I've been curious about this book since the first Conjuring movie. Satan's Harvest covers the possession of Maurice Theriault, a French-Canadian farmer. His possession is considered one of the most publicized and one of the few exorcisms actually recorded. 

Now, just to get this out of the way, I do believe Theriault was possessed due to the footage of the exorcism that I have seen. It's an interesting video and due to the time period I'm skeptical it was faked. Not impossible, just not convinced. That said, if I had to use this book to make that decision, I'd say both Theriault and the Warrens are major frauds. 

Despite claims of photographic and video evidence, there were very few photos taken in the book. Most were just of Ed and Lorraine, actually, which I felt contrasted very differently from the other books of theirs that I had read. I hate when paranormal books do that, saying they have evidence but never showing it. I'm reading this book to learn and be convinced. The author is the one making the claims so they better do all they can to convince me. 

The Warrens themselves, who I've always considered a decent enough couple, came across very differently in this book, especially Ed. He seemed arrogant, pretentious, and close minded. I was especially chuffed during the chapter on the psychiatrist's interview with Maurice. This is a man who went through incredible abuse throughout his life and I was genuinely interested in what those findings would be. But Ed basically shot down everything the man said if it contradicted the theory of possession. This portrayal of the Warrens is very in line with criticisms skeptics pose about them. If this book were my first exposure to them, I'd be fully convinced they were frauds as well.

The book also glossed over some pretty major factors of Maurice's life, namely his criminal charges. During the times where his possession was most blatant, Maurice was accused of arson and sexually assaulting a child. You would think the book might want to explore that a bit more, given that it's awfully convenient that he's possessed and therefore wasn't in control of his actions (/sarcasm). Additionally, his treatment of his first wife sounded rather awful and I didn't appreciate how sympathetic the book portrayed him. You can be possessed and still also just be an asshole. 

Like I said, I do believe something paranormal was happening with Maurice. I also think he is fully responsible for at least the sexual assault and probably the fires. The Warrens say so themselves, usually someone has to either invite the spirit in or be doing something incredibly amoral to open themselves to demonic possession. At the very least it's a Chicken or the Egg kind of question about his possession and I really wish the book had explored it more. 

Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars. A lot of fun spooky stuff to read but oddly narrow minded compared to the other books I've read by the Warrens. 

So we all know I am fascinated by the warrens. When this book came off the conveyor belt at work, I couldn't resist checking it out and read it during my lunch breaks. It wasn't what I expected but interesting none the less. 

The Demonologist discusses the work of the Warrens, the nature of the supernatural, and how paranormal investigations and exorcisms really work. Apparently it is the main work the cast and crew of The Conjuring films used for research, which makes sense. The book does discuss the Annabelle case, Amityville, and the Enfield Poltergeist, all of which are famous cases that are brought up in the movie. Also briefly discussed is the history of how exorcisms, ghosts and demons were viewed in the past. 

I expected this book to be a collection of stories about their different investigations, like Ghost Hunters was. Instead what I got was more of a text book on paranormal investigations and demonic activity. That's not exactly the right term, text book, but a lot of the book was dedicated to simply explaining how demons can be recognized, the different types of spirits, etc., with anecdotes used to prove the points. That kind of disappointed me, because I wanted less of their religious philosophies and more stories of spooky ghosts, but it was interesting to read none the less. 

The biggest drawback to the book is the Warren's opinions themselves. I'm a big believe in the paranormal - ghosts, possession, the whole shebang. I won't touch a Ouija board and firmly believe I captured an EVP. But there were times during the book where I couldn't help but go, "Do you seriously expect me to believe this?" And everything was demons with them, which could get frustrating, especially in the case of Annalise Michel.

It wasn't just the stories they told, like of ghost cars. What was more frustrating was the fact that frequently the Warrens claim to have captured entities on film, but refused to put the pictures in the book. That was just teasing and I didn't like it. I understand their philosophy is, "If we show you these images it can put you at risk", and I do honestly believe they 100% believe that and aren't just saying that to get people of their backs. But if you're not going to show the things you mention, then why bring them up in the first place, especially in a book that's supposed to educate? It was frustrating and irritated me on more than one occasion. 

Final rating: 3.5 out of 5. It's a good book for those interested in the Warrens and the Paranormal. Definitely helps you to understand their methods more. I'll stick to the collections of spooky encounters though.

Demonolodzy Ed i Lorraine Warren - Geral...

Wydaje mi się, że temat opętań, egzorcystach, demonologach czy też walki z demonami jest coraz popularniejszy. Jeszcze kilka lat temu nie można było spotkać tyle książek o tej tematyce, ile się pojawia w obecnym czasie. 

Dla mnie jest to drugie spotkanie z demonologami i opętaniami. Wcześniej miałam okazję przeczytać "Zbaw nas ode złego", przy którym miałam mieszane uczucia. Zresztą przy "Demonologach" również nie potrafię jasno określić, co sądzę o tej pozycji.

Na pierwszej stronie książki możemy przeczytać, iż "jest to najstraszniejsza książka", jaką kiedykolwiek przeczytał reżyser filmów z serii "Obecność". Po tych słowach spodziewałam się lektury straszniejszej niż większość horrorów, które widziałam. I tego na pewno nie dostałam. 

Na samym wstępie powinnam zaznaczyć, iż ta książka zrobi ogromne wrażenie na ludziach wierzących. Bowiem jeśli wierzysz w Boga, automatycznie musisz wierzyć również w siły zła, duchy nieczyste zwane też demonami. Jeśli zaś w Boga nie wierzysz, jesteś ateistą, to tą książka potraktujesz jako fantastykę. A jako, że moja wiara jest naprawdę skomplikowaną kwestią, to i "Demonolodzy" sprawiły mi wiele komplikacji.

Zanim zaczęłam czytać, byłam pewna, iż książka będzie napisana w podobny sposób jak "Zbaw nas ode złego", czyli jeden rozdział = jedna sprawa (czasem 2 rozdziały = jedna sprawa". Natomiast tutaj jest kilka rozdziałów poświęconym pojedynczym przypadkom. Większość jednak jest ogólną lekcją na temat demonologii, podczas której podaje się różne przykładny zdarzeń nawiedzeń, opętań itp. I ta forma naprawdę się sprawdziła, gdyż więcej dostałam wiedzy na temat działania sił nadprzyrodzonych niż gdyby książka opisywała tylko różne autentyczne przypadki, w których Ed i Lorraine brali udział.

O Edzie i Lorraine Warren po raz pierwszy przeczytałam właśnie w książce "Zbaw nas ode złego". Widziałam również film "Obecność 2", w który opierał się na prawdziwych wydarzeniach. Dlatego też ogromnie chciałam przeczytać "Demonologów". Chciałam poznać to, czym Ed i Lorraine Warren się zetknęli. 

W książce pojawia się jedna z najgłośniejszych spraw, przy której pracowali Warrenowie. Chodzi mianowicie o Amityville. Jednak autor nie opisuje tej sprawy tak dokładnie jak kilka innych spraw. Przykłady, w których pojawia się Amityville służą raczej pokazaniu mechanizmów czy też pewnych schematów, jakimi może działać duch nieludzki. 

O właśnie. Dużą ciekawostką dla mnie było rozgraniczenie rodzajów duchów na ludzkie oraz nieludzkie. Jakoś przed przeczytaniem tej książki, myślałam, iż duch = osoba, która zmarła, lecz została na naszym świecie w niematerialnej postaci. Natomiast w książce od razu jest rozgraniczenie na:

--> ducha ludzkiego, czyli właśnie ducha po osobie zmarłej oraz

--> ducha nieludzkiego, czyli demona, czy inne złe stworzenia. Duchy nieludzkie nigdy nie były ludźmi. 

Zatem wszystkie nawiedzenia są wywołane przez duchy, a Warrenowie określają, jakie są to duchy i czy trzeba egzorcyzmować daną osobę, rodzinę...

Dużo jest też o tabliczce Ouija. Ale o niej to już od dawna słyszałam, iż jest zła. Szkoda, że nie jest dokładnie wyjaśnione, dlaczego właśnie ona jest taka zła? W ogóle ciekawe jest, dlaczego niektóre rzeczy czy zabawy są złe i sprowadzają duchy nieludzkie, a inne są dozwolone. I jeszcze te rytuały. Wspominanie o rytuałach, które sprowadzają złe duchy rozbudziło tylko moją ciekawość na ten temat. Dlatego dziwnym wydaje mi się, iż Ed wspomina o rytuałach, ale nie chce mówić na ten temat nic więcej, bowiem nie chce przyczyniać się do opętań. Tylko, że już samo wspomniecie o tajemniczych rytuałach rozbudza ciekawość. 

W ogóle jest masa dziwnych rzeczy, których nie do końca rozumiem. Bo po przeczytaniu wychodzi na to, iż demony mają jakieś zasady, których nie mogą łamać, ale są sytuacje, w których jednak te zasady zostały złamane. 

Na pewno "Demonolodzy" są pozycją ciekawą. Niektóre jej fragmenty zostają w pamięci. Niektórych zaś rozdziałów nie powinno się czytać przed snem. I lektura ta może sprawić, iż całkiem inaczej spojrzy się na świat, który nas otacza.

Muszę przyznać, iż przy "Zbaw nas ode złego" wiele fragmentów wzbudzało we mnie śmiech. Potrafiłam znaleźć mnóstwo argumentów przeciwko autorowi. Jednak przy "Demonologach" nie było fragmentów, do których miałabym jakieś "ale". Owszem, były zdarzenia nieprawdopodobne, w które uwierzyć nie potrafię. Jednak nawet fragmenty, które powinnam uznać za dziwaczne, głupie, śmieszne (choćby o magach czy wiedźmach) były napisane w taki sposób, którego nie chciało się negować. Być może to przez to, iż naprawdę uwierzyłam w słowom Eda i Lorraine. Naprawdę uwierzyłam, iż oni wierzą, w to, co robią. 

Chyba właśnie Ed i Lorraine Warren są największym atutem tej książki. Ich wiara, ich walka, ich sposób działania. Autor opisywał wszystko w trzecioosobowej narracji. Ale też przytaczał wiele dialogów prowadzonych przed Warrenów. Możemy przeczytać zacytowane wypowiedzi Warrenów o danych przypadkach, czy też w ogólnie o działalności demonów. I przy tym, przez cały czas, możemy być pewni autentyczności Eda i Lorraine.  

Fun fact: After reading a particularly creepy chapter in this book, I had to go to the bathroom which required a walk down my house's spooky hallway. Just as I passed my sister's bedroom door, she opened it which caused me to scream which caused her to scream which caused me to scream again and then bust out laughing. She got mad at me because she thought I did it on purpose and I was laughing to hard to tell her the truth. 

Moral of the story: Don't read this book if your bathroom is at the end of a spooky hallway and next to your jumpy sister's room. 

The Haunted tells the account of Jack and Janet Smurl, the victims of one of the worst documented and publicized hauntings in America. The book doesn't mention this but apparently a TV movie was made about the haunting in the 90's and I strongly hope they use it as the source material for The Conjuring 3 because I love those movies. In the book, we learn about the Smurl family and how they cope with the haunting, the terrifying things that happen to them, and their involvement with Ed and Lorraine Warren, the famous demonologists in the fight against the demon that haunts the house. 

As I mentioned before, I love paranormal stuff and I'm particularly a fan of Ed and Lorraine Warren's stories. This one proved to be a really good and creepy story. I had fun reading it. It moved quickly with fairly short chapters and the events happening to the Smurl's was definitely interesting. It was also intriguing to see how the Warrens conducted their investigation into the haunting and how things progressed. It also had some really creepy parts, such as the voice in the basement and the beast at the edge of the bed (the latter is what I read during the comedic event with my sister). I wanted a spooky, nonfiction ghost story to read and this one definitely delivered. 

There are some downsides to this book. From a narrative standpoint, the sections about the demonologist in training didn't really fit well with the story. They were odd little add ons and in the end they didn't have much impact on the story. It was a great way to show how the Warrens recruit new members to their team and how they've turned skeptics into believers, I just wish it was integrated better. 

Another issue with the book is it definitely has it's biases, namely religious ones. As a former Catholic, there were definitely parts that had me rolling my eyes a tad because they reminded me of my grandparents and how they fit faith into everything. If you're a devout Catholic you probably won't mind these aspects but if you're not, it can come across a little corny. Additionally there wasn't a lot said about the ways the Warrens tried to debunk things or if they did at all. I appreciate that the author included a lot of different accounts to add to the Smurls' credibility, but I would like to know how they determined the knockings weren't just coming from rusty pipes or the chill wasn't just a fluke AC. If the Warrens did do these things, it's really a shame Curran didn't include them in the account because that would have added greatly to their credibility. 

Do I believe the Smurls? Sure, why not. There's not much said in this one account to make me think they were faking it, and not just because Curran and the Warrens said it was legit. It was more so the fact that people were noticing these events long before the Smurls went to the media and the fact they insisted their first media appearance be an anonymous one that makes me believe that, at the very least, they believe they were telling the truth. Plus it's more fun to believe anyway. If they came out tomorrow and said, "Just kidding!" I wouldn't be heart broken. They still tell a fascinating tale. And if you want a creepy, fascinating tale, I think you'll like this book regardless of whether you believe or not. 

Final rating: 3.5 out of 5. Could have used some work to make a more well rounded story, but it's fun and it accomplished what I expected it to. 

Final thought: Started my job at the library today. I love it. Being around all those books will be so distracting though. 

As I've mentioned, I LOVE paranormal stuff. Love it. I'm such a nerd about it. So I decided to buy one of Ed and Lorraine Warren's books (besides the one I already got from my sister). It was between this one and Satan's Harvest, which I'll probably get when we're in Denver this upcoming weekend. The Smurl Haunting is definitely interesting to me, so I'm excited to see how this book goes.

Happy New Year, by the way! I spent the night watching TV with my sister and cursing out the old year. Hopefully 2017 is good. I have a feeling it will be, so we'll see. Hope you all have good luck and happy readings this year.