Hunting demons should be a walk in the park, right?
Fallow Caramond, a powerful enchantress and leader of the secret supernatural demon hunters of London—the Kouzlo—is new in her role. Though she has a Djinni and two Fire Elementals in her employ, keeping her territory clear of the parasitic creatures that plague them is hard work.
When a mysterious force begins attacking the nearby town of Fernhampton, she grudgingly investigates, unwilling to admit this strangely familiar power is demonic.
Faced with a rift to another world, she must confront the demons of her past—figuratively and literally. But this threat is unlike anything they’ve ever encountered, and with their magic at risk of being drained, it becomes not just a battle to win—but a race for the Kouzlo to survive Pandemonium.
A prequel novella set 15 years before the events of Crimson Eyes, Pandemonium Rift is an action-packed first step into the demon-hunting series: The Kouzlo Saga.
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My Review
Pandemonium Rift is a novella set in a universe (multiverse?) where other worlds can be reached via rifts torn into the fabric of space. The main character, Fallow Caramond, is a magic user who came through one such rift as a child, fleeing from a demon she has dubbed a Titan Leech due to its size and ability to suck magic from other beings. She has been in our world protecting London and the surrounding area for over a century and has gathered a capable team of demon hunters around her – the Kouzlo – who have become her ‘found family’.
Now the demons are sucking the life from humans and her demon hunting team goes back through the rift in an attempt to find and kill the source of the demonic power. There follows an exciting battle which seems impossible for the Kouzlo to win.
The main characters are interesting, each has magical powers, one is a Djinni and one is a mother with elemental powers, desperately trying to keep her children safe.
The worldbuilding is very tight – as I have come to expect from the author – her descriptive writing, full of metaphor is always wonderful:
And that horrible, sickly power weighed over the whole thing like an oppressive duvet. It wasn’t active, it was hardly moving. Like a lazy river current, it drifted along a tiny amount. It seemed to be sleeping. Dormant. It had eaten its fill—the magic and life of this world—and now slumbered. But its tendrils had snaked everywhere, into every hole and under every rock. Its presence dwarfed theirs.
This was a highly enjoyable novella which is available for free when subscribing to L. L. McCrae’s newsletter.
About the Author
Lauren is a fantasy author of character-driven stories and epic adventure. She published her Linaria and Kouzlo series under her maiden name, McNeil, and all later series under the name MacRae.
Her DRAGON SPIRITS high fantasy series explores the magic-drenched world of Tassar, where powerful guardian spirits reign supreme.
Her WORLD OF LINARIA epic fantasy series is a light-hearted, fast-paced fantasy adventure with bucket-loads of magic, dragons, sky pirates, and airships.
The KOUZLO SAGA marks her first foray into urban fantasy, with demon-hunting and kick-ass characters set in the London area.
She lives in a tiny village in the UK, has a degree in Psychology, and was a professional copywriter before going full-time as an author – swapping corporate copy for magic and dragons!
Sue's Musings 
Sounds exciting. I like prequels as they give so much backstory.
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