''Practical Demonkeeping'' is a novel by American writer Christopher Moore, published in 1992. His

first novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

, it deals with a demon from Hell and his master. The novel has been translated and published in German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian.

Plot summary

Travis was born in 1900, yet he has not aged since 1919, because he accidentally called up a demon from hell named ''Catch'' as his servant, presumably forever. Ever since then, Travis has been trying to get rid of Catch, but he is unable to do so because he has lost the repository of the necessary incantations. He traces their whereabouts to a fictional town called ''Pine Cove'', along

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big S ...

coast, where he thinks the woman he gave them to may be residing. Interactions with the townspeople and with a

djinn Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic my ...

, who is pursuing Catch, create considerable complications. Several characters from this novel continue their lives in later novels by Moore. Catch appears in a later book (''

Lamb Lamb or The Lamb may refer to: * A young sheep * Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep Arts and media Film, television, and theatre * ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut * ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...

''), but a much earlier period of history; in addition, the setting of ''Pine Cove'' itself is revisited for ''

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove ''The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove'' is a novel by American writer Christopher Moore, published in 1999. It is set in the same fictional town of Pine Cove, California, as his first novel, '' Practical Demonkeeping'', and also brings back some o ...

'' and ''

The Stupidest Angel ''The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror'' is a 2004 novel by American writer Christopher Moore. Set during Christmas, it brings together several favored characters from his previous books set in the fictional town of Pine C ...

''. The fictional town of ''Pine Cove'' is described as being within easy driving distance of

San Luis Obispo, California San Luis Obispo (; Spanish for " St. Louis the Bishop", ; Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, in the U.S. state of California. Located on the Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly h ...

External links

Book HomepageChristopher Moore.com
* 1992 fantasy novels 1992 American novels Absurdist fiction Novels by Christopher Moore Novels set in California Cambria, California Mass media in San Luis Obispo County, California Demon novels 1992 debut novels {{1990s-horror-novel-stub