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How To Recognize A Demon Has Become Your Friend Paperback – October 23, 2011
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length112 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateOctober 23, 2011
- Dimensions6 x 0.29 x 9 inches
- ISBN-101530128102
- ISBN-13978-1530128105
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Product details
- Publisher : CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 23, 2011)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 112 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1530128102
- ISBN-13 : 978-1530128105
- Item Weight : 7.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.29 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,841,591 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #55,052 in Horror Literature & Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Linda D. Addison born in Philadelphia, PA is an American poet and writer of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. Addison is the first African-American winner of the HWA Bram Stoker Award®, which she won five times for her collections Consumed, Reduced to Beautiful Grey Ashes (2001); Being Full of Light, Insubstantial (2007); How To Recognize A Demon Has Become Your Friend (2011); Four Elements (2014) and The Place of Broken Things (2019, with Alessandro Manzetti). Addison has received the HWA Mentor of the Year Award and the HWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2020, she was designated as the Science-Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) 2020 Grand Master.
She has published over 400 poems, stories and articles and is one of the editors of Sycorax’s Daughters (Cedar Grove Publishing), an anthology of horror fiction/poetry by African-American women (HWA Bram Stoker finalist). Catch her latest work in anthologies Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda (Titan Books); Miscreations (Written Backwards), Don’t Turn Out the Lights (HarperCollins); Under Twin Suns anthology (Hippocampus Press); Were Tales: A Shapeshifter Anthology! (Brigids Gate Press); Attack from the ’80s (Raw Dog Screaming Press); HyBriD anthology (Hybrid Sequence Media) & Predator: Eyes of the Demon (Titan Books). Addison is a founding member of the writer’s group Circles in the Hair (CITH), and a member of HWA, SFWA, SFPA and IAMTW.
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Customers find the book a satisfying mix of horror and science fiction short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. They appreciate the colorful language and storytelling style that captures their imagination. The book keeps readers engaged with its blend of humor and dark themes.
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Customers enjoy the collection of horror and science fiction short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. They find the language beautiful and the story world rich. The book is described as a darkly satisfying mix of stories and poems, with references to Lovecraft and other gothic horror authors.
"...But what I can tell you, is that the stories in here are so good that even if you’re the kind of person who skips over poetry, you will totally get..." Read more
"A collection of horror and sci-fi short stories, flash fiction, and poetry...." Read more
"...There is folk horror, fantasy, magical realism, sci fi, and humor throughout this beautiful collection. Highly recommended ." Read more
"This collection of poetry and short stories is a masterpiece of humor, horror and science fiction that will have you begging for more...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's storytelling style. They find the words and tales colorful, with a brilliant blend of poetry and short stories that capture their imagination and heart. The collection is well-crafted, exploring folk horror, fantasy, magical realism, sci-fi, and humor throughout. The author has a huge and brilliant imagination, and each story gives a striking look into tried and failed connections.
"...This is truly a wide-ranging collection, one that’s extremely well-written. I hope to read more by Ms. Addison!..." Read more
"A collection of horror and sci-fi short stories, flash fiction, and poetry...." Read more
"...There is folk horror, fantasy, magical realism, sci fi, and humor throughout this beautiful collection. Highly recommended ." Read more
"...This specially crafted anthology tickles your inner darkness while exploring the vastness of what and who we really are...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book. They say it's an engaging read that keeps them hooked until the end. Some appreciate the poetry more than the short stories, which is unusual for them.
"...I actually enjoyed the poetry more than the short stories, which isn't my usual. Frequent tongue-in-cheek tone that was fun. A solid collection." Read more
"...Really enjoyable!" Read more
"I usually prefer novels to shorter works, but these kept me engaged (and up half the night) with their beautiful language and rich story world." Read more
"This short book is a good time!..." Read more
Customers like the humor in the book. They say it's a great mixture of horror, humor, and science fiction. The book is described as playful yet menacing at the same time.
"...A couple of pieces are either humorous or whimsical in nature, such as “Excerpts from the Unabridged Traveler’s Guide as UFOs in Galaxy A.G.2.,” “..." Read more
"...There is folk horror, fantasy, magical realism, sci fi, and humor throughout this beautiful collection. Highly recommended ." Read more
"This collection of poetry and short stories is a masterpiece of humor, horror and science fiction that will have you begging for more...." Read more
"...sci-fi stories here as well as supernatural, and there's an unexpected thread of humor that mixes really well with the horror...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2021When I bought Linda Addison’s horror collection How To Recognize A Demon Has Become Your Friend, I didn’t realize there was quite a bit of poetry in among the stories. I’m not much of a poetry reader, and I won’t comment on it here because I don’t have a lot to say about it except “I thought it was good.” But what I can tell you, is that the stories in here are so good that even if you’re the kind of person who skips over poetry, you will totally get your money’s worth with this book. The stories are that good.
“The Power” is a great story about cousins Brenda and Angelique, who share a certain inherited ability. It kind of seems like the scary neighbor has an interest in them, and it isn’t good. I love the characters of Brenda and Angelique, and you’ll see adult versions of them in a later story, “Milez to Go.” In that tale, Addison seamlessly blends bio-engineering with folk magic, which is difficult to do.
My absolute favorite story in here–the one that could justify the price of the entire book–is “369 Gates of Hell.” A bodyguard named Redi Thomas, who used to be an assassin, is offered one more assassination job. The prize? The ghosts of the people she’s killed will stop haunting her. I could never have imagined where this one would go, and it’s just amazing.
There are multiple stories just kind of exploring the lines between life and death, such as “Dust to Dust” and “Night of the Living and Dead.”
A couple of pieces are either humorous or whimsical in nature, such as “Excerpts from the Unabridged Traveler’s Guide as UFOs in Galaxy A.G.2.,” “Artificial Unintelligence,” “Live and Let Live,” (aliens!) and “Am I Repeating Myself?” Not to mention “Unrequited,” which is both whimsical and explores that line between life and death–in it, a zombie seems to have a strange urge that he’s trying to follow.
There are also a couple of more serious stories that examine things like emotional abuse and bullying. This is truly a wide-ranging collection, one that’s extremely well-written. I hope to read more by Ms. Addison!
Content note: some body horror, decomposition, torture.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2014The cover of How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend: bloody. Grotesque & ridiculous at the same time. Deliberately? I honestly don't know. The drawing is very well crafted. I like the black and white version, which appears in the book's interior, even more than the color version.
The book contains 35 short stories and poems. They occur in roughly equal numbers, which means that most of the book, in terms of pages or words, is fiction. Twenty of these 35 pieces are reprints, mostly from two previous collections. (As far as I know, those chapbooks are not available in digital form.)
The introduction is by the author, and most of it consists of a poem composed primarily of the titles of other poems and stories that appear in the book. Addison begins the introduction by confessing that she has always loved words, and that she likes turning titles into poems. I have always loved words too, and I enjoyed this poem. It is entitled "Linda to Linda," and, despite its origin from a list of titles, it is smooth and coherent. "Linda to Linda" is not listed in the table of contents. So I guess that means there are 36 pieces in How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend.
I like the stories very much, but won't review them here. They are all supernatural horror. In this review I call it mainstream horror, to distinguish it from dark fantasy or dark science-fiction or other genre-marginal writing. I don't mean the kind of story in which the only horror element is contributed by evil humans.
Most of the poetry in this book is set squarely within the horror genre. The poems that appeal most to me are those that, in one fashion or another, break outside that classification. For instance, "Forever Dead" is a zombie's wish, definitely not your usual zombie fare. Some of these poems are not really horror at all. At least, not as I define it. "After I Ate the Apple" is a powerful mythic piece. Here's a sample:
Found magic in my hands and my hips,
found even a look could stir things up
so I stirred and stirred
making little and big things.
"In this Strange Place" is a ghost story.
I have all the time, it waits in my arms,
newborn, forgotten, silent, there is no
way to break the frozen moment,
today or tomorrow or all the days to come.
How to Recognize a Demon Has Become Your Friend consists of alternating stories and poems. In terms of words or pages the book is at least 80% fiction, even though the two kinds of pieces are almost equally numerous. Also, I like nearly all of the fiction, even though most of it is clearly mainstream horror (which is not really my cup of tea). I like some of the poetry a great deal, mostly the poems that have unique features that make them stand out. I cannot recommend buying this book primarily for the poetry, but I can recommend buying it if you like short horror fiction. Think of the poetry as the icing on the cake.
End
- Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2022A collection of horror and sci-fi short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. I actually enjoyed the poetry more than the short stories, which isn't my usual. Frequent tongue-in-cheek tone that was fun. A solid collection.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2020This collection was a brilliant blend of poetry and short stories. I take my time with poetry - it takes me longer to absorb it, to make sure I'm paying attention and taking it in. I loved the flip back and forth between the two mediums, and the changing style and tone of the storytelling. The collection is bookended by the poems the collection is named for, each giving a striking look into tried, and failed, connections. A further set of bookends is provided by the first and last stories, introducing us to Brenda and Angelique, cousins with more than a touch of magic to them, and revisits them as adults in Milez to Go. There is folk horror, fantasy, magical realism, sci fi, and humor throughout this beautiful collection. Highly recommended .
- Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2022This collection of poetry and short stories is a masterpiece of humor, horror and science fiction that will have you begging for more. This specially crafted anthology tickles your inner darkness while exploring the vastness of what and who we really are. A must read for anyone that loves stories that will stay with you until the bitter end...even if you are in fact a demon.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2017I'm not a poetry reader but this book was recommended on Writing Excuses and thought I'd give it a try. Really enjoyable!
- Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2022I was prepared for horror when I started this collection, but both the breadth and the depth of the stories and poems in here blew me away! There are sci-fi stories here as well as supernatural, and there's an unexpected thread of humor that mixes really well with the horror. This is a very original collection and I highly recommend it!