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Hell Gate
If hell were real it would be peopled with all sorts of damned souls and their keepers, like Daemon Grim, the Devil's elite henchman. Daemon likes nothing more than a job well done for the Prince of Lies, with attention to every detail no matter how insidious. In HELL GATE, the third and climactic volume of Andrew P. Weston's murderous chronicles of infernal intrigue, Daemon is out to tie up Satan's loose ends and settle some of the underworld's outstanding accounts. Meanwhile, even Daemon has only so much license and the Boss is waiting . . .
542 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 31, 2019
1 person is currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Andrew P. Weston
37 books298 followersAndrew P. Weston is Royal Marine and Police veteran from the UK who now lives on the beautiful Greek island of Kos with his wife, and their growing family of rescue cats.
An astronomy and criminal law graduate, he is the creator of the internationally acclaimed and bestselling IX Series and the Cambion Journals Series, along with the Reaper Chronicles, Hell Bound, Hell Hounds, and Hell Gate, (Novels forming part of the critically celebrated Heroes in Hell shared universe). Andrew also has the privilege of being a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the British Science Fiction Association, British Fantasy Society, and the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.
When relaxing, Andrew devotes some of his spare time to supporting animal charities, as well as writing the occasional article for Amazing Stories.
While hopelessly incompetent at using social media, Andrew's wife assures him he is, nevertheless, an expert nuisance.
If you would like to find out more, visit his blog:
https://andrewpweston.blogspot.gr/
▲
An astronomy and criminal law graduate, he is the creator of the internationally acclaimed and bestselling IX Series and the Cambion Journals Series, along with the Reaper Chronicles, Hell Bound, Hell Hounds, and Hell Gate, (Novels forming part of the critically celebrated Heroes in Hell shared universe). Andrew also has the privilege of being a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the British Science Fiction Association, British Fantasy Society, and the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.
When relaxing, Andrew devotes some of his spare time to supporting animal charities, as well as writing the occasional article for Amazing Stories.
While hopelessly incompetent at using social media, Andrew's wife assures him he is, nevertheless, an expert nuisance.
If you would like to find out more, visit his blog:
https://andrewpweston.blogspot.gr/
▲
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 18, 2019
Daemon Grim is still reeling from the aftermath of wiping Angel Grislington from existence. Even though he’s Satan’s right-hand man, being the reaper and all, Grim senses unrest in the underworld. Frederic Chopin and Nikola Telsa have retreated underground and are planning something so evil, Satan would be impressed if it wasn’t aimed in his direction. Grim hunts them down, only he has no idea he’s a pawn in Chopin’s and Tesla’s plot. Can Grim stop it in time or is he the key to opening Hell Gate?
I’ve never read any of the Hell anthologies but I’m a huge fan of Andrew Weston’s writing. He’s a master of world building and Hell Gate didn’t disappoint. Intricate details of the Hell universe can be found in the narration. Everything from the hell-rats to various duties and levels can be found here. It impressed me how complex Hell is, and I feasted every time a new facet was described.
The characters leap off the page and their personalities are so different. I was curious to see how Chopin and Tesla operated in Hell. The action is dramatic but served a very specific purpose. The plot moved at a good pace while the dialogue was very intellectual. I admit, I had to look a few words up. The ending took me by surprise but was very satisfactory.
If you’re looking for a smart, new twist on Hell and all its inhabitants, pick up Hell Gate. It can be read as a standalone. I plan on reading Andrew Weston’s previous two books now. Highly recommend!
My Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by: Mrs. N
This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/si...
I’ve never read any of the Hell anthologies but I’m a huge fan of Andrew Weston’s writing. He’s a master of world building and Hell Gate didn’t disappoint. Intricate details of the Hell universe can be found in the narration. Everything from the hell-rats to various duties and levels can be found here. It impressed me how complex Hell is, and I feasted every time a new facet was described.
The characters leap off the page and their personalities are so different. I was curious to see how Chopin and Tesla operated in Hell. The action is dramatic but served a very specific purpose. The plot moved at a good pace while the dialogue was very intellectual. I admit, I had to look a few words up. The ending took me by surprise but was very satisfactory.
If you’re looking for a smart, new twist on Hell and all its inhabitants, pick up Hell Gate. It can be read as a standalone. I plan on reading Andrew Weston’s previous two books now. Highly recommend!
My Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by: Mrs. N
This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/si...
July 8, 2019
Who “was” the Grim Reaper before becoming Satan’s strongest champion? This series chronicles the exploits of Satan’s right-hand warrior, Daemon Grim (the reaper). It began with Hell Bound and Hell Hounds … and continues with Hell Gate. In addition to my reviews of those, I capture some key takeaways:
- The series is all about Daemon Grim
- Hell Gate is all about revealing the mystery Daemon Grim’s past, which we’ve been teased about for two books, and here it is!
- The crazy milieu of Hell persists, so start with Hell Bound to get grounded; more on Hell below.
- The cat and mouse hunt after Frederic Chopin and Nikola Tesla reaches a climatic milestone; the duo’s evil plotting that began in book #1 is finally revealed too.
- Grim takes readers in realms of the Quran (Jahannam)
- The inclusion of mystics (namely from ~1500, Saint Teresa of Ávila and Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim) was a pleasant addition
Hell Noir Style: The milieu and conflict are so epic in scope, and weird in substance, that the story lends itself more for narrative storytelling over dramatic showing. As before, Mr. Weston doles out exposition-through-dialogue; as I read this, I just envisioned a Noir film in which the protagonist provided a snarky voiceover. I felt like I was called into his police office and sat in a room full of smoke as he coached me through a mysterious case.
What is Hell’s Milieu? Grim was introduced to the Heroes in Hell series in the previous installment, Doctors in Hell. Heroes in Hell is a fantastical place built from myths and religions—so do not expect Tolkienesque elves or dwarves. The primary realm explored is called Juxtapose, which is a satirical mirror of our earth’s cityscapes (the Seine river featured as “Inseine”, Paris called Perish, the Eiffel Tower represented as the Awful Tower, Facebook is called Hatebook). Since time has little meaning in Hell, beings from past and present meet and scheme (i.e., Tesla and Chopin). There are other realms beyond Juxtapose connected with ethereal gateways. All are populated by beings being tormented and try to outwit Satan or their comrades. Even Erra, the Akkadian plague god, has visited Hell to torment Satan. No one is safe! It is a splendid, wacky place that works well.
Where to Start on your trip to Hell: Hell Gate is wacky and fun, but is not the beginning. The Heroes in Hell is primarily a series of anthologies; this novel focuses on Grim but has story arcs connected to HIH. Given the breadth of abstract interactions, I recommend initial readers begin with either:
1) Doctors in Hell (HIH #18): Daemon Grim is introduced in this collection, and even though it is #18 in the series, it is a perfect entryway for HIH newcomers.
2) Or…. Hell Bound (Grim novel #1): Daemon Grim’s first novel, occurring chronologically after Doctors, but before Hell Hounds.
3) Or for those who’ve done that, note Grim also appears in Pirates in Hell and Lovers in Hell
- The series is all about Daemon Grim
- Hell Gate is all about revealing the mystery Daemon Grim’s past, which we’ve been teased about for two books, and here it is!
- The crazy milieu of Hell persists, so start with Hell Bound to get grounded; more on Hell below.
- The cat and mouse hunt after Frederic Chopin and Nikola Tesla reaches a climatic milestone; the duo’s evil plotting that began in book #1 is finally revealed too.
- Grim takes readers in realms of the Quran (Jahannam)
- The inclusion of mystics (namely from ~1500, Saint Teresa of Ávila and Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim) was a pleasant addition
Hell Noir Style: The milieu and conflict are so epic in scope, and weird in substance, that the story lends itself more for narrative storytelling over dramatic showing. As before, Mr. Weston doles out exposition-through-dialogue; as I read this, I just envisioned a Noir film in which the protagonist provided a snarky voiceover. I felt like I was called into his police office and sat in a room full of smoke as he coached me through a mysterious case.
What is Hell’s Milieu? Grim was introduced to the Heroes in Hell series in the previous installment, Doctors in Hell. Heroes in Hell is a fantastical place built from myths and religions—so do not expect Tolkienesque elves or dwarves. The primary realm explored is called Juxtapose, which is a satirical mirror of our earth’s cityscapes (the Seine river featured as “Inseine”, Paris called Perish, the Eiffel Tower represented as the Awful Tower, Facebook is called Hatebook). Since time has little meaning in Hell, beings from past and present meet and scheme (i.e., Tesla and Chopin). There are other realms beyond Juxtapose connected with ethereal gateways. All are populated by beings being tormented and try to outwit Satan or their comrades. Even Erra, the Akkadian plague god, has visited Hell to torment Satan. No one is safe! It is a splendid, wacky place that works well.
Where to Start on your trip to Hell: Hell Gate is wacky and fun, but is not the beginning. The Heroes in Hell is primarily a series of anthologies; this novel focuses on Grim but has story arcs connected to HIH. Given the breadth of abstract interactions, I recommend initial readers begin with either:
1) Doctors in Hell (HIH #18): Daemon Grim is introduced in this collection, and even though it is #18 in the series, it is a perfect entryway for HIH newcomers.
2) Or…. Hell Bound (Grim novel #1): Daemon Grim’s first novel, occurring chronologically after Doctors, but before Hell Hounds.
3) Or for those who’ve done that, note Grim also appears in Pirates in Hell and Lovers in Hell
July 1, 2020
The main character in Hell Bound is Daemon Grim, Satan’s bounty hunter, also known as the Reaper. Not only does he hunt down any damned soul in Hell who gets on the wrong side of His Satanic Majesty, he has the power to visit our world and harvest those who belong in Hell, souls Satan wants in Hell now. Grim can travel between Earth and Hell using a special sickle or scythe that can open portals between the two realms. This scythe also possesses a powerful weapon called God Grace’s, which gives Grim the ability to utterly destroy souls. Since there’s no death in Hell as we know it, (the Damned are already dead) there is instead Reassignment, a twisted version of resurrection handled by an unsavory character known only as the Undertaker. However, there is Oblivion — total obliteration into non-existence. Grim’s weapon gives him the power to send souls howling into eternal nothingness.
The plot concerns Grim’s mission to track down Doctor Thomas Neill Cream, the English physician who in real life was the brilliant and infamous Lambeth Poisoner. Cream has been stealing long-hidden relics and angelic weapons from the Time of the Sundering, when Satan and his followers were cast out of Heaven. All history and knowledge of the Sundering is banned in Hell, but Cream may have illegal access to Satan’s bureaucratic network. Thus he and his crew of cohorts, including Frederick Chopin, have been able to steal these ancient artifacts, one by one. Cream is clever and manages to stay one step ahead of Grim, always avoiding capture and Reassignment. Cream is playing a cat and mouse game with Grim, leaving clues in place of each stolen artifact — clues written in the form of poetic riddles, which Cream must unravel. The first of these clues included a piece of carbonized bone from a Heavenly angel who was destroyed in the original battle of the Sundering. How did Cream get his hands on that? What are his plans? What is his ultimate goal?
Weston has not only expanded the scope of the Heroes in Hell series, he has introduced new themes and concepts, and new characters. He creates a fresh vision of Hell and presents to us a seedy underworld uniquely his own. Grim lives in Olde London Town, a macabre mockery of our earthly London. Rather than make up strange-sounding, nearly unpronounceable names, and because Hell is a twisted echo of Earth, Weston (as do all those who write for Heroes in Hell) comes up with names and titles that bear a warped familiarity to places and things we know. For example: Paris is Perish, Seine River is River Inseine, Drury Lane is Dreary Lane, Piccadilly Circus is Icepiccadilly, Westminster in Westmonster, and so on. That’s all part of the fun, part of the gallows humor that is inherent in Hell. Everything on Earth has its infernal counterpart in Hell. Not only do we go through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole when entering Hell, we also enter another, diabolical dimension where not only pain and torment and suffering rule, there’s also a grand touch of irony to everything that happens in the underworlds. Hell mimics Earth in a very fiendish way.
Hell Bound is an epic and fast-paced adventure. It’s a manhunt in Hell, brought to life by Weston’s literary style and prose that often reach poetic levels of grace. But the heart of the story is Daemon Grim, a character who works for Satan, a character who is supposed to be evil and villainous, but often comes across as heroic and valiant. Walking that fine line is part of Weston’s talent. You can’t reason with Grim or tempt him. He feels no pity, sorrow or remorse. And yet, he has a wicked sense of humor, very good manners, never lies, and he values truth, honesty and loyalty. These make him a paradox, and part of the mystery. We’re never told exactly who or what he is — or was. Grim’s an enigma: he can’t remember anything before his awakening in Hell . . . and that final revelation will no doubt eventually play out in future novels. As powerful, ruthless and deadly as he is, Grim is also very much a human character, with flaws and virtues — yes, even in Hell, the Damned can have virtues. This is part of the fun and part of the puzzle of Hell Bound and why I enjoyed it so much. Daemon Grim carried the story on his shoulders and kept me reading to the last page. What’s more, you need not be familiar with any other books in the Heroes in Hell series in order to enjoy Hell Bound . . . but it will add to enjoyment if you are.
The plot concerns Grim’s mission to track down Doctor Thomas Neill Cream, the English physician who in real life was the brilliant and infamous Lambeth Poisoner. Cream has been stealing long-hidden relics and angelic weapons from the Time of the Sundering, when Satan and his followers were cast out of Heaven. All history and knowledge of the Sundering is banned in Hell, but Cream may have illegal access to Satan’s bureaucratic network. Thus he and his crew of cohorts, including Frederick Chopin, have been able to steal these ancient artifacts, one by one. Cream is clever and manages to stay one step ahead of Grim, always avoiding capture and Reassignment. Cream is playing a cat and mouse game with Grim, leaving clues in place of each stolen artifact — clues written in the form of poetic riddles, which Cream must unravel. The first of these clues included a piece of carbonized bone from a Heavenly angel who was destroyed in the original battle of the Sundering. How did Cream get his hands on that? What are his plans? What is his ultimate goal?
Weston has not only expanded the scope of the Heroes in Hell series, he has introduced new themes and concepts, and new characters. He creates a fresh vision of Hell and presents to us a seedy underworld uniquely his own. Grim lives in Olde London Town, a macabre mockery of our earthly London. Rather than make up strange-sounding, nearly unpronounceable names, and because Hell is a twisted echo of Earth, Weston (as do all those who write for Heroes in Hell) comes up with names and titles that bear a warped familiarity to places and things we know. For example: Paris is Perish, Seine River is River Inseine, Drury Lane is Dreary Lane, Piccadilly Circus is Icepiccadilly, Westminster in Westmonster, and so on. That’s all part of the fun, part of the gallows humor that is inherent in Hell. Everything on Earth has its infernal counterpart in Hell. Not only do we go through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole when entering Hell, we also enter another, diabolical dimension where not only pain and torment and suffering rule, there’s also a grand touch of irony to everything that happens in the underworlds. Hell mimics Earth in a very fiendish way.
Hell Bound is an epic and fast-paced adventure. It’s a manhunt in Hell, brought to life by Weston’s literary style and prose that often reach poetic levels of grace. But the heart of the story is Daemon Grim, a character who works for Satan, a character who is supposed to be evil and villainous, but often comes across as heroic and valiant. Walking that fine line is part of Weston’s talent. You can’t reason with Grim or tempt him. He feels no pity, sorrow or remorse. And yet, he has a wicked sense of humor, very good manners, never lies, and he values truth, honesty and loyalty. These make him a paradox, and part of the mystery. We’re never told exactly who or what he is — or was. Grim’s an enigma: he can’t remember anything before his awakening in Hell . . . and that final revelation will no doubt eventually play out in future novels. As powerful, ruthless and deadly as he is, Grim is also very much a human character, with flaws and virtues — yes, even in Hell, the Damned can have virtues. This is part of the fun and part of the puzzle of Hell Bound and why I enjoyed it so much. Daemon Grim carried the story on his shoulders and kept me reading to the last page. What’s more, you need not be familiar with any other books in the Heroes in Hell series in order to enjoy Hell Bound . . . but it will add to enjoyment if you are.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews