Demon Rider (Years of Longdirk, #2)

by Dave Duncan

In medieval Scotland, an outlaw seeks his freedom-from both the merciless khan who conquered Europe, and the demon spirit that possesses him.

All of Europe is ruled by the Khan, whose Golden Horde swept its conquering way across Europe in 1244. The Scottish outlaw Toby Strangerson, known as Longdirk, is ruled by an even harsher master. He is possessed by a "hob," a demon spirit murderous as a child, although inherently neither good nor evil. Toby wants his freedom-and the spirit of the tyrant-demon Nevil, ensorcelled in amethyst, can be traded for the exorcism of the hob. In order to make the exchange, though, Toby and his friend and ally Hamish must face the hexer Oreste on his own ground, in the dank and fetid dungeons of Barcelona, where souls are racked and tortured and destroyed on the relentless wheel of the Inquisition. This book was originally published under the pseudonym Ken Hood.

• ISBN10: 1306588146
• ISBN13: 9781306588140
• Publish Date: 1 January 2014 (first published 19 July 2006)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 25 February 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Open Road Media Science & Fantasy
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[Metaphorosis Reviews]

3.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
Tobias Longdirk, sharing his body with his home village's hob, has been chased across Europe by demons, and now must make his way through a Spain devastated by war, in the company of a seemingly mad knight and his retainer.

Review
I enjoyed this second volume in the Longdirk series, but at times the road story seemed a bit of a trudge. Duncan brings in a version of Don Quijote, and while he does it well, it initially felt a bit random, and I questioned its inclusion. In the end, Quijote (or Don Ramon, as he’s known here) becomes quite central, and I assume the chance to play with him was part of Duncan’s impetus for writing the book.

That aside, Duncan does find ways to develop the demonic possession theme with a few interesting twists. Tobias himself doesn’t change much, and at times verges on stagnant, but overall interesting things happen to him (and Hamish), and the story moves smoothly. Not the strongest of Duncan’s books, but not the worst, and a decent middle book in the trilogy.