Truly an incredible and unconventional book. While being unsettling and sometimes scary, the author has been said to describe this book not as horror, but as a love story. After finishing it, I think I would agree with that. Others have described it as "an expose of darkness everywhere." I would agree with that, too. 
 This book draws from so many influences: science, art, philosophy, psychology, history, literature, linguistics, mythology, and probably others I have neglected to name. Between the covers of the book are at least three story lines: The Navidson Record (book), which describes and elaborates on the events of The Navidson Record (film), and the life and story of a certain Mr. Johnny Truant, who assembled and prepared the book and frequently writes his remarks in the footnotes. The whole thing is an elaborate and impressive work.