''The Demon Road Trilogy: Demon Road'', originally known simply as ''Demon Road'', and internationally as ''The Demon Road Trilogy: Hell and Highway'', is a

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

road trip A road trip, sometimes spelled roadtrip, is a long-distance Travel, journey traveled by a car or a motorcycle. History First road trips by automobile The world's first recorded long-distance road trip by the automobile took place in German Em ...

novel published by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

on August 27, 2015. Written by

Derek Landy Derek Landy (born 23 October 1974) is an Irish author and screenwriter, known for the ''Skulduggery Pleasant'' and ''Demon Road'' book series. Since 2018, he has also written numerous comic book series at Marvel Comics. Career Landy has written ...

and illustrated by Alan Clarke, the novel follows the journey of 16-year-old cursed

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...

girl A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. While the term ''girl'' has other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.com, "Girl"'' Retrieved January 2, 2008. '' daughter'' or '' girlfriend'' regardless of age ...

Amber Lamont and her

amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or brain diseases,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be temporarily caused by t ...

c guide Milo Sebastian, fleeing a family who wishes her dead, as they and passerby Glen travel the titular "demon road", on which exists all manner of

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

beings from whom all

horror fiction Horror is a genre of speculative fiction that is intended to disturb, frighten, or scare an audience. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror. Literary historian J. A. Cuddon, in 1984, defin ...

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

s of the works of

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

and

1980s File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 335px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Space Shuttle Columbia, Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union, Soviet General Secretary of the Communist Party of ...

slasher film A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic ...

villains A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

in the first novel, from which Milo depicted as having been the "real" driver of

Christine Christine may refer to: People * Christine (name), a female given name Film * ''Christine'' (1958 film), based on Schnitzler's play ''Liebelei'' * ''Christine'' (1983 film), based on Stephen King's novel of the same name * ''Christine'' ( ...

). Originally receiving a nine-book order from

, Landy elected to conclude the series after its first trilogy in 2016 with ''Desolation'' and ''

American Monsters Derek Landy (born 23 October 1974) is an Irish author and screenwriter, known for the ''Skulduggery Pleasant'' and '' Demon Road'' book series. Since 2018, he has also written numerous comic book series at Marvel Comics. Career Landy has writte ...

'', deciding to use the remaining six-book order to launch a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

series to his previous book series, ''

Skulduggery Pleasant ''Skulduggery Pleasant'' is a series of Dark fantasy, dark fantasy novels written by Irish author Derek Landy. Tom Percival is the series' illustrator. The books revolve around the adventures of fledgling detective Valkyrie Cain and her mentor ...

'', established to be set in the same shared

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

multiverse The multiverse is the hypothetical set of all universes. Together, these universes are presumed to comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describ ...

as ''Demon Road'' via

Easter eggs Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are Egg decorating, decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter ...

throughout the trilogy. ''Demon Road'' has received a mixed to positive critical reception.

Synopsis

''Demon Road'' revolves around Amber, a seemingly ordinary 16-year-old YA

fangirl A fan or fanatic, sometimes also termed an aficionado or enthusiast, is a person who exhibits strong interest or admiration for something or somebody, such as a celebrity, a sport, a sports team, a genre, a politician, a book, a movie, a video ...

from

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

who, after a shocking encounter, discovers a dark and twisted family secret: that her parents, their friends, and she herself are

s, out for her blood to fulfil a violent pact with a creature known as the Shining Demon. Forced to run for her life, Amber finds herself under the protection of Milo, a quiet, sarcastic and mysterious man driving a

Dodge Charger The Dodge Charger is a model of automobile marketed by Dodge in various forms over eight generations since 1966. The first Charger was a show car in 1964. A 1965 Charger II concept car resembled the 1966 production version. In the United Sta ...

, which seems to be alive. Tagging along for the ride is Glen, an annoying road trip companion from

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

, who has come to

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

from

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

after being told he has forty days to live. Forced to flee across the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

via the eponymous Demon Road, from which all

is derived, the trio find themselves facing demonic and otherworldly dangers as they search for a way to stop Amber's parents;

undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if they were alive. A common example of an undead being is a cadaver, corpse reanimated by supernatural forces, by the application of either the deceased's o ...

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

s (Dacre Shanks, a

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

Freddy Krueger Freddy Krueger () is a fictional character and the antagonist of the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' horror film franchise. Created by Wes Craven, he made his debut in Craven's '' A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984) as the malevolent spirit of a ...

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

s, servants of hell, and the ebony-horned and red-skinned demons relentlessly hunting the trio.

Development

In October 2015, ahead of the

German language German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...

release of ''Demon Road'', Carsten Biernat of Unique Voodoo Studios revealed that the institution had been commissioned to create the

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of c ...

of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

version of the novel, sharing concept sculptures of Amber in her demon form they had created on being asked to "bring the character to life". In April 2016,

and Unique Voodoo expressed interest in the concept models being produced as ''Demon Road'' collectable merchandise. Promoting ''Desolation'', elaborating on the series' premise of travelling the titular "Demon Road" from which all "the shining stars of

, both on the page and on the screen" is derived, as "the perfect opportunity to tip my hat to

Wes Craven Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter and producer. Amongst his Wes Craven filmography, prolific filmography, Craven worked primarily in the Horror film, horror genre, particularly sla ...

and a host of other creators", Landy described the trilogy as "a love letter to American horror, books, TV, comics, movies

here Here may refer to: Music * ''Here'' (Adrian Belew album), 1994 * ''Here'' (Alicia Keys album), 2016 * ''Here'' (Cal Tjader album), 1979 * ''Here'' (Edward Sharpe album), 2012 * ''Here'' (Idina Menzel album), 2004 * ''Here'' (Merzbow album), ...

every few chapters there’s a new character with a new story and each one of these encounters is a different trope of American horror. It’s

books, it’s

movies…

or example Or or OR may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * "O.R.", a 1974 episode of '' M*A*S*H'' * '' Or (My Treasure)'', a 2004 movie from Israel (''Or'' means "light" in Hebrew) Music * ''Or'' (album), a 2002 album by Gold ...

the Dacre Shanks character is influenced by

��It meant it could be a litany of horror tropes ��Over the course of the three books, there’ll be a '' Nightmare On Elm Street'', there’ll be ''X-Files'', there’ll be ''Buffy'', there’ll be

ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically including metals, concentrated above background levels, and that is economically viable to mine and process. The grade of ore refers to the concentration ...

, '' Psycho''… everything I loved as a horror fan is all in this series."

Reception

Louisa Mellor of ''

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a UK and US-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a biannual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ' ...

'' praised reading ''Demon Road'' as "like binge-watching an exciting

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series", expressing interest in a potential future television adaptation of the series. ''Track of Words'' described ''Demon Road'' as "a classic young adult chase novel ..great fun

hich Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...

demonstrates Landy’s skill with world building and storytelling". ''Angel Reads'' praised the "writing style easy to read and simple ..nothing hard about it and even teens on the younger side will be able to read ''Demon Road''. I loved the wit ��the dialogue was sharp and hit you right in the chest, and it was different and fun", referring to "the characterisation of Landy characters sfun, different and bright", before concluding that "''Demon Road'' was a fun, sassy and gruesome read at showed that sometimes the outside of people can be deceiving ndthat sometimes people can be good and evil all at the same time." ''Heart Full of Books'' meanwhile called ''Demon Road'' "the perfect mix of ''

Percy Jackson Perseus "Percy" Jackson is a fictional character, the title character and narrator of Rick Riordan's ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' series. He is also one of seven main protagonists of the sequel series '' The Heroes of Olympus'', appeari ...

'' and the TV show ''

Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

'' ��pacy and a little gory, oncludingif you’re up for that, then I would definitely give it a go." ''Paper Fury'' similarly compared ''Demon Road'' to ''Supernatural'', lauding its "snortingly good humour" and "fast moving wickedly captivating action scenes."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demon Road Fantasy novels 2010s horror novels Irish LGBTQ novels 2015 Irish novels Novels set in Florida Novels about lesbian topics Parodies of Scooby-Doo LGBTQ-related horror literature Lovecraftian horror HarperCollins books