Hellhole

Overall, I thought this first novel in a series was a very good read. The characters were sufficiently established to carry the story arc--unlike some readers, I don't need a full back-story for each character. Their motivations and eventual actions were synchronous for the most part. I also found it refreshing the BH & KJA were able to establish the environment without long passages describing every blade of grass, tree species, and building adornments (some of their Dune novels tended towards this). The ending was a pleasant surprise in that although a future escalation in the ongoing struggle was certain, the roles of future pro- and antagonists was not telegraphed. All the major players seem to have a hidden agenda--which seems show more appropriate for this genre of fiction.

All that said, I did have a few difficulties with the flow:

Having read these authors contributions to the Duneverse, and being familiar with the genre, it's reasonable to expect a certain "similarity" in general atmospheres between various novels. However, the strong resemblance between the "Crown Jewels" and the "Imperium", political structures, and preferred modes of travel was somewhat jarring. If this is the authors' combined literary voice ... then I accept it as such and will filter my reading with that knowledge. Alternately, if this is some leftover "echo" from their most recent works, I hope they are able to lessen their effect.

Also, while the read is quite fast paced, I found that 101 chapters in the space of 500 pages was a bit much. This division into micro chapters sometimes split the action into sections that took far too long to be fully realized. I hope that they are able to modify the structure of future novels in this series.

In the end, I very much want to experience the rest of the journey that the characters are on.

One final note: On the page facing the cover page, the entry for [b:God Emperor of Dune|42432|God Emperor of Dune (Dune Chronicles, #4)|Frank Herbert|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327131560s/42432.jpg|3634588] is missing in the list of Dune novels by Frank Herbert. show less

Judged on its own performance, Hellhole is a fun space opera; hardly artful or incisive, but would likely make a good mini-series. Yet comparisons with Frank Herbert’s seminal masterpiece are inevitable, particularly when both books concern planetary politics, alien races, strange religious beliefs, and mad dictators intent on galaxy domination. Dune was almost biblical in its construction, an expansive, encompassing, engrossing piece of world-building that meticulously crafted theological underpinnings to guide its fantastic universe. Hellhole is a blunt instrument, a sledgehammer retelling of the settlement of America, except this time, the settlers make peace with the indigenous peoples rather than slaughtering them wholesale. Dune show more was fresh; Hellhole is recycled.

Read the rest of the review here. show less

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson both appear to be vested in a future where feudal, monarchical governments reign supreme. This has always bugged me about their novels, why would government devolve to a more primitive form in a future scenario? Anyway, that annoyance aside, Hellhole is the first of a trilogy, meaning much of the book is introducing and developing characters, and not so much climactic action.

General Adophus, leader of a rebellion against the Constellation of Planets, backs down and surrenders, thinking many innocents are being held hostage. The ruse works, the rebellion is over, but the popular general is spared execution and instead is sent to the planet Hololhm, aka Hellhole. In recent planetary history, a meteor show more strike wiped out the indigenous race, and left the planet a harsh environment. Still, there is no shortage of immigrants seeking to start a new life. The general pays close attention to the terms of his exile, but seeks to exploit loopholes whenever it suits him.

Constellation leader, the Diadem Marshella, is a bitter old woman who has been in power more than 40 years. She lives to make life miserable for her daughter, aids, and other nobles. She is convinced she probably should have had Adolphus executed when she had the chance.

The Constellation is politically divided between the "crown jewels" and the deep zone colonies. DZ planets offer a lot of resources, but like the Americas during colonial times, there is much resentment towards the central government. When Adolphus creates a new transportation network bypassing the "crown jewels", it is akin to a Declaration of Independence. Predictably, the Diadem responds by declaring war.

However, this time Adolphus has a new, unpredictable ally. The Zion race, thought to be extinct after the meteor strike that obliterated Holholm, managed to survive and are now symbiotically merging with humans. And they possess telekinetic power. They will be the wild card in the upcoming struggle....to be continued March, 2013. show less

A relatively well written book with a few unique ideas. Unfortunately about 100 pages from the end I began to become suspicious that the book would not wrap up the story line, despite having no indication on the cover that it is part of a series.

Sure enough the book is nothing more than a 550 page prequel. Whilst I have no issue with trilogies or series I think it is at best deliberately misleading not to indicate this on the cover. As it is, the story is half finished and the climax left for a second or third book. This bit of trickery from the publishers cost the book 1.5 stars and any chance I will read on in the series.

"Hellhole" fits the label epic to a T--with a cast of thousands, multiple storylines, etc. At its heart, it's the story of a General outcast after losing a battle for freedom against a ruthless dictator. Settled with his supporters on a barren planet considered almost uninhabitable, he's managed to make a life there and even some allies. Now he's on the verge of unleashing his great plan: "Destination Day," a new declaration of freedom. As the General, Tiber Adolphus, and his underlings make final preparations, a new set of outcasts arrive to call Halholme, aka Hellhole, their home. When two of them make a startling discovery, events unfold which could change everything.My biggest criticisms with this book are: 1) it unfolds slowly. It show more took a while to hook me because of the sheer number of characters and storylines which the authors must introduce. The plot really didn't start rolling until midway because of it. 2) Keeping track of the characters was a real headache early on. I wish they'd unfolded them a little less rapidly to allow me time to own them. It would have avoided requiring me to flip back and forth to remind myself who they are at times.However, once the concepts and characters have been introduced, the story gets rolling and it hooks you. There are well drawn characters you will care about with a mission you root for. There's some real inventiveness at work here, with ideas about the aliens and how they preserve their society and about interplanetary travel which I hadn't seen before. Some of the ideas are quite complex but are explained well and simply and easy to grasp. The last half moved at a much quicker pace, and I found I couldn't put it down as I raced to the end. Ironically, I still have to wait as this is only book 1 in a series and the great battle the book sets up won't really start until the next book.I think Herbert and Anderson have left themselves a lot of options. The battle itself could stretch out multiple books and beyond that, they've created a universe with plenty of story possibilities. I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot more books coming out in this setting.An enjoyable read with some interesting ideas and good worldbuilding and characterization. If you like space opera, especially big epic stories, this will no doubt satisfy. show less

This was a fascinating read to me, and I've noted many reviews by people who thought this book was just average at best. Herbert and Anderson's writing style just really resonates with me, and I found this book easy to read, intriguing, and great escapism from the daily grind. I'm looking forward to the two sequels coming up to find out how the battle for the Deep Zone planets turns out. The Duchenet v. Adolphus saga to be continued......

Hellhole (Hellhole #1) DNF @41%


This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer. Title: Hellhole Series: Hellhole Author: Kevin Anderson, Brian Herbert Rating: 2 of 5 Stars Genre: SFF Pages: DNF
My Thoughts: Started out ok, a typical SF Epic'y type story. But as I read on, it became obvious as the sun that this was nothing more than a copy and klug'ing of Anderson's Saga of the Seven Suns series and Herbert's Dune prequels. I am in the middle of the Seven show more Suns series right now and not enjoying it, as it is drawn out and boring. This had some life [thanks to Herbert] but the blatant rewriting of their same old ideas didn't do it for me. If I had read this trilogy before starting the Seven Suns, I might have let the Dune'esque copycatness stuff go and enjoyed this. But once again, Anderson screws me over. Ballz to that. So I just stopped. Not worth the aggravation AND repetitiveness..." show less