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Hellboy Novels #4
Hellboy: Unnatural Selection
Hellboy, a bloodred, cloven-hoofed demon raised by the United States government, is a top field agent for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. He questions the unknown -- then beats it into submission. A dragon is seen perching on the statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooking Rio de Janeiro . . . A werewolf stalks the streets of Baltimore . . . A griffin slaughters a herd of horses in Madrid . . . Weird sightings of cryptozoological and mythological creatures abound around the globe. Sometimes the creatures simply appear and then vanish again, content merely to put in an appearance. Other times they make themselves known to entire cities, and leave their mark. Damaged buildings. Scars on the landscape. The occasional death. Then suddenly, the death toll escalates. One by one Hellboy and his friends at the BPRD are dispatched to avert disaster. Hellboy encounters a dragon in Brazil. Abe Sapien tackles a giant alligator in Venice. Liz Sherman faces off against a phoenix in the Mediterranean. But in dawning horror they realize it's all a distraction -- heralding nothing so much as an event of apocalyptic proportions . . .
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 28, 2006
17 people are currently reading
880 people want to read
About the author
Tim Lebbon
294 books1,533 followersI love writing, reading, triathlon, real ale, chocolate, good movies, occasional bad movies, and cake.
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 15, 2010
From the Top Secret File of an Unofficial Reviewer of the Files Recording the Incident Henceforth Known as "The 1997 Event."
For Authorized Eyes Only
Date: 15 October 2010
I came upon this historical document, and I was amazed at how close the world came to a true cataclysm. Fortunately, Hellboy, and the BRPD were there to save the day, at some significant personal cost. Truly, the death toll was astounding. The engineer of these horrible happenings was a man with good intentions, but one who slipped over into madness. He believed that if he brought back the mythical creatures that had once ruled the world, but had since slipped into Memory (that lost place where the legends go when beliefs falter), the earth could be the beautiful Eden that it was. He declared war on modern humanity, for their wanton destruction and rape of the Earth.
It was no easy feat, reading about the carnage that creatures like griffins, sea serpents, dragons, huge black demonic dogs, and yes, even a kraken; and others perpetrated on humanity. These creatures had an unlimited capacity for destruction. Based on this document as reviewed, Heathrow Airport is a smoldering ruin, and London hasn't faired much better.
We can only thank the BRPD, including Hellboy, Liz Sherman, Abe Sapien, and the werewolf who strove to be human, Abby Paris, for fighting these creatures, not to mention those who gave their lives in sacrifice, for dealing with these threats, and the man behind them.
This historical document reminded me that humanity is frail. We live in arrogance, assuming that we are at the top of the food chain, that we are stronger than myth and legend, that we can easily defeat the ancient dragons and other beasts of the past; but there is always a price to be paid for our arrogance. We must also look at the darkness within ourselves and determine if we will fight it, and become the heroes that we are meant to be, or to become the villains.
I'm a mere civilian who happened to be privy to this information, but I can truly tell you, we dodged a bullet here. Even still, the world will not be safe, if it ever was; for some of the creatures of Memory now inhabit our world. And they are hungry and angry for their loss. The BRPD will have their work cut out for them, indeed.
My thanks to the brave recorder of these events, Mr. Tim Lebbon, for posterity's sake. It is my hope that we will use this information to be prepared for the worst that is to come.
Signed,
An Observer
For Authorized Eyes Only
Date: 15 October 2010
I came upon this historical document, and I was amazed at how close the world came to a true cataclysm. Fortunately, Hellboy, and the BRPD were there to save the day, at some significant personal cost. Truly, the death toll was astounding. The engineer of these horrible happenings was a man with good intentions, but one who slipped over into madness. He believed that if he brought back the mythical creatures that had once ruled the world, but had since slipped into Memory (that lost place where the legends go when beliefs falter), the earth could be the beautiful Eden that it was. He declared war on modern humanity, for their wanton destruction and rape of the Earth.
It was no easy feat, reading about the carnage that creatures like griffins, sea serpents, dragons, huge black demonic dogs, and yes, even a kraken; and others perpetrated on humanity. These creatures had an unlimited capacity for destruction. Based on this document as reviewed, Heathrow Airport is a smoldering ruin, and London hasn't faired much better.
We can only thank the BRPD, including Hellboy, Liz Sherman, Abe Sapien, and the werewolf who strove to be human, Abby Paris, for fighting these creatures, not to mention those who gave their lives in sacrifice, for dealing with these threats, and the man behind them.
This historical document reminded me that humanity is frail. We live in arrogance, assuming that we are at the top of the food chain, that we are stronger than myth and legend, that we can easily defeat the ancient dragons and other beasts of the past; but there is always a price to be paid for our arrogance. We must also look at the darkness within ourselves and determine if we will fight it, and become the heroes that we are meant to be, or to become the villains.
I'm a mere civilian who happened to be privy to this information, but I can truly tell you, we dodged a bullet here. Even still, the world will not be safe, if it ever was; for some of the creatures of Memory now inhabit our world. And they are hungry and angry for their loss. The BRPD will have their work cut out for them, indeed.
My thanks to the brave recorder of these events, Mr. Tim Lebbon, for posterity's sake. It is my hope that we will use this information to be prepared for the worst that is to come.
Signed,
An Observer
August 23, 2015
The best of the Hellboy novels I've read so far.
The basic plot is a radical environmentalist's wife is murdered by the government and he then decides to cleanse the world by bringing back all of the creatures of myth. So he and his sons, using a mixture of magic and science, release magical (and mostly deadly) creatures on the world. So we have Hellboy and the BPRD battling dragons, giant birds, griffins, krakens, werewolves, demons and more. Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman also play major roles in this one.
If you love monster stories like me, you'll love this novel. I think this was the first Tim Lebbon work I've read, and I was impressed. If you're a Hellboy or Lebbon fan, read this ASAP. If you arent familiar with Hellboy or Lebbon, but like monster stories, try this one out.
The basic plot is a radical environmentalist's wife is murdered by the government and he then decides to cleanse the world by bringing back all of the creatures of myth. So he and his sons, using a mixture of magic and science, release magical (and mostly deadly) creatures on the world. So we have Hellboy and the BPRD battling dragons, giant birds, griffins, krakens, werewolves, demons and more. Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman also play major roles in this one.
If you love monster stories like me, you'll love this novel. I think this was the first Tim Lebbon work I've read, and I was impressed. If you're a Hellboy or Lebbon fan, read this ASAP. If you arent familiar with Hellboy or Lebbon, but like monster stories, try this one out.
February 8, 2009
Last year - in August, I think - I picked up a Hellboy novel called On Earth As It Is In Hell, by Brian Hodge. I needed something to read, and I couldn't find anything else that looked interesting in the time I had. I figured it would be a quick, mindless read. I was wrong. I was honestly surprised at how engrossing and well written the book was. I think I read it in two days, as I could hardly put it down. Fast forward to my birthday, and my darlin' giving me an Amazon.ca gift certificate. I used it to order a bunch of books, including four more Hellboy novels. I was surprised to find one of them, Unnatural Selection, was by an author I'd read before and had quite enjoyed. As it was listed as the 'next book', I read it first. I just finished it a couple days ago, and again, I was very, very pleased with the book. Lebbon is an excellent horror writer, and his visual way of writing suits the genre really well. I can always picture wonderful the images he paints with his words. Unnatural Selection read like a good horror novel, mixed with action, mystery, and /excellent/ character development. Even though I know the characters he's writing very well, Lebbon brings a depth and insight to them that was just a pleasure to see. All in all, Unnatural Selection was an excellent novel, and one I'd recommend to any fan of Hellboy. I also have to strongly recommend Lebbon's other work, to any fan of horror. He's a wonderful author that shouldn't be overlooked.
October 17, 2020
This is one of the better Hellboy prose novels from Pocket/Dark Horse. It's a action-packed, complex story with considerable misdirection (you really have to pay attention), and Lebbon does a fine job of building seemingly unrelated events into a deep and compelling plot. I thought he did a good job of getting the characters right, too. More popcorn, please.
June 22, 2011
My only exposure to Hellboy has been the excellent films by Guollermo Del Toro. I expected more of the same here but that was not quite what I got in this novel by Tim Lebbon. The book is about 50% wonder and 50% cornball and by the end you will find cornball is winning.
February 14, 2015
Wow. This one was hard to put down because of everything going on, I really wanted to see what would happen next. There's not only the mystery element when the creatures first start showing up randomly and attacking, but also the nail-biting action and thrills as the BPRD figures out what is going on and it becomes a race to the finish. Can they reach the architect of these monster attacks before he achieves his goal? What exactly is his goal? And what does werewolf and BPRD new(ish) recruit Abby Paris have to do with all this?
The story is broken down into chunks following certain characters at certain points in time. At first, we see the two Blake brothers finding fabled pieces of mythological creatures with the help of an ancient tome throughout the past, and then we see the results of the brothers' efforts as these creatures come to life and attack the world in 1997 (where the bulk of the story takes place).
Definitely a fun read.
The story is broken down into chunks following certain characters at certain points in time. At first, we see the two Blake brothers finding fabled pieces of mythological creatures with the help of an ancient tome throughout the past, and then we see the results of the brothers' efforts as these creatures come to life and attack the world in 1997 (where the bulk of the story takes place).
Definitely a fun read.
July 12, 2020
Mike Mignola's Hellboy Series is a highly regarded work of fiction that has both its successful and unsuccessful adaptations and spin-off works. Hellboy: Unnatural Selection is definitely one of the former in this instance.
While there are a couple of weak points in the story, particularly the narration surrounding Abby in the earlier chapters, Lebbon manages to hit his stride with her character that makes her more compelling. Regardless, this book is well worth a read and is an interesting spinoff for anyone who enjoys the series.
While there are a couple of weak points in the story, particularly the narration surrounding Abby in the earlier chapters, Lebbon manages to hit his stride with her character that makes her more compelling. Regardless, this book is well worth a read and is an interesting spinoff for anyone who enjoys the series.
March 25, 2012
Hard to get into. Good story though.
May 14, 2014
Opened this book expecting a light read but ended loving it. Tim Lebbon really makes the Hellboy 'family' come to life. He has really made them his own. More Hellboy novels please Tim
November 19, 2020
I needed a break from the usual reads. I wanted something quick, and escapist in nature. This book fit the bill perfectly.
If you enjoy the comic book series by Mike Mignola then you'll enjoy this as well. Tim Lebbon keeps to the Hellboy canon in portrayal of the BPRD cast of characters.
He introduces a vast assortment of mythological and creatures of folk lore to the storyline and pits them against modern technology. One of the best depicted scenes is the attack on Heathrow Airport by a fleet of dragons. Amazing.
If you enjoy the comic book series by Mike Mignola then you'll enjoy this as well. Tim Lebbon keeps to the Hellboy canon in portrayal of the BPRD cast of characters.
He introduces a vast assortment of mythological and creatures of folk lore to the storyline and pits them against modern technology. One of the best depicted scenes is the attack on Heathrow Airport by a fleet of dragons. Amazing.
March 19, 2022
Easily one of the best Hellboy novels I have read so far. It is well written, intriguing and presents a wonderful story that really feels like it belongs in the Hellboy universe.
That being said, you do need some knowledge of Hellboy, as well as the BPRD and its main agents in order have the necessary context to fully enjoy this novel.
That being said, you do need some knowledge of Hellboy, as well as the BPRD and its main agents in order have the necessary context to fully enjoy this novel.
November 8, 2018
Awesome read! The dialogue in this one was so spot on. I loved seeing the genuine loving friendship between Hellboy and Liz. I love seeing Hellboy portrayed as what he really is, which is a big sap who, in between punching villains and monsters, will kiss his friends on the forehead. So cute.
January 15, 2023
Really good lore and some truly terrifying concepts in here. Good pacing and even the quick ending didn't feel rushed or unsatisfying.
September 8, 2025
An amusing diversion. What this novel lacks in Magnola’s gothic art and mood it makes up for with grand scale and epic monsters.
January 24, 2023
I liked the fantasy monster fights, especially the dragons. Hellboy's pretty cool. I'm not familiar with the comics but I remember enough of the movies to recognize some of the other characters too. I noticed at some point towards the end people are taking pictures with their phones. That should have caught by an editor since the general public didn't have camera phones in 1997.
March 5, 2025
Another great Hellboy read. Fell in love with Abby. Wish it was longer to get more backstory/more monsters in the book. Another great read for Hellboy fans.
October 29, 2015
This mere 300 page book took me two weeks to finish. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. Somewhere in between perhaps. I loved the idea of mythological monsters returning from old to wreck havoc on earth and the whole radical environment idea. I love Hellboy movies, but there was some element missing in this that kept me putting it down easily. Could be its overall too light nature and not enough dark to balance it out.
Totally recommend to hellboy fans and young adult.
Totally recommend to hellboy fans and young adult.
December 7, 2011
I like this book alot it was cool. this book is basically about hellboy is trying to stop a event of apocalyptic proportions. there are Weird sightings of cryptozoological and mythological creatures around the globe and some monster apper and then disaper in thin air. weird right? read the book and find out what happens
October 7, 2009
Based on the Hellboy Comic/Movie Franchise.
January 21, 2016
Great book, interesting monsters and mythical creatures. The plot and how the story played out seemed very realistic.
Read
June 14, 2016FALSE
July 30, 2013
So good that it has started me on a comic binge.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews