Endings are significantly harder to write then beginnings. Everyone has read books where establishes a knotty nasty problem, builds a wild world and then kind of fizzles out when it is time to pay the piper. This is the second part of a duology which started with Fever House which was one of my favorite books of 2023, and was the story of the end of it all. This series is basically “What if Kurt Cobain ended the world and Courtney Love had to bring it back.” Luckly Rosson nails the dismount as well as he set up the trick.

In the Devil by Name Rosson picks up after society has been destroyed by a mix of demons, zombies and the military industrial complex and how some survivors attempt to put the puzzle pieces back together. Fever House had a speed metal pace, and this slows down and spreads out the story, it makes a different reading experience, but still an enjoyable one and has plenty of gore and horror for fans of the gruesome.

Interview with Keith Rosson here

https://substack.com/home/post/p-149018742?r=2t5km&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

This the second book in a series and reading the first one is necessary to fully understand and enjoy this one. I read them back to back which is highly recommended. There is a lot of backstory and numerous characters to keep straight, but the author does a good job with this. This is a fast paced horror story that keeps you reading. There is something here for everyone...Devils, zombies, fading rock stars, family drama, corrupt government. What's not to like?

This book was consuming (get it? - zombie pun straight out the gate). I had to actively stop myself from reading it all in one go.

I really enjoyed the creativity with Fever House and The Devil By Name did not disappoint. Fever House ended on quite the cliffhanger, with lots of things only half-explained, but this wrapped everything up in such an interesting way. Like every good apocalypse story (and sequel, in my opinion), it got a little worse before it got better.

I do think the ending was a bit rushed but only because I wanted so much time in the world before it ended - began? Reborn? Either way, an excellent read and I enjoyed this duology immensely.

Thank you to NetGalley, Keith Rosson, and Random House for a review copy.

Having enjoyed Fever House so much I admit I was a little worried about a sequel. But Keith Rosson hits it out of the park here. The story may seem disjointed at first but stick with it, the payoff is great. Loved all the different perspectives and narrations in the book. Rosson is such a descriptive writer that i don’t recommend reading this while eating or snacking. Just put on your Devil Rock mixtape and enjoy.

When I read Fever House last year it was the first time reading any of Keith Rosson’s work and I was blown away. I believe I called it awesomely twisted. Now he’s returned with The Devil By Name, the second book in the duology. And somehow this time around Rosson has managed to outdo Fever House and cranked the intensity knob up to eleven. Picking up five years after Fever House, we enter a world in the aftermath of the Message. What does that mean? Sorry it’s too much to explain, just seriously do yourself a favor and definitely read Fever House before jumping into this one. At times this is brutal and gruesome while strangely also being heart felt and emotional. This is a fevered dream of a mad genius. This is what we might get if Tarantino decided to make a apocalyptic film while on drugs! Not sure how Rosson tops this duology but I’m so excited to see what he does next. I’d like to thank Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Devil by Name.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3SL2SIAJWWDO8/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

THE DEVIL BY NAME continues the apocalyptic story started in FEVER HOUSE and it's just as thrilling. The stakes (and story) remain savage, but between the chaos and carnage is an emotional tale of loss, hope, and sacrifice by Keith Rosson that brings the hellish hijinks to a satisfying end.

Holy…heck….that was phenomenal. I adoreddddd Fever House.
“Equal parts gruesome and beautiful. The Devil by Name is a heart stopping, breakneck saga of survival.” Literally the perfect description of this book. Literally the detail of this book is amazing and I can picture all of it so perfectly in my head. The conclusion to this story is chefs kiss.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC!

I absolutely loved Fever House and I was so excited to read the sequel! Safe to say, I loved The Devil By Name. I thought it was a wonderful continuation of the first book and I loved to see the returning characters.

Keith created a spooky and down right creepy universe with these two books and I can’t recommend them enough!

I loved reading Fever House.
So no doubt I was excited to jump into book two The Devil by Name by Keith Rosson.
TDbN is a gripping blend of horror and suspense that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.
I love apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic stories and this one was phenomenal!
The plot was amazing, the story was wild, crazy and intense, and I couldn't put this book down.
Great pace, great characters and great writing.
Keith Rosson has crafted a nightmare masterpiece and I devoured it!

Thank You NetGalley and Random House for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

“The whole world’s broken down, he knows that. But some places are more broken than others.”

THE DEVIL BY NAME starts five years after Fever House with the world teetering between recovery and collapse. Maybe recovery is too optimistic of a term but there are a few bright spots in this tumultuous time that make it feel like a possibility. A few touching and heartwarming scenes letting you know that some nice people still exist.
I felt this gave feelings of a war story told from behind enemy lines. No one can be trusted but you have to trust someone in order to survive. I can only compare it to the ghetto scenes in Schindler’s List combined with the coming together and the cross country trip of The Stand, yet it was completely different than either and their was an occult aspect thrown in.

The fevered still seem to run rampant throughout most of the world but that is not really the focus of the book. These animalistic humans are blindly driven to kill, but they were humans…friends, relatives, neighbors…if there is any chance for a cure shouldn’t we try? Or should they all be wiped from the earth and start the human race again with those who have survived.
This may not be our choice as dark forces are aligning and the fevered are swarming.

This was a great follow up to Fever House!!! 🙌 Definitely had some Walking Dead vibes, as our main characters are not only dealing with zombies, referred to as the fevered, but also threats from the living! And the creature was evil and creepy as hell!! 🫣

Highly recommend the entire duology!! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Keith Rosson for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

Keith Rosson’s *The Devil By Name* throws you right into the chaos, five years after *The Message* flipped the world upside down. If you haven’t read *Fever House* yet, do yourself a favor and grab it first. This one picks up with John Bonner, who’s drowning in guilt, and Katherine Moriarity, who’s trying to survive while dealing with some seriously heavy grief. Terradyne, this creepy government-corporation hybrid, is running what’s left of the world, and things are looking bleak—except for a tiny glimmer of hope in the form of a girl in France.

Rosson gives us multiple perspectives, diving into big stuff like politics, religion, and hope, all while keeping the emotional punches coming. Katherine’s arc is easily the best—she’s been through hell, but her strength and resilience will totally hit you in the feels. Fair warning, this book is brutal—lots of body horror and intense fear—but there’s still a weird kind of beauty in all the darkness.

*The Devil By Name* doesn’t mess around. It’s fast, it’s intense, and it hits hard. If you’re into a wild, chaotic ride that’ll wreck you and still make you come back for more, this duology is a must.

The biggest thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Forget those sweet feelings of security, the grips of reality as you know it, and enter Keith Rosson’s astounding, apocalyptical world torn to shreds by The Message with the sequel to Fever House, The Devil By Name. Picking up five years after the phone call that changed the world, it’s abundantly clear that the fabric of society has been ripped to shreds thanks to the events that transpired at the end of Fever House (this is my polite way of telling you to pick that book up). Among those still kicking around with questionably sanity are John Bonner, a man saddled with a whole lotta guilt, and Katherine Moriarity, a woman living among the wreckage and battling the throes of grief. It’s a bleak, bleak world post-Message with fevered lurking, a government-partnered corporation known as Terradyne running what’s left of the show, and no solution for this madness in sight. But somewhere in France, a young girl may hold a glimmer of hope. The Devil By Name is a novel born of intensity, crafted expertly by Rosson who implements high degrees of action and conviction to gift us one hell of a duology.

The mechanics of this fervent novel are constructed through multiple narratives showcasing the somber state of the entire world. We jump from Bonner to Katherine, voices we’re familiar with and that are equally emotionally charged for reasons described in book one. Rosson also introduces new characters along the way, ones that manage to inspire so much love and so much hate. This is an expansive story without borders, conquering topics of politics, religion, love, hate, faith, and hope. More impressively, these are subjects that are woven into this narrative with grace and ease thanks to brilliant, diverse characterization. Rosson’s world lends itself to the fundamentally organic nature of these confrontations, all while our attention is raptly held amidst the slow unfurling of further chaos.

Perhaps what stole my heart most of all with these books is the character of Katherine Moriarty. The Katherine we meet in Fever House is far removed from the Katherine we revisit in The Devil By Name and for damned good reasons. She’s a woman who has been put through the unthinkable, given her relationship with Matthew Coffin, the fate of her son Nick, and the weight of her unintentional responsibility tied to The Message through “The Blank Letters.” However, Katherine is tough as nails. Sure, she has moments of helplessness, of not seeing the merit of fighting for one more day in this hellscape, but that’s not how Rosson leaves her, penning a character arc that will move you to tears. She’s written with grit, tenacity, and the propensity for hope despite all this violence around her. She’s resilient.

And this is a very, very violent novel. No punches are held regarding body horror, ruthless situations of nerve-shredding fear, or existential dread. Safety is a foregone idea in the post-Message world, something that is painstakingly clear thanks to Rosson’s intentional hand. Yet, there are sprinkles of hope to be found throughout, a poeticism that taps into the humanity this fictional world has long forgotten. It’s a unique balance that’s found, one that makes this story extra poignant in a real world marked by so much turmoil.

It’s no understatement to say that The Devil By Name is a novel that leaves you breathless. Fever House was built upon these same blocks with each page turned ratcheting the stakes a little higher and then a little higher still. However, The Devil By Name wastes no time, has no patience, and is quick to put the pedal through the damn floor. It’s rock ‘n’ roll. It’s metal. It’s masterfully constructed chaos that will rip your heart apart and then, unthinkably, put it back together. And I cannot recommend this duology enough.

I had no idea where Rosson was planning to go with this follow up to FEVER HOUSE. He left us in a world in the grip of a zombie apocalypse, essentially. This jump five years forward was a fantastic continuation of that story. Rosson’s duology was a mad dash toward insanity.

Ok...I will forgive how abruptly book one ended because I really enjoyed this sequel.

Definitely should have reread the first before jumping back in, but finding my footing with the characters and world again was easy. The writing was fantastically (if not a bit horrifically) done. It all felt very visceral.
I was a little worried that the ending would feel the same, or that maybe the main event would get dragged into a third book, but I was very happy with how things got wrapped up.

An impeccably imagined conclusion to a gritty, kick-ass, and haunting Horror doulogy.

Keith, you're a rock star!

Thank you SO much for the ARC. Keith is an auto-buy author always.

I was so hyped to be able to review this one! Fever House was one of my top books of last year, so I was just itching to get my hands on the sequel. I couldn’t think of a better book to kick off my fall reading season.

I am happy to announce that Keith Rosson has done it again. This was a very solid follow up to Fever House.

Without giving too much away, I loved how this book expanded on the world from the first book. The story is a little less mysterious this time around, but I still enjoyed following each of the characters as they navigated the fevered world. Overall, I thought this was a very well-executed sequel that gave me more of what I was looking for.

(Also, I know these two novels are meant to be a duology, but I really wouldn’t be mad if Keith Rosson decided to expand it to a trilogy!)

⭐️ 4.5 stars ⭐️

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!!

Fever House was one of the best horror novels I read last year. It was weird, but in the best way. Naturally, I screamed and jumped up and down when I got a chance to read the follow-up early. The Devil by Name was worth the wait. Gritty and tense, this book drops you into the disaster from the first page, so buckle up! I enjoyed revisiting some of the characters from the first book and the new characters added some intrigue. I could live in Keith Rosson's words forever. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the review copy.

With the exception of The Dark Tower series I tend to avoid book series or even sequels. I’m the type that needs to finish something I’ve started so often I’ll feel the need to continue reading even if I’ve lost interest or didn’t vibe with the first. Luckily Rosson has delivered an awesome sequel.

The book is set five years after the Message and things are still pretty awful. One thing I loved about the world building was getting to see a post apocalyptic nation who’s actually begun to resume some semblance of a government. Obviously, things are still pretty loosely-goosey in most places but it was interesting to see the Terradyne/Jane rebuild in some locations.

The characters were great. As usual Rosson delivers in terms of fleshed out, flawed yet likable characters. It was fun getting to see some familiar faces from Fever House. My single struggle was with the Jack/John Bonner naming. I just wish they’d had slightly more distinct names as I would find myself mixing them up on occasion (see previous reviews for my aforementioned stoner goldfish brain).

This book moved FAST. Rosson is in that rare breed of writers that can write a book with excellent characterization and world building that still has breakneck pacing. These two books of his have really cemented his fate as a serious contender in the horror big name world. I absolutely recommend this series. It’s more accessible and faster paced than King but still delivers with the writing and story construction. Don’t sleep on these books. They’re a fresh take on some overdone tropes and incredibly hard to put down.

This is definitely a love it or hate it read. Or, like me, a baffled sort of read. I was not a fan of Fever House-you don't need to have read that for this one-but I admired the way Rosson merged horror, thriller, conspiracy, gore, zombies, and a lot of other stuff into a tale that had, at its root, several very real characters you could root for. Here, it's five years later, the world is in worse shape, and multiple people tell the story of what's happening,, which, for me at least, made this less engaging. That said, I'm certain that Rosson's fans are going to eat this one up. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.