The Devil Within

A Horror Novella

Fiction - Horror
75 Pages
Reviewed on 11/23/2022
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Melanie Kennedy for Readers' Favorite

The Devil Within is a short but psychologically scary novella by T.R. Slauf. The story starts in the beautiful Vermont countryside, late in the 19th century, but that is where the beauty ends. Dr. Grey, the protagonist, is the head doctor in a lunatic asylum built on his very own property. Dr. Grey needs to juggle treating patients with an array of mental illnesses while raising two beautiful daughters without their mother to help him. A visit from a sinister entity to one of the unsuspecting girls brings Dr. Grey’s whole world crashing down as he is forced to examine his teachings and beliefs. Can everything be explained by science and psychology? Dr. Grey must fight for his daughters’ lives, his patients, and his own while trying desperately not to lose his sanity.

I loved reading The Devil Within. As it is a horror novella, I was captivated by every word, while T.R. Slauf uses carefully chosen words to make an impact. I enjoy psychology and find its history fascinating but also terrible. Dr. Grey administers a variety of painful therapies to his patients in the hope of healing them from their physical and psychiatric disorders. Of course, at that time they thought these methods did work. As a firm believer in modern medicine and mental health, to me, this book was a hard-hitting thriller about what life was like back then and just how much better we have it now. This is a must-read if you love a mix of horror and thriller.