The Necromancers
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This novel offers a gripping and thought-provoking exploration of grief, the supernatural, and the power of faith, making it a compelling read for fans of classic horror and theological fiction.
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Book Summary
After his fiancée Amy dies, Laurie Baxter descends into spiritualism, seeking to contact her beyond the grave. His obsession leads to demonic possession, and only his friend Maggie Deronnais, through love and prayer, can confront the evil and restore him. The novel explores the dangers of the occult versus Christian faith.
Laurie Baxter, a young Catholic convert, is devastated by the death of his fiancée Amy Nugent. Rejecting Christian consolation, he becomes fascinated with spiritualism after meeting Mrs. Stapleton, a proponent of séances and Higher Thought. Despite warnings from his friend Maggie Deronnais and his family, Laurie attends séances and attempts to contact Amy, borrowing books on the subject and experiencing intense emotional turmoil. His obsession deepens, and he begins to show signs of a disturbing transformation. When he returns to the Stantons' home, Maggie senses that an alien presence now inhabits him. She seeks help from Father Mahon and Mr. Cathcart, but the priest is called away. On Easter Eve, Maggie confronts the possessed Laurie in a prolonged spiritual battle, using prayer as her weapon. The entity taunts her, but she persists, and by dawn, Laurie is freed, asleep in the smoking room. They agree never to speak of the night again, and Laurie is cleansed. Four months later, Maggie reflects on the events, uncertain whether the evil was real or psychological, but she has emerged stronger in her faith and love.
Reading guide
Go deeper in The Necromancers
Character guides, themes, chapter companions — plus Character Web, narrative arc, and theme heatmap teasers that unlock fully beside the text in BetterReads.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
Maggie Deronnais
A serene, competent young woman who manages everyone around her with quiet authority, and who alone sees the danger gathering around Laurie Baxter before it is too late.
Lady Laura Bethell
A fashionable London hostess whose drawing room becomes the stage for a séance she cannot control, and whose polite skepticism is tested by an old man's warning.
Amy Nugent
A dead girl whose absence haunts the living, and whose grieving mother's matter-of-fact world is shattered by a terror that comes with the sound of trotting hooves.
Laurie Baxter
A young, impetuous Catholic convert whose grief for a dead girl drives him into the arms of a medium who promises proof of the afterlife.
Mr. Vincent
A solid, masterful medium whose quiet assurance and apparent power over the spirit world have made him the center of a young man's adoring faith.
Mr. James Morton
A competent, no-nonsense barrister whose friendship with Laurie Baxter is tested by the boy's growing obsession with Spiritualism, and who offers a skeptical counterweight.
Grief and Loss
The narrative centers on Laurie's profound grief over the death of Amy, which drives him to seek supernatural contact and leaves him emotionally vulnerable to manipulation.
Spiritualism vs. Christianity
The book contrasts Spiritualist practices and beliefs with orthodox Christian (particularly Catholic) teachings, presenting them as competing frameworks for understanding the afterlife and the soul's fate.
Danger of the Occult
The narrative warns that engaging in séances and mediumship opens individuals to demonic influence or possession, portraying such practices as spiritually and psychologically destructive.
Class and Snobbery
Social hierarchies are evident in Mrs. Baxter's disdain for Amy's grocer background and Baptist faith, and in the characters' preoccupations with propriety and social standing.