The Ninth Circle

by Alex Bell

This is The Bourne Identity . . . as if Neil Gaiman had written it . . .A man comes round on the floor of a shabby flat in the middle of Budapest. His head is glued to the floorboards with his own blood. There's a fortune in cash on the kitchen table. And he has no idea where, or who, he is.He can do extraordinary things - speak any number of languages fluently, go three days without food or sleep, and fight with extraordinary prowess. But without a name, without a past, he's isolated from the rest of the world; a stranger to everyone, including himself - until a chance encounter with a young scholar leads to his first friendship, and his first hint that someone out there knows more about him than he does.Someone is sending him clues about his past. Photographs hidden in books and crates of wine. Cryptic clues pointing towards a murdered woman. And clear warnings against Stephomi, his only friend. But that's not all; Gabriel Antaeus is seeing strange, impossible a burning man is stalking his dreams and haunting his mirrors, his dreams are filled with violence from the past, and his pregnant young neighbour is surrounded by an extraordinary golden aura.Something dark and violent in Gabriel's past is trying to resurface. And as he pieces the clues together, everything points towards an astounding war between angels and demons . . . and a battle not just for the future of the world, but for the minds and souls of everyone in it.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Angels

276 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 17, 2008

About the author

Alex Bell signed her first book deal at nineteen and, since then, has written multiple books for both adults and young people. After completing a law degree, she now works for a legal advice charity. Alex lives in Hampshire with her husband, sons and Sphynx cats. She also writes as Alexandra Bell.

Reviews

[Trin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book starts out rather promisingly, with a dude name Gabriel waking up with no memory of who he is but with weird things happening all around him. The opening’s got a bit of a “Castiel with amnesia fic” vibe to it, which made me very excited for obvious, dorky reasons. Unfortunately, Gabriel, unlike Castiel, is an idiot—his efforts to find out who he is and what’s going on are pitiful; apparently he’d rather spent his time whining and moping. Thus the narrative swiftly becomes an exercise in frustration: one wants to shout, “Buy a clue, Gabe!” at the nonresponsive pages. And then when Gabriel finally has several clues charitably donated to him, the book just become ridiculous. It’s like Bell started off with one premise, and then veered sharply in another—dumber—direction. In fact, it’s pretty much the very very worst of J.J. Abrams in here, guys.

In conclusion: people need to write more “Castiel with amnesia” fic, and I need to read less crap.

[Lisa - *OwlBeSatReading* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I really enjoyed this. An imaginatively twisted yarn about good vs evil. Alex Bells writing style is easy to follow, with likeable characters (even the horrid ones!) and lots of questions getting answered along the way. I prefer it when the plot unfolds at a steady pace without everything being jammed into the last few pages or chapters. I shall look out for more from this author.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the city of Budapest a man wakes up in a kitchen, his face stuck to the floor with dried blood. He has no idea of who he is, only that he apparently fell and hit his head while putting up shelves and that on a nearby table there is a box filled with a large amount of cash. According to papers he finds in the apartment his name is Gabriel Antaeus but other than that he knows nothing about himself or how he came to be there.

The Ninth Circle begins with a setup that would do justice to any traditional suspense thriller but very quickly becomes something else. Using a journal to orient himself, Gabriel begins to document his days and the search for his identity and as he does so he describes a man capable of seemingly contradictory extremes: at once feeling sickened by the death of an insect and having to restrain himself from joyously killing other people. As time goes on and he struggles to re-create his life from small clues he finds it becomes apparent that there is something else going on - something larger than one man with amnesia - and as the pieces of information slowly come together the suspense builds slowly but surely. Like Gabriel, the reader is sure that something is wrong - very wrong - and, like Gabriel, may come to some wrong conclusions about what it might be.

It's difficult to discuss this novel without giving away plot points, however small, that readers may prefer to find out for themselves. It's also a novel that starts out as one thing and ends as something else entirely, morphing so slowly along the way that the moment of transformation is impossible to pinpoint. If you enjoy suspense thrillers as well as fantasy novels, I recommend giving The Ninth Circle a try. I will certainly be keeping my eyes open for other books by this author.

[H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I think everybody knows what happens when you love a book, it's really hard to put the feelings into words in a review. So hang in there!

Looking back, the summary on the back on the book was very vague and didn't give away anything so I'm not going to add anything else to it because it's more exciting~

Gabriel wakes up in a shabby flat to find blood on the floor where his head used to be. A horrible gash is in his head and a bag full of Hungarian florints (100,000 pounds) on the table. He can't remember who he is and even his last name. He struggles to remember what happened before the moment he woke up and tries to make sense of the strange and haunting dreams and demons that fill his days.

I thought of this book at first to be weird fiction--very weird fiction-- but it turned to be a fairly 'simple' book overall.

I think everybody would feel the same about Gabriel, I wished I was there for him when he felt lonely. He's a very realistic character (I can't bring myself to read the character part again, he's real and I'm having a fan-club one day Y_Y).

The writing is amazing. Never boring, not a single page wasted for fillers, and so vivid and imaginative.

I don't think all and sundry would like 'The Ninth Circle' because of it's more religious themes.

There was even a part in the last 70/50 pages or so that said Allah and other Gods weren't real. I found it offensive and annoying for a moment (I'm a muslim) but I thought I should respect the author's opinion. She's a Christian, so of course she'd think her religion's the right one but I wish she hadn't said that they didn't exist at all. I believe in the God the Christians pray to, and the God the Jews pray to. I personally believe they're all the same, only the details and stories are different.

I didn't want the book to finish, I want to know what happens to the rest of the characters. It's impossible to just leave it hanging there, there's a lot coming up in the future of the world of "The Ninth Circle" so I really (very desperately) hope that Alex would write a sequel.

Overall, this was a great read. One of the best books I've read this year.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT http://cirquedesgeeks.dreamwidth.org/...

Oh, I was not keen on this one. The blurb made it sound really interesting, at least the first half - mysterious people plus angels plus demons sounds like the sort of thing I would gobble down in a heartbeat! And yet this... This felt like a slog. I kept picking it up resentfully, muttering about how I didn't want to read it, I'm not enjoying it - the only reason I did finish it was because it had been on my to-read list for years.

(I am still really disappointed that the story isn't as good as the blurb. So disappointed.)

Part of my problem was that I couldn't really stand the narrator. While paranoid/unstable narrators can be interesting in their own right, and I have no objections to characters taking time for very justified freak-outs, but Gabriel was just... I couldn't like him. Part of it was that he was extremely self-righteous - nothing is his fault, and everything he says or does is right (if he's wrong, then he'll either find another justification or be dramatic about it.). The rest of it is that he almost comes across as an unreliable narrator - I'm willing to believe that what Gabriel reports is factually right, but not the conclusions he draws - and that's not actually a trope I like. On top of that, his relationship with Casey comes across as really creepy, even in his own narration.

The rest of my dislike for this book comes from the fact that it is so hamhanded. It is trying to make about good and evil not being so different, but it feels like the book is trying to beat me over the head with it. (See also: Devils are charming and friendly! Angels will terrorise and intimidate you! ... My notes for this do have "CHAOTIC GOOD DROW ARE A THING!" written on them in big letters, I'm sorry.) Worse than that, Gabriel and his mysteries actually bored me. There were Dramatic Reveals all over the last third of the book and I just didn't care.

I was much more interested in Casey and her story, and that didn't get enough screentime. For something as important as Casey's pregnancy, I really felt like there should have been more time spent with her. Her story was actually more interesting than Gabriel's turned out to be - a teenager alone in a foreign country, trying to look after herself and her brother while dealing with her mysterious pregnancy - and quite frankly, I would probably read a book about her. I guess what I want is for Casey to be focused on as a person, rather than as an object in a cosmic struggle or of Gabriel's obsession, with a satisfactory conclusion to her story!

I have to admit though, the writing does have its good points, despite some serious plot holes. It managed to portray Gabriel as an unsettling, genuinely creepy guy even as he's trying to convince himself that he's acting rationally/justified in acting irrationally. The way it handles the final chapter while staying in the limits of the diary format it uses actually worked really well, in my opinion! Just a bit too-little-too-late.

The back labels this as a "Theological thriller", which makes me laugh. There's a lot of debate about "Could you kill baby Hitler?" and the like, and so much discussion of theology, but... I would have said it was more moral than theological, despite the prescence of angels and demons, if that makes sense? Certainly I wouldn't have said that it was a thriller, theological or otherwise. (Suspicion: they made up this genre so that they wouldn't get lumped in with the fantasy novels, even though that's really the best fit for it.)

Suffice to say, I didn't enjoy this book. It did have some good moments, but the amount of work it took to get to them didn't make it worth it for me.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started off being very intrigued by Gabriel and his identity and THE FISH but eventually my wonder tapered off. Mephistopheles was one of the better reveals, where gabriel's own past fell flat. Likewise, the ending didn't recapture me, though it did tie the knots and present a conclusion.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

spotted on Laura's profile

[ocean 99 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Alhamduliallah IT IS OVER

[Mortalform · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘What rubbish!’ I protested. ‘Good and evil are opposites.’
‘No, not really,’ Stephomi said mildly. ‘Hot and cold are opposites, but haven’t you ever touched something so scalding that for a moment you think it’s freezing? When you get to extremes, the brain confuses the two, can’t process them properly, mixes them up. Or perhaps it’s just that they’re really not all that different to begin with.’ p 122


Alex Bell’s The Ninth Circle has the reader treading the thin line between sanity and insanity with a paranoid amnesiac named Gabriel Antaeus (at least that’s the name on his tenancy agreement) and brings up deep questions in unexpected and potent ways against the back drop of Budapest. Gabriel is a frequently alarming man, at times even abhorrent, but also starkly human. The book is his journal and it draws the reader swiftly into his mind, and as uncomfortable a place as that is, something compels you to read on.

This book has many themes that are drawn tightly together, and though they are not ones I usually seek out they created in me a subtle fascination. Dante, the proximity of angels to demons, faith in God and faith in a friend, heroes and their nature or lack there of, good and evil, the nature of God -all of it colored with Gabriel’s suspicion so I no longer knew which definition I could trust.

Skillfully written, subtly twisted and darkly wonderful. An unforgettable read, I highly recommend.



“An apology for the Devil; it must be remembered that we have heard only one side of the case; God has written all the books.” P 119

‘What rubbish!’ I protested. ‘Good and evil are opposites.’
‘No, not really,’ Stephomi said mildly. ‘Hot and cold are opposites, but haven’t you ever touched something so scalding that for a moment you think it’s freezing? When you get to extremes, the brain confuses the two, can’t process them properly, mixes them up. Or perhaps it’s just that they’re really not all that different to begin with.’ p 122

‘Well... sometimes it’s possible to catch glimpses of angles and demons in places of the In Between. Graveyards –because they are places that belong to both the living and the dead. Churches –places of the both the mortal and the divine. The moments before sunrise and sunset where the Earth belongs to both night and day. Mirrors that reflect reality the wrong way round and dreams that allow both the possible and impossible all at once... p 123

[Yolanda Sfetsos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book intoxicating. A story that intrigued me with the concept and then compelled me with every new turn of the page.

I loved that this book was drenched in a layer of bizarre strangeness, and an air of darkness that surrounds Gabriel's story from the very beginning. So many times I found myself wondering if what was happening to him was a dream, a nightmare, or some sort of delusional episode brought on by the confusion he faces every single day.

As hard as I tried to solve the mystery of who Gabriel really was, I never came close to the truth. The reality of who he really is and how he got to be in Budapest blew me away. It was sheer, unexpected genius.

The final confrontation scene will have you guessing and second guessing yourself over and over. I swayed from one side to the other continually, but was more than satisfied with the path Gabriel took. It's always amazing when you have to ask yourself who the good guy really is -- is it the one that's on the supposed good side, or the supposed bad guy willing to help and answer your questions?

The Ninth Circle is a fantastical, unique, odd, dark ride through the pages of a journal kept by a man who doesn't remember who he is but slowly begins to unravel the puzzle of his life as he learns to become himself from scratch. I enjoyed every moment of it, even the melancholy end that kept me wanting more...

[Pine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I initially read this years ago and have vague memories of enjoying it. After re-reading it, though, I can't for the life of me remember why. Maybe changing tastes and all, but...

This book, at best, is a disappointment. A major part of the problem is that the narrator is not only unreliable, but intensely dislikeable and not in a 'love to hate' kind of way. He is a pretentious creep at best, particularly when it comes to his interactions with Casey. The rest of the issue comes from an underdeveloped plot and no real payoff in the end. The story stumbles along, swinging heavy-handed metaphors at the reader as it does, and just falls flat, with the last page in particular leaving a very bad taste.

I kept reading because I hoped it would get better. In reality I'd have been better off DNFing this.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel covers similar ground to Dan Brown's books: an age old battle between good and evil framed within a Christian cosmology, cryptic messages that need to be deciphered, angels and demons walking the streets. But it's a bit more left-field.

It starts off quite well - a man wakes up in an apartment in Budapest, his face glued to the floor by his own dried blood, a huge bundle of money on the kitchen table - but the plot never really goes anywhere. Yes, there are a series of revelations that unpeel like the layers of an onion but ultimately the book doesn't really deliver. It's an interesting debut, certainly, but the writing strikes me as a bit unsophisticated in places and the ending is emotionally unsatisfactory

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is like a man, in by such it gets you really excited, anxious, and teases you and FINALLY....drops the ball! Flat and disappointed about the finale. Such a dud. Is there going to be a follow-up for this book? I mean the yes, the character finally had some development after rambling about damn fish food for like 5 flippin' chapters. Kudos for him. HOWEVER...was there any development to the storyline? I was left feeling more robbed than paying $12 for a movie ticket. 9th Circle indeed, it came full circle because nothing was fully answered. Thanks for nothing

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from a good friend far too long ago, and I am mortified that I have neglected to return it. I loved this book from beginning to end. The first chapter is captivating, which I need when starting a new book, and it held a looming mysterious feeling throughout. I love books that open your mind to new possibilities of heaven and earth and how the two can intertwine and I think bell did an amazing job.

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huh. I'm not really sure what to make of this, but I can tell you one thing: I did not see the ending coming! Did I like the ending? That I'm still not sure about, but I think I'll be thinking about it for a while.

[Juju ♡ ～('▽^人) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Writing style in itself very nice to read -- the storyline? Kinda hella weird. It wasn't particularly to my liking, but it was okay objectively seen. Sounded more interesting than it was for me, personally.

[Beth (bibliobeth) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic debut novel by Alex Bell, couldn't put it down. Read it!!!

[Branwen Sedai *of the Brown Ajah* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this story! It's super creepy with alot of religious mythology which adds even more tension and eeriness to the tale.

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very atmospheric, very absorbing, for a moment I felt transported into the pages... I loved it...
I want to travel to Budapest now...

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be a little predictable, however I enjoyed reading it.

[DeShawn Downing · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blah ending

[Ellie M · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending is pretty dumb and the entire thing is very on the nose, but I did enjoy the book!

[Gav]

Waking up with no idea who you are is a standard literary device. And that’s the problem that Gabriel Anteus has in The Ninth Circle. Faced with having no idea who he is and the worry of forgetting everything he’s learned since waking up he starts writing it down. The story comprises of a series of diary entries from 8th August to 1st January as Gabriel tries to figure out who he was and tries to build a life again.

Due to the format we get a selected so edited personal retelling of the events that happen to Gabriel but Alex Bell’s skill is melting these diary entries with narrative storytelling and the voice and Gabriel so you get absorbed into the story and Gabriel as a storyteller. You also get the feeling that the ending might not be a good one as this could just be a found diary rather than a story where everything turns out all right in the end.

The revelations of what Gabriel finds out are the whole crux of the story so letting go any snippets might spoil it but I do have to give you some idea of what’s going on. So what can I tell you?

It’s set in Budapest and sometime around the present. At least enough present to have have a computer and internet access. Budapest plays a strong part and the city is beautifully described. Gabriel has lots of books on Demons and Angels and it seems that some of this knowledge is more practical than theoretical.

Bell does a great job of building the story through the recounting of the thoughts and actions of Gabriel. He’s a very honest narrator and says it like it is. Nothing feels hidden or emitted just for the sake of securing the story. She does a job of keeping things moving and giving us just enough to keep moving and wanting to know more.

There are some quirks however, I was a little disappointed with one of the threads about Gabriel’s identity. I think I wanted it to be more mundane. But it does explain a lot about his present situation.The other thing is that the diary format does take some of the awesome nature away from the closing scenes.

Saying that I found The Ninth Circle, compelling, descriptive, thoughtful and fully packed. Alex Bell’s debut makes her an author that I’m eager to read more of.

[Adam Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ninth Circle is a mystery written in the form of diary entries by the protagonist, Gabriel Antaeus, after he wakes up one morning in Budapest, Hungary, with amnesia. As the story unfolds Antaeus uncovers clues as to his former life and meets people who knew him from before. Gradually he puts together the pieces, and the picture that emerges becomes increasingly disturbing.

This is the debut novel by British author Alex Bell, completed whilst she was still at university. For a debut novel, this is an accomplished work with a central mystery presented intriguingly which unfolds logically and also unpredictably. The author sows enough red herrings and false trails into the text that you are never entirely sure where the book is going, or if there is a supernatural or a mundane explanation for the events that are unfolding. The diary format also works well, although the traditional first-person problem of defusing tension is still present: if the protagonist is in deadly danger you can probably guess he's going to survive by virtue of the fact that he lived to write up the experience in his diary. However, this is offset by the first person narrative allowing us to get into Antaeus' head and see what makes him tick in a very effective manner.

The Ninth Circle is, by SF&F standards, a relatively short book with a fascinating story told through by a conflicted protagonist. The story keeps you guessing up to the last page. The only major negative I can see is that you may feel compelled to visit Budapest after reading the book, as the city is depicted with real attention to detail and obvious affection throughout.

The Ninth Circle (****) is available now in the UK from Gollancz in tradeback. The mass-market paperback will be available on 9 April 2009. The book does not have a US publisher as yet but is available on Amazon.com. Alex Bell's second novel, Jasmyn, will be published by Gollancz on 18 June 2009.

[Mikko Saari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gabriel herää oudosta asunnosta verilammikosta muistinsa menettäneenä. Keittiön pöydällä on laatikollinen käteistä, eikä Gabrielilla ole mitään muistikuvaa siitä, mitä on tapahtunut.

Muistamattomuus vainoaa miestä, mutta niin vainoaa muutama muukin asia, kuten kummalliset näyt ja menneisyydestä tulevat kryptiset viestit. Gabrielin menneisyydessä on jotain synkkää ja mahdollisesti vaarallistakin, mutta Gabriel ei vain kykene muistamaan mitä.

Siitä alkaa vahvasti teologissävytteinen muistinmenetystrilleri, jossa riittää fantastisia elementtejä. Gabrielin päiväkirjamerkintöjen muotoon kirjoitettu kirja tykittää lopulta melkoisia maailmanlopun tunnelmia.

The Ninth Circle on nuoren, vuonna 1986 syntyneen kirjailijan esikoisteos. Se näkyy, paikoitellen. Tarinan käänteet ovat välillä vähän liiankin uskomattomia ja tyylikin välillä ehkä astetta huvittavampia kuin oli tarkoitus. Useammankin kerran oli lukiessa sellainen fiilis, että tästä saisi hyvän elokuvan. Päähenkilö Gabrielille niin tärkeä Budapestkin esiintyy kirjassa hyvin pinnallisesti, kauniina kuvina ja monumentaalisina tapahtumapaikkoina.

Esikoiseksi silti kelpo suoritus, kyllä tämä sivujakäännättävää ja mukaansatempaavaa viihdettä oli vaikka paikoin vähän hölmöltä tuntuikin. Sen verran lupaava teos siis, että kirjailija menee seurantaan ja toinen kirja Jasmyn hankintaan.

Bell on itse tavattoman ihastunut kirjansa kansikuvaan, eikä suotta. Suomalaisen Kustaa Saksin taiteilema kansi on todella tyylikäs. (24.5.2009)

[Boy Blue · Rating 1 out of 5]

The idea had promise. The execution took that promise and broke it slowly on a rack for the entire length of the book.

Picked it up at a book fair. I had just been to Budapest so was keen to read something set there and the blurb sounded interesting. Shouldn't have done that.

The description of the city was ok but the book should be confined to the ninth circle of hell because of the truly boring main character. The promise of the blurb is that he's possibly an angel. He ends up being as dumb as a brick and has two fights scenes which he gets so upset about you wish he had of lost. In fact I think he would have been better replaced by that brick I said he was less intelligent than. I won't tell you if he's actually an angel or not, or about what should essentially be the armageddon conflict at the end which really involves about 4-5 people not legions of demons and angels. What makes this book even worse is that the auxiliary characters are pretty damn boring too, especially considering what they're supposed to be.

Lastly, if I ever read the words, "he opened another bottle of expensive red wine" again. I'll poke my own eyeballs out. Continuously drinking expensive wine is not characterisation, that's laziness. Make them enjoy Chianti like Hannibal, or wine from a particular region but don't make me read a whole book where they keep drinking wine that is notable only for it's price.

[Ana Catarina · Rating 1 out of 5]

É o segundo livro de Alex Bell que leio e mais uma vez senti imensa dificuldade com o início do livro, não cativa o suficiente a prender-nos à história. Isto deve-se ao facto de que a escrita é extensa e detalhada inicialmente e quando a história desenvolve acaba por acontecer tudo de uma vez.
Quem tiver gosto em temas religiosos acabará por se interessar mais por este livro, contudo, achei exaustivo e consequentemente entediante.
Não foi um livro que eu tenha gostado, contudo a mensagem final é marcante, mesmo que um pouco deslocada do enredo.
Afinal, fazemos tudo só pela sensação de sermos amados.

[Chuck Ts · Rating 2 out of 5]

ugh, I really wanted to like this more than I did. I was intrigued by the back cover description but I ended up having immense difficulty connecting to the protagonist narrating the story. I normally quite like the journal format for books but it did not lend itself well to this particular plot. The plot had some interesting concepts but some overdone clichés that I think could have been handled better. Wouldn't recommend this one, but hey, at least I borrowed it from a friend, so I didn't have to pay for it.

[Bronte · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been so promising but I felt that the fantasy mythology was really underdeveloped. There could have been so much more built into the world in this book which would have made it so much richer, but it kind of felt as though the author hadn’t planned that far and so didn’t go into it.

[Merilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a while to get through but I am going through a reading slump. Finding it difficult to concentrate while reading. I was intrigued along the way to find out the mystery behind this story but was disappointed.