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Hellbound #2
I Am Satan
“If you thought the first book was mind bending, well then get ready to have your mind shattered…” – Scary MindsMichael has been banished to Hell, charged with reforming the lost souls of Damnation. The new 'Satan' instead chooses to make his own fate. His plan? Save Charlotte, take control of Hell, and build an army…The Hellbound Trilogy continues, with book two.
262 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 2012
About the author
Tim Hawken
13 books61 followersTim’s first novel, Hellbound, was born while on the road, written on airplanes and in hotel rooms. The book was discovered on an online writer’s forum by Dangerous Little Books author CJ Werleman (God Hates You, Hate Him Back), who immediately recommended it to his publisher. Hellbound has since been followed by sequels, I Am Satan and Deicide.
Tim has gone on to win the AHWA ‘Flash Fiction’ Story of the Year twice (2013, 2020) and has been shortlisted for an Australian Shadows Award. He has recently contributed to best-selling books such as Dear Santa, Dear Dad, and Dear Mum, plus released a literary fiction novel under the pen name T.S. Hawken.
To get frequent updates about Tim and his work you can sign up to his newsletter on his website, or follow along on Instagram where he posts a 100-word, art-inspired story most days (@tim_hawken).
Tim has gone on to win the AHWA ‘Flash Fiction’ Story of the Year twice (2013, 2020) and has been shortlisted for an Australian Shadows Award. He has recently contributed to best-selling books such as Dear Santa, Dear Dad, and Dear Mum, plus released a literary fiction novel under the pen name T.S. Hawken.
To get frequent updates about Tim and his work you can sign up to his newsletter on his website, or follow along on Instagram where he posts a 100-word, art-inspired story most days (@tim_hawken).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 11, 2022
Set in hell, this reads like an epic movie with amazing characters, twists and description. It's horrific, original and so gripping! Also very thought provoking and deep. This second book does not disappoint and brings so much more to this dark mind blowing story
December 23, 2013
I'm not sure if I mentioned this in my review of the last book, but I really enjoy when authors explore theological themes and make old religious ideas feel fresh and exciting in their books. I think my interest in theology and religious themes stem from my background. It also may have a little something with me being a history geek as well. When writing heavy religious themes, especially when adding many unique elements, I often find that I think the writer is either trying too hard or not trying hard enough. I can be very particular about this, and for that reason, that's why I'm pleased that this series has continued to entertain me.
I Am Satan is the continuation of Michael's journey through Hell, the second book in Tim Hawken's Hellbound trilogy. After the events of the last book, Michael is now Hell's new caretaker, and he is not pleased. This displeasure doesn't just come from his new role as Satan, even though it is part of the reason. In the last book, Michael learned some harrowing truths about God, Satan, and how he fit into this master plan. These new truths, along with his primary motivation (love) compel him to vow that he'll get his revenge by building an army.
This book was more of a slow burn for me than the last one. In the first book, there was so much being introduced and so much going on as Michael and Satan traveled around Hell. There was much more mirth in the beginning of that book mostly because of Satan (the old Satan, I should say). The last part of the first book sort mellowed more into introspection, and that same feeling continues in this book. Now, that's not to say that there isn't any action or that this book is only thought-provoking prose. There's plenty of action to be had, but in a way, it feels like the story ripens as Michael matures in his journey.
Even with all the knowledge Michael gained in the last book, this book reinforces that there is still more for him to learn. There was more emphasis on Michael's learning process and exploring the idea of things like time, destiny (which I really liked Hawken's take on that) and emotions, which is spun in refreshing ways that can give a reader pause to think about these things. I appreciated that Michael didn't suddenly become this super being with all this unfathomable power just because he's the new Satan.
Michael is set to rebel against his fate and create his own by amassing knowledge. In the last book, he'd made great strides with learning how to control things such as the elements. There are still many things he has to learn in order to challenge what he's expected to do and take the fight to heaven, however. Then, there's the added fact that Michael's thirst for revenge, the fact that he's holding hard and fast to hatred, is starting to shape him physically into something sinister, a demon. In Hellbound,going to Heaven is presented as a choice for Hell's denizens which is a twist on the universal reconciliation idea. For some people, though, they decide to wallow in their sins, and they eventually become the avatar of the sin they hold to firmly.
Michael is starting down that path, but feels it will be worth it to save his love and forge his own destiny.As I stated in my last review, destiny is seen as something that isn't linear. There could be many possible ways for a person to achieve their ending fate. This second book took that a step further and played with the idea that there are many final outcomes that could be achieved in a innumerable amount of ways with some outcomes being more likely than others. It doesn't state that destiny doesn't exist more so than it's tempered with many external and internal factors.
With that in mind, Michael does have a clear goal for what he wants to achieve, how he wants to challenge his "fate," but the road to achieving this is full of funny twists and turns.
Michael isn't the only person who keeps this story running. There's a colorful cast of characters that you'll love and hate who help to round out Michael's journey. Hawken added a few of The Bible's more infamous characters to the story, and he even toyed around with some elements of The Divine Comedy, which I think I was expecting this to be some take on that poem originally and it turned out to be much more than that.
Hawken's writing can invoke very vivid imagery, especially if you're a highly visual person who can easily get lost in descriptions and ideas. The prose definitely pops. There were parts of the story that felt a bit too convenient and tidy in the midst of what was going on, but that didn't dampen my enjoyment of the book. I think this was a strong follow-up to the first book, and I'll be bumping the last book, Deicide, higher on TBR pile because I have to see how this all ends.
I Am Satan is the continuation of Michael's journey through Hell, the second book in Tim Hawken's Hellbound trilogy. After the events of the last book, Michael is now Hell's new caretaker, and he is not pleased. This displeasure doesn't just come from his new role as Satan, even though it is part of the reason. In the last book, Michael learned some harrowing truths about God, Satan, and how he fit into this master plan. These new truths, along with his primary motivation (love) compel him to vow that he'll get his revenge by building an army.
This book was more of a slow burn for me than the last one. In the first book, there was so much being introduced and so much going on as Michael and Satan traveled around Hell. There was much more mirth in the beginning of that book mostly because of Satan (the old Satan, I should say). The last part of the first book sort mellowed more into introspection, and that same feeling continues in this book. Now, that's not to say that there isn't any action or that this book is only thought-provoking prose. There's plenty of action to be had, but in a way, it feels like the story ripens as Michael matures in his journey.
Even with all the knowledge Michael gained in the last book, this book reinforces that there is still more for him to learn. There was more emphasis on Michael's learning process and exploring the idea of things like time, destiny (which I really liked Hawken's take on that) and emotions, which is spun in refreshing ways that can give a reader pause to think about these things. I appreciated that Michael didn't suddenly become this super being with all this unfathomable power just because he's the new Satan.
Michael is set to rebel against his fate and create his own by amassing knowledge. In the last book, he'd made great strides with learning how to control things such as the elements. There are still many things he has to learn in order to challenge what he's expected to do and take the fight to heaven, however. Then, there's the added fact that Michael's thirst for revenge, the fact that he's holding hard and fast to hatred, is starting to shape him physically into something sinister, a demon. In Hellbound,going to Heaven is presented as a choice for Hell's denizens which is a twist on the universal reconciliation idea. For some people, though, they decide to wallow in their sins, and they eventually become the avatar of the sin they hold to firmly.
Michael is starting down that path, but feels it will be worth it to save his love and forge his own destiny.As I stated in my last review, destiny is seen as something that isn't linear. There could be many possible ways for a person to achieve their ending fate. This second book took that a step further and played with the idea that there are many final outcomes that could be achieved in a innumerable amount of ways with some outcomes being more likely than others. It doesn't state that destiny doesn't exist more so than it's tempered with many external and internal factors.
With that in mind, Michael does have a clear goal for what he wants to achieve, how he wants to challenge his "fate," but the road to achieving this is full of funny twists and turns.
Michael isn't the only person who keeps this story running. There's a colorful cast of characters that you'll love and hate who help to round out Michael's journey. Hawken added a few of The Bible's more infamous characters to the story, and he even toyed around with some elements of The Divine Comedy, which I think I was expecting this to be some take on that poem originally and it turned out to be much more than that.
Hawken's writing can invoke very vivid imagery, especially if you're a highly visual person who can easily get lost in descriptions and ideas. The prose definitely pops. There were parts of the story that felt a bit too convenient and tidy in the midst of what was going on, but that didn't dampen my enjoyment of the book. I think this was a strong follow-up to the first book, and I'll be bumping the last book, Deicide, higher on TBR pile because I have to see how this all ends.
January 1, 2014
Now ruling Hell, Michael has a lot to handle and little time in which to acclimatise to his new role. He has to consolidate his rule to ensure that Hell doesn’t fall into complete chaos without Satan at the helm and start making plans for his ultimate goal
But that also means pinning down exactly what his ultimate goal is – revenge against Asmodius, or rescuing Charlotte, his true love, from Purgatory. Which is more important to him and does it matter which path he chooses?
And can he become powerful enough to do either?
The more he learns and prepares the more he learns about the entire world around him and how sorely in need of reform it is – but how can one man manage that in the face of the will of god? And what would he reform it to?
There is a change of focus in this book, as Hellbound was a very personal book, focused almost entirely on Michael, on him learning who he is, learning the nature of Hell and, ultimately, the big reveal. This was an excellent way to firmly establish the character and his viewpoints as well as to explore the world through his lens – a limit that was necessary to make the end reveal all the more powerful.
I Am Satan expands the world a lot more, we see a lot more of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven through the eyes of many inhabitants (even if told from Michael’s point of view) and, therefore, more of the nature of the world without Michael’s views, Asmodius’s hate or God’s propaganda. It took things that were hinted at before and widened the lens to show how deeply flawed the creation is in so many different ways. Even elements that looked so possible on paper in the first book, like the redemption from Hell when souls have confronted their sins, fades with this wider lens and we see how conditions in Hell are such that most souls will inevitably end up further corrupted more than they will ever face redemption as they’re put into a rule-less, brutal world where the strong and ruthless are rewarded and the weak suffer and are preyed upon (this also, as a side note, also makes for an excellent comparative metaphor to our own prison system).
The book also makes an excellent job of not just demonising god as evil – that would be easy and simplistic, and this book is anything but simplistic. There’s even parts of the book where it’s expressly said that the world suffers when god is inattentive. It’s more that god is incapable or unwilling to see things outside of his own lens of experience – it’s a classic case of ignorance and lack of empathy more than active malice (at least before the end of the last book) as well as a complete lack of understanding the human experience. This leads to suicides being harshly judged, being unable to see the burdens placed . God sees the forest and ignores the trees – and sees no problem in cutting huge swathes out of them to improve his view and make everything prettier.
All of this is revealed in slow stages, through the stories of Judas and Mary Magdalene (both of which have some fascinating twists to their stories – including an excellent reimagining of the cleansing of the seven demons from Mary), through the knowledge of Zoroaster, the Perceptionist and various other figures – never too much at once and always building together a series of stories all coming to the same conclusion to give a complete picture built up of a series of elements.
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But that also means pinning down exactly what his ultimate goal is – revenge against Asmodius, or rescuing Charlotte, his true love, from Purgatory. Which is more important to him and does it matter which path he chooses?
And can he become powerful enough to do either?
The more he learns and prepares the more he learns about the entire world around him and how sorely in need of reform it is – but how can one man manage that in the face of the will of god? And what would he reform it to?
There is a change of focus in this book, as Hellbound was a very personal book, focused almost entirely on Michael, on him learning who he is, learning the nature of Hell and, ultimately, the big reveal. This was an excellent way to firmly establish the character and his viewpoints as well as to explore the world through his lens – a limit that was necessary to make the end reveal all the more powerful.
I Am Satan expands the world a lot more, we see a lot more of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven through the eyes of many inhabitants (even if told from Michael’s point of view) and, therefore, more of the nature of the world without Michael’s views, Asmodius’s hate or God’s propaganda. It took things that were hinted at before and widened the lens to show how deeply flawed the creation is in so many different ways. Even elements that looked so possible on paper in the first book, like the redemption from Hell when souls have confronted their sins, fades with this wider lens and we see how conditions in Hell are such that most souls will inevitably end up further corrupted more than they will ever face redemption as they’re put into a rule-less, brutal world where the strong and ruthless are rewarded and the weak suffer and are preyed upon (this also, as a side note, also makes for an excellent comparative metaphor to our own prison system).
The book also makes an excellent job of not just demonising god as evil – that would be easy and simplistic, and this book is anything but simplistic. There’s even parts of the book where it’s expressly said that the world suffers when god is inattentive. It’s more that god is incapable or unwilling to see things outside of his own lens of experience – it’s a classic case of ignorance and lack of empathy more than active malice (at least before the end of the last book) as well as a complete lack of understanding the human experience. This leads to suicides being harshly judged, being unable to see the burdens placed . God sees the forest and ignores the trees – and sees no problem in cutting huge swathes out of them to improve his view and make everything prettier.
All of this is revealed in slow stages, through the stories of Judas and Mary Magdalene (both of which have some fascinating twists to their stories – including an excellent reimagining of the cleansing of the seven demons from Mary), through the knowledge of Zoroaster, the Perceptionist and various other figures – never too much at once and always building together a series of stories all coming to the same conclusion to give a complete picture built up of a series of elements.
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August 22, 2012
I had some reservation regarding Hellbound, the first book of the trilogy, but with this one I have none. Maybe just some typos but I can live with that :) The plot is interesting, the pace is good and even the character development is handled nicely.
There is not much I can say about the plot without giving too much away but let's just say that we deal here with an epic about the power of love, about sin and redemption, about revenge and last but not least about God. Is he good? Is he righteous? He gave us free will but punishes us when we make use of it. Or that's how Michael sees it anyway.
But what really makes this series special for me are the characters that populate it. Michael who is the main character, Smithy, an elderly war pilot plagued by guilt for following orders, Perceptionist, Zoroaster (or Zarathustra) with his concept of liberating power of telling truth, I could go on and on.
I can recommend this book to everyone who likes to read about religion from a different and questing angle or just to anyone who likes a good a read :) On the other had if you are a zealous Christian you probably want to avoid this one...
There is not much I can say about the plot without giving too much away but let's just say that we deal here with an epic about the power of love, about sin and redemption, about revenge and last but not least about God. Is he good? Is he righteous? He gave us free will but punishes us when we make use of it. Or that's how Michael sees it anyway.
But what really makes this series special for me are the characters that populate it. Michael who is the main character, Smithy, an elderly war pilot plagued by guilt for following orders, Perceptionist, Zoroaster (or Zarathustra) with his concept of liberating power of telling truth, I could go on and on.
I can recommend this book to everyone who likes to read about religion from a different and questing angle or just to anyone who likes a good a read :) On the other had if you are a zealous Christian you probably want to avoid this one...
December 12, 2013
Really liked this one a lot. The first was very good, and compelled me to read the second one straight after. The author really found his voice with this one. Brilliant.
4.5 stars.
4.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews