Letters From Hades
4.5/5
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About this ebook
A man awakens in Hell where he is schooled in the ways of the damned. And once educated, he is released to wander Hell on his own. He journeys from one city to the next, dodging demon patrols and avenging angels hunting the damned for sport. Along the way to the city of Oblivion, he discovers a band of rebellious damned have left a tortured and beautiful demon to rot. He rescues her and sets in motion a series of events that could lead to the final battle between Heaven and Hell, angel and demon, demon and damned. Letters From Hades is a travelogue of Hell—a world not that far from the very world we live in now. It is a story of rebellion, a story of love and a story of hope and rebirth set in a beautifully dark and textured world brought to brilliant life by Jeffrey Thomas, the acclaimed author of Punktown.
Jeffrey Thomas
Jeffrey Thomas is the author of such horror and science fiction novels as THE AMERICAN, DEADSTOCK (finalist for the John W. Campbell Award), BLUE WAR, MONSTROCITY (finalist for the Bram Stoker Award), LETTERS FROM HADES, SUBJECT 11, and BONELAND. His short story collections include PUNKTOWN, GHOSTS OF PUNKTOWN, THE UNNAMED COUNTRY, HAUNTED WORLDS, UNHOLY DIMENSIONS, THIRTEEN SPECIMENS, and THE ENDLESS FALL. Stories by Thomas have been reprinted in THE YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR, THE YEAR'S BEST HORROR STORIES, and YEAR'S BEST WEIRD FICTION. Though he considers Vietnam his second home, he resides in Massachusetts.
Read more from Jeffrey Thomas
Aaaiiieee!!! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSports Shorts: Three Original Short Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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Reviews for Letters From Hades
4 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Ever since I read Larry Niven's Inferno in my early teens, I've been fascinated by books which depict Hell and Demons. Some books that stand out are Larry Niven's aforementioned book, Wayne Barlowe's God's Demon, Anne Rice's Memnoch The Devil,and Piers Anthony's On A Pale Horse.
Thus it was with some excitement that I approached Letters From Hades, and the early chapters lived up to my hopes. One enjoyable aspect of descriptions of Hell tends to be the minutiae of environmental detail - Hell tends to be both familiar and horrifically warped and is an opportunity for an author's imagination to run wild.
However, the story quickly manages to turn from the fantastical journey of the main character across the landscape of Hell, into the rather mundane surroundings of "normal" city living and employment. I found this really bogged the middle of the story down and killed off the magic; I started dwelling on the inconsistencies and plot holes of how normal life could exist in suc ha place.
The relationship between the narrator and the demon Chara develops along an interesting idea but I don't feel it is ever realised to it's potential and lacks depth and detail.
The fallout from the rebellion in Oblivion again raises many interesting ideas, but the book ends abruptly without exploring these.
I feel Jeffrey Thomas had some cool ideas, but missed so many opportunities to really develop this into a great story with lots of substance. In the end, it was a quick read that felt somewhat glossed over and lacking depth.
I would recommend Wayne Barlowe's novel for someone wanting a similar flavour story, but with more depth. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I absolutely loved this book. Let me tell you, though, I don't think it is going to make its hard-core Christian readers really happy.The first line in this book is "On my fifth day in Hell, I found a praying mantis." From that moment on I was hooked & pretty much didn't leave the book until I'd finished it.plot summary:Written in journal format, the narator of the story is a recent newcomer to Hell via suicide and because he was an agnostic. But this is not the hell you learned about in Sunday School, folks. As the book opens, our young narrator is just finishing up Avernus University, the starting point for souls newly arrived in Hell. (As a sidebar, Avernus is another name for either the entrance to the underworld or for Hell itself.)After his education, the narrator is released and must roam Hell. He is told about a city named Oblivion, and it is there that he heads. In Hell, the souls all have jobs; they have to pay rent, pay for food, and can even buy prostitutes. There are prisons, jails & cafes there too. On his journey, and during his time in Oblivion, where he rents a flat & has a steady job, he comes to the realization that good and evil aren't so far apart -- that there are compassionate demons & there are sadistic angels. Furthermore, the narrator also realizes that there really is no Satan. Demons yes, devils no. I won't say any more because it would wreck the rest of book.I thought this book was great. I'll probably read it again, since I'm sure that I missed something this time around.I highly recommend it to anyone who likes dark fantasy.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a man's journal about his exploits in Hell. It displays many great ideas and has a good story line. Some of the reasons the characters have been sent to Hell seem extremely petty. It makes you hope God isn't as strict as he is made out to be in this book, or else we are all going there. By the way this book is extremely rare I had a real job finding it anywhere for a decent price