Running with the Demon (Paperback)

John Ross: Knight of the Word. Chosen to battle the forces of the void and prevent..or at least delay terrible futures that could be the result of the influence of the Void. John Ross comes to Hopewell, Illinois to stop the future in which he dreams of from coming to pass.

Nest Freemark: A 14 year old girl coming to grips with the magic that is a part of her. Forced to keep it a secret from even her closest friends. Nest protects her friends and people of Hopewell from "The Feeders". Evil creatures which feed on human emotion.

Nest Freemark & John Ross are the only people who can stand against the forces of the Void and prevent the future John Ross dreams about every night...

STORY: As one editorial review nicely put: "Sinnissippi Park, in Hopewell, Illinois, has long hidden a mysterious evil, locked away from humankind by powers greater than most could even imagine. But now the malevolent creatures that normally skulk in the shadows of the park grow bolder, and old secrets hint at a violent explosion. The brewing conflict draws John Ross to Hopewell. A Knight of the Word, Ross is plagued by nightmares that tell him someone evil is coming to unleash an ancient horror upon the world. Caught between them is fourteen-year-old Nest Freemark, who senses that something is terribly wrong but has not yet learned to wield the budding power that sets her apart from her friends."

MY FEEDBACK:
I unknowingly listened to book 3 of the series first then I got my hands on this one (book1). I don't feel like I totally missed out because both books are contained stories which made the "out of orderness" (such a thing?) bearable.

I like the story since it leaves the typical fantasy and sci-fi genres and deals with magic and demons in the current world. There are enough mysteries to keep you in the story with a desire to want to know what happens next. He handles suspense situations fine and has enough subplot going on to add some depth and reality to characters and setting.

All I can say about the end of the story without giving anything away is that I personally found the ending very anti-climatic. If it was handled differently I would have given this a solid 4 stars.

OVERALL: Enjoyable story, characters and setting. It was a bit better than good because of the "uniqueness" of the story setting but not great because of the ending demise of the opposition. Worth a try and not a waste of time.

The book starts with a great chase scene and then calms down for a bit before picking back up. At first it was a bit tedious, but in the last one hundred and fifty pages every bit of it proves very relevant.
The charm and heart of the book comes not from the protagonist Nest or even from John Ross. It comes from the supporting and peripheral characters that pop up throughout the book. Nest's grandmother and grandfather especially, and not keeping the book soley told from the perspective of one character. At the end of the book, you really want to know what happens to everyone. There is the sylvan Pick, a woodland creature but in my opinion he was variation of Abernathy in Brook's Landover series.
The author also blessedly knows how to write kids. He showed some great work in the Star Wars adaptation but it really comes across here.
The foreshadowing power of John Ross is intriguing, but does get a bit repetitive. Still, he is a very enjoyable character when he shows up.

A modern day fantasy told by one of the best. Brooks does not rely on gimmicks and creatures but implements real and relatable people (and sylvans) to drive the story. Other authors of the genre should follow Brooks' lead and not simply stay in one world (are ya listening Jordan & Goodkind?) I would love to see what he does with a collection of short stories or horror.
Get the book and enjoy!