"Heart-wrenching, thought-provoking, and painfully timely." Kirkus Reviews (STARRED review)
"A gripping tale of love and survival." Foreword Reviews (STARRED review)
"A heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful story of an important, underrecognized historical event." Booklist
"A jagged piece of shrapnel from 1915 Van, pulsing with the frantic, localized energy of a city under siege." The Armenian Weekly
The government wants them dead.
Fourteen-year-old Suren Simonian lives a familiar boyhood in the Armenian city of Van in eastern Anatolia attending school, watching fistfights, and trying to stay out of the way of Turkish gendarmes. His closest companion is Hamza, his Turkish best friend, and most days feel ordinary enough.
But in the spring of 1915, rumors of massacres sweep through the region. Soon, Turkish troops surround Van with a single objective: the extermination of its Armenian population. As violence closes in, Suren is forced to confront the meaning of loyalty, courage, and manhood in a world that has turned deadly overnight.
Inspired by a true story of resistance during the Armenian Genocide, Never Hide from the Devil is a powerful coming-of-age novel about friendship, survival, and impossible moral choices in the face of unimaginable horror.
About the Author :
N.T. McQueen is an avid writer and dedicated college lecturer. With a master's degree in fiction from California State University, Sacramento, McQueen has brought unique perspectives on human nature to readers in his captivating novels Never Hide from the Devil (Cennan, 2026), The Cry of Dry Bones (2021), and Between Lions and Lambs (2011). His writing has been featured in North American Review, Stonecoast Review, Entropy, Sunlight Press, Atticus Review, Dappled Things, Grief Digest Magazine, and Foreword Magazine. He lives in California with his wife and daughters and enjoys fishing, traveling, and a tasty cup of coffee.
Review :
"Heart-wrenching and thought-provoking, this slowly unfurling epic dramatizes the defense of the city of Van--a bitter victory in the first month of the Armenian genocide--through the eyes of 14-year-old Suren Simonian, forced to grow up too quickly." --Kirkus Reviews (STARRED REVIEW)
"Set amid the Armenian genocide, Never Hide from the Devil is a gripping tale of love and survival." --Foreword Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
"Not merely a historical reconstruction... a jagged piece of shrapnel from 1915 Van... pulsing with the frantic, localized energy of a city under siege... rendered in prose that lands with a rifle's recoil, taut, sharp, and unforgiving." --Milena Baghdasaryan, The Armenian Weekly
"A heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful story of an important, underrecognized historical event." --Heather Christensen, Booklist
"A gripping page-turner that vividly brings to life what might otherwise fade from public memory." --Christopher Atamian, Armenian Mirror Spectator
"Set at the onset of the Armenian Genocide in 1915, fourteen-year-old Suren's life is upended when the Turkish army surrounds the city of Van. Many Armenians flee for their lives, but against their parents' wishes, Suren and his friends fight back. Written with short and compelling chapters, this novel plunges the reader with authenticity into this little-known act of defiance during the 20th century's first genocide." --Marsha Skrypuch, author of Making Bombs for Hitler and the Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy
"Through the eyes of a young boy, McQueen crafts a devastating and unforgettable portrait of the 1915 Defense of Van--a story of resilience against impossible odds that delivers the history of the Armenian Genocide to a new generation." --Eric Z. Weintraub, author of South of Sepharad
"The horrors perpetrators commit are only half the story of genocide. The other half is the resistance of its victims. N.T. McQueen delivers a powerful novel of courage and defiance in the face of annihilation, inspired by the Armenian defense of Van in 1915." --Dr. Khatchig Mouradian, Columbia University, author of The Resistance Network
"From the perspective of a teenage boy, McQueen masterfully weaves a poignant narrative set against the heavy emotional backdrop of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, where boys are compelled to become men overnight. McQueen's skill in crafting coming-of-age stories provides a rare glimpse of and an ideal lens through which to develop characters as they navigate the untold experiences of the Armenian Freedom Fighters." --Victoria Atamian Waterman, author of What She Left Behind
"Bold, gripping, and unforgettable, Never Hide from the Devil shines a light on the Armenian genocide, an often overlooked chapter in history. Told through the eyes of a young hero determined to protect his people, N.T.'s impactful novel is both heart-pounding and relatable, and stays with the reader long after the final page." --Melissa W. Hunter, author of What She Lost
"N.T. McQueen humanizes a most inhumane history--the little-known but extremely courageous Defense of Van leading up to the horrors of the Armenian Genocide. The resiliency and resistance of the Armenian people shine brightly, all while seamlessly woven into one teenager's coming-of-age experience in a time of heartbreak, hope, family ties, friendship, and the unknown of what lies ahead." --Laura Michael Gaboudian, educator and author of Under the Light of the Moon
"Vividly written, this moving story reminds us that resistance against tyranny and oppression is possible. Costs may be high, but courage can prevail. A real tour de force!" --Ronald Grigor Suny, William H. Sewell, Jr. Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of History, The University of Michigan
"In a riveting exploration of courage, conviction, and loss, this novel charts humanity's most desperate journey through one of the darkest times in history. McQueen's prose is compelling in its measured, unsparing gaze of devastating truths-where boys become soldiers and how silence becomes a graveyard." --Tamar Marie Boyadjian, award-winning author, editor & translator
"N.T. McQueen's scintillating Never Hide from the Devil captures the little-known Armenian experience in its depiction of the siege of Van, from the bravery to the sorrow to the ecstasy of love and hope. Read it." --Mark Mustian, author of The Gendarme and Boy with Wings
"Inspired by true stories of Armenian resistance, this novel strikes the perfect balance between honesty and kid friendliness. Look out for it, buy it, request it, borrow it, share it!" --Leila Boukarim, author of Lost Words: An Armenian Story of Survival and Hope
