Hostage to the Devil

Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Living Americans Hardcover – 1976
Author: Visit ‘s Malachi Martin Page ID: 0883490781

Review

“Martin is above all serious. He is not speaking about madness, about illusions or the irrational, but about the real beyond all reason…. He presents exorcism as … a titanic clash of wills that threatens the lives, the sanity, even the souls of all attending.” (Newsweek)

“Martin’s polished contemporary sense of traditional theology entices even the skeptical…. Stunningly pertinent …Will set you thinking-and thinking-and thinking.” (Detroit News)

“The most shattering book on demonic possession isn’t fiction at all but Malachi Martin’s spellbinding work of interpretive reporting.” (New York (Sunday) Daily News)

“In the barrage of books on possession and exorcism, this is undoubtedly the most authoritative and convincing.” (The Washington Post Book Review)

“Malachi Martin … was the greatest expert on the subject of possession and exorcism in the English speaking world.” (M. Scott Peck, M. D., author of Glimpses of the Devil)

“Hostage to the Devil is the first and only textbook on the subject of possession and exorcism in modern times. It is the only work to describe the stages of exorcism and it is obviously based on an enormous amount of personal experience. … a brilliant work.” (M. Scott Peck, M. D., author of Glimpses of the Devil)

–This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

A chilling and highly convincing account of possession and exorcism in modern America, hailed by NBC Radio as “one of the most stirring books on the contemporary scene.”

–This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Hardcover: 477 pagesPublisher: Reader’s Digest Press; distributed by Crowell; First Edition edition (1976)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0883490781ISBN-13: 978-0883490785 Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches Shipping Weight: 1 pounds Best Sellers Rank: #154,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #2117 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Occult & Paranormal
A Masterpiece of Spiritual Insight by a Masterful Writer and Priest, October 27, 2005

Reviewer: Rick (Beijing, China) – See all my reviews

First, a confession: I am on the verge of becoming a member of that nearly lost legion–the reborn Roman Catholic. Second, a minor revelation: this book brought me back to the Faith. Rather than scare the reader into submission to the Will of God, Father Martin stirs one’s dormant and perhaps deeply buried awareness of what is altogether pure and holy and ultimately victorious in the seemingly eternal struggle between Good and Evil. In an age of jaded youth media culture, comedians and pundits who relish in their cynicism, and unabated Hollywood hedonism, it is a breath of fresh air after the rain to read and ponder on Martin’s accounts of personal travail and utter spiritual anguish.

This is not an "easy read;" it requires concentration and an appreciation for intricate prose style. In five lengthy and detailed case studies, written in stirring narrative style, the author carefully chronicles the slow descent of otherwise unusually clever, sensitive, and gifted people into the pit of demonic possession. Father Martin does not sensationalize, nor does he intend to appeal to the reader’s emotions. Nor does he harangue or cajole or attempt to make us feel guilty. Instead, his very sure hand and deft writing leads us to realize that whether we wish to confront it or not, evil and its dark kingdom of demons thrives in this soiled earthly domain, guised and cunning but here nonetheless.

Some have attempted since the untimely death of the author to dismiss him as a fraud or, worse yet, one possessed himself.
Informative and entertaining though this book is, and other reviews cover the formalities, it may hit you on a more personal level than you are prepared for. It did me, take the anecdotal evidence or leave it.

To cut a long story short, there is a chance that, by reading this book, new light will be shed on aspects of your life that you maybe rather wasn’t shed.

You might, as I did, cement a realisation of just how close you have come to the dark one, or something operating in his name, and in doing so, bring to the immediate fore elements that you’d rather not get too acquainted with.

This book, just paper and print though it is, could act as a trigger to strange happenings that will revolve around very personal (and usually undesirable) aspects of your life and your self.

It will not "create" anything new in your life, only make you aware that certain influences already present might actually be something more than you feared and act as a catalyst to escalate certain processes.

Yes, you might be getting "tested" by dark forces and not be entirely aware of it until you read this book and relate the experiences and processes described. Not a nice revelation to have, though perhaps, necessary? The subtlety, complexity, disturbing "realness" and almost boundless reach of Lucifer into your very life and person will make itself known to you in stark and obvious shades of bright light to an extent that is hard to digest. So don’t read this book if you doubt you are ready for such things.
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