Review: The ninth Configuration by William Peter Blatty
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a giveaway
Blatty is best known for his 1971 novel The Exorcist. The ninth configuration was the basis of the classic film Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer, Kane. Blatty revisited the original work and it resulted in this novel. Despite the spectacularly dark cover this is not a Horror novel. From the opening pages the reader is drawn into the strange world of a military rest camp. This gothic mansion houses twenty-seven inmates who may or may not truly be crazy. They all form a cacophony of personalities and voices that Blatty manages to capture excellently. Their is some military jargon that takes a bit to get into but after a few chapters the main inmates are identified. Into this established group comes Colonel Kane, a Marine Psychiatrist who is brought in to treat the inmates.
As Kane adapts to life amongst the group he finds strange emotions being evoked as well as strange memories. As Kane continues his work his emotions continue to unravel until the reader is given shocking information about the true purpose of Kane’s visit.
This is a fascinating read. Many have said the ending of this book is predictable, but I was surprised at unique twists.
A different type of story from a Horror Master.
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