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cassiek1266's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
unlifeoftheparty's review against another edition
Not what I was expecting, kept falling asleep.
mike_brough's review against another edition
4.0
I've read a few books 'set in hell'over the past forty years but this one really stands out. I was disappointed by Clive Barker's recent Scarlet Gospels but, in Simon Kurt Unsworth and Thomas Fool, we may have found new fantasy-horror heroes.
The sense of nihilism poisoned by hope, the uneasy relationship between the hero, Fool, and his many masters, the slowly developing sense of self that Fool undergoes, the awe-inspiring banality of hell. All expertly handled.
As a what-dunnit, all the clues are there if you look for them. Which is easy to say in retrospect - I have to admit to not guessing the outcome - the last page is very dark and hopeless. And yet...
The quality of the writing is tip-top with a well-developed sense of pacing, character and story. All in all, a good story well told.
I've just checked Mr U's Goodreads page and it looks like I have a few more treats lined up, many with even better ratings than this one. If they really are better, I'm off to Amazon now.
The second book in the series, The Devil's Evidence, is due out next week - I'm first in the queue.
The sense of nihilism poisoned by hope, the uneasy relationship between the hero, Fool, and his many masters, the slowly developing sense of self that Fool undergoes, the awe-inspiring banality of hell. All expertly handled.
As a what-dunnit, all the clues are there if you look for them. Which is easy to say in retrospect - I have to admit to not guessing the outcome - the last page is very dark and hopeless. And yet...
The quality of the writing is tip-top with a well-developed sense of pacing, character and story. All in all, a good story well told.
I've just checked Mr U's Goodreads page and it looks like I have a few more treats lined up, many with even better ratings than this one. If they really are better, I'm off to Amazon now.
The second book in the series, The Devil's Evidence, is due out next week - I'm first in the queue.
mpr2000's review against another edition
3.0
A dark world full of demons and humans in despair where hope or happiness doesn't exist.
Fool is an "Information Man" send by the Hell's council to investigate a blue light and a murder in Hell's land. No one is interested in helping him, but he will have some curious allies he never thought. For the first time in his career he is motivated to solve one case, will it be the only one he will solve in his career? You will have to read to book to know the answer!
This is Hell, where demons eat humans, and humans are mere souls with no hope or intention to live.
I was surprised with all the details and the profundity of the characters, while you read you feel transported to a dark world where you are just a chess piece. The questions are never answered but there are always commands to follow.
Fool is a cynical detective trying to solve a murder, knowing that in any moment he could be killed. The visit of two Heaven's servants will complicate more the situation in Hell, making Fool's investigation quite difficult and dangerous.
This is a world where everything is controlled but no one is interested in following the rules. Maybe this fiction book is not so different to our reality, where the governments know everything but they just release the information they want whenever they want, knowing exactly which will be the consequences.
Are you a Fool?
Fool is an "Information Man" send by the Hell's council to investigate a blue light and a murder in Hell's land. No one is interested in helping him, but he will have some curious allies he never thought. For the first time in his career he is motivated to solve one case, will it be the only one he will solve in his career? You will have to read to book to know the answer!
This is Hell, where demons eat humans, and humans are mere souls with no hope or intention to live.
I was surprised with all the details and the profundity of the characters, while you read you feel transported to a dark world where you are just a chess piece. The questions are never answered but there are always commands to follow.
Fool is a cynical detective trying to solve a murder, knowing that in any moment he could be killed. The visit of two Heaven's servants will complicate more the situation in Hell, making Fool's investigation quite difficult and dangerous.
This is a world where everything is controlled but no one is interested in following the rules. Maybe this fiction book is not so different to our reality, where the governments know everything but they just release the information they want whenever they want, knowing exactly which will be the consequences.
Are you a Fool?
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
*Available today!*
3.5 stars
All hope abandon, ye who enter here.
I picked up this book with the initial impression that I was in for an urban fantasy piece in which Hell (and angels and demons) would play a role, but that some of the story would inevitably take place in a concrete, corrupted human city. But no. This is full on, 24/7 Hell, all the time Hell, everything Hell. There is no reprieve. And very little hope. The hope is so miniscule you need a very expensive microscope to see it.
So yeah. Hell. In as much technicolor, cinematic horrorscape that you probably can't handle. Seriously, it's brutal. Claustrophobic and suffocating. Unsworth's painstaking, meticulous world-building of this feared and unknown domain is impressive to say the least. He spares no detail and isn't shy about unleashing buckets of effluvia, viscera, despair and derangement. This isn't your paranormal fantasy version of Hell where the Demons are sexy anti-heroes brooding about looking for bodices to rip open. Noooooo. These are deformed, mutated, merciless beasts seeking out any hole of any body to violate, and throw in some torture on the side for good measure.
Unsworth creates a Hell populated by innumerable species of Demons of varying size, hierarchy, power and cruelty. In this devilish brew, forsaken humans doomed to suffer Hell's torment, must co-exist. They are Demon slaves. Mere chattel. With meaningless jobs and tasks to perform in the ever present threat of Demon violence.
Thomas Fool is one of those humans, and one of Hell's Information Men. Normally, Fool's job consists of looking the other way -- of NOT investigating Hell's crimes. But when a human corpse shows up with its soul entirely gone, Fool is pushed into an investigation he is not ready for. He must learn his Detective's trade fast before whatever is consuming human souls turns its appetites on all of Hell itself.
This is a book extremely dense with description, and understandably so because the author has cut himself out a big job to build Hell and its fiery inhabitants from scratch missing no detail, no matter how small. There is A LOT of narrative exposition to move the story and action along too. Dialogue is minimally used. And that means the book can read heavy and slow in parts. You have to be patient with it and soak up the landscape. Let it unfurl in your mind and agree to stay with it until the tale is done.
Now that the book is done, and I've laid it aside, I find flashes of it continuing to haunt me -- certain scenes appear to be burned onto my retinas. I can't unsee them. This is a dark book, but for those seeking a dark fantasy set in the darkest and most fearful place, then you might want to give this one a go.
A free copy was provided by NetGalley in exchange for this review.
Also posted to my blog.
jasonabbott's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
sphinxofblackquartz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual violence and Excrement
_wiz_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
silea's review against another edition
Such an enticing premise! How does it even make sense, investigating a murder in Hell? I had to know.
Ok, so there are humans in Hell, so that explains how one could be murdered. And um... ok, so there's demons too. Angels can come visit from Heaven, too. They're pretty.
And ugh, what a slog. Who knew Hell could be so boring? I'm generally a bit on the squeamish side, but the author even sucked the horror right out of dismembered corpses with bits falling out. Hell was dull, demons were dull, murder was dull. And no, not some sort of well-crafted psychologically tormenting dullness, just the kind of 'blah' that leaves you compiling a grocery list while reading.
Ok, so there are humans in Hell, so that explains how one could be murdered. And um... ok, so there's demons too. Angels can come visit from Heaven, too. They're pretty.
And ugh, what a slog. Who knew Hell could be so boring? I'm generally a bit on the squeamish side, but the author even sucked the horror right out of dismembered corpses with bits falling out. Hell was dull, demons were dull, murder was dull. And no, not some sort of well-crafted psychologically tormenting dullness, just the kind of 'blah' that leaves you compiling a grocery list while reading.