, there was nothing about the man to suggest that this was a rural manual labourer, other than his clearly athletic build. Indeed, Zelený’s face was handsome and well proportioned, his green eyes bright and suggesting an intelligence that the case notes assured was not there.”

INTRODUCING THE DEVIL’S SIX: THE DEMON.

“As an unseen sun was setting beyond the windowless walls of the tower granary, four orderlies wheeled the Demon into the room on the mediaeval throne of his restraint chair. Skala was not going to be placed on the examination couch. He arrived fastened by metal and leather, bolt and buckle, denied even the slightest movement of hand, arm, leg, neck or head. He would remain bound in the chair throughout the session.”

INTRODUCING THE DEVIL’S SIX: THE SCIOMANCER. 

“‘Dominik Bartoš was a good man too, by all accounts,’ said Viktor. ‘Good people become mentally ill just as much as bad people. And they aren’t responsible for the crimes they commit – they inhabit a different world, a world of hallucination and delusional beliefs.’

‘Is that what happened with Dominik Bartoš?’

‘We call him the Sciomancer.’ Viktor smiled wryly. ‘Professor Románek is very lyrical with how he titles case files. Do you know what sciomancy is?’

Smolák shook his head.

‘The ancient belief you can gain knowledge by communing with the dead. Professor Bartoš was a gifted scientist, but his delusions made him believe, well, in magic. Ah, here we are…’”