Son of the Endless Night Author:John Farris "Not since The Exorcist has there been such a powerful novel of demonic possession as Son of the Endless Night; perhaps never has there been a novel that so weds supernatural horror with human weakness as to make the two inextricably one. An apparently senseless slaying at a Vermont ski resort is revealed as the overture to a symphony of evil, ... more »in which a young man's mind and soul are held ransom by Zarach' Bal-Tagh, a millenia-old spirit. Zarach's object: a trial between the forces of darness and light, to be held in a Vermont courtroom as part of a young man's murder trial. The forces of evil are well armed with weapons of sensuality, delusion and horrible death. The forces of good seem relatively ill-suited for their contest: the brother of the accused, a failed priest turned professional wrestler; a black priest, a former pro-basketball player, specializing in ancient languages and exorcism; an itinerant fundamentalist preacher and his girlfriend; and a retired barrister who lives on a secluded sunny island with a community that devotes itself to the worship of light and the expulsion of darkness. These leading figures and dozens of others meet the challenge in a climactic confrontation that will leave no reader unmoved." --from the inside cover« less
The cover looks like a typically cheesy cover to lure people who like blood and guts. But I've read other books by Farris, and Stephen King reviewed it. So I read it. And really liked it!