The Necromancers is more than that; there is a real Augustinian terror of the void, in the absence of God comes real evil. In the book's climax, Maggie's love for Laurie, and a night of sincere prayer draw him back from the brink - a brink that practical, clear-headed, convent-raised Maggie glimpses in the form of the dark, fiery personality she confronts in the night. This personality can be none other than the Devil himself.