In his Bram Stoker Award-nominated debut The Spite House, Johnny Compton deftly reimagined the haunted house novel, turning the usual preconceived notions on their head. His sophomore effort, Devils Kill Devils, again subverts reader expectations, deviating far from standard vampire tropes.
Sarita, the novel’s protagonist, has been guarded by what she believes to be an angel since childhood. Named Angelo by her family, the hulking figure repeatedly appeared over the years to save her in life-threatening moments. But in a harrowing first chapter, Angelo savagely upends his ward’s life, sending Sarita searching for answers.
The notion of a possibly evil protector came to Compton during a previous project. “I was writing a different story in which a character commented about having a ‘guardian devil’ instead of a guardian angel,” he says. “Then I came to realize that I could develop something else from it.”
Enjoying this article?Sarita’s journey takes her on a tour of Texas, winding through San Antonio, Austin’s raucous Sixth Street, an abandoned church on a lonely stretch of FM 48, and Baby Head Mountain in the Hill Country. One show-stopping scene even takes place in a defunct train tunnel in Fredericksburg, where a group of characters are trapped and hunted by a monster.
Devils Kill Devils excels at building an immersive mythology for its sprawling cast of spirits and demons, while also taking time to comment on the perils of religious zealotry. Compton leaves us pondering an uncomfortable truth: The deities we worship often have insatiable appetites, and devout followers too often end up in the swollen bellies of their gods.
