The Devil by Name by Keith Rosson was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. This book, as a follow-up to another book by the same author, had its moments but overall, I found myself skimming through it, which is always a Star loser. While it started out interesting enough, with multiple points of view to follow and keep track of, many times there was dialogue just for the sake of dialogue, thus my skimming. There is a lot of horror, with gory scenes (yay) and overall, the book was fun enough to read I am glad I am done reading it. If you like this author or if you like end-of-the-world-type scenarios, certainly give this book a read, many people enjoy it much more than I did.

3 Stars

Devastating yet hopeful.

Last night I had to force myself to put this book down and go to bed at like the 70% mark and that killed me. With the end of Fever House, this book could have taken that story anywhere and I had no idea how the story would be wrapped up in a satisfactory way with just this one book. But, as always, Keith doesn't disappoint on his ability to weave a captivating, thought provoking story that sticks with you.

I love that we jump forward into the thick of the aftermath of the events of Fever House. Questions I didn't know I needed answers to are on full display as we meet new components of the master plan and work our way back to where it all started. I found myself on edge throughout the majority of this book. I don't know why, but early on in Fever House I rooted for Nick to survive, and thrive from the events unfolding around him, and this book was no different in that end goal for me.

The POV jump from inside the government, to on the ground in the thick of it, to middle of no where America and France, all the way to journal entries that fill in missing pieces, it really sinks you deep into the fever and gives a full view of basically how I think it would go down if these events spilled into real life. Corporations man. And with what we learned at the end of Fever House, there's no hard way to tell if this is just the first time control was lost, or if these events could repeat themselves in the future. A perfect storm of coincidences? Divine intervention? A bargain with the devil? A lot is explained but a lot is left up to the reader too.

So much emotion and baggage is dripping from every character through out the duology. They all have regrets, hopes, and fears, making a well rounded case of misfits. I enjoyed the various backstories, everyone's lost a brother. Everyone's just trying to survive. But at the base there is still hate, and kindness just like before the recording. It's true human nature on display, the good and the bad.

While I was a little sad/disappointed with how the story ends, I don't think there was going to be a ending that I was happy with due to the carnage and facts that happened within the book. It would take a-whole-nother book to piece the world back together after 5 years of pure chaos. I'm not going to lie, I am curious what that would look like.

Is there a world where the people who survive can find peace?

You'll love this duology if you enjoy post-apocalyptic reads with a touch of a - loose - religious spin to them. Deep character development, and many plot strings weaving together into one epic tale.

The Devil By Name is the follow up to Fever House. While I wasn't a huge fan of the first book in the series, The Devil By Name improves on a story that felt like a slow burn in the first novel and completely throws you into the fire with the newest novel. If Fever House was the calm before the storm, then this newest entry is the storm. The Devil By Name doesn't hold back. It's eerie. It's fast paced and the ending pays off in a huge way. I really enjoyed the world that Keith Rosson has built with this duology. Looking forward to reading more from him!

This was an interesting story to read as a follow up to the first novel in this series(?). There are multiple POVs which I felt added to the overall chaos of the story, however, it did make a bit difficult to remember who was who.
This book is full of gruesome horror and the chaos that ensues after ‘The Message’ is released to the world at large, picking up five years later once society has somewhat re-established itself. There were a few scenes that felt rushed and their sole purpose was to tie up a loose end either from the first book, or a completely new plot hole.

Overall, this book was a decently fun read filled with end of the world type horror. I thought the monsters(?) were unique and felt well developed, and even though there were too many character to keep up with, the storylines seemed to fold well together to come to a somewhat (?) happy ending.

Not for those with weak stomachs, The Devil By Name picks up five years after Fever House.
A cousin to The Stand, The Road, 28 Days Later, but very much its own thing, this book is a successful sequel that exists on a whole other level; it's not just a rehash of its predecessor.
It takes a little time to set the scene and get us (re)introduced to characters, but it's still a lot of fun once firing on all cylinders.

My main criticism is the multiple POV/location hopping-- it can be a lot to keep track of (to be fair, I don't enjoy multiple pov).

Expect more gore, horror, zombies, body parts, government involvement, and characters trying to survive a post-apocalyptic world-- with a satisfying conclusion. If you're a fan of the first book, I'd definitely read this one!

This was my first DNF of the year. I started reading this book earlier this year when I was approved for an advanced copy through Net Galley. The first book in this series kept me engaged and interested. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. This one I'm forcing myself to care. There are enough books on my to read list that I finally decided to call it quits. I think Rossen has a lot of potential and can create interesting stories, this sequel just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing a review copy.

This duology is tremendous. If you haven't read Fever House yet, rectify that immediately. It was one the my favorite books of 2023, and I had high hopes for the follow-up. I got so much more than I bargained for. The story picks up 5 years after the events of the first novel. A few familiar faces are back, along with two new characters (both of whom I loved). The Devil By Name doesn't have quite as frantic of a pace as Fever House, but that's not a bad thing and we definitely get more lore. I loved the way everything came together in the end. 5 stars

The Devil By Name picks up five years after Fever House ends. The fevered have been roaming the earth for half a decade, and there's a push by the U.S. government, with the help of Terradyne Industries, to turn this car around and figure out how to reverse doomsday. There's also a man in a box, a girl with a gift, and a whole host of characters who have to navigate this pretty gruesome world that they've been given.

Fever House was one of my absolute top reads of 2023 and continues to be a book that I think about on a weekly basis. So obviously I was elated to get my hands on its sequel. For readers who, like me, could not put Fever House down, I think The Devil By Name is a must-read. It possesses the same sort of far flung set of characters who are all connected in some wild sort of way, and it obviously puts you right back in the middle of the world that Rosson so graciously gifted to us in the first book.

My one caution for lovers of Fever House is to not expect a direct carbon copy of the first book here. The pacing felt different and there new characters to follow. Though it is obviously a continuation of the first book, it is still has its own story to tell. If it feels a little different from your experience with Fever House, I still think you should trust Rosson to get you over the finish line with this one.

Rosson's writing continues to be captivating, and his storytelling abilities are otherworldly. The author knows how to tie loose ends together and is an expert at dragging characters across a hellscape of a country, no doubt about it. I will read anything Rosson puts his name on at this point.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the eArc of this book!

This book 2 in the Fever House Duology picks up about five years after the first. Many of the same characters return and the writing style is similar to Fever House with multiple narrators and a variety of documents.

Magnificently gross, the hand, the voice and the eye make up three remnants of insidious power. They possess chilling abilities to compel people to do violent and abhorrent things. When The Devil by Name starts we are dropped into the lives and politics surrounding an attempt at reforming Amercan society as it was before "the message". Parts of this book are so magnificently brutal that they left me queasy. I couldn't put it down. If you are a fan of creature features, apocalyptic and zombie novels this duology is a must read.

I felt this was a solid follow up to book 1, Fever House, which I absolutely loved! There's still the dark and twisted storyline you'd expect from this series and this story even expands on the zombies which was great.

Thank you NetGalley, Keith Rosson and Random House for the ARC of book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing. I loved this one as much as the first one! An apocalyptic thriller full of violence and blood! I’ve never had so much scary fun reading a book! The plot was great, pacing was perfect, and the characters were fantastic as usual. Great conclusion.

This book 2 in the Fever House Duology picks up about five years after the first. Many of the same characters return and the writing style is similar to Fever House with multiple narrators and a variety of documents.

Magnificently gross, the hand, the voice and the eye make up three remnants of insidious power. They possess chilling abilities to compel people to do violent and abhorrent things. When The Devil by Name starts we are dropped into the lives and politics surrounding an attempt at reforming Amercan society as it was before "the message". Parts of this book are so magnificently brutal that they left me queasy. I couldn't put it down. If you are a fan of creature features, apocalyptic and zombie novels this duology is a must read.

I enjoyed Fever House but this one fell flat for me. I know I am absolutely in the minority. It just didn’t have the same focus that previous book had. I felt the story tried to capture too many points of view making to seem a bit aimless. Again many liked this book, it just wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

Oh Keith, you sick bastard (she says lovingly). Stumbling upon Fever House was such a unique experience, quite like reading the love baby story of Stephen King and Chuck Palahniuk. And luckily for readers, The Devil By Name doesn’t pull any punches and truly blesses us with a solid sequel.

If you loved Fever House, The Devil By Name is truly a continuation that makes you want to read them back to back so it’s just one long book. Through the use of multiple POVs we get saints and sinners alike in a world gone completely to shit. The trifecta of the devils artifacts are abound in the world and wreaking a true hell on earth.

The quick paced, action packed plethora of weirdness ensues keeping readers on their tippiest of toes. I was gasping out loud, widening my eyes, and reacting to this novel like watching a horror punk apocalypse movie in theaters. I’m now a Keith Rosson fan through and through and will devour whatever he decides to serve us next.

DEVIL BY NAME picks up five years after the events in FEVER HOUSE, which lead to a kind of zombie apocalypse. The hand, the eye, and the voice are still in play, as well as hope, in the form of a brand new character.

There are several scenes in DEVIL BY NAME that will haunt my nightmares. Rather than being gratuitous, those scenes paint the story world blood red and void black while contributing to character development. DEVIL BY NAME creates a realistic and horrifying post-apocalyptic world.

Rosson is a master at creating memorable characters and rich, multifaceted storylines. The duology uses multiple points of view and fully immerses the reader in the thought processes of those trying to save the world and those willing to burn it down for their own interests. One of my favorite parts of DEVIL BY NAME was getting into the head of Matthew Coffin via his archival notebooks.

The duology incorporates multiple horror tropes yet Rosson gives each a fresh spin. The epilogue does a nice job of wrapping things up while giving the reader plenty to think about regarding the fates of those who survive.

Rosson wastes no time recapping the events in the first book, but I found it easy to get acclimated into the story world. As someone who sometimes likes to read a series out of order, I recommend reading FEVER HOUSE first.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC, for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this epic opportunity to read, rate and review this arc which will be available wide on Sept 10, 2024!

Book 2!!! Ahhhh! Loved it. I had a bloody good time with this book. The wit and banter written was top notch, the action scenes were crisp and the plot never ever let me down.

If you liked Fever House, you are gonna LOVE The Devil By Name. I devoured this book!

The supernatural horror and violence continues in the post-apocalyptic world. As a vaccine is trying to be developed to cure/prevent the fevered, bloodshed, horror and governmental conspiracy are spreading. Rosson continues the story with some old players from the first novel but introduces two new characters into this world of madness whom I fell in love with, Naomi and Dean. I couldn't wait to get to their chapters. Buckle up because this is a bloody outrageous ride. Easily one of my favorite reads of the year and I wish I could read the duology for the first time again!

Take The Road, add a government conspiracy dwelling in the shadows, and put on Minor Threat in the background, and you have a glimmer of what Rosson pulls off in The Devil by Name. This book manages to continue the story from Fever House without putting its feet in any of the established footprints the first book made. In truth, it reads less like a sequel and more like the landing strip for a wholly developed idea. While the ideas and characters evolve, the tempo remains breakneck, and you won't find a dull moment or an ounce of fat. Keith Rosson has crafted something truly spectacular and terrifying.

"The Devil by Name" arrives with a lot of expectations. As the sequel to the fantastic "Fever House", which ended with a lot to tie up, the book needed to answer the questions set up by "Fever House" without just being another retread over the same ground. I'm here to tell fans of Keith Rosson's previous book that the author has absolutely crushed expectations with his follow up. "The Devil by Name" gives you most of the answers you wanted at the end of "Fever House" while presenting us with new characters and a plot that feels organically connected to the first novel. Rosson again gives heft to all of his characters, protagonist and antagonists alike, and delivers a horror novel that is both terrifying and hopeful in equal measure. It's a testament to the author's grasp on his characters that we care deeply about what happens to them and about the choices they make. As darkly funny as "Fever House" and painted on a much broader canvas, "The Devil by Name" might be one of my favorite books of 2024. Thanks to Net Galley and Random House for providing the ARC.

Thank you for this ARC!

A very compelling sequel to Fever House! Keith developed the characters better and the story was easier to follow.