The narrator is the very accomplished George Guidall. If you're into this thing, 'Devils' is a gripping novel. Like all of Dostoevsky's works, the plot is deeply psychological, though there is quite a bit of dry humor and irony (items that are often missed in Dostoevsky's works because the original translator, Constance Garnett, tended to homogenize his phrases). Trouble had been brewing in Russia for some time. Lenin and company didn't come out of nowhere.

The setting is the run-up to the Bolshevik Revolution. The plot centers on some brutal, political murders. If you do these things you'll experience the full effect. Last, you might want to print a list of characters because, like all Russian novels, the many patronymic names can be confusing, especially if you're listening. It also helps to know a little about Dostoevsky's background because several elements are autobiographical. The Wikipedia article on 'Demons' is short and informative. One of the two lead characters, Peter Stephanovich Verkhovensky, a creepy Charles Manson type, is based on Nechayev. In order to appreciate it, you should do a little research on the 1869 murder by the Russian revolutionary Nechayev. 'Devils' is a very political novel and was intended to be so. 'Devils' (formerly translated as 'The Possessed,' and sometimes translated as 'Demons') is one of Dostoevsky's four great long novels, the others being 'Crime and Punishment,' 'The Idiot,' and 'The Brothers Karamazov.' First, don't by the version narrated by Patrick Cullen and titled 'The Possessed.' The narration is poor and the translation is the outdated one by Constance Garnett.

Fyodor dostoevsky devils