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Hellhole (Hellhole #1)

3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 · rating details · 651 ratings · 140 reviews

Only the most desperate colonists dare to make a new home on Hellhole. Reeling from a recent asteroid impact, tortured with horrific storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and churning volcanic eruptions, the planet is a dumping ground for undesirables, misfits, and charlatans…but also a haven for dreamers and independent pioneers.

Against all odds, an exiled general n...more

Paperback, 534 pages

Published by Simon & Schuster (first published January 1st 2011)

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Jul 09, 2012 John Keiser rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked this up on the strength of Brian Herbert's Dune prequels--they were smart, interesting and well-paced. Sadly, while this novel had a great setup and some potentially interesting characters, it ultimately disappointed with blunt, unsubtle plotting, cliches and black-and-white thinking.

The bad guys are too obviously wrong, and completely lack self-awareness, competence or any semblance of basic morality. The emerging good guys are the opposite--they are supposedly highly advanced and have...more

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Oct 28, 2011 Betted rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Last spring I visited a private beach in Georgia. I walked the shoreline, then waded in expecting to get out far enough to swim in the ocean. Unfortunately, when knee deep in the water, before it was deep enough to swim, my feet slid into a trench of silt and muck that sucked me down knee deep into sedimental ooze and I became trapped as though in quicksand.

Apparently, I didn't drown.

But, I very nearly decided not to go swimming that day.

Hellhole is rather like that day at the beach. Before you...more

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May 30, 2011 Stephanie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

This review originally appeared at www.readinasinglesitting.com

Frontier planet Hallholme has earned the moniker Hellhole due to its immensely inhospitable environment: static storms, myriad endemic illnesses, and poor agricultural prospects are just a few of the issues that its down-and-out inhabitants have to deal with. But Hellhole is, after all, a no man’s land that at its best is a dumping ground for the Empire’s unwanted, including General Tiber Adolphus, whose attempt at revolt against the...more This review originally appeared at www.readinasinglesitting.com

Frontier planet Hallholme has earned the moniker Hellhole due to its immensely inhospitable environment: static storms, myriad endemic illnesses, and poor agricultural prospects are just a few of the issues that its down-and-out inhabitants have to deal with. But Hellhole is, after all, a no man’s land that at its best is a dumping ground for the Empire’s unwanted, including General Tiber Adolphus, whose attempt at revolt against the Empire has seen him sent into lifelong exile. But Adolphus refuses to be put down: he has spent years slowly working to unite the numerous nearby independent planets in order to secede from the Empire once and for all. But the Empire, led by the ferocious Diadem Michella, has little intention of letting this happen.

My thoughts

I’ll come clean and admit right away that I’ve yet to read Dune, Frank Herbert’s space opera classic to which Hellhole apparently makes more than a passing nod, so you’ll have to excuse my ignorance here. Still, it doesn’t take more than a page or two of Hellhole to realise that Herbert isn’t the only influence here: this book departs from modern day progressive SF to wallow shamelessly in the golden space opera stuff of the mid twentieth century, and one can almost picture Asimov and his kind leaping up and down and exclaiming, “me too, me too!” Unfortunately, Hellhole suffers from many of the issues that plague its ancestors, and lacks the endearing factor that made those earlier books readable despite their shortcomings.

Perhaps the biggest fault of this novel is that it’s so determinedly epic. Everything about it has a tone of vastness, of hugeness, of verbosity. The cast of characters is George RR Martin-esque, and the setting essentially British colonialism but with bonus space travel. However, while the novel’s breadth may be impressive to some–there’s a clear notion of a huge narrative sandbox in which to play–this breadth results in a significant lack of depth. We’re given a number of hastily sketched worlds with which we must become accustomed, and all of them in the midst of political tumult. In addition, we’re made to contend with the various sources of alienation and disenchantment touched upon throughout the novel: these range from civil war to invasion to alien forces to usurpation. While each of these is an admirable and intriguing theme in its own right, there’s so much going on here that the reader is given little more than a cursory description of what’s going on.

Another issue, to me at least, is the political machinations that are the focus of this book. We’re given a political system that’s straight out of feudal times, with noble families and Lairds and Ladies galore, and one that’s crumbling under its own decadence. While I know that space opera is typically old-fashioned and conservative in nature, I always find the notion of aristocratic society reclaiming dominance over meritocratic systems rather tough to believe. And particularly when the politicians in this book seem to be more focused on sex scandals than anything else.

On that topic, I can’t help but note that I found the depiction of relationships, marriages, and power balances rather an issue in this novel. We’ve reverted to times where individuals (namely women) are married off into politically notable families, and the whole thing smacks of a destructive John Howard-esque nostalgia for white picket fences and apron-clad homemakers. In addition, the way in which women are depicted in this novel is an issue, too. While we’re given a female figurehead in Michella, she’s depicted as a power-hungry ingenue (indeed I imagine her as evil Mom from Futurama–incidentally, while we’re at it, I also envisage the unpleasantly named Adolphus as Adama from Battlestar Galactica), and any other notionally “powerful” women are in such a position due to the fact that they’ve clawed their way back from the brink after suffering at the hands of men. One woman, Michella’s daughter, is on the run after her extramarital affair with a nobleman is discovered; Tiber’s lover Sophie is recovering from the slights of her ex-husband; and young Antonia is on the run from a misogynist who, incidentally returns to rape her. The fact that each of the key female character has been cowed for sexual reasons while their male equivalents are on the run due to political or occupational reasons is something that is hard to ignore.

In addition to all of this messiness, we’re suddenly forced to contend with a subplot about a group of aliens ostensibly seeking their own version of the rapture. It’s a plot device that involves X-Files-esque slimy black pools and Bodysnatchers-like possessions, and it’s one that seems to randomly fall from space and land in chapter 50 (or whichever chapter it is–I don’t have the book handy), leading to a bit of bemusement on the behalf of the reader. While I’d let this sort of narrative zaniness go in an episode of Stargate or even an old issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, this sort of stuff doesn’t really have much of a place outside of serialised fiction. (And while we’re on the theme of serialised fiction, I should point out that Hellhole ends, after 500 or so pages, on a cliffhanger.)

While the various bits and pieces of this plot are interesting enough in their own right, it’s hard work for the hapless reader, and the poor characterisation that’s one of the major shortcomings of this novel doesn’t help matters. Characters are drawn with wide, scant brushstrokes, and we’re never really given enough time with each character to truly get inside their heads. It’s a shame, as the worldbuilding is there, and with a more thorough approach to characterisation, this book could have been a good deal stronger.

While ardent lovers of golden age sci fi may revel in the back-to-basics feel of Hellhole, I can’t help but feel that it’s time these old-school authors took a page or two out of the literary oeuvre of some of today’s up-and-coming authors. Great sci fi can be world-changing stuff, but this, I’m afraid, isn’t.(less)

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Apr 09, 2011 Ampoliros rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an audacious and arrogant attempt to write

AN ALL NEW EPIC!

To do this the authors pull from many of the pivotal science fiction and science fantasy universes in an effort to create a grand new adventure.

By pull from I mean rob at gunpoint, by effort I mean copy and paste, and by adventure I mean sodomized by highwaymen who just robbed you and stole your own work with the kind of plagiarism that only the cleverest of college freshmen try to pull.

Lets see. Star Wars? Check. X-files? Check....more

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Mar 14, 2011 Greg rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Plot holes are like pot holes some time you go over them and sometimes they swallow you whole. To me they were big ones.

The first is the planet hellhole itself. While it is meant as a penal colony and as harsh place to live. The progression from that to the transport hub and not to bad a place to live within ten years on a population of 100,000 and ten years. Certainly there explanations and descriptions to flesh out and explain this miracle but it was all just too good to be true.

The second wa...more

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May 08, 2013 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I sort of fallen behind on my "reviewing" of late.

Not that anyone has been exactly shattered by that.

This is a pretty good book. I think the synopsis is a bit misleading. It says that it's a book about survival on a tremendously inhospitable planet where the General and his most loyal followers are exiled. That there they uncover a "cache of alien artifacts".

The story opens with the set up and the exile and then jumps forward 10 years into the future and what they uncover isn't exactly a cache...more

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Sep 06, 2012 C-Cose Daley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 towa...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Nick Cato rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After a five-year struggle against the corrupt governemnt of the Constellation, General Tiber Maximilian Adolphus fails to win a crucial battle for the key planet of Sonjeera. But instead of execution, Diadem Michella Duchenet decides to exile him to a bleak planet located in the Deep Zone, a (mostly) unexplored space region comprised of fifty-four planets. Adolphus accepts her decision, despite the Diadem labeling the planet "Hallholme" after the man responsible for defeating him.

Flash forward...more After a five-year struggle against the corrupt governemnt of the Constellation, General Tiber Maximilian Adolphus fails to win a crucial battle for the key planet of Sonjeera. But instead of execution, Diadem Michella Duchenet decides to exile him to a bleak planet located in the Deep Zone, a (mostly) unexplored space region comprised of fifty-four planets. Adolphus accepts her decision, despite the Diadem labeling the planet "Hallholme" after the man responsible for defeating him.

Flash forward ten years.

General Adolphus has managed to survive Hallholmes' brutal and unpredictable weather patterns and scarce resources. Other criminals, outcasts, and defectors to the Constellation are welcome at Hallholme, and most of them pledge their allegiance to Adolphus.

While the planet is known as "Hellhole" throughout the Dead Zone and the Crown Jewel Worlds, the strong manage to survive--and Adolphus begins to plan a way to fight back against the Diadem and General Hallholme, a man who used a barbaric tactic to win the Battle of Sonjeera. He also manages to get most of the planets in the Deep Zone to back his cause.

This first of Herbert & Anderson's planned three-part epic moves forward quickly: two men hired by Adolphus to explore Hallholme discover an ancient alien race. The Xayans--natives to Hallholme until an asteroid strike ruined their planet 500 years ago--have survived in mercury-like pools, waiting centuries for someone to find them. When Vincent's friend Fernando falls into a pool, he's "possessed" by one of the aliens. Fernando (and Zairic, his Xayan host) now share Fernando's body, and with Adolphus' permission, persuade other humans to help resurrect the Xayan race. With super-human powers (including telemancy), the Xayans become allies with the Adolphus in his quest...and the stage is set to battle the Constellation's massive army in the next installment.

HELLHOLE is chock-full of interesting characters, is packed with political and intergalactic intrigue, features bizarre religious cults, and has a couple of unusual romances behind the action. There's also four surviving native Xayans who get discovered; with their humanoid/catepillar-like bodies and artistic, philosophic ways, there's a lot of promise with them for the next two novels.

While some readers found this tedious and typical, I was sucked right in, and trekked through its 500+ pages in no time (I'm assuming HELLHOLE's negative reviews came from anal-retentive fans of "epic" scifi...something I only partake in on occassion).

Here's hoping the authors take this fine introduction and make the series explode...(less)

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Feb 26, 2012 Kara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There are a lot of plots with this book. The book is more battle and science fiction than I ever read-think Star Wars, and I loved it. There is a sweet, grandma faced dictator who wipes out entire races of people without breaking a sweat. Noblemen who are jockeying for the dictator's position after she leaves and all the drama they bring with them. A general who is everything that is good that is defeated within the first 5 pages of the book by said grandma dictator and sentenced to Hellhole whe...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Gertie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: space-aliens

I was really enjoying this book quite a lot. Other planets, aliens, mysterious alien artifacts, telemancy, good guys and bad guys, and multiple interesting sorylines weaved together in ways that made you want to see how things would play out. I would have liked to read about more hellishness on Hellhole (they skip through most of the colonization) but it was still pretty fascinating.

The only problem was that it ends on a cliffhanger. A "screw you, it's too late now!" ending that leaves you feeli...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Matt rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: do-not-own, 2012, audiobook-library-loan, science-fiction, craptastic

Dear Brian Herbert,

I am writing to inform you that your writing sucks. As in the real world, characters should not be written as purely evil or saccharin-sweetly scrupulous. In the real world, we have shades of grey. Not only are characters written this way more true to life, but they are a hell of a lot more entertaining to read about. The characters in the book were so far from three-dimensional that I want to call them one-dimensional, although thinking about that makes my head hurt. Instead,...more Dear Brian Herbert,

I am writing to inform you that your writing sucks. As in the real world, characters should not be written as purely evil or saccharin-sweetly scrupulous. In the real world, we have shades of grey. Not only are characters written this way more true to life, but they are a hell of a lot more entertaining to read about. The characters in the book were so far from three-dimensional that I want to call them one-dimensional, although thinking about that makes my head hurt. Instead, I will say that the humans were not at all believable as humans and (believe it or not) the aliens were not believable as aliens. I know this sounds strange since authors usually get a free pass on their aliens since they come right out of their imagination, but these Zions really left me wanting more. What more, you might ask? How about some actual believable dialog and behavior? I expect such things from brand new authors or high school students, but certainly not established authors.

The only thing even closely resembling a redeeming quality of this book was the plot itself (of course overlooking the extremely poor writing). Simply put, the story wasn't bad. I spent the whole time reading it imagining how much better I could have done given the same basic story, which did take away from it a bit. The ending (which is always an issue with books in a series) and extremely unfulfilling and made me sorry I stuck around that long.

Since this is a sci-fi novel, I will give you a free pass on many of the inaccuracies within. I cannot, however, let this one go without comment: there is no mention of the theory of relativity's time dilation (which is proven science fact) when the "FTL" ships are moving faster than light. I realize it may have thrown a wrench into your otherwise superb novel (ahem) but a true fan of this genre would have included it.

All in all, I found this book very hard to read and almost put it down numerous times. I really regretted reading it and will not be reading the next.

Sincerely,

Dissatisfied Reader(less)

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Sep 13, 2012 Geoffrey Stokker rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was difficult to read because it was just so boring to read. There are no direct confrontations, except in the prologue and even in that the confrontation isn't that flash. None of the antagonists face each other directly and while I can understand that this is the first novel in a trilogy there is nothing compelling enough to pull readers through to the second or third novel.

There are several problems with the novel, which I'll go through below...

The planet was a hellhole? Really? It...more This book was difficult to read because it was just so boring to read. There are no direct confrontations, except in the prologue and even in that the confrontation isn't that flash. None of the antagonists face each other directly and while I can understand that this is the first novel in a trilogy there is nothing compelling enough to pull readers through to the second or third novel.

There are several problems with the novel, which I'll go through below...

The planet was a hellhole? Really? It just didn't come across that way in the text. A couple of "killer" storms blew through doing absolutely no damage and even when they were inbound, there wasn't any sense of danger to the main characters or to anyone. The planet's ecosystem is supposed to be resilient and resist foreign plants, etc. but there is no follow through on this. No one ever mentions how hungry they are or wonders where their next meal is going to come from. General Adolphus (a horrible name for a protagonist) and his merry men may as well have been exiled to Planet Bland.

Characters were weakly drawn clones of each other. One character, Antonia Anqui arrives on the planet fleeing from an abusive relationship using an alias and her new "boyfriend's" mother doesn't question her past or where she is from. In fact, the galaxy's worst criminals are supposed to be sent to the planet as punishment but none of the characters on the planet come across as being a hardened criminal and no one is worried about their safety or concerned about the nature of their neighbours. "There are just so many gosh-darn good people here". Again, Planet Bland.

I honestly couldn't have cared less about any of the characters and if the Diadem (head baddy) were to have thrown any of them into a blender I wouldn't have been worried, there was another clone on the next page.

The writing was horrible and felt amateurish with many things told and not shown and didn't engage me at all. I carried on reading just because I wanted to finish the novel and not because I cared about what was going to happen.

Then there are the plotholes. One guy dies after he falls into the Slickwaer Lake and yet no one else who jumped in suffered the same fate, they were all allowed to get out and are levitated out by the powerful aliens in the soup. As to the Slickwater... where is Agent Mulder when you need him? Again, with a planet filled with murderers and rapists (other than just the rebels exiled to Planet Bland) one would think the general populace would be a little more concerned with their safety and yet NO ONE is paranoid that the aliens might be lying to them about the motives. Really fast travel between planets requires stringliner terminals in the planet orbits. Adolphus has someone connect a new stringline to another planet toward the end of the novel to Hellhole (these stringlines are only allowed to come from Coruscant, I mean Sonjeera) and the opposition (the baddies) deliver a shipment of military ships to the planet after the terminal has been installed and the military commander doesn't wonder "Gee, I wonder where that other terminal comes from?"

Loved ones die and people get raped (not that you're made to care for anyone) but the only follow through is "oh well, shit happens" and they move on. The rape victim throws herself into the slickwater, gets possessed and comes out five minutes after the rape just fine.

A person is murdered and there's whole speech about how Adolphus must be better than the corrupt Diadem and that there needs to be a proper investigation... an investigation which lasted a whole 50 words more with the perpetrator not being worried at all that the ruling might not go his way. Hell, I suppose he is on Hellhole, where else can they send him?

None of the characters act like real people and can forgive some things in a blink. Oh I think you manipulated my dad into killing himself and ruining my family but hey you threw yourself into the slickwater so you must feel really bad about it. Let me come back and read all of your love letters and forgive you. Completely unrealistic.

I used to really enjoy Kevin J Anderson but it seems as though his writing has only gone one way. I won't be back. Hellhole, Hellhole 2 and Hellhole 3 can go to hell.(less)

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Jun 19, 2011 Rob rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: random-comments-review

...Perhaps it was a bit too much to hope for a fresh start from these two writers but I certainly hadn't expected them to come up with something that's so derivative. That being said, it is not actually a boring read. Herbert and Anderson sacrifice a lot of character development and world building to flit from planet to planet and character to character in order to keep up the relentless pace of the story. We're shown the bare outlines of what is going on, usually with enough history of the char...more

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Mar 02, 2011 Bryan Schmidt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"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 fin...more "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 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.(less)

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Dec 21, 2011 Julie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Brain Herbert should have left the writing to his dad.

That may seem harsh, but this book is only a pale shadow of the original Dune novel. Although I found the idea of an aristocratic society ruling entire planets in an "enlightened" future hard to believe, Frank Herbert made up for it with his eloquent writing and imaginative characters. This book reminds me of a plaigarized amalgamation of Dune and other space operas I have read, and maybe a few Star Trek episodes. The authors REPEAT themselve...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Mark rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hellhole
By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Publisher: Tor
Published In: New York, NY
Date: 2011
Pgs: 532

Summary:
Hellhole, the last stop for those trying to make a new start. A shattered world subjected to an asteroid impact in the recent geologic past. The end of the line in the Deep Zone, the recently colonized part of The Constellation. Here the rebel General Adolphus is exiled. Expected to fail and die on the hellish planet, the General makes a go of it. Abiding by his terms of surrender…unti...more

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Nov 05, 2010 Liviu rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011_release_read, review_fbc, genre-sf, read_2010, series_reading, t2_recommended_2011

The blurb above is somewhat misleading since the novel is classic space opera in the style of KJA' Seven Suns and follows the absolute same narrative structure with various pov's (good, bad, unclear which, but mostly good/bad) in various threads, in various locations throughout the settled universe - here there are 20 core-worlds exploiting 54 colony worlds of which the so called Hellhole is just one though it is quickly clear it will be the most important - threads that intertwine, separate......more

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Nov 20, 2011 Rick Hautala rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, I checked out a handful of reviews, and yeah, some of them say the characters are two-dimensional, the dialog is clunky, and there's a lot of exposition that's repetitive, but I enjoyed the hell out of this book. It's got big ideas and big adventure and tons of action and adventure. Very creative! It is a thoroughly modern Golden Age space opera, and it is the first book I've read in decades that brought back that "sense of wonder" I experienced when I first read Science Fiction when I was...more

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Oct 04, 2012 David Keith rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

For a 500 page novel this was a breezy easy quick read. Nice short chapters keep one turning the pages. It's a space opera but the science in this science fiction is so soft it's so much closer to a fantasy novel. And I don't mean just the future tech. It's a high epic fantasy novel in every way. The evil Empress, nobles and Barons, magic bread crumbs that trail high speed travel between planets, etc. The thing I had trouble with was that it's written from a distance. The authors don't get insid...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Anna rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I bought this book from the Salvos for 50 cents, if I've paid more I wouldn't be happy. Firstly, be aware that this is the first in the trilogy, and ends at a cliffhanger. Nowhere in the book or the cover it says this is the first in the series. Anyway, this is what I think:

The plot is good. It has everything a good space opera should have - good guys, bad guys, grand scale conflict, a bit of mystery. But to me it reads like first draft, something sketched, unfinished. Characters, worlds lack de...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Michel Clasquin-Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Herbert and Anderson are generally among my least favourite authors, because of all the interminable and generally meaningless prequels and interquels they've seen fit to add to Frank Herbert's majestic Dune series. So it is refreshing to see that when they step away from the cash cow and do something for themselves, they do it well. This is not ground-breaking science-fiction that will open new conceptual vistas. It is space opera. But it is GOOD space opera. Think David Weber, John Ringo and s...more

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Apr 17, 2011 Corey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 under...more

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Apr 18, 2011 William Armstrong rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I just finished reading this book, and I have to say wow. I was immediately hooked after the preface, where we immediately jump into the back story of a brilliantly written General on the day of biggest defeat. From there, we jump into a well thought out plot that has surprises that are that very rare thing, a surprise. I usually find myself knowing the outcome of a book about midway through, yet with this novel, I found myself pleasantly, and unpleasantly, surprised by the events of each charac...more

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Apr 10, 2011 Mark rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: won, sci-fi, 2011, dnf

Well I got half way through this book and decided to quit it. I skimmed through as well and it looks like I'm not missing much. I'm disappointed in this one a lot because I've read these guys Dune Trilogy and like it, in fact I want to read it again some day too. This book however just doesn't go anywhere at all and there's no action or hardly anything I'd consider Sci-fi too! I think the only action in the first 100 pages is an electrical storm. I understand it's book 1 of 3 but hell there's a...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Martin Hill rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I "read" the audio book version of Hell Hole and found it virtual page turner. I enjoyed this book so much, I didn't mind getting stuck in traffic. This sci-fi thriller spans about five years as a group of defeated pro-democracy rebels, banished to a planet they call Hell Hole, plot their independence from the oligarchic "Constellation" and its hated rule, the Diadem. The characters are well rounded and sympathetic. This is the first of a series, and I was disappointed with the cliff-hanger endi...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a typical Kevin Anderson book - short, snappy chapters, multitude of characters, fast paced action and a satisfying story. My only complaint is that the story is somewhat formulaic and that it is predictable. I think I am spoiled by the utter superbness of the Saga of the Seven Suns series and I have yet to read any up to that level since.

If you are a KJA fan you will love this book, but if you thinking of reading him for the first time, read the Seven Suns saga.

Despite all this I am loo...more

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Jun 02, 2011 Ems (Ems Reviews Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction

When I first started seeing hype about this book, I knew I had to read it. Kevin J. Anderson is one of my favorite authors EVER, and I'll read anything he's written. And Brian Herbert, well, you may have heard of his dad...Frank Herbert...of Dune fame. Plus he went on to write several more books in the Dune series. So yeah. This was a big deal.

I started reading the second I got the book from the library (They took forever to order it. LAME!). At first, I had a hard time following the action beca...more

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Dec 28, 2011 Spinningjenny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very good sci-fi adventure. I was intrigued by the different planets and the politics were interesting without being overly convoluted just for the sake of surprise twists. The characters were distinct and interesting. Sure, they could have been developed a bit more, but I think with the huge scope of this story it's just fine. There re issues of course with this book, but i found it to be good action-movie style entertainment. I'll definitely read the next books and I can't wait to see what hap...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Jeff LaSala rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can’t help but regard Hellhole as a gateway novel to contemporary space opera. It’s the sort of fantastical science fiction that immerses you not merely into a scattering of new ideas, but into an entirely new setting. Like a lot of works in this subgenre, it's got a large cast of characters, it cuts frequently back and forth between many realms and events, and centers more on the story itself than the scientific explanations behind the technology. I found the narrative eased me into every fac...more I can’t help but regard Hellhole as a gateway novel to contemporary space opera. It’s the sort of fantastical science fiction that immerses you not merely into a scattering of new ideas, but into an entirely new setting. Like a lot of works in this subgenre, it's got a large cast of characters, it cuts frequently back and forth between many realms and events, and centers more on the story itself than the scientific explanations behind the technology. I found the narrative eased me into every facet of what, in other hands, might have been a grandiose, too-densely-packed universe. But the setting of Hellhole, while certainly vast, isn’t a Pandora’s Box of unnecessary names and histories. Every scene set the stage or advanced the plot in some way. All in all, Hellhole is concise for its size.

The essential set-up: It's the distant future and the whole of humanity has fallen under the control of an interstellar government known as the Constellation. At the center of this political web is the Diadem (that's a title), Michella Duchenet, a vindictive, scheming old woman who refuses to relinquish her power to anyone and sucks dry the resources and wealth of every planet under her regime—which is to say, hundreds of planets.

The ruling echelon of Constellation society is formed of a number of noble families—a curiously antiquated system of government for a sci-fi future, but then this is space opera. I just rolled with it and found it enjoyable. Instead of mere land holdings, the most powerful families govern whole planets and profit from their resources. They live in opulent estates on Crown Jewel planets and have seats on the ruling Council, each awaiting their family's turn on the Star Throne.

But what you’ve ultimately got is a feudalistic oligarchy worth hating, and it’s from the unrest fostered by the ruling nobles—they are the 1%!—that the heroes originate: outcasts, frontiersmen, and even disgruntled lesser nobles. These live and toil in the Deep Zone, a far-flung network of fifty-four planets that, despite their great distance, are yet forced to pay excessive tribute to the Constellation.

The book’s chief protagonist is Tiber Maximilian Adolphus, a general who almost overthrew the Diadem's regime in a great rebellion but failed in a moment of moral crisis—unwilling to fire upon enemy ships filled with innocent civilians used as human shields by the Constellation. Defeated, he is exiled to the hostile and untamed planet of Hallholme (which is nicknamed Hellhole by its occupants) and kept under observation. Meanwhile, Constellation propaganda has painted him as a monster, not the peasant hero he really is.

So what drives the conflict? you might wonder. Adolphus isn’t one to give up, or to let the Constellation continue to steal, bleed, and murder its less fortunate people or all the worlds in its grasp that would thrive if only they were independent. Hellhole, his prison, is a dangerous planet, but it attracts the downtrodden and the desperate. Where better to recruit rebels for another shot at breaking the Diadem’s grip on humanity? But General Adolphus doesn’t want revenge or another tragic war. He’s got another plan in mind and it’s epic, risky, and fragile...and that’s not accounting for the strangeness of the alien species of Hellhole that everyone believed to be extinct.

If I say anything more, I’ll be straying into true spoiler territory. My recommendation? Read the book and find out. To anyone reading this review in advance of the novel: it does help one’s expectations going into it knowing that Hellhole is merely the first in a trilogy.

I will say that I’m not normally a reader of space opera, but this book hooked me, and now I’m certainly invested in what comes next. I also enjoyed the technologies introduced. In particular, the iperion (a rare and powerful mineral) and the “quantum breadcrumbs” they can form in space that allows a certain type of ship to travel distances that would otherwise take months or years to cross. It’s this very (expensive) tech that allows the Constellation to control so many far-flung planets. Now, I do hope that the next book in the trilogy explores the science of telemancy a little bit more—at the moment, it feels too much like magic.(less)

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May 07, 2012 Timo rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great premise, interesting ideas, good characters... oh wait... too many characters... too many conflicting personalities to get any sort of indepth feel for anyone of the characters (this is especially clear when the characters are killed off any you can't bring yourself to feel bad for them). Simply put, Hellhole has every reason to be a great novel... but it isn't. The story is engaging in the first few chapters, though as more characters are added, it slows down... significantly. Major plot...more Great premise, interesting ideas, good characters... oh wait... too many characters... too many conflicting personalities to get any sort of indepth feel for anyone of the characters (this is especially clear when the characters are killed off any you can't bring yourself to feel bad for them). Simply put, Hellhole has every reason to be a great novel... but it isn't. The story is engaging in the first few chapters, though as more characters are added, it slows down... significantly. Major plot points are skimmed over and the entire pacing of the book leaves much to be desired.

On top of this all, it is entirely too predictable.

Of course since the planet Hallholme had aliens before the asteriod impact they are going to be integral to the plot (without the aliens, it would have been a much better book). Of course the protagonist is going to be so pure he can't do anything even slightly malignant. Of course the rebels are going to win against the much more powerful empire (Star Wars anyone?).

The premise, a multi-world empire spanning the known universe, all of which is connected by the streamline network (think railways between stars, allowing faster than light travel). Interesting, yes, good background for a space epic, potentially yes. Execution of said epic? Well... its lacking, to say the least. There was a point about halfway through the book that I wanted to put it down. It lacks literary merit in terms of language, the plot is contrived, it can be very tedious at times and, it is often crude. I'm not against people having sex in novels, when it serves a purpose, but mentioning it every other chapter is a little overboard. Plus the rape scene in the third act was not surprising at all, which it clearly was intended to be. The sex is not explicit, but it is mentioned very frequently, and more as a filler than for plot purposes.

On a side note, it is clear that this was written by Frank Herbert's son. Much of the setting is similar to Dune. The names are similar to Dune (long and flowing in most cases, one of my favorite parts about Dune in fact). These aspects actually make Hellhole more bearable, though less original.

Final verdict: Hellhole works best when its copying from Dune, which means by itself it is of little worth. Would I recommend it? Well, it depends if you want to hear about people having sex in space (not explicitly mind), strange aliens, and politics that are entirely too predictable. I'll give it a three, and feel generous about it.(less)

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About Kevin J. Anderson

Pseudonyms: Gabriel Mesta, K.J. Anderson

He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and is the co-author of the Dune prequels. His original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. He has also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in coll...more

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Books by Kevin J. Anderson

Jedi Search (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, #1)

Dark Apprentice (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, #2)

Champions of the Force (Star Wars: The Jedi Academy Trilogy, #3)

Blood Lite (Blood Lite, #1; Dark-Hunter Universe, #15.5; Hellchaser, #1; Otherworld Stories, #8.2; The Dresden Files, #10.1)

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