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Hellboy Novels #Anthology
Hellboy: An Assortment of Horrors
Fifteen of the biggest names in weird literature come together to pay tribute to Hellboy and the characters of Mike Mignola's award-winning line of books! Assembled by Joe Golem and Baltimore co-writer Christopher Golden and featuring illustrations by Mike Mignola and Chris Priestley, the anthology boasts fifteen original stories by the best in horror, fantasy, and science fiction, including Seanan McGuire (October Daye series), Chelsea Cain (Heartsick), Jonathan Maberry (Joe Ledger series), and more! The new writer of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D., iZombie co-creator Chris Roberson, pitches in as well, and Chris Priestley (Tales of Terror) provides a story and an illustration!
Each story illustrated by Mike Mignola!
Each story illustrated by Mike Mignola!
247 pages, Paperback
First published April 29, 2017
35 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Golden
798 books2,961 followersCHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Road of Bones, Ararat, Snowblind, Of Saints and Shadows, and Red Hands. With Mike Mignola, he is the co-creator of the Outerverse comic book universe, including such series as Baltimore, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, and Lady Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Seize the Night, Dark Cities, and The New Dead, among others, and he has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot. Golden co-hosts the podcast Defenders Dialogue with horror author Brian Keene. In 2015 he founded the popular Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His work has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the Eisner Award, and multiple Shirley Jackson Awards. For the Bram Stoker Awards, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories. His original novels have been published in more than fifteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
April 26, 2023
I love Hellboy! These stories were great and insightful into the BPRD. Hellboy is freakin hilarious.
September 24, 2017
Full disclosure, I have a story in this anthology.
This book was a lot of fun and worth the price of admission for the Chelsea Cain, Laird Barron, and Nathan Ballingrud stories .
This book was a lot of fun and worth the price of admission for the Chelsea Cain, Laird Barron, and Nathan Ballingrud stories .
December 4, 2017
The problem with any of these Hellboy prose anthologies (this is the fourth one) is that they never feel quite like Hellboy stories. Now, maybe that's intentional--a way to let the authors each bring their own voice and touch to the proceedings--but for me, Hellboy (and B.P.R.D. and Mignolaverse stories in general) all have a character that is unique to them. A pacing, a tone that only they have. And, admittedly, while that same pacing and tone and feel has been a big influence on my work for years, I wouldn't swear that I would ever be able to reproduce it in prose form. But it means that, even when the stories are very, very good, the Hellboy prose anthologies always feel slightly off.
That said, this one is, I think, I step up from some of the previous volumes, even while it's been a long time since I read them, and I remember all of them having some standout stories contained within. That's true here, as well, and several times the authors come closer than usual to capturing the feel of a Hellboy story, especially in Rio Youers' "The Promised Smile," Kealan Patrick Burke's "Versteckdt," and Nathan Ballingrud's delightful closing story "Tales of the Worm Lord." Paul Tremblay also turns in an absolutely phenomenal story that plays a bit with the structure of the comic book narrative in "Her Red Right Hand."
That said, this one is, I think, I step up from some of the previous volumes, even while it's been a long time since I read them, and I remember all of them having some standout stories contained within. That's true here, as well, and several times the authors come closer than usual to capturing the feel of a Hellboy story, especially in Rio Youers' "The Promised Smile," Kealan Patrick Burke's "Versteckdt," and Nathan Ballingrud's delightful closing story "Tales of the Worm Lord." Paul Tremblay also turns in an absolutely phenomenal story that plays a bit with the structure of the comic book narrative in "Her Red Right Hand."
January 21, 2018
This fourth collection (after a lengthy hiatus) of Hellboy short prose fiction is another very enjoyable volume. I particularly enjoyed the stories by Kealan Patrick Burke and Nathan Ballingrud because they seemed like excellent Hellboy stories that fit right in with the Mignola originals, as well as the ones by Chelsea Cain and Seanan McGuire because they seemed to successfully expand the originals with alternated views of the supporting cast. Lots of fun!
October 15, 2017
A wide selection of short stories that focus on the members of the BPRD. I’m glad it wasn’t solely focused on Hellboy. I didn’t like every story, but I did really enjoy a few of them, and I think there’s something here for everyone. Would definitely recommend.
May 15, 2024
A delightful collection of supernatural horror and action that really drives home what makes Hellboy so compelling: he’s rad as hell and so earnestly human.
June 26, 2018
If you like Hellboy, horror, short stories, or any combination thereof you'll love this anthology. It's the first one of these I've read, and now I'd like to track down the earlier collections. Great authors; great writing. Highly recommended.
May 9, 2023
Listened to the audiobook of this and it was a fun time.
September 16, 2020
The second collection of Hellboy short stories has uneven tone and pacing as befits stories by different authors. As a test, I'll be including my favorite quote from each short story.
The Promised Smile - Rio Youers - 3*
"Maybe the lovely wife is hiding something from her peasant days."
Hellboy and Casper Morrow (the newbie investigator narrator on his first mission) are assigned to assist Cleveland Malak, heir to a hotel fortune, whose wife has been "taken" to Api Tua. Interestingly, in Malay/Indonesian, Api Tua means Old or Ancient Fire. Despite the interesting setting this was only an average story
When Doves Cry - Delilah S. Dawson - 4*
"I've always had strength on my side. I'm pretty much indestructible and ageless and hard to hurt. But these women are small and soft and helpless, fragile as eggs. I can't protect all of them. I can't protect even one of them. But maybe I can try."
Men are being ripped to pieces and murdered. The cops can't figure it out. Hellboy interviews the murdered men's surviving spouses and finds out all are battered women. This arouses our hero's protective instincts and humanity.
The Other Side of Summer - Chris Roberson - 3*
Ginny: "You sure you're not going to get caught?"
Hellboy: "Maybe, maybe not. But who cares, that was kind of fun."
The young Hellboy meets a little girl and they decide to play real live investigators, like their comic book heroes.
The Hellboyness of Hellboy - Chris Priestley - 3*
Hellboy: "I keep getting taken away somewhere."
While investigating mysterious Reliquaries, Hellboy starts to fade in and out of consciousness. The cause, is stranger than you can imagine.
One more Radical Stone Fox - Chelsea Cain - 4*
This was not the first time Liz had run away from the Bureau
A sad, short story about one of times Liz ran away from the Bureau.
The Duelist - Jonathan Maberry - 5*
They each had some ties to local politics and were often outspoken on national politics. Each of them had spoken out against school integration, and they were clearly not supporters of equal rights between races or sexes.
"Kind of losing interest in stopping this killing spree," joked Hellboy. "These guys are jerks."
We totally agree, Hellboy. Great dialogue in this ghost duelist story. Just LOVED it.
A Quiet Night in the Library - E. Lily Yu - 5*
Kate: "I could see why the librarians didn't want a foreigner looking at this book. It was bound in human skin and stitched with human hair."
Kate would be a great campfire ghost story teller. Fabulous.
Fire Is the Devil's Only Friend - Michael Rowe - 5*
He knew 3 things now, for sure: She was real. She was possessed of some form of telepathy he'd never encountered before, a form of telepathy that didn't require her receivers to be telepathic themselves. Most prominently, he knew that she was in fear for her life."
Hellboy and Liz investigate 6 missing children, but Hellboy is getting visions of the next victim. A solid and fantastic story.
A Huge Damn Vampire - Richard Kadrey - 3*
"The Rules are as before, gentlemen," said the Minotaur. "There are no rules. The fight is to the death ..."
Hellboy joins an illegal fight club to try win an idol that tells the future. Amusing, but only average.
The Other Government Guys - Weston Ochse - 5*
To top it off, his next move was to hurl himself out of a perfectly good aircraft so he could land in the Asscrackistan part of Afghanistan.
Hellboy teams up with Rangers and Hooker and Blow, 2 other government guys, to rescue Kate's nephew. Tight, and very well written.
Her Red Right Hand - Paul Tremblay - 5*
This might be the best story in this collection.
To Bell The Cat - Angela Slatter - 4*
A Kate Corrigan mystery, that was entertaining and fun for cat lovers.
Versteckdt - Kealan Patrick Burke - 3*
She was right. Everything about this was off.
Hellboy goes to Versteckdt, a remote village that isn't on any map, to help them escape having to sacrifice one man every year to a God that has escaped from inside the mountain. Good premise, but just average.
Of Boys and Two-headed Dogs - Laird Barron - 5*
Aww damn. This horrible Nazi Christian Cult story was about a boy and a dog! They almost made me cry. I am weak against kids and dogs, but am satisfied with the ending.
Burning Girls - Seanan McGuire - 1*
This story about the duality in Liz's nature, was not fun, meaningful or engrossing.
Tales of the Worm Lord - Nathan Ballingrud - 5*
The fight matters.
Great story, the second best one in this collection.
The Promised Smile - Rio Youers - 3*
"Maybe the lovely wife is hiding something from her peasant days."
Hellboy and Casper Morrow (the newbie investigator narrator on his first mission) are assigned to assist Cleveland Malak, heir to a hotel fortune, whose wife has been "taken" to Api Tua. Interestingly, in Malay/Indonesian, Api Tua means Old or Ancient Fire. Despite the interesting setting this was only an average story
When Doves Cry - Delilah S. Dawson - 4*
"I've always had strength on my side. I'm pretty much indestructible and ageless and hard to hurt. But these women are small and soft and helpless, fragile as eggs. I can't protect all of them. I can't protect even one of them. But maybe I can try."
Men are being ripped to pieces and murdered. The cops can't figure it out. Hellboy interviews the murdered men's surviving spouses and finds out all are battered women. This arouses our hero's protective instincts and humanity.
The Other Side of Summer - Chris Roberson - 3*
Ginny: "You sure you're not going to get caught?"
Hellboy: "Maybe, maybe not. But who cares, that was kind of fun."
The young Hellboy meets a little girl and they decide to play real live investigators, like their comic book heroes.
The Hellboyness of Hellboy - Chris Priestley - 3*
Hellboy: "I keep getting taken away somewhere."
While investigating mysterious Reliquaries, Hellboy starts to fade in and out of consciousness. The cause, is stranger than you can imagine.
One more Radical Stone Fox - Chelsea Cain - 4*
This was not the first time Liz had run away from the Bureau
A sad, short story about one of times Liz ran away from the Bureau.
The Duelist - Jonathan Maberry - 5*
They each had some ties to local politics and were often outspoken on national politics. Each of them had spoken out against school integration, and they were clearly not supporters of equal rights between races or sexes.
"Kind of losing interest in stopping this killing spree," joked Hellboy. "These guys are jerks."
We totally agree, Hellboy. Great dialogue in this ghost duelist story. Just LOVED it.
A Quiet Night in the Library - E. Lily Yu - 5*
Kate: "I could see why the librarians didn't want a foreigner looking at this book. It was bound in human skin and stitched with human hair."
Kate would be a great campfire ghost story teller. Fabulous.
Fire Is the Devil's Only Friend - Michael Rowe - 5*
He knew 3 things now, for sure: She was real. She was possessed of some form of telepathy he'd never encountered before, a form of telepathy that didn't require her receivers to be telepathic themselves. Most prominently, he knew that she was in fear for her life."
Hellboy and Liz investigate 6 missing children, but Hellboy is getting visions of the next victim. A solid and fantastic story.
A Huge Damn Vampire - Richard Kadrey - 3*
"The Rules are as before, gentlemen," said the Minotaur. "There are no rules. The fight is to the death ..."
Hellboy joins an illegal fight club to try win an idol that tells the future. Amusing, but only average.
The Other Government Guys - Weston Ochse - 5*
To top it off, his next move was to hurl himself out of a perfectly good aircraft so he could land in the Asscrackistan part of Afghanistan.
Hellboy teams up with Rangers and Hooker and Blow, 2 other government guys, to rescue Kate's nephew. Tight, and very well written.
Her Red Right Hand - Paul Tremblay - 5*
This might be the best story in this collection.
To Bell The Cat - Angela Slatter - 4*
A Kate Corrigan mystery, that was entertaining and fun for cat lovers.
Versteckdt - Kealan Patrick Burke - 3*
She was right. Everything about this was off.
Hellboy goes to Versteckdt, a remote village that isn't on any map, to help them escape having to sacrifice one man every year to a God that has escaped from inside the mountain. Good premise, but just average.
Of Boys and Two-headed Dogs - Laird Barron - 5*
Aww damn. This horrible Nazi Christian Cult story was about a boy and a dog! They almost made me cry. I am weak against kids and dogs, but am satisfied with the ending.
Burning Girls - Seanan McGuire - 1*
This story about the duality in Liz's nature, was not fun, meaningful or engrossing.
Tales of the Worm Lord - Nathan Ballingrud - 5*
The fight matters.
Great story, the second best one in this collection.
March 16, 2018
I tried watching the Del Toro films more than once. I still couldn't get into them. The leads were cast perfectly, but the story was odd; as imposing as Hellboy's design is, the stories had him be easy to beat in a fight, which didn't complement his angst all that well. I figured Hellboy just wasn't my thing.
What's bizarre is, I love this anthology.
This is the 'you just need to know the characters' kind of fanfiction (does it count as fanfic if you can buy it in a bookstore?). Within the pages, we get a Hellboy who embodies loner gunslinging monster slayer archetype the movies couldn't quite capture, who can take a punch, and who feels both larger than life and down-to-earth. The stories also showcase his buddies, Abe Sapien (who's totally not related to the Shape of the Water guy, Del Toro promises) and Liz Sherman. One story will be told from the POV of the monster's villain, the next will be a snippet of Liz's adolescence, and then we get a short-story that feels like an episode of Supernatural with Hellboy and Abe as the leads. There's not a dud in the bunch. The stories are all incredibly enjoyable.
Me: Wait, and there are *how* many other Hellboy anthologies?
My wallet: Plz don't
What's bizarre is, I love this anthology.
This is the 'you just need to know the characters' kind of fanfiction (does it count as fanfic if you can buy it in a bookstore?). Within the pages, we get a Hellboy who embodies loner gunslinging monster slayer archetype the movies couldn't quite capture, who can take a punch, and who feels both larger than life and down-to-earth. The stories also showcase his buddies, Abe Sapien (who's totally not related to the Shape of the Water guy, Del Toro promises) and Liz Sherman. One story will be told from the POV of the monster's villain, the next will be a snippet of Liz's adolescence, and then we get a short-story that feels like an episode of Supernatural with Hellboy and Abe as the leads. There's not a dud in the bunch. The stories are all incredibly enjoyable.
Me: Wait, and there are *how* many other Hellboy anthologies?
My wallet: Plz don't
January 16, 2018
Another great collection of Hellboy/BPRD fiction by several great authors. Each author adds more the the world that Hellboy lives in and adds color to the character. One of my favorite's in this collection was HER RED RIGHT HAND by Paul Tremblay. The story itself was good and descriptive but the depth that he produced in the supporting characters was unexpected.
Overall, another great collection that Christopher Golden edits.
Overall, another great collection that Christopher Golden edits.
December 7, 2018
When I first picked up this book I thought it was going to be an action-packed comic with Hellboy killing demons, but what I got was so much more. What I got was an anthology series with phenomenal authors delving both into the gritty fantasy world surrounding Hellboy as well as the psyche of Hellboy himself. A welcome change from the usual punch-demon we see in the movies. A great read for those who want to dive into the Mignolaverse and those who'd like an interesting character study.
April 13, 2019
This was my first Hellboy fiction anthology. I highly recommend giving this a read. Some stories are better than others, but the good ones are more plentiful. And there are a handful of great stories. I have a further in depth review coming soon on my personal blog.
March 12, 2024
all imho:
3.5 stars overall. Some stories are better written than others. Almost all capture the spirit of Hellboy well. Will continue to explore these prose takes on the Hellboy universe to some degree (likely just the canon stuff).
1. The Promised Smile - Well written - 4/5
2. When Doves Cry - Simple - 1/5
3. The Other Side of Summer- Young Hellboy - 3/5
4. The Hellboyness of Hellboy - Solid Hellboy tale - 3.5/5
5. One More Radical - Ends too soon - 3/5
6. The Duelist - Very cool/classic feeling Hellboy story, well written - 4/5
7. A Quiet Night in the Library- Great/charming Hellboy story 4.5/5
8. Fire Is The Devil’s - Starts slowly but builds to a strong finish - 4/5
9. A Huge Damn Vampire - An entertaining monster battle story 3.5/5
10. The Other Government Guys - Boring and basic - 2/5
11. Her Red Right Hand - Oh shxt! Effed up ending - 3/5
12. To Bell The Cat - Tries too hard and not a lot of Hellboy - 2/5
13. Versteckdt - Solid/classic Hellboy 3/5
14. Of Boys and Two Headed Dogs - A great little story about a boy and his dog 4.25/5
15. Burning Girls - Ambitious Liz story, A for effort 3/5
16. Tales of the Worm Lord - Great story with ambiguous ending (I think?) 4/5
3.5 stars overall. Some stories are better written than others. Almost all capture the spirit of Hellboy well. Will continue to explore these prose takes on the Hellboy universe to some degree (likely just the canon stuff).
1. The Promised Smile - Well written - 4/5
2. When Doves Cry - Simple - 1/5
3. The Other Side of Summer- Young Hellboy - 3/5
4. The Hellboyness of Hellboy - Solid Hellboy tale - 3.5/5
5. One More Radical - Ends too soon - 3/5
6. The Duelist - Very cool/classic feeling Hellboy story, well written - 4/5
7. A Quiet Night in the Library- Great/charming Hellboy story 4.5/5
8. Fire Is The Devil’s - Starts slowly but builds to a strong finish - 4/5
9. A Huge Damn Vampire - An entertaining monster battle story 3.5/5
10. The Other Government Guys - Boring and basic - 2/5
11. Her Red Right Hand - Oh shxt! Effed up ending - 3/5
12. To Bell The Cat - Tries too hard and not a lot of Hellboy - 2/5
13. Versteckdt - Solid/classic Hellboy 3/5
14. Of Boys and Two Headed Dogs - A great little story about a boy and his dog 4.25/5
15. Burning Girls - Ambitious Liz story, A for effort 3/5
16. Tales of the Worm Lord - Great story with ambiguous ending (I think?) 4/5
October 28, 2025
As an eight foot demonic spawn of a witch and a demon, Hellboy's life has been interesting. The B.P.R.D has sent him all over the globe to fight anything from vampires to gods of religions past and everything in between. These stories are just some of those events.
This was a good collection of short stories. There were a few really great stories, but even the weakest ones were still good. They cover a wide variety of adventures with adult Hellboy to child Hellboy and even a few staring other members of the cast of characters in the universe.
One of the biggest issues I had with this audiobook was the narrator. Not that he was a bad narrator, he was good but the issue was as a collection of short stories it felt like it would have been better to have multiple narrators. Besides that though it was a good listen.
This was a good collection of short stories. There were a few really great stories, but even the weakest ones were still good. They cover a wide variety of adventures with adult Hellboy to child Hellboy and even a few staring other members of the cast of characters in the universe.
One of the biggest issues I had with this audiobook was the narrator. Not that he was a bad narrator, he was good but the issue was as a collection of short stories it felt like it would have been better to have multiple narrators. Besides that though it was a good listen.
November 5, 2023
Editor Christopher Golden brings us an assortment of tales featuring the big red guy. With so many stories its hard to nail down one but I'd say that one of the stories that stood out was one where Hellboy and Liz where in the city (New York) and they where looking for missing kids but Hellboy was getting dreams form one that knew that she was going to die. Another story that stood out was one where Hellboy was fighting a giant snake but he thought that it was a big Vampire in a boxing ring. The last story in this anthology deals with Hellboy going to a town where a wizard has been beaten but the people chose to keep his story alive thus keeping him alive. This is a great Anthology and I highly recommend it to all Hellboy fans.
February 17, 2024
I think Hellboy often makes a better hero in a short tale than in a longer novel. Maybe it's his comic book origins. Whatever the reason, this is the best of the collection of short stories about him I have encountered so far. There wasn't one I didn't enjoy but the standout tales really did have some meat to them. I mean, where else are you going to find your hero fighting a duel with the ghost of Aaron Burr? We also get to follow Hellboy fighting evil as a child. And well, he simply gets into a very large number of problems. This one is fun from start to finish.
April 13, 2025
Like a lot of anthologies, within An Assortment of Horrors is an even share of great work and unfortunate duds. The ones that truly shine really understand Hellboy as a character and work to expand the kinds of stories that his character can be used to tell. The duds are a mixed bag of not very interesting to downright offensive in their material, and I don't mean copious amounts of blood and gore.
I averaged out scores for all the stories within and came out with a 3/5.
I averaged out scores for all the stories within and came out with a 3/5.
July 1, 2022
A fun collection of prose stories involving Hellboy. As with any anthology there are some hits and some misses.
The best of the bunch were Tales of the Worm Lord, The Duelist, and Her Red Right Hand. The first two really captured the essence of a Hellboy tale. HRRH was a chilling and sad tale.
The best of the bunch were Tales of the Worm Lord, The Duelist, and Her Red Right Hand. The first two really captured the essence of a Hellboy tale. HRRH was a chilling and sad tale.
May 7, 2023
A very entertaining anthology of stories! They felt very much like the comic source material but they hold up well on their own. The Nathan Ballingrud story that concludes the anthology was a standout.
January 1, 2018
Very good story well defined writing space fun book to read between hard books will read more in the series
May 17, 2018
Another great collection of tales that put new spins on HB's world.
August 12, 2018
Very enjoyable short story collection dealing with Hellboy and some of his BPRD cohorts. Love how each author bring a different take to Hellboy and his team
April 26, 2019
Ugh, what a great collection of stories. I love Hellboy, and every story just gave me something else to love. Also, Kate and Liz are wonderful.
August 18, 2019
Really enjoyed most of these stories. Was excited to see Richard Kadrey and Paul Tremblay have stories in this.
April 19, 2020
Not quite a five yet close. Very close.
The audio narration was quite good.
The audio narration was quite good.
July 27, 2020
Super stories. Only one of which do I not rate 5 out.of 5.
March 7, 2022
“Burning Girls” by Seanan McGuire
May 8, 2023
now THIS is fan fiction
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews