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The Devil's Brood is a novel set in the Universal Horror universe, and a sequel to Return of the Wolf Man set in a more modern time.Immediately after Return of the Wolf Man, after the supposed deaths of Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and the Wolf Man the story follows Marya Zaleska, the daughter of Dracula herself, in a search to resurrect both Frankenstein's Monster and his bride with the help from a satanic cult and a captive grandson of Wilfred Glendon.
It was followed by a sequel, The Devils Night.
This book provides examples of:
- Aborted Arc: With the exception of a brief line at the beginning, Larry Talbot never appears, and presumably he is hibernating in the custody of Caroline Cooke in her castle.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Marya Zaleska is more evil here than in her original film where she was a more sympathetic character comparable to Larry Talbot. She is openly satanic here and wants to be the Queen of the Darkness, now that Dracula is dead.
- Adaptational Villainy: As said before, Dracula's Daughter is more evil here. She even commands a satanic cult, presumably the same as the one in the 1935 Universal film The Black Cat. She uses babies' fat and human blood to make experiments. The satanic cult itself reveres "evil in all its forms".
- Blob Monster: After his apparent death, and taking the blood from Frankenstein's Monster corpse, Dracula's hate takes the form of a bloody mass that sucks blood of humans.
- Came Back Wrong: Frankenstein's Monster, after his apparent death in the last novel, is resurrected using satanic rituals. This makes him evil, probably possessed; he enjoys killing people, mauling them easily. Marya needs him to mate with the Bride to create a race of superhuman slaves.
- The Casanova: Subverted and implied. With the exception of his introduction scene, Wilfred Glendon III is this.
- Continuity Porn: The novel mentions events from many classic horror movies.
- Covers Always Lie: Although he's seen in the cover, the Mummy never appears.
- Darker and Edgier: The book has more violence, gore and satanic scenes than the classic Universal Monsters movies, by far.
- Evil Feels Good: Marya apparently accepts her vampire heritage.
- Evil Sorceress: Marya, again. She even has a blood orb to see the past and makes decapitated heads talk!
- Femme Fatale: Marya and Dracula's brides.
- Fight Dracula: Frankenstein's Monster and Dracula fight each other at the end. It ends in a tie, as a castle falls over them.
- Hollywood Satanism: Marya and her minions.
- Lineage Comes from the Father: Subverted. Wilfred Glendon III is a scientist, wealthy and handsome... and his grandfather's werewolf curse passed to him.
- Living MacGuffin: As she needs the moon ray machine to resurrect the Bride of Frankenstein, Marya needs Wilfred Glendon III to make that.
- Mythology Gag: Marya uses her black cape cloak as in her original movie.
- Sequel Hook: The book ends with Wilfred Glendon III captive, and Marya is ready to awake the Bride of Frankenstein, after Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster battle.
- Took a Level in Badass: Subverted. While he is not technically the same character, Wilfred Glendon III's werewolf form is more formidable than his grandfather's. Marya openly shows her vampiric powers, being the second most powerful vampire actually. Frankenstein's Monster, after being apparently killed by Dracula, fights fair against him.
- Überwald: Vasaria.
