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Secret Histories #4

From Hell with Love

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It's no walk in the park for a Drood, a member of the family that has protected humanity from the things that go bump in the night for centuries. They aren't much liked by the creatures they kill, by ungrateful humans, or even by one another.

Now their Matriarch is dead, and it's up to Eddie Drood, acting head of the family, to figure out whodunit. Unpopular opinion is it was either Eddie's best girl, Molly. Or Eddie himself. And Eddie knows he didn't do it.

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

64 people are currently reading
1175 people want to read

About the author

Simon R. Green

312 books3,208 followers
Simon Richard Green is a British science fiction and fantasy-author. He holds a degree in Modern English and American Literature from the University of Leicester. His first publication was in 1979.

His Deathstalker series is partly a parody of the usual space-opera of the 1950s, told with sovereign disregard of the rules of probability, while being at the same time extremely bloodthirsty.

Excerpted from Wikipedia.

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5 stars
1,333 (32%)
4 stars
1,733 (42%)
3 stars
889 (21%)
2 stars
134 (3%)
1 star
23 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
Profile Image for Jim.
Author 7 books2,089 followers
July 6, 2016
Take a not-so-good pulp or comic book story filled with too powerful, completely unlikable characters. Then give all of these overbearing pricks every magical device that James Bond's Q could dream up & flesh it out into a novel. Then fatten it up with enough repetition to set your teeth on edge. Repeat that last. Toss in a few logic holes, something that resembles poor humor, & then have it read by a man who has all the vocal emotion of a HAL 9000. The mess that pours into your ears will resemble this book.

I managed to listen to it for a few hours, maybe halfway through, but found myself ignoring it more & more. This is during my daily 45 minute commute with 15 miles of construction to drive through, so it's not as if I had to pay a lot of attention, but found I wanted to pay less, so I turned it off & then realized I REALLY didn't want to turn it back on & this was in the middle of what was supposed to be a thrilling battle scene.
Profile Image for Ms. Nikki.
1,053 reviews318 followers
December 30, 2016
I squeezed in one more book for 2016 and it was not awesome.

*******Spoilers (But are they really?)

Amidst the repetitive gold fists and armor this book basically got rid of some characters in a quick hurry by juicing them up letting them kill themselves off.

Eddie was a little more full of himself than usual and I found myself not loving his character as much.

Nothing magical here folks. This book exists as a stepping stool to the next.

The cliffhanger, well, I'm not in a rush to know how things turn out because there is another book which in and of itself gives us a big ass clue as to how things fare.

Nuff said.
Profile Image for Nate.
74 reviews5 followers
October 28, 2013
I've enjoyed pretty much everything SRG has ever written, but these things are getting really derivative. Every single exchange of dialogue is a declaration of who people are and why they're doing what they're doing. Literally. They spend more time explaining themselves in stark, unrealistic terms than they do anything else. These stories (and the Nightside series as well) are getting so repetitive that they're starting to hold less and less interest. Recommended only for serious fans with a couple hours they don't mind blowing.
Profile Image for Chris.
2,882 reviews209 followers
November 13, 2014
Ok continuation of this paranormal thriller series. I would've been severely annoyed about the cliffhanger ending if I hadn't had the next book on hand.
Profile Image for Zach.
226 reviews2 followers
February 24, 2022
Really good follow-up to The Spy Who Haunted Me. I think Green really hit his stride with this one. Excellent action (even though it took 200 pages to get to the good stuff), and the murder mystery storyline kept me on my seat. Not a perfect book, but still very good. Also, best ending of the books, so far. Love a perfect cliffhanger.
Profile Image for Vanessa.
432 reviews47 followers
September 11, 2010
James Bond meets Harry Dresden--except with a much bigger family--in Simon R. Green's newest urban fantasy mystery, FROM HELL WITH LOVE.

Our hero, Eddie Drood, is devoted to the family cause: keeping humanity safe from the real horrors that threaten it. He's spent his entire life saving the world from one danger after another, and the needs of the Drood family has always come first. Now he has to protect Earth from Hell itself, even at the expense of the life of the woman he loves.

Doctor Delirium, who usually isn't taken very seriously by the Drood family, has gotten hold of the Apocalypse Door, and will threaten to open it and let all Hell loose if his demands aren't met (these demands include rare postage stamps...). But not everything is as it appears. As Eddie works to track down the semi-evil mad scientist, he discovers that the real power behind this threat are the Immortals--a kind of anti-Drood family who think of humanity as their playground, rather like a mob of toddlers set loose at Chuck E. Cheese.

Eddie and his complicated 'family' are an interesting bunch. Eddie himself is driven and determined, but also sentimental; he's got a history and it flavors the choices he makes. While he prefers being a field agent to a former role as head of the Drood family, he's known for leaving a path of destruction everywhere he goes, which rather ruins the 'secret' agent part. Another main player is his uncle the Armourer, whose inventions make it possible not only for Drood field agents to kill people in strange and unusual ways, but also makes their activities undetectable. He used to be a field agent, himself, and has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Or there's the half-lucid librarian William. Or the ruthless rogue Drood, Tiger Tim. Or the Bride of Frankenstein. Yes, she happens to be an old friend of Eddie's. They're more caricatures than people with depth; if anything, you could say that they all have too much personality.

If the characters are any indication that this novel is slapstick cheesy fun, then you should also be expecting it from the action. Eddie walks into fights with brazen disregard for subtlety, over and over again--he appears to be a fan of dramatic entrances and even more dramatic finishes. Witness: Eddie, as he fights a self-healing dragon, in order to defeat it because he can't hack it down fast enough to kill it, lets himself be intentionally swallowed and turns the dragon from the inside out. Yeah, and that's just in the first forty pages.

The plot is often random, as Eddie reacts to a varied and dazzling assortment of events, from half-crazed Droods, to an army invasion, to monsters at a convention. At times it's predictable, other times events don't at first appear to have any connection with each other. But Green sprinkles enough clues around that when the next curve ball shows up, the twist does make sense. Then something else random happens.

Eddie's PoV narration is entertaining and often silly; unfortunately it includes a liberal sprinkling of cliches and emotionally prosaic musings when he's fighting or thinking about his enemies. When the story gets dark, it's the humor that keeps the themes from bogging down readers. The pacing moves pretty well, but the flow could have used some streamlining as well as the addition of better transitions. The wordy dialogue adds to the uneven pacing and makes the story feel over-padded with information because every character loves to talk. A lot. And it's not only verbose, it can get grandiose. I'm a sap for good dialogue, but this got annoying when I just wanted to get on with the story.

Technology and magic together are integrated into the Drood way of life. And like Q's inventions for James Bond, the Drood field agents have some nifty gadgets to make their job easier (my favorite is the Merlin Glass), like the golden torc they use to armor themselves while in battle. While this indestructible armor does have limitations, Green tries to create concern for Eddie's well being with questions about how much the armor can handle, only to have it always work out. That happens a lot actually, seeing questionable limitations not become limitations at all, which affects suspense and makes problems too easily resolved. But since this story is all about the ridiculous, Green gets a pass, otherwise it would have been a sticking point with me.

FROM HELL WITH LOVE is part of The Secret Histories series, but Green explains the back story without confusing new readers, so this book is fine as a standalone. It's a popcorn-fun kind of read, so don't be expecting anything with depth...or logic for that matter.
Profile Image for Alexander Draganov.
Author 30 books154 followers
June 4, 2011
I write a very long review and for some reason the system cleared it; which annnoyed me immensely. So I'll write a short summary of the problems of the novels - it's repetitive, it is needlessly cruel, promotes questionable morality and because the hero is all-powerful, there is not real tension. These are problems which Green always had, but usually his wonderful imagination and sense of humor save the novel. Sadly, not here. Turning a bunch of monsters agains kids was simply disgusting and the book left a foul taste in my mouth.
Still, two stars instead of one, because this is Simon R. Green, after all.
Profile Image for Nate Warren.
29 reviews3 followers
September 7, 2010
This is one of the better books of the series. I didn't care for way the traitor was revealed. We needed more information about the list. I think the Drood's powers need recalibrating, but besides that, it's a decent series, not on par with the "Nightside" series..but still worth the money and time.
Profile Image for Richard.
116 reviews17 followers
May 5, 2013
Another fun book in this ongoing series, I found the actions of the lead character to be a little out of sorts with how things normally go in this series, and It made the book feel a little disjointed to me, however it was still a nice read with plenty of weird and wonderful things thrown in as Simon R Green is known for in most of his books.
5,870 reviews146 followers
October 12, 2019
From Hell with Love is the fourth book in the Secret Histories series written by Simon R. Green. It stars Edwin Drood, code named Shaman Bond and he is a part of the Droods, an ancient family that purportedly watches over the world and protects it from various threats, including supernatural and magical ones.

Doctor Delirium, an insignificant villain, plans to acquire a powerful, mysterious item at a secret sale. This simple event explodes into complexity when someone kills the Drood matriarch and turns Eddie's family into a deadly mob, with horrifying consequences. The real enemy is truly worthy of the Drood clan: a race of immortals that plans to breach the gates of heaven itself.

From Hell with Love is written rather well. Greene has delightfully combined sharp-edged sarcasm and treachery upon treachery in an action urban fantasy adventure. The narrative is engaging, grapping, fast-paced, and emotionally intense as insights into the secret world of the Droods are revealed along with their immortal enemy. Greene has successfully blended of action, science fiction, fantasy, and pulp oddness.

All in all, From Hell with Love is written rather well and is a good start to what would hopefully be a wonderful series, which I plan to continue in the very near future.
Profile Image for Kathy Davie.
4,876 reviews737 followers
November 30, 2012
Fourth in the Secret Histories urban fantasy spy series revolving around Eddie Drood and the Drood brood.

This story takes place shortly after the Griffins die in the Nightside in Hell to Pay .

My Take
Think James Bond and an assortment of Spectres, just with a supernatural bent with a slight crossover with characters from the Nightside. The Droods have the best toys!

The Droods are the ultimate power, they think, in the world with their own private landing areas at all major airports around the world. "Major governments, organizations, and significant individuals the world over" let them do what they want and the Droods promise to leave them alone.


We do find out who some traitors are within the family along with some of what they're responsible for.

Oh, that Molly: "I'm starting to feel like she's the only sensible one here, and I'm not used to that."


I'd be worrying about Ethel having to think about how deceitful humans are...

The Story
There's a major artifact auction being put on by the Really Old Curiosity Shoppe at the about-to-open Magnificat Hotel and Eddie Drood has arrived to "pick up" a few things and prevent Doctor Delirium from getting the Apocalypse Door. Worse, the Family doesn't know that the Door is a true entry into Hell that could let loose Hell's inhabitants. Neither Eddie nor Luther think it will be a problem, with the Drood armor, of penetrating the many layers of security enwrapping the hotel. The problem could be the two opposing sets of mercenaries who suddenly pop in through dimensional doors!

Three events set the Drood Family and Eddie on this particular warpath: a sneering remark from a captured, dying enemy; a link Molly has discovered between the Droods and the death of her parents; and, an assassination inside Drood Hall.

One or more traitors are hidden within the Drood family, and it's time to find out who before they take down the family.

The Characters
Eddie Drood, a.k.a., Shaman Bond, is a field agent for the Drood family based in London. Molly Metcalf is his witchy girlfriend and her goal in life is to find out who killed her parents. Isabella is her sister, "a supernatural terrorist, twilight avenger, and so hardcore in her convictions she could scare the wings off an angel". Louisa is the youngest sister. She's been dead seven years now and it hasn't held her back.

Martha Drood is the Matriarch of the Droods, Eddie's grandmother. She rules the family with an Advisory Council consisting of Uncle Jack, the Armourer who has way too much fun in his workshop (think James Bond's Q); William is the whacko Librarian with Rafe as his assistant (and nanny); Cousin Harry is still plotting for his own gain with his partner, Roger Morningstar, the half-demon, his half-brother, AND his lover; there's still a Cedric as Serjeant-at-Arms, but he's sneakier than his predecessor; and, you just can't keep Ethel out of anything. Other significant Droods include Callan, who is the Head of the War Room and adjusting to his new torc; Howard is in charge of Operations; and, there's something in the Old Library that watches over William. Alistair is the Matriarch's second husband and he's been in a coma forever. Iorith is a new assistant to help William. Luther Drood is their Los Angeles agent and Eddie is worried that he's gone native.

The Bride is attending a Spawn of Frankenstein reunion at the Castle Hotel near Castle Frankenstein in Germany along with her boyfriend Springheel Jack. Baron Frankenstein, an Immortal, tries to infiltrate the reunion, but the Spawn aren't having it.

Doctor Delirium is a smalltime mad scientist with his own army who occasionally pops up to threaten the world with some plague or another. Timothy Drood, a.k.a., Tiger Tim, is Uncle James' son and he went rogue years ago, psychotic. The Lampton Wyrm is a seriously powerful dragon. Dom Langford is a mercenary who chose the wrong side.

Methuselah is the Leader of the Immortals. And he's bored.

The Droods sprang from a Druid back at the beginning, almost, of time who made a deal with the Heart, an alien entity, that had a horrific requirement. Eddie destroyed the Heart and has a new, more benign deal with Ethel, another alien entity. The Droods have since watched over the world, ensuring that nothing too horrible occurs and they are feared by all—"aliens, elves, mad scientists and their monsters, secret organizations, and ancient inhuman enemies". The Anti-Droods are the Immortals. A human reached the Heart first and made his own deal. Since then, the Immortals have manipulated history and the Droods for their own profit.

The Cover
The cover is cold and snowy with Molly and Eddie prepared to close the beautifully carved Apocalypse door and its doorframe as it begins to open.

The title plays off the James Bond movie, From Russia with Love, as well as a nickname for Los Angeles, Hell A, so hullo, it's From Hell with Love where our adventure begins.
Profile Image for Eric Smith.
334 reviews31 followers
July 1, 2017
Another fun ride in the world of Simon R. Green. A step back in the right direction from the last book with plenty of mystery, magic and mayhem to go around. This proved a great opportunity to see a bit more of the ruthless side of Eddie's character while also throwing up a big new enemy to deal with. My only regret is that I don't think they were utilized to their fullest potential but that's just my opinion and it was a lot of good fun. Good addition to the series with some wonderful twists and a few unexpected but welcome characters.
26 reviews
March 12, 2019
It was a good story. The reason only 3 instead of 4 is because the ending. 3.5 After everything the villains put the main characters through and build up the ending was a bit of a let down and felt a little lazy at the end. The beginning and middle were very good. Some of the Villains I thought could have been done a bit better. Overall not a bad book just not as well fleshed out as the previous.
243 reviews2 followers
January 18, 2018
This is the fourth book of the series, if you have made it here, you know what to expect. It is weaker than its predecessor (I am beginning to sense a pattern here), but improves over time. Other than that, there are new people to intimidate, new enemies to kill and new quips to be made.
It is nice when a series finds its pace.
Profile Image for Nicole Green.
63 reviews1 follower
June 1, 2019
The first in this series was a good read... then subsequently worse and worse till this one is soooooo bad I wonder where the editor was.
Bad writing, bad editing and childish plot.

Unreadable

sorry
1,243 reviews9 followers
October 9, 2020
One in a series featuring Eddie Drood, one of the Drooks responsible for keeping the magical world in control. There's a good amount of humor, but ultimately it didn't hold my interest and I didn't finish it.
Profile Image for Charl.
1,508 reviews7 followers
November 27, 2020
Eddie Drood rides again. As good as the previous, yet still readable by itself. Better, of course, if you've read the previous books, but Green gives enough "fill-in" info you could get by without them.

Thoroughly enjoyed it.
755 reviews
January 18, 2022
So, i started the first book in this series and didn't finish because i just didn't like the content etc.. ,but this one i really enjoyed. Weird that the 4th one would be way better and I didn't even know the content of the first 3. Oh well. I'll keep reading for now.
Profile Image for Dan Beaver.
119 reviews
July 26, 2023
Green is prolific, but in his rush to create so many stories in such a short period of time, he is prone to cliche and pedestrian dialogue. Still, the universe is interesting and I will soldier through at least one more book in the series to see if it gets better.
Profile Image for Harrison.
133 reviews
September 25, 2017
This might be my favorite of those Simon R Green series I've been going through. I like the riff on James Bond. I like the cold opens. I like the first person narration. It's good stuff.
Profile Image for John.
872 reviews52 followers
January 9, 2018
Simon Green's books are always interesting and exciting. They are enjoyable, without asking too much of you, kind of like an action movie.
Profile Image for Chianna.
416 reviews
March 1, 2018
I love this series. I love Eddie and Mollie...it's so different from anything I've ever read. I'm so happy I stumbled upon this author/series...the ending though...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews

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