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A review by mikekaz
City Infernal by Edward Lee
4.0
As the first novel by Lee that I read, I will have to say that he does just as good as all of his short stories. It's something to very much enjoy and seek out. I know that I will be seeking out some of this other books.
This one involves Cassie, a goth teenager from DC with a twin sister who committed suicide. In their escape from DC and the tragedy there, Cassie and her father unknowingly move to a house on a Deadpass, a place where the dead can pass between the real world and Hell. Cassie discovers this out at the same time that she realizes that she has unknown powers that allow her to travel to Hell. Wanting forgiveness and understanding from her sister, Cassie joins up with three souls trapped in Hell and visits the city of Hell, an city that evolved at the same speed as humans in the real world.
Now that might sound like a lot of co-incidence and maybe too much to take but it really doesn't come across quite that bad in the novel. It all flows and makes sense. But if you are afraid of being overwhelmed, then there is another reason to not read this book: it supplies horror on top of horror, enough to be quite graphic. Considering that they are visiting Hell and all of its methods of tortures, it only makes sense. The only thing that I didn't really like about this book is all the deus ex machina. There were too many incidents of a power or ability being presented just as it was needed. I understand that Lee was setting up many of the rules as to how Hell operates but it came across as too convenient. The real story though is Cassie's growth from an ignored teen through depression and then into acceptance of who she can be. And that is done brilliantly.
This one involves Cassie, a goth teenager from DC with a twin sister who committed suicide. In their escape from DC and the tragedy there, Cassie and her father unknowingly move to a house on a Deadpass, a place where the dead can pass between the real world and Hell. Cassie discovers this out at the same time that she realizes that she has unknown powers that allow her to travel to Hell. Wanting forgiveness and understanding from her sister, Cassie joins up with three souls trapped in Hell and visits the city of Hell, an city that evolved at the same speed as humans in the real world.
Now that might sound like a lot of co-incidence and maybe too much to take but it really doesn't come across quite that bad in the novel. It all flows and makes sense. But if you are afraid of being overwhelmed, then there is another reason to not read this book: it supplies horror on top of horror, enough to be quite graphic. Considering that they are visiting Hell and all of its methods of tortures, it only makes sense. The only thing that I didn't really like about this book is all the deus ex machina. There were too many incidents of a power or ability being presented just as it was needed. I understand that Lee was setting up many of the rules as to how Hell operates but it came across as too convenient. The real story though is Cassie's growth from an ignored teen through depression and then into acceptance of who she can be. And that is done brilliantly.