Hostage to the Devil - Reissue: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans

A reviewer

Father Malachi Martin explores several modern (last sixty years) exorcisms in this text. The reader is introduced to several real world cases of demonic possession including a single failed exorcism which resulted in the death of the possessed. The late Father Martin was one of the last ¿old school¿ exorcists of the Catholic Church and also heard the confession of the Pope in Rome. As such, he is more than qualified to give the churches perspective on this most dark subject. Ultimately the text challenges the reader¿s beliefs with regard to good and evil. I strongly encourage those with an interest in the topic to select this book.

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GREAT BOOK AND IT WILL MAKE YOU PRAY!

Best book I have ever read. After reading the chapter 'The Girl Fixer' I wanted to figure out who this person was and I came up with tennis star 'Renee Richards' Do a google search of pictures and it will scare you to death. It all fits but of course dates and places do not.

this book is for real

For years, I was skeptical of Satan and demons, mostly because I was a liberal Christian whose theology had no room for demons. Then I had a brush with the real thing. And let me tell you something, folks, things changed for me overnight--literally. I'm here to say that the Evil One is real, that demons exist, and if you're looking for a beginner's book on demoic posession, the rite of exorcism, and the sad state of contemporary theology, then Fr. Martin's book is the book for you. Martin presents five cases of demonic posession. The book is fast paced, full of suspense, and often times reads like a novel. Throughout five cases of posession, Martin discusses how it occurs, how demons operate in the posessed, and how they are expelled from the human beings they love to torment. This book is frightening, and the first case will forever haunt me. The fact that many Catholic dioceses don't have an official exorcist is even more frightening. This is truly sad and a huge victory for Satan. This book is a gold mine for anyone who is coming to demon posession for the first time. The drawback is that it's long and overwritten it's as though Fr. Martin took literary liberties to show off his writing talent. He uses long descriptive passages and poetic imagery, which, while fun at the beginning of the book, soon got annoying. While there are some beautiful passages (Martin is a talented writer) the book could have been half as long. Having said that, don't let it keep you from reading this powerful book. This is a much neglected topic, mostly becasue theology today is so liberal and becasue science seems to be putting God out of the game (which isn't true). To speak personally, I have made a return to orthodoxy becasue of my experience of the demonic realm. I wish I could say that demons didn't exist, but they do. Thankfully, their time of torture and posession will soon end because Jesus Christ is risen, and one day all things will be put under His feet.

Uh...

Interesting thoughts contained in this book. As for the 'truth,' as the previous reviewer stated, not necessarily. The accounts are chilling and definitely open the reader's eyes to the evil in the world. I'm not sure I believe it has anything to do with Satan though. I went into the book an agnostic, and I've come out an agnostic. People try to relate experiences and evils to whatever religion they follow, and this is a very elaborate attempt to do that. I'd recommend reading it and looking at the matters outside the box. The man who wrote it obviously thinks he's telling the only truth and wants to convey it in a way to demonstrate that. It seems hard for people to interpret things on their own. Yes, there are evils in the world but that doesn't mean there is a superstitious/out of this world answer to explain its existence. Maybe man is evil by nature. People use the term, 'truth,' rather loosely though. Read the book if you're looking for a scare. But trying to put the events into a real world perspective, it seems kind of silly. People seem to need religion to do what is morally appropriate and I think this book is another way to scare people into acting the way they should without any coaxing.

I can't Put It Down!!

I have just started reading the book and I cannot put it down. I suspect that I will be finished soon if I don't get too fightened. I like it because it's not a 'Scary Story' with the purpose to scare. It is an actual account of the experiences in someones life that is meant to inform. Answer Questions. Bring to light the dark and evil. I highly reccomend this book if you really want to know the TRUTH.

Truly a Book To Read And Think About It

This book has opened a lot of things to me that I have often overlooked but now am beginning to see. I am not a religous person but I did read this book late at night usually around midnight to 2 am there was one chapter called the Girl Fixer that caused me to have weird dreams My wife says I started howling like a dog in my sleep. Thats how disturbing this book can make you feel if read before bed but I highly recomend reading it for the insight it gives you into the darker areas of religon and evil that surrounds us all that we will only be able to see if we open our Eyes and Minds to what is really going on around us and not be consumed by the fake reality that TV and Movies and the Media show us what life is all about.

Engrossing...

I met Malachi Martin years ago in Brooklyn...which made it absolutely impossible to ignore his book. He was even more impressive in person. I was almost unable to finish it simply because it was so disturbing. I cannot imagine how this book can be improved upon with regards to its message.

A sobering look at an often sensationalized subject

I first came across Malachi Martin's "Hostage to the Devil" at the annual book sale at Milton H. Latter Memorial Library on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana. I am a Catholic from birth and I have always taken a deep interest in my faith, even in those areas that are considered "old fashioned" or no longer believable. But after reading Martin's book I started saying my prayers much more fervently because he presents the presence of evil as an everyday occurrence in our world. I grew up with the idea that diabolic posession was as shown in the movie "The Exorcist" - namely that the possessed sprout boils on their faces and their heads turn 360 degrees while they fly through the air and spit green pea soup. But through Martin's research I learned that, although unusual effects and occurrences are possible, many cases of partial or complete posession manifest themselves more through the appearance of spiritual confusion, malice, and outright evil deeds. The signs of possession are more in the spirit than in the flesh. The book is a sober and thought provoking. He avoids sensationalism even when describing events which would seem strange and unusual. But most importantly, Martin gives us clear evidence that evil is not gone, that Satan is not dead- but that he lives now, calling himself, as described by the possessed, the Claimant, the Leader, the Daring One, the Prince, and the Angel of Light. And that he hunts human spirits weak in faith to bind them to his will, and that such a person can be freed only by a great effort of skilled prayer and understanding by a qualified priest of the Catholic Church who retain the powers given to the Apostles to cast out evil spirits in the Holy Name of Jesus the Christ. In each case described in the book, the demons yield, though after a battle, to the power of the Holy Name which they can rarely say, more often calling Him- That Person. The mechanism and evidence of posession are laid out clearly. "Hostage to the Devil" is necessary reading for all who understand that evil lives in the world and must be fought by faith and goodness.

Subtle and Real Evil

This novel was outstanding and frightening. Any doubt that one has of Satan's existence is cleared away with this novel. It gives an insight into the entity and subtle moves of Satan in his constant but useless quest to steer Christ's children away from Him. Read it. Believe it. And watch for the lies of the enemy.

Cerebral, yet satisfying

This work very effectively explains the links between the physical and the spiritual in a way that needs small doses to assimilate. There is much detail and many specifics to absorb, but the book is written in a way which makes you feel like you have been there. It may leave you mentally and emotionally exhausted, but that seems to be the only way to grasp the enormity of such a such a harrowing occurrence. It was researched exhaustively and written brilliantly, and is by far the most compelling book I have ever experienced.

Hostatge held me tight

This is one of the finest books i have ever read. With its stories the rights and the prayers it is an over all good book i enjoyed it,obviously,immensly.

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