Review Wednesday – Hellucination

In this prequel to Dialogue with the Devil, we meet a younger Stephen, who, after an eventful childhood, makes a living selling bootleg videos and is addicted to hallucinogen drugs.  Like many people, he could have gone on leading this kind of existence for the rest of his (short, no doubt) life if it were not for a sudden revelation: drugs open the door to another plane of existence, drugs can lead to God.  With his poison of predilection, Stephen sets on a quest that will give him much more than her bargained for.  

After a few amazingly well-written biographical chapters which could stand alone, Biro takes us to the heart of the matter, his drug-fueled quest for God and the encounter with the Devil that resulted. Having never taken drugs myself, it was interesting to see how they can alter the body and the mind, but what really riveted me to the pages was the author's trip to the different sin realms in Hell.  The descriptions were so vivid I sometimes had to stop reading; they made me feel queasy. The author's take on the underworld is unlike anything you've read before yet, it makes so much sense.

Hellucination is written from a much more personal point of view than Dialogue with the Devil, which makes perfect sense.  Before discussing society and what is to be found outside oneself, one needs to explore their own mind. Thus, the two volumes complete each other perfectly.  The author's views and conclusions on Hell, sins and sinner are of a remarkable lucidity.  Once again, I would urge the reader to look past their beliefs to take in the message Biro is trying to convey; it goes far beyond the empty preaching words of a religious zealot.  There is a raw truth in his words.  And on the plus side, this narrative is much more accessible than the arcane content of sacred texts.

All my praises for Dialogue with the Devil's prose, format and accessibility also apply to Hellucination.  Biro's work is a pleasure to read and I strongly suggest you read his first novel.  If you've read the second book already, you know you'll enjoy this one and if you haven't, then why not begin with the start?

Read More

Review Wednesday – Dialogue with the Devil

"You can call me whatever you want; a self-deluded fool, a Christian, a madman, a classic case of paranoia with schizophrenic tendencies, a visionary or even a prophet of utter magnitude that can pierce through the heart of understanding."

Stephen Biro used to be an atheist until he found God after having been deceived by the Devil.  This whole experience was recorded in his first book, Hellucination.  In Dialogue with the Devil, Stephen recounts his second encounter with the Devil, a meeting through which Satan tried to get him back on his team by revealing the truth of our world.

It would be easy to scoff at the content of this book and deem its content the rambling divagations of an addled brain.  That would be unfortunate however, and quite beside the point because Biro, whether his experience was real or pure fantasy, addresses, through the voice of the Devil, many of the plagues that have befell our society and continue to thrive thanks to our inertia.  His observations on television, the love for money, the almost religious nature of fame worship and the omnipresence of technology as a form of distraction are dead on.  In this social commentary, the author shows the readers what has been there for them to see all along with little hope of them acting upon this new knowledge.  Unfortunately, one can't help but know that he is right.  It only takes a quick look at the news and the world outside to feel that we may well be on our way to the "apocalypse" if nothing is done.  And according to Biro's Devil, it's already too late.

Dialogue with the Devil is a well-written  book with a very accessible format, which is a blessing as the content would suffer were the readers to be distracted by the writing.  The book is a bit destabilizing at first, as its content is not necessarily organized in a linear way – the Devil speaks about what he pleases in the order he pleases – but a pattern soon emerges and before long, the reader is taken with the narrative (I must confess I read it in one sitting.)  The book contains a lot of vulgar language, but such a way of speaking is to be expected from the Devil himself; it doesn't hinder the reading, quite the contrary.  Biro, as a main character, is easy to relate to, especially because of his feeling of helplessness but also because of his resilience and his strong faith.  One can't help but feel his distress as he is put through this ordeal.

Dialogue with the Devil is an excellent book, and I think that regardless of your religious beliefs, it should be added to your reading list.  It's often shocking, but we all need to be taken out of our comfort zone. 

Read More