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God's Demon #2
The Heart of Hell
Sargatanas has Ascended and the doomed, anguished souls have found themselves emancipated. Hell has changed…hasn’t it? The demons, wardens of the souls, are free of their inmates…
And the damned, liberated from their terrible torments, twisted and bent but thankful that they are no longer forced to be in proximity to their fearsome jailors, rejoice. But something is stirring under the surface of Hell’s ceaseless carnage…and into this terrible landscape come three entities:
Lilith, the former First Consort to Beelzebub and her Sisters of Sargatanas trying to find a way to save Hannibal…again;
Boudica, a brick no more, forever in search of her lost daughters;
Adramalik, the former Grand Master of the Priory of the Fly reduced to serving a new lord, Ai Apaec, and seeking his destiny as Prince of Hell.
Each will come across new terrors, new infernal monstrosities, all beyond even their imaginations, untouched by what Sargatanas wrought.
Is there something older than Hell? Something no demon, born of Heaven or Hell, ever suspected?
What new horror, what rough beast, its hour come round at last… could possibly be hidden in Hell?
And the damned, liberated from their terrible torments, twisted and bent but thankful that they are no longer forced to be in proximity to their fearsome jailors, rejoice. But something is stirring under the surface of Hell’s ceaseless carnage…and into this terrible landscape come three entities:
Lilith, the former First Consort to Beelzebub and her Sisters of Sargatanas trying to find a way to save Hannibal…again;
Boudica, a brick no more, forever in search of her lost daughters;
Adramalik, the former Grand Master of the Priory of the Fly reduced to serving a new lord, Ai Apaec, and seeking his destiny as Prince of Hell.
Each will come across new terrors, new infernal monstrosities, all beyond even their imaginations, untouched by what Sargatanas wrought.
Is there something older than Hell? Something no demon, born of Heaven or Hell, ever suspected?
What new horror, what rough beast, its hour come round at last… could possibly be hidden in Hell?
320 pages, Hardcover
Published July 2, 2019
42 people are currently reading
415 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 18, 2019
Barlowe back at it with the grim dark fantasy. Cant wait for book three in eighty years.
July 14, 2019
It's been 12 years since God's Demon and I can't say there's been a huge improvement from that book (granted, I read it about 10 years ago). Barlowe's skills are still primarily in painting and design rather than writing. Constantly while reading I would think "that would look cool as Hell if Barlowe drew it". Barlowe's visual imagination will beat mine any day of the week, but the situation isn't helped by the fact that description here is often sparse and nebulous. If I didn't have Barlowe's paintings in mind the whole book would be incredibly drab. There were a few things I felt I had a good mental image of (Buer's tower, Lucifuge's palace, the general fleshy landscape), but those were few and far between. Take Lilith as pictured on the cover. If I were just going off my own imaginings based on the book, I would never think of something as great as that. Now, a highly skilled writer can stimulate incredible images, even for mundane objects anybody's seen 100 times. Evocative language can transform these into entirely new things in the mind. I'm sure Barlowe had all kinds of incredible images in his mind while writing this. I have immense respect for him. Expedition, his alien and fantasy monster guides, his Inferno books, his film design work, all of these are visual masterpieces which have inspired the best fantasy artists for decades. But I see no evidence he has any more ability than in the last book to convey them using words. I understand the world of Barlowe's Hell is not easy to describe. His paintings exemplify the principle of a picture being worth a thousand words, but often times in this book, descriptions would only warrant a line or two.
Still, I'm prepared to give Barlowe a lot of leeway. I would've bought this book even if I expected it to be complete crap. The story follows three minor characters from God's Demon in separate threads that converge at the end. It has no summary or anything for the previous book, so I hope you read it recently or remember all the little incidental characters like Agaliarept, Semjaza, Ardat Lili, etc. I found Adramalik's the best perspective, as it takes us farthest afield from the environment of the last book, into the frozen wastelands at the edge of Hell, and I prefer his unrelentingly villainous attitude. Boudica and Lilith both have the gall to take a "there are no innocents in Hell" attitude to others yet go "woe is me" when others mistreat them. Adramalik at least isn't hypocritical. I was doubly disappointed in Boudica's perspective, as it focusses heavily on the salamandrines, but they turn out to be not that interesting. They're the same noble savages you've seen already. We get only tiny tidbits about their attitudes to the souls and demons, what their culture might have been like before Hell's transformation by the demons, and their prophecies about Abaddon rising to take back Hell. This (non)-revelation pushed me to wonder if the whole thing were some allegory for European colonisation of the Americas The demons (European colonists) are sent to Hell (the Americas), where they displace the natives (salamandrines) and import foreign slave labour (human souls). If it is, Barlowe doesn't really seem to be trying to say anything about this (at least nothing revelatory), but it didn't raise my estimation of the salamandrines at all. Their best moment was when their elders repudiated Abaddon for poisoning the land using the abaddim, but by and large they were unfortunately forgettable.
The three perspectives plod on until the ending,
The plot was nothing special, but it did raise some weird questions about the cosmology at work here. Human souls are immortal but can be torn apart, transformed into bricks, or merged together to create steeds/stronger servants. Demons have eternal life, but can be born and killed, but when they die, Abaddon captured them and used them to create the abaddim. Are they just annihilated after that? What about the various minor gods in Hell, like Lilith, Moloch, Ai Apaec? They can apparently die as well, and also leave behind a phalera like the demons, so are we to take them as the same order of being? But we are made to understand that ALL the demons in Hell were sent there from heaven for the war in heaven, whereas the gods in Hell were at some point "alive" on Earth. Why would God (or "Throne" as Barlowe puts it) create false gods? I know Gene Wolfe at least actually took the position that pagan gods really existed, but why would God create them? And what about the Salamandrines? They seem pretty long-lived as well, but they can die. The Salamandrines are not damned but are native to Hell, so what happens to them when they die? Some kind of sub-hell? I thought that was what Abaddon's realm was implied to be, but no, it's just an actual pit of ice one can travel to from Hell. Do Salamandrines even have souls? We see no evidence of earthly animals in Hell, so they probably don't have souls either. I really don't expect any of this mess to be explained in the third novel (if it ever comes out), but I found wondering about it more interesting than the general events of the book.
I would really really love to say this is a 4 star book, but it's not. It might be 3.5 stars on a good day. I wasn't too bored at any point, but neither was I ever really enthralled. I'll probably still read the last one if it ever comes out. What I'd REALLY love is a rerelease of Barlowe's artbooks, so I could read all of them without spending more than a grand on used copies in dubious condition.
Still, I'm prepared to give Barlowe a lot of leeway. I would've bought this book even if I expected it to be complete crap. The story follows three minor characters from God's Demon in separate threads that converge at the end. It has no summary or anything for the previous book, so I hope you read it recently or remember all the little incidental characters like Agaliarept, Semjaza, Ardat Lili, etc. I found Adramalik's the best perspective, as it takes us farthest afield from the environment of the last book, into the frozen wastelands at the edge of Hell, and I prefer his unrelentingly villainous attitude. Boudica and Lilith both have the gall to take a "there are no innocents in Hell" attitude to others yet go "woe is me" when others mistreat them. Adramalik at least isn't hypocritical. I was doubly disappointed in Boudica's perspective, as it focusses heavily on the salamandrines, but they turn out to be not that interesting. They're the same noble savages you've seen already. We get only tiny tidbits about their attitudes to the souls and demons, what their culture might have been like before Hell's transformation by the demons, and their prophecies about Abaddon rising to take back Hell. This (non)-revelation pushed me to wonder if the whole thing were some allegory for European colonisation of the Americas The demons (European colonists) are sent to Hell (the Americas), where they displace the natives (salamandrines) and import foreign slave labour (human souls). If it is, Barlowe doesn't really seem to be trying to say anything about this (at least nothing revelatory), but it didn't raise my estimation of the salamandrines at all. Their best moment was when their elders repudiated Abaddon for poisoning the land using the abaddim, but by and large they were unfortunately forgettable.
The three perspectives plod on until the ending,
The plot was nothing special, but it did raise some weird questions about the cosmology at work here. Human souls are immortal but can be torn apart, transformed into bricks, or merged together to create steeds/stronger servants. Demons have eternal life, but can be born and killed, but when they die, Abaddon captured them and used them to create the abaddim. Are they just annihilated after that? What about the various minor gods in Hell, like Lilith, Moloch, Ai Apaec? They can apparently die as well, and also leave behind a phalera like the demons, so are we to take them as the same order of being? But we are made to understand that ALL the demons in Hell were sent there from heaven for the war in heaven, whereas the gods in Hell were at some point "alive" on Earth. Why would God (or "Throne" as Barlowe puts it) create false gods? I know Gene Wolfe at least actually took the position that pagan gods really existed, but why would God create them? And what about the Salamandrines? They seem pretty long-lived as well, but they can die. The Salamandrines are not damned but are native to Hell, so what happens to them when they die? Some kind of sub-hell? I thought that was what Abaddon's realm was implied to be, but no, it's just an actual pit of ice one can travel to from Hell. Do Salamandrines even have souls? We see no evidence of earthly animals in Hell, so they probably don't have souls either. I really don't expect any of this mess to be explained in the third novel (if it ever comes out), but I found wondering about it more interesting than the general events of the book.
I would really really love to say this is a 4 star book, but it's not. It might be 3.5 stars on a good day. I wasn't too bored at any point, but neither was I ever really enthralled. I'll probably still read the last one if it ever comes out. What I'd REALLY love is a rerelease of Barlowe's artbooks, so I could read all of them without spending more than a grand on used copies in dubious condition.
July 12, 2020
3.75 stars. Hard to get into because of the layered despair of multiple characters. For most of my reading time, I keenly felt the absence of the emotional forward momentum of Sargantanas's quest for redemption in GOD'S DEMON.
March 9, 2025
3.5 Stars
February 18, 2022
Didnt enjoy this book nearly as much as Gods Demon. The insanely detailed descriptions of hell are still there and the book is worth picking up for those alone. Beyond that the plot is paper thin and really feels like it wasn’t built out well enough
A few things bothered me: 1) supremely powerful beings are suddenly dispatched with little to no effort. They just die meekly. It happens several times throughout the book and makes you wonder how such purportedly powerful characters are killed within one paragraph or even a sentence
2) time doesn’t make much sense in the book. One minute something is happening and then it’s over. Or one chapter the characters are thinking about doing something and then the next page it’s done with no explanation how it happened or how long it actually took
3) the book feels more like a middle chapter than anything else, which is fine. I would love to read more books about hell written by Barlowe. But it leaves you wondering what’s the point of the book?
Overall worth the read if you read Gods Demon but in an of itself not the best book ever
A few things bothered me: 1) supremely powerful beings are suddenly dispatched with little to no effort. They just die meekly. It happens several times throughout the book and makes you wonder how such purportedly powerful characters are killed within one paragraph or even a sentence
2) time doesn’t make much sense in the book. One minute something is happening and then it’s over. Or one chapter the characters are thinking about doing something and then the next page it’s done with no explanation how it happened or how long it actually took
3) the book feels more like a middle chapter than anything else, which is fine. I would love to read more books about hell written by Barlowe. But it leaves you wondering what’s the point of the book?
Overall worth the read if you read Gods Demon but in an of itself not the best book ever
July 14, 2019
I'm two minds about this book: on one side I loved the world building, on the other side I found the style of writing sometimes confusing.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
October 7, 2022
The Heart of Hell is a minor improvement over God's Demon (in some ways), but not nearly enough of one to propel one of SFF's greatest illustrators (and a longtime personal hero of mine) into one of its greatest authors as well. God's Demon was one of the first adult fantasy novels I ever read, over a decade ago closer to when it came out, and when I heard a sequel finally emerged in 2019 I knew I'd have to (re)read both books. My God's Demon reread, however, was disappointing, as with my new adult-goggles I found the plot, characterizations, prose, and even worldbuilding to not live up to the amazing Hell artwork Barlowe has been putting out since the 90s. In hindsight, Barlowe's Inferno was best left to my imagination. Despite an amazing premise, God's Demon was a largely uninteresting story, with high stakes that feel small, bland character work, and pedestrian prose that didn't lend itself to visualizing the world shown so beautifully in his illustrations.
The Heart of Hell offers some improvements to a few of these fronts, namely the plot and presentation of the story itself. The book is blessedly short, 316 pages my grandfather would have no problem reading, and split into three perspectives: Boudica, Lilith, and Adramalik. Chapters change every 10 pages or so, and more importantly, individual scenes are constructed more interestingly now, with clear conflict, resolution, and purpose to the overarching plot. However, this is pretty basic stuff and doesn't make a good book by itself. While the tighter narrative focus benefits the characterizations, the plot itself moves so swiftly, so shallowly, that the characters never quite come into focus themselves. Boudica becomes leader of the souls—Lilith tries to find meaning in a world where she's continually abandoned—Adramalik descends into depravity to achieve vengeance against the protagonists—but we only ever see these things happening, we don't feel them. It almost reads as a treatment for a screenplay, or a summary of what occurred, so fast and devoid of depth the book reads.
Which is a shame, because Barlowe's Hell is a truly unique and interesting setting. One of my complaints toward God's Demon was how I felt I hadn't sufficiently explored Hell, the action mostly being limited to Dis and Adamantinarx. This book delivered in exploring more of Barlowe's world, and yet it disappointed too, by replacing the longstanding mysteries of the Salamandrines, Abaddon, the frozen wastes, etc., with more blandness. Again, I almost think it takes away from Barlowe's Hell art. Part of the problem, again, is the prose. I understand why authors don't delve into long and complex descriptions, but if ever a series deserved it, it's this one. Either Barlowe had no interest in describing the monstrous inhabitants and landscapes of Hell, or he clung erroneously to the notion that such descriptions would bore his readers. If the book were 1.5x or even twice as long as it is, with more detailed descriptions and more showing over telling, it might've been really good.
In the end, Barlowe's novels are an interesting experiment but little more, showcasing a master artist out of his element. Worth a read if you're immune to bland prose, or a huge fan of Barlowe's art like myself. If Barlowe continues this series as the epilogue implies he might, I hope he continues to hone his writing craft to make something truly worthy of his paintings.
The Heart of Hell offers some improvements to a few of these fronts, namely the plot and presentation of the story itself. The book is blessedly short, 316 pages my grandfather would have no problem reading, and split into three perspectives: Boudica, Lilith, and Adramalik. Chapters change every 10 pages or so, and more importantly, individual scenes are constructed more interestingly now, with clear conflict, resolution, and purpose to the overarching plot. However, this is pretty basic stuff and doesn't make a good book by itself. While the tighter narrative focus benefits the characterizations, the plot itself moves so swiftly, so shallowly, that the characters never quite come into focus themselves. Boudica becomes leader of the souls—Lilith tries to find meaning in a world where she's continually abandoned—Adramalik descends into depravity to achieve vengeance against the protagonists—but we only ever see these things happening, we don't feel them. It almost reads as a treatment for a screenplay, or a summary of what occurred, so fast and devoid of depth the book reads.
Which is a shame, because Barlowe's Hell is a truly unique and interesting setting. One of my complaints toward God's Demon was how I felt I hadn't sufficiently explored Hell, the action mostly being limited to Dis and Adamantinarx. This book delivered in exploring more of Barlowe's world, and yet it disappointed too, by replacing the longstanding mysteries of the Salamandrines, Abaddon, the frozen wastes, etc., with more blandness. Again, I almost think it takes away from Barlowe's Hell art. Part of the problem, again, is the prose. I understand why authors don't delve into long and complex descriptions, but if ever a series deserved it, it's this one. Either Barlowe had no interest in describing the monstrous inhabitants and landscapes of Hell, or he clung erroneously to the notion that such descriptions would bore his readers. If the book were 1.5x or even twice as long as it is, with more detailed descriptions and more showing over telling, it might've been really good.
In the end, Barlowe's novels are an interesting experiment but little more, showcasing a master artist out of his element. Worth a read if you're immune to bland prose, or a huge fan of Barlowe's art like myself. If Barlowe continues this series as the epilogue implies he might, I hope he continues to hone his writing craft to make something truly worthy of his paintings.
July 6, 2020
This book was much different than the last stylistically; as it seemed to be more more geared towards exploring the original nativity of hell and building onto the story of the first book. In a way, it was a lot more of the same.
I have a very soft spot for part one; because of its very well written politics while exploring the very bizarre concepts of the environment and characters at the same time. Everything felt very “new” previously and this book builds on the last novel while introducing a few changes to characters we know.
Unfortunately in a political sense this book isn’t as strong, although it felt good in ways that it was exploring Barlowe’s fabulous paintings and tying them into his story (if you’ve seen them).
Alas there were very few new aspects and sadly it didn’t feel nearly as bizarre as the first book. There are some interesting demons (such as an invertebrate-like character that uses the bodies of other creatures to roam around) and some interesting cultural practices by the native “salamandrines” that are explored, as well as their relationship to other denizens in hell. I think my biggest criticism is a lot of time it didn’t really feel like I was reading about Hell anymore, but rather some kind of fantasy anthropology. Still interesting, just not what I was looking for I suppose.
The end of the story felt a little overdramatic and anticlimactic. There was a lot of “build up” for a very strange, almost lazy ending. It seemed like the war the protagonists were fighting for and their losses were written in for nothing, leaving me unattached to what has happened throughout the story. I will say that Barlowe’s writing on loss and casualties was very adept, though.
The focus was largely on Lilith in this book and it felt really good reading about why she was in hell, (as well as her friend Eligor, who returns among others). I found it easy to forget (besides environmental factors) that these characters are in hell for a reason at times. I was very saddened to see that Hannibal wasn’t touched on a lot, nor were his problems that were foreshadowed at the end of the last book; although human souls and their suffering was still explored through a new lens in another real-world historical figure’s travels in the underworld.
I honestly would’ve gave this book 3 stars, but the very last paragraph reintroduced Beelzebub, my favourite character from Barlowe’s writing, leaving me wanting to know more. I hope the next book has stronger writing, more head-spinning miasmic concepts, more contradicting morality between characters and much more of an exploration of hell/how it works. This is supposed to be hell! Please less teamwork and friendship!! Perhaps at some point it might be a strong decision for the author to go somewhere new and strange with characters we -don’t- know to keep the striking shock of his strange world embraced and full of mystery.
Despite my criticisms it was still a very fun fantasy book I had difficulty putting down. Thank you for years of inspiration, Mr. Barlowe!! I still continue to paint because of you!
I have a very soft spot for part one; because of its very well written politics while exploring the very bizarre concepts of the environment and characters at the same time. Everything felt very “new” previously and this book builds on the last novel while introducing a few changes to characters we know.
Unfortunately in a political sense this book isn’t as strong, although it felt good in ways that it was exploring Barlowe’s fabulous paintings and tying them into his story (if you’ve seen them).
Alas there were very few new aspects and sadly it didn’t feel nearly as bizarre as the first book. There are some interesting demons (such as an invertebrate-like character that uses the bodies of other creatures to roam around) and some interesting cultural practices by the native “salamandrines” that are explored, as well as their relationship to other denizens in hell. I think my biggest criticism is a lot of time it didn’t really feel like I was reading about Hell anymore, but rather some kind of fantasy anthropology. Still interesting, just not what I was looking for I suppose.
The end of the story felt a little overdramatic and anticlimactic. There was a lot of “build up” for a very strange, almost lazy ending. It seemed like the war the protagonists were fighting for and their losses were written in for nothing, leaving me unattached to what has happened throughout the story. I will say that Barlowe’s writing on loss and casualties was very adept, though.
The focus was largely on Lilith in this book and it felt really good reading about why she was in hell, (as well as her friend Eligor, who returns among others). I found it easy to forget (besides environmental factors) that these characters are in hell for a reason at times. I was very saddened to see that Hannibal wasn’t touched on a lot, nor were his problems that were foreshadowed at the end of the last book; although human souls and their suffering was still explored through a new lens in another real-world historical figure’s travels in the underworld.
I honestly would’ve gave this book 3 stars, but the very last paragraph reintroduced Beelzebub, my favourite character from Barlowe’s writing, leaving me wanting to know more. I hope the next book has stronger writing, more head-spinning miasmic concepts, more contradicting morality between characters and much more of an exploration of hell/how it works. This is supposed to be hell! Please less teamwork and friendship!! Perhaps at some point it might be a strong decision for the author to go somewhere new and strange with characters we -don’t- know to keep the striking shock of his strange world embraced and full of mystery.
Despite my criticisms it was still a very fun fantasy book I had difficulty putting down. Thank you for years of inspiration, Mr. Barlowe!! I still continue to paint because of you!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2024
** spoiler alert ** This book was much different than the last stylistically; as it seemed to be more more geared towards exploring the original nativity of hell and building onto the story of the first book. In a way, it was a lot more of the same.
I have a very soft spot for part one; because of its very well written politics while exploring the very bizarre concepts of the environment and characters at the same time. Everything felt very “new” previously and this book builds on the last novel while introducing a few changes to characters we know.
Unfortunately in a political sense this book isn’t as strong, although it felt good in ways that it was exploring Barlowe’s fabulous paintings and tying them into his story (if you’ve seen them).
Alas there were very few new aspects and sadly it didn’t feel nearly as bizarre as the first book. There are some interesting demons (such as an invertebrate-like character that uses the bodies of other creatures to roam around) and some interesting cultural practices by the native “salamandrines” that are explored, as well as their relationship to other denizens in hell. I think my biggest criticism is a lot of time it didn’t really feel like I was reading about Hell anymore, but rather some kind of fantasy anthropology. Still interesting, just not what I was looking for I suppose.
The end of the story felt a little overdramatic and anticlimactic. There was a lot of “build up” for a very strange, almost lazy ending. It seemed like the war the protagonists were fighting for and their losses were written in for nothing, leaving me unattached to what has happened throughout the story. I will say that Barlowe’s writing on loss and casualties was very adept, though.
The focus was largely on Lilith in this book and it felt really good reading about why she was in hell, (as well as her friend Eligor, who returns among others). I found it easy to forget (besides environmental factors) that these characters are in hell for a reason at times. I was very saddened to see that Hannibal wasn’t touched on a lot, nor were his problems that were foreshadowed at the end of the last book; although human souls and their suffering was still explored through a new lens in another real-world historical figure’s travels in the underworld.
I honestly would’ve gave this book 3 stars, but the very last paragraph reintroduced Beelzebub, my favourite character from Barlowe’s writing, leaving me wanting to know more. I hope the next book has stronger writing, more head-spinning miasmic concepts, more contradicting morality between characters and much more of an exploration of hell/how it works. This is supposed to be hell! Please less teamwork and friendship!! Perhaps at some point it might be a strong decision for the author to go somewhere new and strange with characters we -don’t- know to keep the striking shock of his strange world embraced and full of mystery.
Despite my criticisms it was still a very fun fantasy book I had difficulty putting down. Thank you for years of inspiration, Mr. Barlowe!! I still continue to paint because of you!
I have a very soft spot for part one; because of its very well written politics while exploring the very bizarre concepts of the environment and characters at the same time. Everything felt very “new” previously and this book builds on the last novel while introducing a few changes to characters we know.
Unfortunately in a political sense this book isn’t as strong, although it felt good in ways that it was exploring Barlowe’s fabulous paintings and tying them into his story (if you’ve seen them).
Alas there were very few new aspects and sadly it didn’t feel nearly as bizarre as the first book. There are some interesting demons (such as an invertebrate-like character that uses the bodies of other creatures to roam around) and some interesting cultural practices by the native “salamandrines” that are explored, as well as their relationship to other denizens in hell. I think my biggest criticism is a lot of time it didn’t really feel like I was reading about Hell anymore, but rather some kind of fantasy anthropology. Still interesting, just not what I was looking for I suppose.
The end of the story felt a little overdramatic and anticlimactic. There was a lot of “build up” for a very strange, almost lazy ending. It seemed like the war the protagonists were fighting for and their losses were written in for nothing, leaving me unattached to what has happened throughout the story. I will say that Barlowe’s writing on loss and casualties was very adept, though.
The focus was largely on Lilith in this book and it felt really good reading about why she was in hell, (as well as her friend Eligor, who returns among others). I found it easy to forget (besides environmental factors) that these characters are in hell for a reason at times. I was very saddened to see that Hannibal wasn’t touched on a lot, nor were his problems that were foreshadowed at the end of the last book; although human souls and their suffering was still explored through a new lens in another real-world historical figure’s travels in the underworld.
I honestly would’ve gave this book 3 stars, but the very last paragraph reintroduced Beelzebub, my favourite character from Barlowe’s writing, leaving me wanting to know more. I hope the next book has stronger writing, more head-spinning miasmic concepts, more contradicting morality between characters and much more of an exploration of hell/how it works. This is supposed to be hell! Please less teamwork and friendship!! Perhaps at some point it might be a strong decision for the author to go somewhere new and strange with characters we -don’t- know to keep the striking shock of his strange world embraced and full of mystery.
Despite my criticisms it was still a very fun fantasy book I had difficulty putting down. Thank you for years of inspiration, Mr. Barlowe!! I still continue to paint because of you!
November 21, 2021
Heart of Hell has much of the problems of the predecessor. The world-building and imagery is great, the writing and story isn't so much.
The book is told from the perspective of three different characters: Lilith, the soul Boudica and the demon Adramalik. We follow them as they set out, each following their own path.
I enjoyed the book well enough, but the biggest problem was that none of the characters were as interesting or charismatic as Sargatanas. His absence, as noted by many of the book's characters, is also noticed by the reader. Another problem was that for the longest part, these stories just meandered on. The book took a long while before any semblance of an overarching plot was introduced, one that seemed to come out of nowhere.
Another problem was the climax. While I enjoyed the final battle well enough, it was almost too little too late. The final conflict felt almost anticlimactic.
Overall, his is not a bad book, but it's also not a great one. It's a decent read for those who've read God's Demon (which I read a few years back) and who are fans of Wayne Barlow's art.
The book is told from the perspective of three different characters: Lilith, the soul Boudica and the demon Adramalik. We follow them as they set out, each following their own path.
I enjoyed the book well enough, but the biggest problem was that none of the characters were as interesting or charismatic as Sargatanas. His absence, as noted by many of the book's characters, is also noticed by the reader. Another problem was that for the longest part, these stories just meandered on. The book took a long while before any semblance of an overarching plot was introduced, one that seemed to come out of nowhere.
Another problem was the climax. While I enjoyed the final battle well enough, it was almost too little too late. The final conflict felt almost anticlimactic.
Overall, his is not a bad book, but it's also not a great one. It's a decent read for those who've read God's Demon (which I read a few years back) and who are fans of Wayne Barlow's art.
July 2, 2025
In God's Demon, we follow the demon major Sargatanas, a once fallen Angel who seeks redemption and a return to the Above. This desire of his would come to irrevocably change the hierarchy of Hell.
Barlowe's depiction of Hell is definitely influenced by John Milton's Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno. It is gruesome, savage, disgusting, and absolutely fascinating. It's a shame that the story itself couldn't quite live up to excellent setting.
In The Heart of Hell, we see the aftermath of the events of the first book through the perspectives of Adramalik, Lilith and Boudica. I feel like the first 80% of the book was meandering and aimless, and I was bored reading it. None of these characters had the same draw that Sargatanas had, and I wasn't as invested in their stories as I was with his. This changes in the last 20% or so where two of my fave characters from the first book get more page time, and the action explodes.
In the end though, I don't think book 2 was nearly as good as book 1.
Barlowe's depiction of Hell is definitely influenced by John Milton's Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno. It is gruesome, savage, disgusting, and absolutely fascinating. It's a shame that the story itself couldn't quite live up to excellent setting.
In The Heart of Hell, we see the aftermath of the events of the first book through the perspectives of Adramalik, Lilith and Boudica. I feel like the first 80% of the book was meandering and aimless, and I was bored reading it. None of these characters had the same draw that Sargatanas had, and I wasn't as invested in their stories as I was with his. This changes in the last 20% or so where two of my fave characters from the first book get more page time, and the action explodes.
In the end though, I don't think book 2 was nearly as good as book 1.
November 27, 2021
Barlowe is, for me, the Tolkien of Hell.
I have seldom, if ever, read anything so exotic and imaginative. While it is built on the foundations of an ageless concept with borrowed elements from many cultures' underworlds, Barlowe's Hell is also uniquely his own. I love the mythos, the environment, and the characters. I love the pathos and the interwoven story arcs. There is an epicness, a grandiosity to all of it that I find terrible and beautiful.
I deeply enjoyed Barlowe's Inferno, Brushfire, and God's Demon, and, after a long, long wait, I found The Heart of Hell to be just as excellent. Though I suspect that it will again be a long, long time before Barlowe takes us to Hell, I am looking forward to his guidance. In the mean time, I still have to explore Psychopomp.
I have seldom, if ever, read anything so exotic and imaginative. While it is built on the foundations of an ageless concept with borrowed elements from many cultures' underworlds, Barlowe's Hell is also uniquely his own. I love the mythos, the environment, and the characters. I love the pathos and the interwoven story arcs. There is an epicness, a grandiosity to all of it that I find terrible and beautiful.
I deeply enjoyed Barlowe's Inferno, Brushfire, and God's Demon, and, after a long, long wait, I found The Heart of Hell to be just as excellent. Though I suspect that it will again be a long, long time before Barlowe takes us to Hell, I am looking forward to his guidance. In the mean time, I still have to explore Psychopomp.
April 25, 2020
I’d say 3 1/2 really. I’d round up and give it a 4 rating, but it’s predecessor got a 4, though it’s higher. (4.2, maybe?) This book suffered, in my mind, by not being surprising and unique. The world and timeline building of the first book was already set, so this book didn’t shock, surprise, and amaze me like the first. It has also been over a decade between books. A re-read of the first probably should have happened. I forgot some of the events that made characters significant or led them to do what they did in this book. Still a good read.
November 26, 2025
wayne barlowe so far has written two books(there are rumblings of a possible third)
written well? a fluid storyline? believable characters? I can't answer that- but man, do I LOVE the concept!!!! I ate these books up!!!
may not be for everyone , but man! what a concept!! refreshing , unique, and captivating.
written well? a fluid storyline? believable characters? I can't answer that- but man, do I LOVE the concept!!!! I ate these books up!!!
may not be for everyone , but man! what a concept!! refreshing , unique, and captivating.
March 14, 2021
Good continuation to the previous work, interesting concepts regarding redemption set in an original imagining of hell. I feel Barlowe improved his writing style a bit between the previous title and this one.
March 6, 2019
Thoughts to come.
June 30, 2021
Sequel to "God's Demon". It was easier to follow, not sure whether it had a reduced cast, or because some of the characters were from the first book.
July 13, 2022
Awesome 2.0. I want to point out there was a leather bound, signed copy of Barlowe’s Inferno for ~$400, and I made the mistake of thinking about it overnight, it was sold the next day.
January 22, 2024
Loved this book!
The story-line and the detailed construction of the castes within demon society and the geography of hell are truly remarkable!
The story-line and the detailed construction of the castes within demon society and the geography of hell are truly remarkable!
June 12, 2025
God's Demon was one of the most unique fantasy novels of the 00's. It was also supremely entertaining, with its grotesque yet thought-provoking tale of a demonic civil war, and all of this from a first-time author who only conceived of the novel as a complement to his illustrations! You'd be confident in assuming that such a story doesn't avail itself to a satisfying sequel. Heck, you'd probably suspect that such a book would never even receive a follow-up, regardless of whether it was intended as the first installment in a grander narrative. Yet a sequel is precisely what readers received with Hell's Heart, and I'm happy to report that the novel actually holds up rather well. Nowhere near as impactful as its predecessor, but a gripping narrative that expands upon Barlowe's universe in an interesting way. Recommended to anyone who enjoyed God's Demon.
Hell's Heart was a sequel twelve years in the making, and it's clear that the lengthy hiatus had no impact upon Barlowe's creativity. If anything, the narrative here is even more bizarre than that of God's Demon. Readers are dropped back in to Barlowe's Inferno a short while after the end of Sargatanas' rebellion. The souls of Hell have been freed, and many of them now work alongside the demons in Hell's new capital of Adamantinarx. However, Hell is still a supremely violent place, and tensions are on the rise between the remaining demons, lawless bands of freed souls, and nomadic tribes of Salamandrine men. And then there's the rumored return of Abaddon- the ancient abyssal deity who threatens to consume all souls and demons, alike. Structurally, Hell's Heart is split between three interweaving narratives, each with its own POV character: Lilith continues her quest of redemption for Hell's lost souls, the charismatic Boudicca becomes an unwilling leader of souls while on a quest to find her daughters, and the demonic knight Andramalik wanders Hell after the defeat of his former master, Beelzebub. Overall, Hell's Heart is less linear and less cohesive than its predecessor.
Seeing as God's Demon was one of my favorite discoveries in recent years, Hell's Heart had big shoes to fill. So how did it fare? From a worldbuilding perspective, the novel is nearly as interesting as its predecessor, even if some of the grotesqueries have been dialed back in favor of equally bizarre yet more "standard fantasy-feeling" elements. I was especially intrigued by all of the chapters set amongst the Salamandrine men, whereas the looming presence of Abaddon added some much-needed tension atop a realm that was created to be hopeless. Barlowe's writing is also surprisingly good for such an inexperienced author. As with God's Demon, the outlandishness of the world (and all of those esoteric names!) makes it incredibly hard to visualize certain scenes, but the book never feels overly difficult. If you enjoyed the prose style in God's Demon, Hell's Heart should be an equally easy read.
Where Hell's Heart stumbles is with its underlying plot, which lacks the grandness of God's Demon and drags in certain places. I was particularly underwhelmed by the first half of Andramalik's storyline, and felt that the inclusion of Ai Apaec was an unnecessary detour. I also could've lived without some of those earlier scenes involving Lilith and her handmaiden. Did we really need a lesbian sex scene? My final major complaint about Hell's Heart concerns its conclusion. More specifically, the abruptness with which the final battle is brought to an end, which feels entirely unearned. Perhaps if Barlowe had shortened the worldbuilding-heavy first half of the novel and spent a bit more time on the climactic confrontation, then the story would have flowed much better. What we're ultimately left with is a novel where a really like about two-thirds of the chapters, but which leaves me feeling slightly unfulfilled. A perfect candidate for a four-star rating.
Hell's Heart was a sequel twelve years in the making, and it's clear that the lengthy hiatus had no impact upon Barlowe's creativity. If anything, the narrative here is even more bizarre than that of God's Demon. Readers are dropped back in to Barlowe's Inferno a short while after the end of Sargatanas' rebellion. The souls of Hell have been freed, and many of them now work alongside the demons in Hell's new capital of Adamantinarx. However, Hell is still a supremely violent place, and tensions are on the rise between the remaining demons, lawless bands of freed souls, and nomadic tribes of Salamandrine men. And then there's the rumored return of Abaddon- the ancient abyssal deity who threatens to consume all souls and demons, alike. Structurally, Hell's Heart is split between three interweaving narratives, each with its own POV character: Lilith continues her quest of redemption for Hell's lost souls, the charismatic Boudicca becomes an unwilling leader of souls while on a quest to find her daughters, and the demonic knight Andramalik wanders Hell after the defeat of his former master, Beelzebub. Overall, Hell's Heart is less linear and less cohesive than its predecessor.
Seeing as God's Demon was one of my favorite discoveries in recent years, Hell's Heart had big shoes to fill. So how did it fare? From a worldbuilding perspective, the novel is nearly as interesting as its predecessor, even if some of the grotesqueries have been dialed back in favor of equally bizarre yet more "standard fantasy-feeling" elements. I was especially intrigued by all of the chapters set amongst the Salamandrine men, whereas the looming presence of Abaddon added some much-needed tension atop a realm that was created to be hopeless. Barlowe's writing is also surprisingly good for such an inexperienced author. As with God's Demon, the outlandishness of the world (and all of those esoteric names!) makes it incredibly hard to visualize certain scenes, but the book never feels overly difficult. If you enjoyed the prose style in God's Demon, Hell's Heart should be an equally easy read.
Where Hell's Heart stumbles is with its underlying plot, which lacks the grandness of God's Demon and drags in certain places. I was particularly underwhelmed by the first half of Andramalik's storyline, and felt that the inclusion of Ai Apaec was an unnecessary detour. I also could've lived without some of those earlier scenes involving Lilith and her handmaiden. Did we really need a lesbian sex scene? My final major complaint about Hell's Heart concerns its conclusion. More specifically, the abruptness with which the final battle is brought to an end, which feels entirely unearned. Perhaps if Barlowe had shortened the worldbuilding-heavy first half of the novel and spent a bit more time on the climactic confrontation, then the story would have flowed much better. What we're ultimately left with is a novel where a really like about two-thirds of the chapters, but which leaves me feeling slightly unfulfilled. A perfect candidate for a four-star rating.
March 12, 2025
im such a sucker for this sort of hyper enviromentally descriptive fantasy. fascinating, bizarre world that i want to know so much more about
January 16, 2025
I think there was a bit of a drop off from Gods Demon to Heart of Hell, as the focus moved to frankly less interesting characters and elements of Hell.
With Sargatanas gone, it was very much a book about the survivors squabbling over the remains, and less of an epic journey. The redemption of demons was an interesting topic to me (book 1) but this books focused more on Lilith and Hannibal and elements of Hell that felt patched together.
Overall, this felt like a sequel that was entirely constructed after a standalone book, rather than a natural progression of a story.
With Sargatanas gone, it was very much a book about the survivors squabbling over the remains, and less of an epic journey. The redemption of demons was an interesting topic to me (book 1) but this books focused more on Lilith and Hannibal and elements of Hell that felt patched together.
Overall, this felt like a sequel that was entirely constructed after a standalone book, rather than a natural progression of a story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2026
I have often wondered how Mr. Barlowe can make every sentence a descriptive smorgasbord of visual treats. One after another the world he creates becomes sharper in your minds eye. A wonderful visionary and artist who can show you his world in any number of medias.
This book leaves me wanting. Give me the rest of the story.
This book leaves me wanting. Give me the rest of the story.
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