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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Memoirs Of An Exorcist, 12 May 2006
Memoirs Of An Exorcist reads like the day of a life of an exorcist; not surprising, as it's first time author, David Devereux started studying magic when he was a teenager and has been a professional exorcist for twenty years.
He writes in such a humorous and down to earth way about his first hand experiences of exorcising homes, pubs and offices that he comes across as totally convincing.
'Exorcism is an extremely specialised task that calls for a great deal of training, a very particular skill set, a confidence in one's abilities that borders on arrogance and a team of people who work well together under pressure. It's really not something to try if you have any choice in the matter.'
The most interesting thing about Memoirs is how Devereux describes his extraordinary job of an Exorcist as perfectly normal. He candidly describes the hair-raising jobs which Athanor Consulting, a 'ghost busting' company, which he co-founded are hired to do. His clients aren't esoteric weirdoes but are professional people who need their homes cleansed or pubs and businesses cleaned of malign paranormal influences.
Scientists, sceptics and disbelievers in magic of any kind will probably dismiss David's autobiographical account of an exorcist as pure fantasy. But, it doesn't matter if the reader is a cynic or a fervent believe in psychic entities of the malevolent kind. Memoirs Of An Exorcist is a highly entertaining book, whatever way you wish to view it.
David Devereux makes a living from exorcism and in his book, never escapes into fantasy. The matter of fact way he recalls his out of this world experiences is normal to him. To him and his grateful clients, his job is necessary and normal, rather like the role of a plumber. And I should know.
Devereux came to do some 'Spot Cleaning' (chapter seven) in my office when weird things suddenly started to happen to my electronics one Christmas. I'm pretty cynical, and didn't truly believe in stuff like curses or exorcism before he came round to cleanse my room. But, I quickly changed my mind after his extraordinary session, which I can only describe as 'magical'.
'Once a tulpa' (the word comes from Tibetan and means thought-forms), 'has been identified as the cause of a problem, the task is to catch or corner it, and then eliminate it. Since these are artificially created entities, there is nowhere to which they can be returned and so they must be destroyed. This process generally involves draining them of energy to a point where they can no longer hold themselves together and then hitting them with a concentrated blast of energy to effectively blow them apart.'
A fascinating read, especially if the reader like David, believes that 'the universe in which we live is wild and mad and scary,' and know that exorcism is the only solution for 'strange noises in the night and things that move by themselves.'
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
An entertaining read, even if you're a complete sceptic, 31 Jul 2006
I picked this book up on impulse whilst looking for something a little different to read. I wasn't expecting much, I was just curious, but I found it a highly entertaining read.
I'm not going to claim it's the ultimate in English literature, because it isn't (and even the author admits that fact). It's just a book about what one particular person does for a living. What makes it so interesting is that he does such an interesting job and this fact is still true even if you don't believe in anything he claims to deal with.
You know those (all too infrequent) times you've been in a pub or some other location and have got talking to someone who just seems to have had a fascinating life? You spend 3 hours listening to their anecdotes and come out feeling entirely entertained? This book is like that!
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Very good!, 27 Aug 2006
As i work in a bookshop, I see many books like this. But after reading it i realised this book is totally different to the rest!
Written in a language we can all understand, it gives you an insight into the world of this amazing man. I think it is good that he doesn't go into too much detail about what actually is involved, it lets you imaging what he is doing and doesn't let people who have no idea what they are getting themselves in for dabbling with the dark arts!
Funny but informative a very good read!
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Utterly silly...but fun, 30 Dec 2007
Mildly entertaining, lightweight hokum. A tubby barman self-dramatises by donning a leather coat, matching fedora and an odd slangy patois (half mockney-half Sam Spade) and takes us into a world of silly make-believe and faux paranormal investigation. He drinks a lot; claims to see off demonic entities, water pixies ('undines') and other revenants with the help of his toy pistol ('Zozo gun'), streetwise 'tude ("the night of the exorcism, I kicked some serious ass" etc.) and coterie of odd mates (eg: 'Nick the Witch'); and generally indulges his fantasy of being an amalgam of Aleister Crowley, Bruce Willis and Gandalf.
It's daft beyond belief, but not without its charm. For all his self-regarding silliness, the author seems quite a nice chap and I wish him well with this book's sales!
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Interesting reading, entertainingly put and down to earth. , 30 Aug 2006
The author does a pretty good job of making, what is to most folk, pretty wierd and wonderful, seem sensible, normal and just really very interesting to hear about.
Presented pragmatically and without an axe to grind it was far more compulsive and entertaining a read than I expected when I picked up the book looking for something just a bit different to read.
Even a decent useful but brief glossary and some recommended follow on reading.. Well worth the price... whether you're into things psychic or just interested in the world we live in and how different other peoples lives can be to your own.
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1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Rubbish, 28 Jan 2008
I tried to leave a review before but it didn't seem to work - perhaps the author put a spell on it.
The other reviewers have been incredibly kind. This is a ludicrous book written in a most unconvincing style - the author portraying himself as a sort of Lee Van Cleef bounty hunter of the spirit world, kitted out with long black leather coat, dark glasses and a gun slinger attitude.
The stories themselves are increibly mundane - an unlucky house - which they cured? And he is pissed half the time before going on missions and during them - which explains a lot.
It is so bad it is almost good
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