After Crime and Punishment ...

[bIGwIRE]

It's probably the most polemical of all his works, too.

From a political standpoint, maybe. I would have put Karamazov first on the list for controversial arguments. The Grand Inquisitor alone, in my mind, cements that position.

What was so awful about it? (Without giving anything away, I haven't read it)

It being "awful" is really subjective to what you expect, or want, from a novel. If you lust after beautiful polished prose, Dostoevski will often disappoint you. If you want to connect with well developed characters, again, Dostoevski may fall short of pleasing you. Dostoevski's characters are ideas, concepts, and different sides of whatever argument he is making. The players in The Possessed represent conflicting ideologies, with Dostoevski arguing against many different political concepts, all of which he feels threaten man as an individual, and work against the good of mankind. Read a little later into Russian history and his novel seems almost prophetic. At any rate, try to imagine Mother Russia at that tumultuous time, and you will easily see the value of this work.

So, awful in the sense of artistic prose and character development, but really brilliant from the intriguing philosophical standpoint.

[katow]

Demons have some of most powerfull dialogues i know. Kirilov, Stavroguine, Chatov are remarkable characters. the story is not the most important in Demons. the complex structure of the characters is the most important. the dialogues between Kirilov and the narrator , Kirilov and Stavroguine, Chatov and Stavroguine and the dialogue between Stavroguine and Father Tikhone are incredible. This dialogues marked me deeply.
Albert Camus made a great adaptation to theatre. It worth a read too.