One if by Heaven Two if by Hell

by Rick Maydak

Boston bartender Ethan Reyes has the haunting ability to read minds. He cannot control it. It plagues his daily life as unwanted thoughts assault him on all sides at all times. Absorbing a million lifetimes of pain and joy-none of them his own-has left Ethan confused, alone, and questioning his own past. The only way to numb the pain, to drown it out, is to drink himself into a stupor each night to squeeze in a few hours of sleep. Strange, horrific things begin occurring at the bar, and the patrons are being tormented and slowly killed off. When the source of the suffering makes itself known-a demon of the vilest order-Ethan is thrown into a world of deception and sin, and must overcome his misgivings of using his 'gift' if he is to overpower the creature after his very soul. With the help of Father Ryan, whose own faith is wavering, Ethan begins to unravel the demon's motive of surfacing on earth, as well as secrets to his own hazy past. Time is running out, and Ethan needs to find the demon before the monster's hellish plan can come to pass, and the world Ethan knows as home is changed forever.

Genres: Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 29, 2009

Reviews

[Belowten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is going to be one of those books that will be loved by some and hated by others. It is obvious the target audience of this novel is the 18-35 year old horror loving male. Since I am one of those, count me in. The story's scenes really draw you in; I see the room, I smell the dust, the decay- I know I am there. If you love music by Rise Against, Anti-Flag, Alkaline Trio- you'll get this book. This is not a mainstream book, nor when you read it, will you feel that it was ever intended to be. The evil is real. The tone never lets up, never stops, and never sells out. It won't make any best seller lists but for those who enjoy the underground scene of fiction this is a good one. In a sea of vampire books, it is nice to see some original story telling for once.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gritty and full of dark detail, this book takes the battle between good and evil and makes it personal, fantastic, and frightening. Maydak has anchored his story firmly in the less pleasant aspects of society. Even with the book synopsis, I wasn’t prepared for exactly how firmly he did so. The opening scene was great – writing, description, length, events – and while everything else stayed good, for me the events became too dark, too realistic for me to truly enjoy the book. There isn’t a single iota of sugar coating in this book. If you’re looking for a book that makes you ask questions, and makes you uncomfortable, then this is the book for you.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was too violent for me. I couldn't pay attention to the story line because I was distracted by the violence. It's like trying to have a conversation with the music blasting in the background, it's too hard to hear the other person talking. I think less is more.

I would have given it more stars but there were so many parts I had to skip over. The story has great potential. I hope Rick Maydak does write a sequel, but please....just turn down the volume.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was darker than most books I read. IT was hard for me to get into. The story line of the battle between good and evil or demons and angels was not believable all the way through. I came nearer beliving the demon part of it than the angelic part. All in all it is not my kind of book

[Shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Descriptive, dark prose and a story that makes the reader question who we are and where we stand when the battle-lines are drawn in the fight against good and evil.

[Rick Maydak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote it so I'd better like it!

[Matthew DeBettencourt · Rating 3 out of 5]

"One if By Heaven, Two if By Hell" is a dark, twisted story about Ethan Reyes, a bartender in Boston with a unique ability. Voices that echo in his head are the thoughts and prayers of the individuals around him--an uncontrollable haunting that can only be silenced by his excessive alcoholic addiction. The story follows him as he learns the truth about his power to read minds, as he fights to defend his loved ones against an even darker entity, identified only as Gottfried, who has abilites far beyond what Ethan can manage.

The book is well written, and Rick Maydak does an amazing job creating intense imagery of the horrifying occurrences brought on by the "toad" that lurks in the shadows. His writing style easily flows from descriptions of the environment to Ethan's thoughts.

Maintaining that "One if By Heaven" is a horror story, Maydak's work is liberal with the use of gore and vulgarity, so it's geared more toward a mature audience. And I'll be frank about the profanity, it was enough to steer me away from reading at first, but the story itself kept me interested. Once I started reading it, and got to know the characters, the reading flowed well.

Over all, "One if By Heaven, Two if By Hell" was a good read, which I'd recommend to adults who enjoy this style of horror, and those who like to read into the "forbidden" secrets of angels and demons.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly standard good vs. evil though a couple of nice twists. First, an interesting connection to the monster under your bed of childhood. Second, an ending that caught me a bit off guard (particularly the last page). There seemed to be some gratuitous violence and the evil side couldn't be more gross (regardless of the form they were currently taking) for this reader. It took a tad too long to get to the climax and when it did our hero turned down a new path with little explanation of the change in direction. Overall, kept my attention but I wasn't spellbound.

[Vidya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full review (with spoilers)found here.

I think this story had potential. I think if I hadn’t had so many problems with the editing, I might have actually enjoyed reading it. The cover was absolutely gorgeous, and the blurb was well written (After all, it did catch my attention, and I did request the book from the ER program). It was definitely darker than I expected, and more so than I normally like, but I think it would be a decent read for the right audience, if the editing is taken care of.

[Riot · Rating 5 out of 5]

great debut from a new author. Story is not for the faint at heart, that is for sure. Noticed that two other reviewers didn't like the "evil" parts, but the story is in fact about demons...which you'd expect to be evil. Makes you think, grabs your attention, and at least for me turned into a page turner.