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In Memory
Sarah Summers was normal once, but now she spends her nights plagued by dreams of her dead family. When a demon is sent to possess her, can Sarah fight back against it and overcome the evil that not only threatens her sanity, but humanity itself?
145 pages, Paperback
First published July 9, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 14, 2016
In a Mareyland asylum, demons and humans collide, breaking down walls between worlds.
I picked up a paperback copy at the UK Indie Lit Fest, and got to meet the author, which was pretty cool.
In Memory is a highly imaginative and ambitious story, following several people (and demons) as all hell breaks loose (literally).
I really liked the setting, and thought it was an original premise. Driven by the despair of losing a loved one, Marcus will go to any length to overturn the rules of this world and get her back. This includes starting an mental asylum, where he actually pushes his patients deeper into insanity, with the help of demonic possessions.
Sarah is one of his victims, but things do quite go to plan when her assigned demon starts to play by his own rules.
The demons are, well, murderous beasties. They are a blend of tradition and modern. The way they speak, act and their overall vibe is that of a modern person. I found it quite jarring at first, but quickly found it amusing. Let's face it, you're going to either love it or hate it, that these all-powerful demons sound like Bob-next-door.
What didn't work for me was the execution.
This is a short book of about 140 pages. It has 47 chapters (yes, 47 - most chapters are a page and half long), and each chapter jumps between narrator.
There are five narrators (or six? I can't remember if Dietrich gets the spotlight).
I know that the synopsis mentions Sarah Summers, but the story is shared equally with the other characters. This is really hard, as every other page you jump into someone else's head and have to remember their drive and history, which is patchy at best.
In those 140 pages, as well as trying to represent the characters; Sarah gets possessed, teams up with her demon, escapes, fights for freedom, realises she's got to face Marcus etc. Cornelius the demon works out how to control Sarah's body, escapes, fights for freedom and realises that he has to face Dietrich. Jess is employed by Death, and has to go save Sarah and a bunch of other souls that the demons are stealing, she gets to grip with being a trainee reaper etc. Teo is kidnapped, driven insane and subjected to demon possession, he is sent to hunt Sarah and her demon, he learns a load of stuff and meets demon assassins etc. Marcus is the evil guy behind the kidnappings and demonic happenings, so he engineers all of the above, and goes about with his demon contacts etc. Meanwhile Dietrich goes along with what Marcus says, until it's time for him to wreak havoc.
{end of plot}
The point I'm trying to make is, it was just too much.
It was trying to cover too much ground in too little time, and I couldn't keep track; nor could I particularly care or connect with the characters because we were only getting a recap version.
I would have liked if Sutton picked one central character and focused this short story on them.
It felt like when an author is too familiar with the world they have created, they know all the characters' back-stories and reactions etc, and they forget that we newcomers don't.
This meant that any time a new spell, or escape/excuse/plot machination came up with no previous explanation, it felt like it had been wedged in there for the sole purpose of moving the story where Sutton wanted it to be. The rules of the world were never fully realised.
I also thought that all the characters sounded very much the same, so it was very hard to distinguish between them and make them memorable.
The ending is something that will split opinion. It is very abrupt and I guess you would say it's a cliff-hanger. In one sense it's very final, but I would have preferred it being expanded on.
I picked up a paperback copy at the UK Indie Lit Fest, and got to meet the author, which was pretty cool.
In Memory is a highly imaginative and ambitious story, following several people (and demons) as all hell breaks loose (literally).
I really liked the setting, and thought it was an original premise. Driven by the despair of losing a loved one, Marcus will go to any length to overturn the rules of this world and get her back. This includes starting an mental asylum, where he actually pushes his patients deeper into insanity, with the help of demonic possessions.
Sarah is one of his victims, but things do quite go to plan when her assigned demon starts to play by his own rules.
The demons are, well, murderous beasties. They are a blend of tradition and modern. The way they speak, act and their overall vibe is that of a modern person. I found it quite jarring at first, but quickly found it amusing. Let's face it, you're going to either love it or hate it, that these all-powerful demons sound like Bob-next-door.
What didn't work for me was the execution.
This is a short book of about 140 pages. It has 47 chapters (yes, 47 - most chapters are a page and half long), and each chapter jumps between narrator.
There are five narrators (or six? I can't remember if Dietrich gets the spotlight).
I know that the synopsis mentions Sarah Summers, but the story is shared equally with the other characters. This is really hard, as every other page you jump into someone else's head and have to remember their drive and history, which is patchy at best.
In those 140 pages, as well as trying to represent the characters; Sarah gets possessed, teams up with her demon, escapes, fights for freedom, realises she's got to face Marcus etc. Cornelius the demon works out how to control Sarah's body, escapes, fights for freedom and realises that he has to face Dietrich. Jess is employed by Death, and has to go save Sarah and a bunch of other souls that the demons are stealing, she gets to grip with being a trainee reaper etc. Teo is kidnapped, driven insane and subjected to demon possession, he is sent to hunt Sarah and her demon, he learns a load of stuff and meets demon assassins etc. Marcus is the evil guy behind the kidnappings and demonic happenings, so he engineers all of the above, and goes about with his demon contacts etc. Meanwhile Dietrich goes along with what Marcus says, until it's time for him to wreak havoc.
{end of plot}
The point I'm trying to make is, it was just too much.
It was trying to cover too much ground in too little time, and I couldn't keep track; nor could I particularly care or connect with the characters because we were only getting a recap version.
I would have liked if Sutton picked one central character and focused this short story on them.
It felt like when an author is too familiar with the world they have created, they know all the characters' back-stories and reactions etc, and they forget that we newcomers don't.
This meant that any time a new spell, or escape/excuse/plot machination came up with no previous explanation, it felt like it had been wedged in there for the sole purpose of moving the story where Sutton wanted it to be. The rules of the world were never fully realised.
I also thought that all the characters sounded very much the same, so it was very hard to distinguish between them and make them memorable.
The ending is something that will split opinion. It is very abrupt and I guess you would say it's a cliff-hanger. In one sense it's very final, but I would have preferred it being expanded on.
August 4, 2015
This book surprised me - it bordered more towards the fantasy end of demon novels than the horror that the blurb suggested to me. And I have no problems with that. This is a short little book, and we don't see too much of any one character's reasoning or motivation, which is something that I would love to see more of, but at the same time we are thrown straight into the thick of the plot, along with the characters, in what becomes a rapidly immersive experience.
There is a mixture of some really gorgeous writing with a few chunks that might be considered to need revising, but overall the story flows forward well and we can see what the author is intending. I am intrigued to find out what happens next!
(Congratulations Josh!)
There is a mixture of some really gorgeous writing with a few chunks that might be considered to need revising, but overall the story flows forward well and we can see what the author is intending. I am intrigued to find out what happens next!
(Congratulations Josh!)
November 15, 2015
Giving a one star review is a horrible feeling but I also struggled to read this, especially as it felt so incredibly rushed. Characters seemingly had no motivation and were quite forgettable in the end. I believe if I had known more of their agenda and what their passions and drives were, I would have been more invested in them.
In the end, it could have been a good book if only it didn't feel rushed. It is a major bug-bear when it comes to what I'm reading.
I am aware this is a debut novel and I hope to see this author grow.
In the end, it could have been a good book if only it didn't feel rushed. It is a major bug-bear when it comes to what I'm reading.
I am aware this is a debut novel and I hope to see this author grow.
May 7, 2019
The premise of the trilogy was imaginative and original.
Marcus has lost the love of his life and will do anything to get her back, including driving people insane and having them possessed by demons. Sarah is one of those people, however, having been possed by Cornelius, she teams up with him and fights back.
As the story moves on the reasons behind Marcus actions change, and he sets out to rule the world(s).
There were quite a few characters in the first book, and more introduced in the following one. I would have liked to get to know the characters better, their reasoning or motivation. As it was, I didn’t connect with any of them and apart from Cornelius, none were particularly memorable.
The entire trilogy fills approximately 400 pages and there’s a lot of action packed into those pages. For me, there was too much action at times in book one, and too many interconnecting events, which got a bit confusing and made the book seem rushed.
I was however intrigued enough by the first book to read the rest of the trilogy.
Book 2 continues the story after a 15-year gap, and book 3 many years after that. Both books still had plenty going on but at a less manic pace.
Marcus has lost the love of his life and will do anything to get her back, including driving people insane and having them possessed by demons. Sarah is one of those people, however, having been possed by Cornelius, she teams up with him and fights back.
As the story moves on the reasons behind Marcus actions change, and he sets out to rule the world(s).
There were quite a few characters in the first book, and more introduced in the following one. I would have liked to get to know the characters better, their reasoning or motivation. As it was, I didn’t connect with any of them and apart from Cornelius, none were particularly memorable.
The entire trilogy fills approximately 400 pages and there’s a lot of action packed into those pages. For me, there was too much action at times in book one, and too many interconnecting events, which got a bit confusing and made the book seem rushed.
I was however intrigued enough by the first book to read the rest of the trilogy.
Book 2 continues the story after a 15-year gap, and book 3 many years after that. Both books still had plenty going on but at a less manic pace.
February 24, 2018
In Memory took me on an immensely dark mental journey right from the start. There were so many mysterious things happening simultaneously and I found myself needing to get to the bottom of them. I practically raced to the end of this book and now I definitely need to get the other ones in this trilogy.
February 1, 2020
The book is very good, and is deceptively rich in flavour for it's size. The story is pretty interesting too, without spoiling, it will grab your interest from the start and keep you wanting to know what is going to happen next, nothing is ever as clean cut as it seems in this book, there is always more to it.
The characters especially were very well introduced, with each one meaning something to the story, i.e. there were no characters who were introduced then abandoned story wise, and this meant that it was easy to adhere to the characters as the story went on as they all had some relevance to the overall story.
While I have to admit the book could have done with a bit more fleshing out in some areas, it is definitely a good debut title for the author, and a good start to what the book teases to be an interesting trilogy.
The characters especially were very well introduced, with each one meaning something to the story, i.e. there were no characters who were introduced then abandoned story wise, and this meant that it was easy to adhere to the characters as the story went on as they all had some relevance to the overall story.
While I have to admit the book could have done with a bit more fleshing out in some areas, it is definitely a good debut title for the author, and a good start to what the book teases to be an interesting trilogy.
July 24, 2015
A really interesting read, not normally my genre but it captured my imagination and held it throughout the book. I enjoyed the concept behind it and the description, whilst a little primitive in places, was well thought out. All in all something I would recommend to a lot of people.
August 18, 2016
Imaginative writer with a flair for the macabre. Plenty of action in a glimpse of the afterlife where good confronts evil. My favourite character was the Cornelius Destoramus the demon with a certain conscience. Fast moving and action packed I'm looking forward to the next in the trilogy.
August 24, 2016
a must read if you like demons and the occult
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews