John Crow's Devil Paperback – August 1, 2010

I read James' second novel ("The Book of Night Women")first and loved it, so I started looking for other novels written by him and found this one. I haven't finished reading it but it's wonderfully written. I am Jamaican-American and grew up listening to my Jamaican-born parents speaking patois and using the same lyrical phrases that James references in his novel. The plot is very interesting and the religious overtones and poetic verses are what James does best! I can't wait to see how this ends. Another great read from Marlon James...he never disappoints.

"Come now, church, who is ready to be violent for the Lord?"There's something about organized religion that can be really terrifying at times, with the way it can feed on fear and trump all logic and decency. This is illustrated to the nth degree in the unsettling debut novel by rising star Marlon James. The book tracks the downfall and destruction of the small Jamaican village of Gibbeah, in the wake of a religious battle between two evangelical preachers for the control of both the Holy Sepulchral Full Gospel Church of St. Thomas Apostolic as well as the very soul of Gibbeah. It all starts on the day that Hector Bligh (the "Rum Preacher"), a drunk priest who's lost his way, is kicked out of the church by a charismatic new arrival, a fire-and-brimstone preacher calling himself Apostle York, who has intentions to purify Gibbeah, even if it means Old Testament judgement. "The Pastor now drank day and night. He was spiraling downward and would have taken the village with him were it not for the other, who lead them instead to a light blacker than the thickest darkness. He came like a thief on a night colored silver."Many might consider this novel magical realism and they would be right. But maybe there should be a sub-genre of "black"-magical realism, for a book like this one, so filled with Obeah and omens of black vultures (john crows). And do I dare call this a satire? Because at times I wanted to chuckle, but mostly to keep myself from being so horrified at the events that I would chuck the book across the room. Maybe that's what makes a great dark satire! And James is a confident and terrifically skilled writer who handles this balance perfectly. One of his effective techniques is the occasional passage that uses a point of view that seems to come from the collective gossip of the village itself, sort of a small-town Greek chorus in a Jamaican tragedy play showing the mob mentality that can come from a town gripped in religious fervor. I loved the way that the town's hypocrisy and secrets slowly began to be revealed and ultimately lead to its downfall. James also created a couple of well-illustrated female characters in the Widow Greenfield and especially the tragic Lucinda, who was endlessly fascinating to read. "Lucinda was to be the bride of Christ but her ring finger got lost in a thatch of pubic hair. It was that damn Apostle. Him and those bold red books and the bold red tip of his circumcision."I really enjoyed this one, although at times the author's wordsmithing got in the way of narrative pacing. But I was engaged throughout and would definitely recommend it. It really made me want to revisit his epic novel from last year, A Brief History of Seven Killings. I read that long book while shooting a movie last year, which I think was a mistake. I read John Crow's Devil when I had lots of time to focus my attention and get lost in the story. With three respected novels, Marlon James is definitely an author to watch and wait for what he does next. "God judgement a no play-play judgement. God not romping with we."

Pulls you into the story as if you were living in the village, always wanting to know what happened to whom and why. Lots of humour, West Indian culture, and true country living. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Brought back memories of old saying and folklore from growing up in the Caribbean.

If you are looking for a highly stimulating read then this is it..the author is very creative in the presentation of this story and masterfully weaves serious themes into colorful symbolism..it is one of those must read from start to finish right away kind of book..the future of Caribbean authors looks bright!

The story was dark and a lot of nonsense. Based on the syntax, you have the potential to be an excellent writer. Why waste talent on such story? The 3 stars are for the syntax.

This is an extremely powerful and original story, exposing a very talented and creative author with great promise. It is a dramatic portrait of social relations in a small rural village in Jamaica in the 1950s that rings true to the people and their culture, particularly the role of religion in their lives. Most of the dialogue is in Jamaican dialect or patwa. It is also a story about the ambiguities of good and evil that approaches biblical proportions. I was mesmerized by the book until the end, which I found very disappointing. The story is often raw, graphic, even shocking, unnecessarily so in my view. I look forward to more polished efforts from Marlon James. Incidentally, Johncrow is a Jamaican term for the turkey vulture, a large, soaring scavenger commonly seen if not ubiquitous.

I absolutely loved reading this book. Actually, there were certainly some pieces of the book so disturbing I can only hope to forget them. What makes a good book to you? That is the question. I read James's "The Book of the Night Women". I would say this book was much more graphic than the book of the night women. I understood most of it as I have studied the cultural and religious trends discussed in the book. But if certain themes are totally foreign to you, you may not pick up on what the author is hinting at. It was a stupendous, real, gritty work.

I picked up this book based on positive reviews it had received online (I believe via Bookslut), and I was not disappointed. It reminded me at times of Graham Greene's The Power and The Glory (one of my favorite novels, and another book about struggles with faith and religion gone wrong), and as other reviewers have noted, it's the kind of book that is hard to put down. It's also a harrowing story about abuses of power, which can make the novel's images hard to confront at times. The Book Of Night Women may be his current calling card, but James' work here is also worth your time.

Love all Marlon James books! While reading them it's like I'm hearing a story told by Aunt Ruth. Jamaican terms I haven't heard in years.

Eine bewegende Geschichte, eine Geschichte über Sodom und Gomorrah im ländlichen Jamaica vor nicht allzulanger Zeit. Kein leichtes Lesevergnügen, stellenweise sogar recht fordernd oder sogar widerlich, aber wunderbar geschrieben in einer wirklich erstaunlichen Sprache, lebhaft und individuell und glaubhaft wie die Charaktere der Hauptpersonen, der guten wie der bösen.Mithilfe von Google/Wikipedia kann einzelnen Gegebenheiten oder Vorkommnissen vertieft nachgegangen werden, was hilft, den Zusammenhang mit der Kultur Jamaicas oder gar der Karibik besser zu erfassen.Ich habe zuerst "The Book about Night Women" gelesen, ebenfalls eine grossartige Erzählung, sowie andere Bücher Jamaikanischer Schriftsteller. Das wie auch einige Zeit in Jamaica - wo man die Sprache im Ohr hatte - hat sicherlich geholfen, mit dem Jamaikanischen Sprachgebrauch besser zurechtzukommen. Ich bin aber froh, dass ich diese zwei Bücher nicht als "Ferienlektüre" ausgewählt habe. Dazu sind sie eindeutig zu belastend.

I read this book after reading a brief history of seven killings and then a book of night women. Both are fantastic stories. This book is incongruent in several places. The characters are brilliant.. but much less developed than his next two books. Sadly, Marlon James's stellar reputation works against him.. if you haven't read his other books, don't reserve your judgement based on this book.

Wahou ! Je n'ai pas d'autres mots pour décrire ce roman. Écrit dans un anglais littéraire et jamaïcain pour ce qui est des dialogues, ce qui peut en dérouter certain... - On assiste à une lutte entre le Bien et le Mal au sein d'un village comme on en voit dans les Caraïbes de nos jours. Une description tellement juste de la vie et des habitants que l'on imagine et que l'on arrive à transposer sans soucis, rien qu'en fermant les yeux.Une lutte d'idéologie au sein d'une église de village entre un "messie" et des "pêcheurs" où l'auteur nous transporte et nous ballote de scènes en scènes vers l'escalade de la violence et de la terreur. Un magnifique roman sur les sentiments, sur le pardon, la ténacité, la repentance, l'ignorance et le fanatisme religieux.Wahou ! Une grosse claque ! Niveau d'anglais : avancé pour le coté anglais jamaïcain au niveau des dialogues.

Marlon James doesn't so much tell you a story, he grabs the back of your head and grinds your face in it. Visceral and intense, uncompromising from the start and not for the faint hearted, it's a immersive tale of good vs evil, magic, religion and sexual obsession all played out in a Jamaican village in the fifties.Without doubt the most exciting writer today - I've now read all three of his currently published books and I can't wait for whatever is next.