Carmichael's Dog

Poor Carmichael is possessed by demons. We all have a few, but Carmichael is home to an entire legion - demons of lust, envy, sloth, avarice, wrath, you name it, and at their head Orcis, chief demon of pride. Together they torment Carmichael to astounding creative heights: he becomes the world-famous author of Vama, the hugely successful science-fiction tetralogy. Carmichael also becomes a devils' paradise, an endless font of negative emotion and, for readers of this book if not the people who live with him, high comic rant. But there is one poison for which devils have no antidote: love. Carmichael's infernal tenants manage to keep any feelings of affection in him down to acceptably low levels. But on the day he finishes the fourth and final installment of Vama, on the day his creative knack dries up and leaves him, Carmichael's ability to love is reawakened by, of all things, a dog. What's a demon to do? Alienate their affections? Assassinate the dog? The ensuing struggle for Carmichael's soul is a hilarious send-up of the ancient combat of good versus evil and a fascinating window into the mysteries of artistic creation.


Genre: General Fiction