BookFilter

June 26, 2006 8:43 PM

What was the name of this book about a girl trapped in a red gem with a demon?

When I was a wee little lad, I remember reading a book about a girl trapped in a red (I think) gem or necklace. There was a demon (or, it had horns, I think) in there with her. I don't remember much else, except that I could've sworn it was by Bruce Sterling...but apparently, it's not. I also think the word "gem" or "ruby" figured in the title. Any ideas?

posted by bkudria to media & arts (10 comments total)

It sounds like a scene from the end of the 1997 movie Wishmaster. If the screenwriters stole that scene from your book, maybe Google can offer a lead.
posted by cribcage at 9:10 PM on June 26, 2006

Was it the DC comic book Amethyst?
posted by JDC8 at 9:28 PM on June 26, 2006

Rose Madder, by Stephen King was the first to pop in my mind...but she was stuck in a painting. But the monster did have horns though. Great book.
posted by lain at 9:29 PM on June 26, 2006

Could it be The Diamond in the Window, by Jane Langton? From the Amazon page:
Eleanor and Eddy are searching for the lost children, Ned and Nora, who vanished from the old room at the top of the house without a trace. In the room, they find verses scratched on the window by Prince Krishna before he, too, disappeared. Now the verses become clues to guide them, but the search is long and mysterious, leading the children deep into dreams that turn into real-life nightmares.

At one point, the children are trapped in a diamond, a doll house and a gazing ball in the yard. I loved this book.
posted by jvilter at 9:51 PM on June 26, 2006

Maybe Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop? It was the first book in the "Black Jewels" series. I read it a long time ago, and don't recall the details well, but I think the heroine is trapped in a gem, and there are definitely demonic names all over the place.
posted by aneel at 10:26 PM on June 26, 2006

jvilter: I loved that book too! I don't recall any sort of horned demon, though. Just that creepy krishna-in-a-box.
posted by killjoy at 10:33 PM on June 26, 2006

This rings a very faint bell... does the girl ultimately fall in love with the demon or something like that? Off to google some more!
posted by Aquaman at 10:44 PM on June 26, 2006

Nope, nothing on all counts. It wasn't a comic, and while I've read and loved Rose Madder, it isn't that either. She isn't trapped in anything else, as I recall.

The character was a girl, not a woman, and the majority of the book is spent on the time she spend inside the gem, talking with the demon. In the end, I don't think she falls in love with him, but they certainly are reconciled somehow.

Thanks for the responses, guys! Almost there!
posted by bkudria at 1:39 PM on June 27, 2006

For what its worth, I got the bells ringing, but they are far away. Red definitly makes the bell ring louder. The story must be at least 30 years old, most likely more.
posted by Goofyy at 9:15 AM on June 28, 2006

I'm glad it's ringing bells...
Red was definitely prominent, and I believe the cover was red on the copy I read, if that helps. I don't think it's very old, however. Keep 'em coming!
posted by bkudria at 1:03 PM on June 30, 2006