I had first heard of the idea of the Devil being “Legion, for we are many” (a way of saying the Devil has many proxies, or perhaps even resides in all humans) in Stephen King’s TV miniseries “Storm of the Century” (1999). The exact nature of how the Devil jumps bodies is somewhat of a mystery – as is the question of whether this is the demon Pazuzu (never mentioned in this novel) or the Devil himself – but the storyline proceeds nicely from the end of “The Exorcist,” which now has new meaning infused to the final moments of Father Karras’ life. When I read it today, it’s obvious to me that the Devil is committing the series of murders, using mentally addled patients as his proxies. – probably played better with a more innocent reader in 1983. William Peter Blatty obliquely returns to the world of “The Exorcist” in “Legion” (1983), which was later adapted into the movie “Exorcist III.” Although the MacNeils are not in the novel (or even directly mentioned), Lieutenant Kinderman returns – this time as the main character – and there are other surprise tie-ins to the 1971 novel.Īs with the original novel, the mystery of “Legion” – again set in Washington, D.C. The answers are revealed in a climax so stunning that it could only have been written by the author of The Exorcist-William Peter Blatty.Īt the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.In this series, I look back at past entries in the “Exorcist” saga as we await word of the renewal or cancellation of the Fox TV series that continues the movie saga into modern day.

But more than this, it is an extraordinary journey into the uncharted depths of the human mind and the most agonizing questions of the human condition.

Legion is a novel of breathtaking energy and suspense. Why does each victim suffer the same dreadful mutilations? Why are two of the victims priests? Is there a connection between these crimes and another series of murders that took place twelve years ago-and supposedly ended with the death of the killer? Lieutenant Kinderman follows a bewildering trail that links all these people, confronting a new enigma at every turn even as more murders surface. Is the murderer the elderly woman who witnessed the crime? A neurologist who can no longer bear the pain life inflicts on its victims? A psychiatrist with a macabre sense of humor and a guilty secret? A mysterious mental patient, locked in silent isolation? From the author of The Exorcist - Legion, a classic tale of horror, is back in print!Ī young boy is found horribly murdered in a mock crucifixion.

Legion blatty novel