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jenrickey's review
4.0
It took a while to get the characters together at first but the book was great after! Funny, short & action packed.
marklpotter's review
4.0
This is not the next Great Gatsby and it doesn't pretend to be. What this book is, is precisely what I wanted it to be. It is nothing more than a fun schlocky bit of urban fantasy with interesting characters and genuinely fun plot. There's really nothing not to like here except the that it's too damn short. It's one of the best escape books I have read this year but I felt more could have been done with this being the first book in the series. Don't get me wrong though, the plot is very well defined and well written; I would have just preferred a few more pages in length to add some more background to the characters. I have no doubt that there will be more background added in the coming books but darn it, I wanted more in this one. With that said I can also say that the one thing I am whining about didn't detract from the reading experience but was something I felt after I had scarfed down every word. I look forward to the next book in this series and hope that Mr. Butler can pull this series off for a good long time!
pjonsson's review
2.0
I cannot say that I was overly surprised finding this book to be, well, not really to my liking. This was one of the books I bought and red in a moment of “What the hell, let’s try it“.
The title is perhaps okay and the blurb not too bad either but I did get some bad feelings about the weird name, Rock Band Fights Evil, of the series.
Well, one of the statements in the book blurb, “…then things start to get strange.“, was spot on at least. This book gets strange quite quickly. Unfortunately it gets messy as well.
The main protagonist is more or less a case for a small room with padded walls right off from the start and those who are about to become his new friends are crazy, crazier and bloody crazy.
Right from the start the main protagonist stumbles into a big fight between a Hellhound and this rock band who’s members are much more than they seem to be. The fight is messy and crazy to say the least and from there on it never really stops.
Everyone is talking crazy and fighting at the same time and there is never really any pause where the author gives the reader some world building or character introduction or anything. There are some but it’s all intermingled with this big fight/chase/being/chased scene that takes up more or less the entire book. In my opinion it is poorly written altogether.
I also cannot say that I really liked any of the characters. I have never really met any members of a rock band but the characters in this book pretty much behaves like I would have thought a rather stoned rock band would behave.
The book is quite short at 126 pages and, for me, this was a good think because, as you can assume from this review, I didn’t really like this book at all.
The title is perhaps okay and the blurb not too bad either but I did get some bad feelings about the weird name, Rock Band Fights Evil, of the series.
Well, one of the statements in the book blurb, “…then things start to get strange.“, was spot on at least. This book gets strange quite quickly. Unfortunately it gets messy as well.
The main protagonist is more or less a case for a small room with padded walls right off from the start and those who are about to become his new friends are crazy, crazier and bloody crazy.
Right from the start the main protagonist stumbles into a big fight between a Hellhound and this rock band who’s members are much more than they seem to be. The fight is messy and crazy to say the least and from there on it never really stops.
Everyone is talking crazy and fighting at the same time and there is never really any pause where the author gives the reader some world building or character introduction or anything. There are some but it’s all intermingled with this big fight/chase/being/chased scene that takes up more or less the entire book. In my opinion it is poorly written altogether.
I also cannot say that I really liked any of the characters. I have never really met any members of a rock band but the characters in this book pretty much behaves like I would have thought a rather stoned rock band would behave.
The book is quite short at 126 pages and, for me, this was a good think because, as you can assume from this review, I didn’t really like this book at all.
publius's review
3.0
I have been known to use hyperbole. I have also been known to love two books with equal passion even when they have absolutely nothing in common, whether one be a time-tested classic (like, say, Anna Karenina) and the second all fun (think Larry Correia).
I use no hyperbole, then, when I say that [a:D.J. Butler|5422196|D.J. Butler|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1325445380p2/5422196.jpg] hits the sweet spot with his Rock Band Fights Evil series opener [b:Hellhound on My Trail|13349450|Hellhound on My Trail (Rock Band Fights Evil, #1)|D.J. Butler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1325370749s/13349450.jpg|18569717]. It may not withstand the test of time, but I'd pick it up over [b:Ulysses|338798|Ulysses|James Joyce|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346161221s/338798.jpg|2368224] almost any a dry summer afternoon.
If there's one thing that delayed me from picking Hellhound up earlier than I did, it was the cover. But don't let the comic book-like art on the cover dissuade you. [b:Hellhound on My Trail|13349450|Hellhound on My Trail (Rock Band Fights Evil, #1)|D.J. Butler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1325370749s/13349450.jpg|18569717] has more in common with the [b:Monster Hunter International|2570856|Monster Hunter International (MHI, #1)|Larry Correia|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1266930931s/2570856.jpg|2581372] series: guns, monsters, and magic, and a rip roaring adventure more fun than a barrel of zombies...and maybe even including zombies, too, as well as demons, monsters, and any number of versions of evil and mythical creatures.
Don't be deceived, though. While Butler's Hellhound seems straightforward, it is anything but simpleminded. Rather, Butler seems bent on proving that fun can be intelligent. Whether you get that the title is riffing on Robert Johnson's blues classic or that the incarnation of the devil is a play on the Hebraic translation of Beelzebub or not, the book is a romp to enjoy.
And just because his lead character might be one beer from a DUI, it doesn't mean that the supporting cast can't be witty, intelligent, and articulate, either. This doesn't mean you should expect them to spout Shakespeare, but you can at least plan on laughs and no wasted dialogue.
One of my favorite exchanges happens between Eddie and Mike as they try to open a door. Eddie has been pulling all sorts of items out of his pockets, including duct tape.
"Man of action has to be prepared," Eddie sniffed.
"Maybe you should MacGyver open the door."
"You MacGyver open the door," Eddie chuckled. "I'm gonna MacGuyver me a little Baal Zavuv."
"I don't think MacGyver used guns."
Eddie's eye skewed sideways and then he gritted his teeth and blinked. "I don't think MacGuyver was ever on Hell's Ten Most Wanted list."
Delivered during snappy, non-stop action, the lines feel fluid and made me smile.
Then there's the narcoleptic "wizard" on the team, constantly dozing off in the midst of crucial moments of the fight. Butler writes him spouting cliches...but never to complete them. Rather than finish the cliche, the wizard breaks off half way through, once you've pegged which cliche it is, and finishes with "and so on" or "et cetera" or something like that.
"A stitch in nine, et cetera," he says. And because it becomes almost a verbal tick for the character, it adds to the color and character depth. I found it very clever.
If there's one thing that I would have liked to see more of, it's a bit more attention to detail on some of the details that seem to be lost in the rush of action. Mike, the protag, has a death wish and is on the verge of suicide, and has a pretty dark background. Which, of course, is part of the reason he makes a great addition to the band of the doomed fighting Hell. But Butler brushes past it so quick I almost missed it. Perhaps an updated and expanded draft would fill it in a bit more?
Hellhound on My Trail is short and fast, one long action scene, really. It's so fast, I almost read it in a single sitting, and would have if I didn't have work the next day. You can pick it up singly, in ebook, or in a collection with other installments in Rock Band Fights Evil in paper back. It's worth it. It's not Tolstoy, but if you like Correia, and I do, this is a fantastic read.
I use no hyperbole, then, when I say that [a:D.J. Butler|5422196|D.J. Butler|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1325445380p2/5422196.jpg] hits the sweet spot with his Rock Band Fights Evil series opener [b:Hellhound on My Trail|13349450|Hellhound on My Trail (Rock Band Fights Evil, #1)|D.J. Butler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1325370749s/13349450.jpg|18569717]. It may not withstand the test of time, but I'd pick it up over [b:Ulysses|338798|Ulysses|James Joyce|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346161221s/338798.jpg|2368224] almost any a dry summer afternoon.
If there's one thing that delayed me from picking Hellhound up earlier than I did, it was the cover. But don't let the comic book-like art on the cover dissuade you. [b:Hellhound on My Trail|13349450|Hellhound on My Trail (Rock Band Fights Evil, #1)|D.J. Butler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1325370749s/13349450.jpg|18569717] has more in common with the [b:Monster Hunter International|2570856|Monster Hunter International (MHI, #1)|Larry Correia|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1266930931s/2570856.jpg|2581372] series: guns, monsters, and magic, and a rip roaring adventure more fun than a barrel of zombies...and maybe even including zombies, too, as well as demons, monsters, and any number of versions of evil and mythical creatures.
Don't be deceived, though. While Butler's Hellhound seems straightforward, it is anything but simpleminded. Rather, Butler seems bent on proving that fun can be intelligent. Whether you get that the title is riffing on Robert Johnson's blues classic or that the incarnation of the devil is a play on the Hebraic translation of Beelzebub or not, the book is a romp to enjoy.
And just because his lead character might be one beer from a DUI, it doesn't mean that the supporting cast can't be witty, intelligent, and articulate, either. This doesn't mean you should expect them to spout Shakespeare, but you can at least plan on laughs and no wasted dialogue.
One of my favorite exchanges happens between Eddie and Mike as they try to open a door. Eddie has been pulling all sorts of items out of his pockets, including duct tape.
"Man of action has to be prepared," Eddie sniffed.
"Maybe you should MacGyver open the door."
"You MacGyver open the door," Eddie chuckled. "I'm gonna MacGuyver me a little Baal Zavuv."
"I don't think MacGyver used guns."
Eddie's eye skewed sideways and then he gritted his teeth and blinked. "I don't think MacGuyver was ever on Hell's Ten Most Wanted list."
Delivered during snappy, non-stop action, the lines feel fluid and made me smile.
Then there's the narcoleptic "wizard" on the team, constantly dozing off in the midst of crucial moments of the fight. Butler writes him spouting cliches...but never to complete them. Rather than finish the cliche, the wizard breaks off half way through, once you've pegged which cliche it is, and finishes with "and so on" or "et cetera" or something like that.
"A stitch in nine, et cetera," he says. And because it becomes almost a verbal tick for the character, it adds to the color and character depth. I found it very clever.
If there's one thing that I would have liked to see more of, it's a bit more attention to detail on some of the details that seem to be lost in the rush of action. Mike, the protag, has a death wish and is on the verge of suicide, and has a pretty dark background. Which, of course, is part of the reason he makes a great addition to the band of the doomed fighting Hell. But Butler brushes past it so quick I almost missed it. Perhaps an updated and expanded draft would fill it in a bit more?
Hellhound on My Trail is short and fast, one long action scene, really. It's so fast, I almost read it in a single sitting, and would have if I didn't have work the next day. You can pick it up singly, in ebook, or in a collection with other installments in Rock Band Fights Evil in paper back. It's worth it. It's not Tolstoy, but if you like Correia, and I do, this is a fantastic read.
zelph's review
5.0
I wasn't sure what to expect as I embarked on this journey. Dave sure throws you straight into the action and it doesn't let up until the end. One thing I didn't expect but enjoyed were the biblical references and characters which made it feel almost like a familiar story but with twists. Like other reviewers I've never read pulp fiction but I loved the intense, pop-shot (I think I just made that term up) action and pacing. I'm off to read #2 in the series.
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