‘Fearful Symmetry: Vol. 1’ By Devon Carey – Book Review

I recently had the chance to read Author Devon Carey’s debut novel, Fearful Symmetry: Vol 1, an anthology of tales told at the insistence of the demon spawn, Gabriel Cross. Yes, an actual demon was called forth from Hell to produce these stories. I’m still not sure if this was on purpose. But I digress. The result is a book full of dreary yet maniacal stories of supernatural horror from a brand new, unique, expressive voice in the genre.

The author tells his own tale in Fearful Symmetry, of a long, drawn out, seemingly endless night where the evil Cross abases him into writing horrendous story after story despite his bone-weary tiredness and emotional exhaustion. Each one starts off in the real world and follows regular people doing average things. Unfortunately for them, Hell has been called forth in their lives, whether they asked for it or not. In a meta move, Carey has written himself into the story and tells the tales to keep himself company as he waits out his time in Symmetry’s Asylum, hoping against hope for the powers that be to slip up and eventually let him out.

I also want to mention the beautifully creepy artwork in Fearful Symmetry, which was created by Artist Kameron Ramos. I love gorgeous yet somber look of it all. I keep staring at the pictures and finding new things to notice. What a fantastic compliment to this book.

All of these stories mention the word “legion.” Used the in the Bible as a way to number the countless demons residing inside of a possessed man, the word automatically brings to mind the dark, wretched depths of Hell, a place that is both freezing and scorching, a dimension full of the most evil beings. And that is where all of these stories end up.

Final Thoughts

Fearful Symmetry is dark and deranged, a novel of broken people finding absolute despair. Each tale is tied to the idea of many, of Legion, of an inescapable godlessness. The demon Gabriel torments the tortured author for eternity for just one more story…

If you’re looking for a unique take on horror anthologies, look no further than Fearful Symmetry. You can pick up a copy of Fearful Symmetry here. Distributed by Shadow Creek Publishing.