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kathydavie's review
5.0
Whoa…blends the traditional concept of hell with the most gruesome descriptions of both the physical descriptions and the characters of demons as well as how Hell is divided up. Interesting to read how the individual sinner’s “badness” directs their role in hell. Now combine this with the “good” demons going to war with the “bad” demons…
morkskittar's review
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
carinthia72's review
5.0
Barlowe has a true gift for luscious, beautiful prose, and he brings Hell, in all its awful splendor, alive for the reader. The story, of a demon who longs for his lost paradise and the forgiveness of his creator, is moving without being preachy or getting bogged down in theology. His treatment of court intrigue and political maneuvering are also excellent. Highly recommended.
mrninjaviking's review
4.0
This is the debut novel by famed artist Wayne Barlowe. I have read rumblings around the internet that he is to have a sequel of this book soon, though it appears that it won't be directly. Just another story following the events of this first book. I hope this is true, because I really enjoyed this one.
Here is the description on Amazon's web site about the book:
Obviously, I was struck with the idea of a demon/fallen angel trying to gain it's entrance back into Heaven. It is an easy concept to come up with, but quite hard to fathom creating an actual novel out of it. At first, the idea really grabbed me. I put this book on my wish list at Amazon, only to delete a couple of months later. It had not been released yet, and I was unsure now that I really wanted to read it. Only after it's release did I go back to it and start to read the reviews. What really struck me was people that were big admirers of Milton's Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno actually saying how well this book holds up against these classics. It sparked my interest in it again.
One reason, I am sure, that this book holds up well is it's style. Barlowe's writing is as imaginative as his artwork. His prose is flowing and graceful, or harsh when it needs to be, without being a first time novelist trying too hard. His descriptions are breathtaking, whether the scenes around Hell, or those describing "life" in Hell. To add, some of his concepts, especially what can happen to the damned souls of Hell, is very original (to me) and quite terrifying (if you really think about it). He took things that were simple, made them seem complex and in a bigger scope then could be imagined, yet was concise with his presentation of it in the story. It is quite impressive.
As for the story itself, he does a good job giving the reader something to really hold on to.
The story gives us a few battles, and the military machinations that are needed with it. So at times it is part action story. Those scenes, like many in the fantasy genre before it, hold up quite well. I am not an expert, or really read many books with battle scenes, but from those I have read, these are well put together.
Some of the sequences in the book were not well defined as far as time elapsed in the story. Out of the gate there seems to be feel that it is very recently after The Fall, and those that have fallen are figuring out what they want to do and how they will build their cities. But soon we are many millennia down the road. There are new characters brought in and talk of how it has been hundreds of years since they have seen each other. Most of the time there is no good grasp of how time is progressing. And though sometimes it had me shaking my head, it seems so completely appropriate. After all, do we really know how time will elapse in the afterlife? Considering it's eternity, in many respects it doesn't matter.
The characters were well displayed and showed some depth. Some I felt could have used more. Especially Sargatanas considering his discovery of what his feelings were and what he wanted to do about them. A lesser demon, a military leader for Sargatanas named Eligor, and one of the main characters of the story, has more depth then the main figure. Also, one character changed in the middle of the story, though it can be seen as appropriate, it still kind of bothered me. He is a soul trying to get Sargatanas' attention, then finds out who he truly was in life. This part also had me thinking it was a little too forced or convenient. The soul turns out to be a famous military general and is asked to train and lead an army of souls into battle. Though given Sargatanas' feelings towards life in Hell, and the idea of redemption to those fighting the dark forces, even the souls, is very much in line.
A lot of what I liked in this book was the visual descriptions that Barlowe gives the reader. I tend to really like well thought out "worlds" in fantasy and science fiction. But the biggest draw for me is the sheer audacity that Barlowe had for even thinking to write such a story. And overall he does it well. His writing skills really hold up throughout. Part of that is the story, too. That audacity the author showed carried over to the main character, and with his supporting cast, it made for a great novel.
Here is the description on Amazon's web site about the book:
Lucifer's War, which damned legions of angels to Hell, is an ancient and bitter memory shrouded in the smoke and ash of the Inferno. The Fallen, those banished demons who escaped the full wrath of Heaven, have established a limitless and oppressive kingdom within the fiery confines of Hell. Lucifer has not been seen since the Fall and the mantle of rulership has been passed to the horrific Prince Beelzebub, the Lord of the Flies. The Demons Major, Heaven's former warriors, have become the ruling class. They are the equivalent to landed lords, each owing allegiance to the de facto ruler of Hell. They reign over their fiefdoms, tormenting the damned souls and adding to their wealth. One Demon Major, however, who has not forgotten his former life in Heaven. The powerful Lord Sargatanas is restless. For millennia, Sargatanas has ruled dutifully but unenthusiastically, building his city, Adamantinarx, into the model of an Infernal metropolis. But he has never forgotten what he lost in the Fall-proximity to God. He is sickened by what he has become. Now, with a small event - a confrontation with one of the damned souls - he makes a decision that will reverberate through every being in Hell. Sargatanas decides to attempt the impossible, to rebel, to endeavor to go Home and bring with him anyone who chooses to follow . . . be they demon or soul. He will stake everything on this chance for redemption.
Obviously, I was struck with the idea of a demon/fallen angel trying to gain it's entrance back into Heaven. It is an easy concept to come up with, but quite hard to fathom creating an actual novel out of it. At first, the idea really grabbed me. I put this book on my wish list at Amazon, only to delete a couple of months later. It had not been released yet, and I was unsure now that I really wanted to read it. Only after it's release did I go back to it and start to read the reviews. What really struck me was people that were big admirers of Milton's Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno actually saying how well this book holds up against these classics. It sparked my interest in it again.
One reason, I am sure, that this book holds up well is it's style. Barlowe's writing is as imaginative as his artwork. His prose is flowing and graceful, or harsh when it needs to be, without being a first time novelist trying too hard. His descriptions are breathtaking, whether the scenes around Hell, or those describing "life" in Hell. To add, some of his concepts, especially what can happen to the damned souls of Hell, is very original (to me) and quite terrifying (if you really think about it). He took things that were simple, made them seem complex and in a bigger scope then could be imagined, yet was concise with his presentation of it in the story. It is quite impressive.
As for the story itself, he does a good job giving the reader something to really hold on to.
The story gives us a few battles, and the military machinations that are needed with it. So at times it is part action story. Those scenes, like many in the fantasy genre before it, hold up quite well. I am not an expert, or really read many books with battle scenes, but from those I have read, these are well put together.
Some of the sequences in the book were not well defined as far as time elapsed in the story. Out of the gate there seems to be feel that it is very recently after The Fall, and those that have fallen are figuring out what they want to do and how they will build their cities. But soon we are many millennia down the road. There are new characters brought in and talk of how it has been hundreds of years since they have seen each other. Most of the time there is no good grasp of how time is progressing. And though sometimes it had me shaking my head, it seems so completely appropriate. After all, do we really know how time will elapse in the afterlife? Considering it's eternity, in many respects it doesn't matter.
The characters were well displayed and showed some depth. Some I felt could have used more. Especially Sargatanas considering his discovery of what his feelings were and what he wanted to do about them. A lesser demon, a military leader for Sargatanas named Eligor, and one of the main characters of the story, has more depth then the main figure. Also, one character changed in the middle of the story, though it can be seen as appropriate, it still kind of bothered me. He is a soul trying to get Sargatanas' attention, then finds out who he truly was in life. This part also had me thinking it was a little too forced or convenient. The soul turns out to be a famous military general and is asked to train and lead an army of souls into battle. Though given Sargatanas' feelings towards life in Hell, and the idea of redemption to those fighting the dark forces, even the souls, is very much in line.
A lot of what I liked in this book was the visual descriptions that Barlowe gives the reader. I tend to really like well thought out "worlds" in fantasy and science fiction. But the biggest draw for me is the sheer audacity that Barlowe had for even thinking to write such a story. And overall he does it well. His writing skills really hold up throughout. Part of that is the story, too. That audacity the author showed carried over to the main character, and with his supporting cast, it made for a great novel.
shane_tiernan's review
5.0
This was awesome. I actually finished it more than a week ago but I’m just getting around to reviewing it. I’ve enjoyed Barlowe’s Inferno books even thought I don’t think the art itself is amazing I love the concepts – how all the structures in Hell are huge, how the souls carry their essence in black spheres that protrude and move about their bodies. I love the glyphs above the demons heads. All that is brought to life with many more ideas that make Hell a very memorable setting.
The plot was original, there was plenty of action, and the “bad” guys (or this is hell so the “badder” guys”) were really freaking bad. Beelzebub was scary and I actually felt myself cringing at the helplessness of his victims. The addition of Lillith was definitely a cool touch and I could see any sequel most likely involving her as one of the main characters. The story also inspired me. One line inspired the entire plot of a short story – of course I would have to write it to prove truly inspired.
So I’m very curious what Mr. Barlowe will have for us next, though I’m not sure how well it will hold up to this amazing piece of fiction.
The plot was original, there was plenty of action, and the “bad” guys (or this is hell so the “badder” guys”) were really freaking bad. Beelzebub was scary and I actually felt myself cringing at the helplessness of his victims. The addition of Lillith was definitely a cool touch and I could see any sequel most likely involving her as one of the main characters. The story also inspired me. One line inspired the entire plot of a short story – of course I would have to write it to prove truly inspired.
So I’m very curious what Mr. Barlowe will have for us next, though I’m not sure how well it will hold up to this amazing piece of fiction.
geofroggatt's review
3.0
I discovered this book in the Books of Horror Facebook group (the only reason I use Facebook these days) when I was asking for recommendations for books that follow Demons or books that explore the world of the Christian Hell as a physical place. Inspired by Christian demonology, this book tells the story of Sargatanas, a Fallen Angel who participated in Lucifer’s rebellion but has since repented and now seeks God's forgiveness so he can return to Heaven. As much as I am an agnostic and heavy critic of the Christian organized religion, I’ve always loved Christian mythology and art. I loved this book and its exploration of the Christian Hell, and I loved Sargatanas as a character and protagonist. I loved this cast of demonic characters. I loved the mythology and history of Hell as a place and I loved seeing the governmental and political structure of the cities of Hell. I loved hearing about Hell as a world and the unique visions the author has about its architecture and machinations. I loved hearing the histories of the characters and how they related to each other, and I loved the grand infernal and divine scope given to the world of this story. As a reader it was easy to see how the artist/painter turned author focused on lavish descriptions, and I can see how this book would be even better had the author chose to focus more on plot and dialogue, but personally the beautiful and haunting descriptions more than made up for the other parts of the story that were lacking. I loved the feeling of sadness and regret that came with Sargatanas lamenting his existence after coming to regret his decision to participate in Lucifer’s rebellion. The atmosphere was so vivid and it was easy to imagine the slow centuries passing as Sargatanas lived his lonely existence. I loved the idea of Lucifer abandoning Hell and his followers and the mystery surrounding his absence that permeates the story. I loved the parallel between Lucifer’s rebellion in Heaven and Sargatanas’s rebellion in Hell. The politics of Hell were very interesting and I liked the way that different cities of Hell were depicted and interacted with each other with different governmental structures. The author's vision of Hell is outstanding with a great attention to detail. As can be expected, it is a brutal domain, but it's also a cold and unfeeling Hell. Hell existed with its own denizens before the Fall and the arrival of the cast out angels and condemned human souls transforms the landscape. Beyond the well-crafted setting there's the core story of the search for redemption with one of the Demon Lords wanting to return to Heaven. It's a grand quest and one that involves the first true war in Hell. The campaign follows a familiar path, however there are some twists and turns and imaginative use of the demons and souls abilities to keep things interesting. The tale is told from a few different perspectives, each carrying a different theme. While all these different characters offer important pieces to the overall story, Lilith was the standout character for me and I found her to be the most interesting and sympathetic character. I loved these characters and this world, but by the end I do feel like this book was missing something plot-wise, as if there was one small storytelling element missing that would have elevated this story into something great, however I do think that that missing piece of the story that I wanted will be incorporated into the sequel novel, and I’m excited to read it and find out. I loved the ending, but I do feel like it could have been more impactful had the characterizations been stronger. Overall, this book wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been, but I did enjoy it and would love to see an animated movie or television series adaptation using the author’s own art style.
ksultzer10946's review
3.0
So, part of the problem is that I don't really enjoy biblical mythology so much and find the whole concept of hell ludicrous. Putting that aside, this is a perfectly adequate book. Barlowe needs to work on showing, not telling, as a great deal of the characters emotions are simply told to us. I find most of the characters motivations sort of weird, and the ending is a little too happy for a book about hell.
alyz's review
4.0
A brilliantly visceral and engrossing depiction of hell and its mind blowing, stomach turning torments. A book that strikes an unholy trinity that sickens, fascinates and devours the reader. Whilst the plot and story arc jitter here and there, it remains a powerful tale of redemption amongst a fascinating framework of theology, cruelty and despair.
connorp2814's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
To have the main characters of a book be Fallen Angels now turned Demons is a very interesting take...esspecially considering what people's percieved ideas of what Demons are. This book really takes that idea and unravels it little by little, really disecting whether or not Demons were born to be evil, or chose to be evil, and then asks is it possible to repent after commiting to their worst atrocity...the war against God and Heaven.
Barlowe can pull you in many different emotions with his wide variety of characters. The antagonist Demons do every dastardly deed possible, rape, pillage, enslave, wage war, and the reader can feel the negative emotions spring off the page...
But the protagonist Demons smile, have feasts, embrace each other, 1 specific Male character and 1 specific female character even find love and even have a consensual sexual relationship...the feeling of loyalty, friendship, and love eminates from the protagonists. Even as they face eternal damnation they still find things to be content about.
You can feel the stark differences in attitude, and how each denomination (protagonists vs antagonists) really feel about spending eternity in Hell.
Barlowe is able to pull you in different directions and actually make you feel remorse for the protagonists and complete indifference for the antagonists. You understand the protagonists struggle, the world they have been thrust into and forced to abide by, untill...
...thats when the book really kicks off its philisophical discussion of morality, right and wrong.
When it comes to the setting, God's Demon is practically a masterclass in world building and setting the scene using said world building. The landscape of Hell is completley unforgiving, more so than the Demons that inhabit it, and you can feel the terror jump off the page. Everything from the slave work camps, to the wastes beyond the confines of city walls feels real, almost as if written as a first hand account. The idea that Hell was inhabited for thousands of years before the Demons, by various floral and fauna, even sentient humonoid species, is a take that will live forever among the other great non fiction stories of theology. It adds a whole new depth to the concept of Hell and really begs the question if Hell was evil or not before the Demons got there.
Overall, an incredible read that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Great cast of characters, lovable protagonists, and very loathsome antagonists...builds for an excellent story that asks "who is right?" And Im not sure if the book even answers the question.
Barlowe can pull you in many different emotions with his wide variety of characters. The antagonist Demons do every dastardly deed possible, rape, pillage, enslave, wage war, and the reader can feel the negative emotions spring off the page...
But the protagonist Demons smile, have feasts, embrace each other, 1 specific Male character and 1 specific female character even find love and even have a consensual sexual relationship...the feeling of loyalty, friendship, and love eminates from the protagonists. Even as they face eternal damnation they still find things to be content about.
You can feel the stark differences in attitude, and how each denomination (protagonists vs antagonists) really feel about spending eternity in Hell.
Barlowe is able to pull you in different directions and actually make you feel remorse for the protagonists and complete indifference for the antagonists. You understand the protagonists struggle, the world they have been thrust into and forced to abide by, untill...
...thats when the book really kicks off its philisophical discussion of morality, right and wrong.
When it comes to the setting, God's Demon is practically a masterclass in world building and setting the scene using said world building. The landscape of Hell is completley unforgiving, more so than the Demons that inhabit it, and you can feel the terror jump off the page. Everything from the slave work camps, to the wastes beyond the confines of city walls feels real, almost as if written as a first hand account. The idea that Hell was inhabited for thousands of years before the Demons, by various floral and fauna, even sentient humonoid species, is a take that will live forever among the other great non fiction stories of theology. It adds a whole new depth to the concept of Hell and really begs the question if Hell was evil or not before the Demons got there.
Overall, an incredible read that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Great cast of characters, lovable protagonists, and very loathsome antagonists...builds for an excellent story that asks "who is right?" And Im not sure if the book even answers the question.
petrellaclayton98's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Gods Demon is such an ambitious story that not many could pull off to the extent that Barlow did. Being his first book, I also find it to be very impressive. Using his website to view his artistic renditions of many characters, and locations only adds to the depth that his world actually is. Political intrigue, rebellion, love story, religious commentary and so much more all in one. Simply amazing. Cannot wait to read the sequel.