Book Review: The Omen by David Seltzer
Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!
I was a small child at the time and I remember my mother and grandmother leaving me home with my father. They were off to see the Omen. Like the Exorcist before that, it was a scary feature that mother and daughter could enjoy. Years later I would inherit that love of scary movies and novels. But one thing always perplexed me: why had I never read the original novel? Now that I have rectified that error in my horror reading, it's time to share with you my review of this classic novel.
The Omen is written by David Seltzer (who also wrote the screenplay for the film) and was published in 1976. Currently, it is published by Dreamscape Media. In this tale of religious terror, we are introduced to Jeremy Thorn. The Economic Adviser to the U.S. President, Thorn, and his wife, Katherine, have tried to balance their family life enough for a child. After failed pregnancies, Thorn is approached by a priest and is asked to take in an orphan child recently born. Without letting Katherine know that their latest child has died, he welcomes little Damien as their newborn son. It is not known to Thorn that the child he has brought into their life is the son of the devil .
Years pass and Damien grows into an adorable little boy. Quiet and often kept to himself, he is not close to Katherine. Thorn is away and sees him rarely. But their staff, Mr. and Mrs. Horton are there to offer their view on his behavior. Horton warns of a large dog that is roaming the grounds of their home. One that sits and waits, watching the estate. Thorn's life is turned upside down after Damien's nanny commits suicide at his birthday party. Gleefully leaping to her death, she says that it is all for Damien. Soon a nosy reporter and a strange priest begin to follow Thorn. They speak of evil, born of darkness, his son. With Damien's new nanny, Mrs. Baylock, guarding the boy with the dog from the woods, Thorn is presented with a dilemma: do you ignore the warnings or do you kill your child to stop the devil?
The Omen was a fun read. Spooky and filled with tense moments. Damien was creepy and exactly what you would expect from a demonic child. The tension that Seltzer delivers is fantastic. He weaves biblical and historical references to the narrative, giving it weight. Many of his vivid descriptions can be attributed to Seltzer's own world travels. Seltzer started out with National Geographic, working with Jacques Cousteau as a writer for the Adventures of Jacques Cousteau. I appreciated the slow-burn pace of the novel. We are given an insight into the family life of the Thorns. We see a couple trying hard to stay a family, despite Jeremy's constant traveling and Katherine's ambivalence towards Damien. It gave me a false sense of calm that was regularly shattered. Seltzer knows how to pull a reader into a story and shake them up.
The audiobook is narrated by Holly Palance, daughter of legendary star, Jack Palance. A fun twist, she was Damien's nanny in the Omen film, leaping happily to her death for her charge. Palance handles the narrative expertly, giving depth to all of Seltzer's characters. Her portrayal of Mrs. Baylock was my favorite. She played the evil nanny with relish. A wonderful performance throughout.
Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading this week.
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Because there is always time to read,
Xepherus3
All written content and top logo (c) Copyright 2022 by Thomas Bahr II
The book cover is (c) Copyright by the publisher
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