The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace by Hannah Rose May with artwork by Kelsey Ramsay
Almost anytime I find an exorcism story, I’m going to read it.
I was excited to find The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace mainly because
it looked like a cool story about the royal family of England and demonic
possession written by Hannah Rose May, who also penned The Exorcism at 1600
Penn, which I still haven’t read. The story starts with a mysterious boat
accident where a number of the royal family who are next in line for the crown
end up disappearing. Their missing boat causes a crisis at Buckingham Palace,
as the elderly and infirm king of England was looking to appoint his successor
sooner rather than later. With a sudden break in the lineage, the king turns to
the prime minister for advice about how to handle the growing situation. They
decide to appoint the king’s grandson, Theo, who brings his own backage to the
palace. Theo’s mother, Odette, died under mysterious circumstances when he was
younger, and she always warned Theo about the shadow that seemed to follow the
royal family. Furthermore, Theo has battled his own demons, notably addiction,
which played out publicly for many years. Although he’s sober and newly
engaged, Theo seems to be an questionable and somewhat unwilling choice.
Nevertheless, the king encourages Theo, convincing him that it is not only good
for the country, but it is also his duty to carry on the royal line. While Theo
agrees, he begins to confront many of the old demons as he struggles with his
time in the spotlight. I don’t want to give too much more away, but Theo must
eventually grapple with his own demons as he eventually learns how to be the
leader that England needs.
While I liked the premise of this story, and Theo’s story
from uncertain prince to confident and compelling leader is a nice story, I
wish there was more supernatural elements to the story and that the exorcism
was a larger part of the story. Much of the story felt political and dealt with
the royal family and the concurrent intrigue and challenges that the prime minister
faced with the opposing party. I’m not as familiar with British politics and
royalty, so this aspect of the story felt a little different. Plus, when I read
the title, I assumed that most of the story would be about the exorcism, whereas
it mainly took place at the last ¼ of the story. Nevertheless, it was interesting
to see how Theo confronted both personal and supernatural demons in his
uncertainty and eventual acceptance of the crown. I could see some similarities
between him and the Windsor family, especially with the tragic death of a
young, beautiful princess, who’s early death left her child haunted and
conflicted about the royal legacy. Plus, the artwork was generally interesting
for this story. Kelsey Ramsay uses shading and shadows to cast dread and a worrisome
feel among those at Buckingham Palace about the uncertainty of the future king.
The supernatural elements of the artwork were also dark and menacing, so I
enjoyed his element of the story. I also loved the sketches at the back of the
comic, as well as some of the images by other artists. I just felt that the
story could have focused more on the exorcism and demonic possession and less
on British politics. Thanks to IDW Publishing and NetGalley for sharing this
advanced copy.
