Hellweg's Keep

by Justin Holley

If you liked Caitlin Starling's The Luminous Dead and The Deep by Nick Cutter then you'll love this detective, horror, science fiction adventure.

Thirty-seven miners disappear without a trace within a Titanium mine, Hellweg’s Keep, deep within Zeta One, a moon orbiting the planet, Terra. When FBI agent Kendra Omen arrives via the spaceship Marietta, strange phenomenon begins to manifest…suicides, shadows a shade darker than the shadows they move within, disembodied whispers, and Kendra would swear she catches a glimpse of her own deceased daughter walking the dimly lit halls of Hellweg enterprises. But that’s impossible. Isn’t it? As evidence of occult practices at the mine emerges, Kendra realizes the answers they seek, and hopefully the thirty-seven miners, will only be found underground in the claustrophobic labyrinth of shafts and natural caverns within Hellweg’s Keep.

FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing Independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress.

Genres: Horror, Science Fiction, Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

Published November 14, 2023

About the author

Justin is the author of the novels HELLWEG'S KEEP, TETHERED TO DARKNESS, the 3-book Blood From the Stars serial novel (THE FALL, THE CAPTURE, & THE END GAME), SEVEN CLEOPATRA HILL, BRUISED, WEDNESDAY'S CHILD, and THE GULLIES, as well as, several short stories haunting magazines and anthologies around the world. BRUISED was mentioned in Brian Keene's "Top Ten Books of 2015". He also investigates the paranormal with a TAPS-family group and plays volleyball twice a week. Correspondence from his fans is encouraged, and the best way to contact him is through his website: www.justinholley.com

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky Suspense!

Small backstory:

FBI Agent Kendra Omen along with a couple of paranormal investigators and a rescue team try to learn what happened to 37 miners that disappeared within a mine called Hellweg's Keep which is a moon orbiting space station. Though Kendra is not there long when she thinks she sees some type of dark shadow within the corridors of the space station but she pushes the thought aside thinking maybe she was just seeing things.

Kendra's mind is changed though when more things start happening within the space station leading her to wondering what really happened to those miners and if they will find anyone alive as whatever is haunting the space station is making it difficult for Kendra to come to grips with the knowledge that there is something out there and it is wanting not only her but everyone with her!

That is about all I can give on a small backstory without giving away spoilers so if you want to know more than go read this book!

Thoughts:

This is my second reread of this book and I felt that the story was just grabber right away when the character, Kendra comes on the scene. As soon as Kendra puts in an appearance the book slowly gains speed with suspense and tension, keeping me entombed within the story!

Once again I was thrown deep into the storyline as the mystery of what was unfolding took on more of a supernatural element with tons of mystery and it kept my insomnia fueled once again with a few late nights as I just could not put the book down! Keeping this book at five "Space Station Horrors" stars!

[Juliet Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a fascinating delve into space horror. I couldn't decide if I liked the main character at first but she grew on me. It got a little confusing near the end but all in all I really enjoyed the read!

[Ian Lima · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received Hellweg’s Keep via netgalley in exchange for this review.

I really, really wanted to like Hellweg’s Keep when I found it on the netgalley site. I was immediately drawn in by the premise in the blurb.

As far as I was concerned, this had all the makings of a hit.

Ominous and somewhat foreboding cover art? Check.

Plot containing new worlds and new gods? Check.

Lost, potentially dismembered miners? Check.

Batshit crazy CEO who may or may not be in league with the devil? Check.

I’m not exaggerating, dear reader, when I say this thing immediately catapulted to the top of my TBR, leaving known quantities and, probably, better new books and authors in its wake.

To say I’m mad at how little I enjoyed this will probably not be received well. I’m sure at least one person will think/say “well what the hell have YOU written asshole?” (Isn’t this review a start?) But to you, sir or madam, I say bite me.

Have I not lived up to my end of the bargain? Have I not spent the time reading Hellweg’s Keep?

Had I not, I wouldn’t be able to tell you about the ghost hunters that somehow end up IN SPACE to check out this mining station, armed with little more than a camcorder and an EMF detector.

Or the “Psychic protector” who inexplicably dresses, and behaves, in 2103 (this is a guess, at one point the author hints at these happenings taking place 80 years from 2023 but never confirms), like Zak Bagans.

There’s also the drunk, Bible-thumping monk, (because in 2103 the Catholics have a new frontier to exploit), Gradius: one of 2 members of a new race that humans have made contact with that have actual dialogue, though it’s little more than drunken revelry and “remember when’s…” with our monk friend.

There’s also The “Sheriff” of the space station, who seems like he was turned away from the TBS re-casting of Tombstone, the “manager” who accompanies the group in the search of the missing miners who does nothing but complain, the security lead who has feelings for one of the ghost hunters but doesn’t know how to handle it…

None of whom compare to our lead, Ms. Kendra Omen *gasp*.

Like I said, I WANTED to like this book when I started it but Kendra Omen may just be THE most forced character I’ve read all year. The eyeroll that hit me when I first read her name almost blinded me. I hoped and hoped her story would somehow materialize into something worthwhile but it just didn’t. It was rushed and, honestly, given how the book ended, seemed rather pointless.

I hate to say it but that right there summarizes my whole experience with this. It feels rushed. I can’t help shaking the feeling that if the author worked on this for another 6 months, etc, that it really could have been something.

It takes half the book to get past the product placements (Glock, OSHA, Xanax, Bic lighters, Under Armor all make the trip to space in case you were wondering) and shoddy world building.

It’s here the author actually drags me back in. From 50-95% of the book, I was glued to my seat, tapping the edge of my Kindle to keep the next page coming.

I felt the adrenaline.

I felt some claustrophobia.

And what’s best, I felt legitimate dread while reading (my favorite feeling when reading horror) and had such hope that our author was going to stick the landing.

And then someone drew a door in the floor and made a deal with a witch and the author kicked me in the balls and danced around my wheezing body.

Again, the OVERWHELMING sense of “this was rushed” can NOT be missed on this one. It’s like he was late on a term paper and wrote the ending in class before he turned it in.

The 2 stars are directly tied to 50-95% of the book. In that chunk of the novel you can see that the author has the makings of something legit. This one just wasn’t it.

Oh yeah, remember how I mentioned those missing miners? Yeah, they’re kind of an afterthought. I think I’ve given them more shine in this review than they get in the book that’s ostensibly about THEM going missing…

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never been much of a sci-fi fan but if you throw in some ghostly apparitions and a mystery you'll grab my attention. That and the fact that I enjoyed a previous book by this author is why I was willing to follow Justin Holley to Hellweg's Keep on his demons in outer space adventure.

While on her journey to investigate the mysterious disappearance of 37 miners an FBI agent is warned by a dying psychic medium not to go to Hellweg's Keep. She is told there is nothing but never-ending pain and suffering there with no hope of escape even in death. Of course, she does not let that dissuade her from her mission.

Strange happenings are already going on in Hellweg's before they even begin their descent deep underground in search of those who went missing. People are seeing spirits of the dead who fill them with despair and try to tempt them to suicide. Things get increasingly more dangerous for the search team the deeper they go.
I loved the first three-quarters of the book more than the ending. It was an action packed read but the ending bothered me. I would recommend this book for fans of the Alien franchise and The Thing movies.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4 out of 5

My thanks to Flame Tree Press.

[Elena Linville-Abdo · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 30% and I had to force myself to read this far.

Seriously, did the author decide to publish his first draft without getting any editing done?

The characters are bland as fish, not to mention one-dimensional. The story has more plot holes than a well-travelled dirt road after a hard rainy season, and there is really no good plot.

Why was that even set up in space? The fact that they are on a moon orbiting a different planet doesn't come into play in the story AT ALL. It could just as easily have been set up in a mine on Earth. Would have made more sense too.

Also, since when does an FBI agent have jurisdiction in space? Is this planet property of the United States? What are the international laws concerning space travel and claiming planets in that universe? No clue, because the author didn't feel like it was important to include.

And if this happens 80 years into the future, what's with all current pop culture references? Do we seriously think that people will remember Star Wars at the beginning of the next century? How many cultural references do we remember from the 1920?

The premise was what drew me to pick up this book, but the execution was absolutely awful. I want four hours of my life back.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

HELLWEG'S KEEP by Justin Holley is a delightfully complex and terrifying (in the best way) not-too-far-future offworld Science Fiction novel. On a distant planet's moon, a mining operation run by an extremely eccentric and reclusive owner suddenly loses a number of miners, with no trace, and then a search party also vanishes. The FBI on Earth is contacted, and a hard-driven female agent with her own tragic background arrives together with a set of Paranormal investigators hired by the mining company.

HELLWEG'S KEEP neatly combines Sci Fi, magic, Cosmic Horror, religion, metaphysics, into a tapestry more extensive than either reader or characters expect, in an engrossing, exciting, and adventurous narrative in which the action and terror is non-stop. The Pride element, family devotion, issues of mental illness, and suicide are capably and sympathetically.

Cautions:
Suicide
Mental Illness
Depression
Psychic Visions
Pagan Religions
Cosmic Horror
Sacrifice
Violence (non-human)
Deception, Illusions
Narcissism, Emotional Absence, Domestic Abuse

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Roxie coughed blood all over her already-saturated sheet, but never broke eye contact with Kendra. Her pupils were all but lost within the red. “Hellweg’s Keep.”

“Why? That’s my job, to investigate. Why would I stay out of Hellweg’s Keep? Will I die?”

“Worse.” Roxie coughed once more and broke into a barrage of strangled hacking and gagging. Blood dribbled down her chin and dripped to her chest. “Better to die,” she managed.”

Damn… this was honestly going to be one of the top books I’d read this year until the 3/4 mark… then it nosedived and crashed.

The first 3/4: spooky and creepy as heck. This is a paranormal scifi horror that gives the reader goosebumps. A team investigate a mine where the miners have disappeared. There seems to be one or more malignant entities (demons or evil spirits or cosmic gods perhaps) that are involved.

The last 1/4: things get weird and confusing. There are some editing errors and a continuity error (sooo is Ramee’s mom dead or alive???). Big, monstrous things are happening, no answers yet, but the characters are starting to figure some things out slowly…. AND BOOM.
It’s over, no resolution, no answers, not even a cliffhanger or epilogue. The characters just seem to not give a crap anymore and leave. What the actual eff???? That was brutal as a reader to be left like that. Boooooo 👎🏼

Thanks to NetGalley & Flame Tree Press for a copy.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.
When 37 miner vanish without a trace in a mine on a distant moon, FBI agent Kendra Omen is sent to investigate. In addition, a team of paranormal investigators joins her for what appears to be anything but a routine investigation. Suicides, spectral visions of the dead and signs of esoteric rituals are only the beginning of what really happened in the mine. A touch of Event Horizon, a bit of Aliens, Hellweg's Keep combines science fiction and the occult in a unique twist on the genre. 3.5 of 5 stars.

[Anne (eggcatsreads) · Rating 1 out of 5]

A huge thank you to the author, Netgalley, and Flame Tree Press for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 23%. I think this could be an interesting book for someone who can ignore some of the more typical pitfalls of sexism and overly-flowery language found in this book, but personally I could not. The concept drew me in with paranormal investigations in space, but unfortunately for me personally it wasn’t enough to get me to force myself to read more than what I already have.

If you like more typical cop dramas, and “ghost investigation” shows like Ghost Adventures, then I’d say to give this book a chance to see if it hooks you. Unfortunately, it did not click with me at all.

Also, be warned that there is suicide and depression mentioned and explicitly shown in this book very early on, and the theme continues as it progresses.

—

The rest of my review will contain spoilers and I’ll be a little meaner. If you want to avoid spoilers, and/or you liked this book I wouldn’t bother continuing to read. I just need to nitpick because never have I made so many little notes in my phone’s kindle.

–

I’m serious. It’s mean.

–

The main character Kendra is self-obsessed to the extreme, with everything happening causing her to go “but woe is me! My family died mysteriously!! No one could ever understand my pain!!!” Normally I’d be more willing to take into account her emotions, but when this is accompanied by people experiencing real trauma - INCLUDING someone dying violently because they slit their own throat - then I lose my patience.

Also the ghost investigator is very annoying, and after I saw a comment saying that him being named “Zak” and having every single mannerism as Zak Bagans from Ghost Adventures - I couldn’t unsee it. I’m also supposed to feel like there’s some kind of attraction between them, but neither character is compelling enough to both feel that way, nor for me to see it progress.

He “investigates” by feeling for EMF - but with his hands. By himself. He just goes off of vibes, I guess.
“Zak felt the EMF with his body, and I confirmed with my Mel-meter. It really validates the scientific method.”
It does not.

I mentioned earlier that there was quite a bit of sexism present in this book, and after one specific line I even went “this HAD to have been written by a man,” and lo and behold I was correct. There’s also quite a bit of fatphobia present, which does not in any way need to be present other than to simply make the joke “The cop is racist, a creep, and fat! Him being fat is part of why he’s a bad person.” Over. And Over.

This book starts off with Kendra being awoken to investigate a situation in the infirmary. (She did not need to be present at all during this scene, by the way.)

A character has decided to commit suicide by slitting her own throat (surely there’s easier ways?) because of a scary vision she psychically had. Sure, but then Kendra asks her questions and she seems coherent enough to be able to respond and shake her head with little issues, despite her throat being so cut that the doctor can barely stop it from bleeding out AND her dying soon after.

Kendra responds to being told what this horrible vision is by assuming it couldn’t be worse than what she’s dealing with. Also, Kendra says to the dying woman when asking her questions, “If you plan on living, you can tell me later. But if you’re gonna check out, at least tell me what drove you to this.” Completely normal way to ask someone violently dying by suicide what happened.

And then, when she sees the woman coworker of the woman who quite literally killed herself less than an hour ago, she describes her as:
“Men probably found her attractive but only those who could get by her morose disposition.”
Did I imagine the scene of the bloody suicide where she saw a coworker kill herself? Or?

Also, the next line is “Her chest heaved with an anxiety she kept very much to herself,” which is what prompted me to go “Oh a man definitely wrote this”. Cannot escape the “she breasted boobily down the stairs” cliche, can we? Also, the main woman character describes hearing a woman yell, as “a female,” and not a woman. Yikes.

Kenra then proceeds to examine every emotion this woman has, up to and including finding her suspicious for being so upset. But no worries! There’s a reason she’s so upset!! It’s not that that was traumatic, oh no, it’s because she has depression!! I wish I was joking.

Nitpicking characters aside, here are a few lines that made me go “WTF does this even mean?”

“The glock in Kendra's shoulder holder slid out as if greased.”
“A bathroom with a sink and toilet, a powder room the Realtors would say.”
“His voice sounded soft and soothing like a therapist, perhaps a lover.”
“[ - ] visualized in colors, soft angles, conjectural shapes. That’s why she hated the dark.”
“It looked like a gigantic rough-cut cigar. Or a Cheech-and-Chong-worthy joint.”

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read the summary of Hellweg’s Keep, I was excited because it seemed right up my alley in terms of things that I relish in science fiction and horror: strange disappearances, unusual deaths and nightmarish creatures that would haunt the one’s dreams. And while I did appreciate certain aspects of the novel, there were others that prevented me from fully enjoying it.

When a group of thirty-seven miners disappear within the titanium mine of Hellweg’s Keep, FBI agent Kendra Omen is dispatched to Zeta Moon in order to investigate. She is soon joined by a “Paranormal Protector” named Zak Underhill and two other paranormal investigators Ramee Lancer and Warren Briggs, who had all been summoned to the station at the behest of the eccentric station director Bernard Hellweg.

Getting through the first half of the Hellweg’s Keep was more difficult than the second half, which is where the novel truly shined. The main characters were split into two groups and each group experienced their own horrors that were coupled with ever-mounting feelings of dread and claustrophobia. The descriptions of the creatures were fantastic and terrifying, as were the fates of some of the more unfortunate minor characters who fell to them.

When both sets of characters were finally reunited in a situation that seemed to have no positive resolution, I was expecting the worst to occur and a fittingly depressing conclusion. Unfortunately, that is where one of the largest negative aspects of the book was made apparent. The resolution to the conflict was oddly rushed and underdeveloped. Threads involving both the characters and the inevitable situation were simply abandoned and the characters seemed not to care in the slightest.

The setting of the story was also a bit off a times, with characters referencing pop culture-such as Star Wars-and product placement that would have been remarkably ancient in relation to the characters. The use of futuristic equipment-such as an atomic heater-contrasted with a basic BIC lighter and a common menstrual product. The items used to fight against the supernatural were also common items described presently-such as sage, iron and salt-with no reason given as to why they would be effective against creatures that were inhabiting an area far away from Earth and their historic uses.

Regarding the characters, Kendra Omen was very bland as the main character of the novel. Her backstory: hardened FBI agent who always follows the rules and is burdened with the trauma of personal deaths, has been utilized before and with better results. I felt the secondary characters such as Ramee and Head of Security Lunar shined more as flawed individuals. One other character seemed to exist simply to behave terribly, to be hated and then killed. While it is a common trait in typical horror movies, I was hoping for some bit of growth before they were forgotten.

Finally, there was an error where a character’s parent-who was specifically mentioned as being deceased as part of the plot-was later described as being alive in the climax of the novel-which a detail I went back and doublechecked to make certain I hadn’t misread anything. I’m hoping in a future edition, this mistake is corrected as it made the ending more confusing.

Overall, Hellweg’s Keep certainly had the potential to be a great novel, but sadly fell short of its aspirations. Nevertheless, I am immensely grateful to NetGalley and to Flame Tree Press who provided this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Milt Theo · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded to 3. This was very hard to read, even harder to enjoy. The premise is fantastic, right up my alley, and seemed it'd be my favorite horror read of 2003. Unfortunately, it proved an utter disappointment for quite obvious reasons: the setting is entirely unconvincing (supposed to be an asteroid in the 2080s, and it reads like amateur cave exploration in the 1980s), the development of the premise makes no sense (sending people to explore a dangerous new area, when drones can do it? With no video from the people who've already done it once and disappeared?!), and the paranormal elements could simply be turned into science fictional ones with no loss (though the idea that you can pump oxygen in a complex of caves and then magically breathe without a glitch, would have to be refined) . The author forces a bit the issue, as well, to make it sufficiently clear that there could be a series with the same central character if this book goes well. And the ending! I really hate deus ex machina endings. At least the editing was great.

[Kristy Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is told in third person and follows multiple people that are sent into a mine to either rescue or recover miners that have disappeared leaving only a few body parts behind in the caverns hosting a Titanium mine on a moon orbiting another planet. The story begins with an FBI agent enroute that has been requested to investigate by the Imperial Prime Space Station Director. Also on the ship is a group of paranormal investigators that were hired by the mine owner and a man infamous for his ability as a protector from the paranormal. By the time the group reaches their destination, one of the members is already dead and several have seen possible apparitions of loved ones.

Upon arrival, there’s some jockeying for position and question as to who’s in charge but ultimately FBI agent Kendra Omen takes point and initiates an investigation into the owner’s office only to find a body along with a pentagram inlaid into the floor and a Ouija Board prominently displayed on the desk. A group is assembled comprised of the new arrivals, mine security and operations, local law enforcement, an indigenous man looking for his missing son and a missionary sent from Earth to bring the Good Word. It’s an eclectic group and personalities clash quickly.

I enjoyed this motley crew for the most part as they set off into the mine, which is in an extensive natural cavern system. It’s dark and creepy and they hear eerie moaning sounds and find more body parts. There are various stories being passed among the group about what was going on, how the occult was involved, if they had summoned a demon or were making sacrifices to various gods. Of course, the group splits up at points and are attacked by creatures or spirits that seem to manifest the guise of loved ones then manipulate them to do their bidding, which usually leads to death. Things got a little crazy at the end which is not surprising for this genre.

Then I turned the page, and that was it. But wait! What about…? Why did Zak…? Suffice it to say that it ended abruptly. Too abruptly.

I really enjoyed most of the journey in this book. Recommended to those that like space/alien horror with a dash of manipulative spirits but watch out for that ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for a copy provided for an honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I absolutely hate to give a 1 star but I can’t bring myself to go any higher. I will, however, give a proper explanation. Spoilers follow, you have been warned.

The premise was brilliant, paranormal investigators in space, but naively executed with clunky writing, 2D characters and relied on references to 20th century pop culture to describe things in the 22nd century. It felt more like a first draft than a finished article.

I couldn’t buy into the main character. FBI agent Kendra Omen. First reason, the name. Secondly, she had no authority at all. She was happy to let everyone else lead under the guise of bowing to their expertise, but it made her appear weak as a character.

The drunken Christian missionary, Jasper Currant, was particularly cringy, as well as the stereotypical old-fashioned sheriff who continually butted against the “edgy” head of security with a Mohawk called Lunar. Because the characters were stereotypes, even Kendra with her “hidden but heartbreaking” past, and there was a lot of telling over showing, I just couldn’t build a proper relationship with any of them.

Also the writing would change from distant 3rd person “Ramee thought he sounded both desperate and sincere for Lunar to believe him” to very close 3rd person “calm yourself, Kendra. Don’t let then interfere with now. She kept running.” The change of style and repetition of the characters’ past traumas that were haunting them in the mine kept me at arms length.

Then there’s the ending. It was definitely rushed with the meeting of something that’s not quite a god but not a demon that speaks in slang and gives most of them a safe passage through a portal back to a beach on earth. Oh and Kendra has gotten over all her hang ups in the last few pages so she can start again with the John Constantine wannabe who has spent the whole time crawling around the mine in a trench coat waving sage sticks around.

Despite all that, I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for my copy. I fear this book is not aimed at me who likes their sci-fi a little more detailed.

[Gyalten Lekden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This space sci-fi/horror/mystery genre mash-up has a fun premise, an exciting/frightening big bad, and some really fun action/horror set pieces. The writing is compelling, leaving almost each chapter with the kind of cliffhanger that really pushes the reader forward but doesn’t feel forced, and ultimately is a quick, fun read. I like that this is a near future (around 2050 CE, it seems) where humanity has the technological breakthroughs to conquer various solar systems, and yet we still find Christian missionaries trying to convert indigenous interstellar populations, and all of this is combined with more or less acceptance that ghosts and demons and other supernatural entities simply exist. That presents an interesting world-building that seems like it could be full of engaging internal contradictions, unfortunately this story doesn’t really explore those in very interesting ways, it simply presents this jumbled assortment of world-building ephemera without too much critical analysis from any of our characters.

While fun, there are a few things that hold it back from being great, though. The characters and story feel both heavy-handed and underwritten at the same time. There is nothing particularly interesting or inventive about the characters. A gruff, brooding FBI agent with recent trauma who may be learning to trust and feel again? An incompetent local cop who is of course overweight and slobbish, because that is easy code for unlikeable. Female character with tattoos, mental-health struggles, and mommy issues? Of course she is queer, and immediately falls for the other conveniently queer character, the rainbow-mohawked anarcho-punk who is also the head of security. There is an indigenous leader who is educated enough to scoff at his peoples’ traditional customs and ways, and a priest who is a bumbling alcoholic and constant punchline. Every character just feels worn out, totally expected. I appreciate that to have a mission with this large of a cast you need various character traits to make a compelling story, and I also appreciate the attempt at inclusivity, but everyone felt pretty cookie-cutter. That said, the personality traits do work well together to keep tension high at things moving. Similarly, there are weird things with the world-building that just leave something desired, like the numerous contemporary pop culture references (of course the FBI agent likes Star Wars and the queer chick likes Gwar, because that makes sense for this future world?), or the kind of lazy way the paranormal is discussed, with EMF readings being paramount and iron, salt, and sage being pretty much super weapons, without any sort of rationale or explanation (even when another character asks for it!). It feels uninspired. Add to that what feels like a little bit of a deus-ex-machina ending and the decision to just ignore numerous and character threads, leaving them unresolved, and not in a “maybe we will find out more in a new installment” kind of way but more of a “these were convenient things for me to use to push the narrative forward earlier in the book but I don’t really care enough to do anything with these ideas now” kind of way. We get reminded of our central character’s recent trauma on what feels like every other page and yet none of it goes anywhere or pays off in any interesting way. Even a brief epilogue could have at least tried to tie up loose ends but instead everything just feels incomplete.

I care a lot about character and world-building, which is why I felt a little let down. And in fact the weakness of the story probably would have been naturally solved by more complex, less expected characters. So, I had fun with this, but it felt like there was a whole lot left on the table that was just ignored. I will again say I thought the writing style was efficient, if a bit heavy-handed at times, but it did streamline the action and kept my attention. At some point as our group begins their investigation they split into two (for pretty unconvincing reasons, but that’s always the case, no one in any horror story splits into smaller groups or goes on their own for good reasons, so it didn’t bother me), and subsequent chapters switched back and forth between the two groups. This was used to good effect, with each chapter ending in some bit of excitement or intrigue only to be torn away to visit the other group, and yet both groups were equally interesting and fun to follow. So, this does squander some potential, and if you really care about interesting, unique characters you might find this a little short. If you are just looking for the fun balance of chaos and order that any ensemble cast needs, without worrying too much on the individuality of the actual characters, this fits the bill. This did keep me engaged and over all I thought it has enough interesting going on to let me read past the bits that were less compelling. If you like space horror then this is a fun, quick read.

I want to thank the author, the publisher Flame Tree Press, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Shell Hunt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hellweg's Keep was recommended to me multiple times in a horror group I follow on Instagram under "good space horror". I'd never heard of it or the author, so I figured it was probably indie publish/self-publish. I was so surprised to find it in my local library system. Yay!
Hellweg's Keep is an actual place on a distant planet called Zeta One. It's a new-ish mine run by a corporation. The miners are straight up disappearing. So the CEO and Mine Security?(I'm not sure who the other person was) call in some extra help to check into it from the FBI and some paranormal investigators from Terra/Earth. Thus begins Ghostbusters in space!
Overall, this book was fine, but really failed to keep me invested. The characters and plot seemed pretty flat and the last third of the book really started dropping some plot inconsistencies that started to really irk me. I'm not sure if the publisher/author employed a concept editor, but if they did--it was not a very good one.
There were also some really random flashbacks/memories that the characters experienced/shared that were obviously input to create emotion or something. Instead of doing that, I felt irritated. I do not want to hear about Zak's mom's drug overdose when they are trying to find the missing/dead miners. It felt self-serving and really douchey. And Zak isn't the only one. We get a full family description of Ramee's mom/dad. I get the author is trying to create better characters, but halfway through the book is the wrong place for their history.
In the same "wrong place, wrong time" vein, there are these two people in the group that become absolutely infatuated/in-love with each other through this story, but the author opts to go into weird detail about how much they would love to hold each other by the fire after they have to shoot one of the crew members in the head. Uh....what are you doing? Why? Especially when it is explained that none of them have had to shoot any real person before. No way in hell are you looking at someone with heart eyes when you just saw someone's brain matter burst from their skull with a bullet you shot.
I'm sad I didn't like this book more. It was pretty middle of the road until the last half of the book when inconsistencies with plot/timelines started to get VERY common and the obvious struggle to maintain a good tone.
There were some pretty obvious sexist points in this book too that made it very clear that this was written by a man, who doesn't know how to write women. There are some really weird sections discussing a girl on her period that was confusing. Why are we including this? It didn't further the plot or the character at all.
Oh and the ending. All of a sudden there's this random fantasy element that just pops up out of nowhere, it's clearly a deus ex machina. After this random fantasy element, there's no resolution for the missing/dead miners at all. The crew walks through the mine, experiences all the paranormal stuff and then they leave. Like they looked at each other and said, "That's why it happened. Let's get out of here. Deuces."
I can't. I just can't like this book. I tried. I read the whole dang book, even though I was ready to be done halfway. It needs a good story/concept editor and then I think it would be good. There's a lot of potential here. Ghostbusters in space is a good concept.
I would not recommend this book at all.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was not great. If you enjoy watching those ghost hunter shows maybe you would enjoy it more than I did, but even then the characters are not fleshed out and the story was...not good.

This story opens with FBI agent Kendra traveling to Hellwegs Keep to investigate some missing miners. Now right away this was just...like how long did it take her to get there? She is waking up from hypersleep when the book opens so it was long enough to put people under, but like...how is that going to help the missing miners? And I am so glad in the future the FBI is still in charge...in space. Like there is no space version of law enforcement? It was just an odd choice I thought. But then again the first part of this book was kind of enjoyable in a bad good kind of way. All the characters are flat, but there are a lot of product placements that just read very strange, and a lot of random references that made me laugh. My favorite being this one:

"'I'll be right here if anyone decides to come out before the others. I'll leave the light on for ya. And the heat.'
This seemed to defuse everyone's immediate trepidation. Even Gradius, who didn't understand the Motel 6 reference, because he wasn't required to watch the archived training videos on pop culture, smiled and appeared to breathe easier."

I read this to my husband and his first reaction was confusion - like what Motel 6 reference? We were both born in 1981 and I am vaguely aware of what it is talking about, but someone saying I will be here and leave the light on for you does not immediately make me think of Motel 6. I wonder how many people who read those first lines, before the text telling what the reference is, get the reference. It was just...so strange. Which was fun because it was ridiculous.

Now even before everyone goes into the mines to try and find the miners things happen, they see people go into walls and someone's hand gets cut off trying to follow something that went into the wall. They see someone lose a finger to a wall when it makes a hole then closes again. And when they find a foot sticking out of the wall? Well they have no idea how that could have gotten there! It is like no one has paid any attention to anything that has been happening. It was always like nope, nothing going on here. It was also very strange. Even at the end when they are all in the mines and the evil things are trying to get them it just felt...like there were still lines that were like you guessed there were bad things in the mines?!?! Well....yeah? Who wouldn't? The miners disappeared, we saw things try and kill other people/bring them into the wall, we saw if stuff got on someone's skin it would eat them up before even going into the mines, but no, nothing bad down there. Nothing bad anywhere. Everything is totally fine. It was like no one could remember what happened 2 seconds ago. And I finally got bored with the story and just skimmed it till the end to see what would happen. Not a great read, but at least the beginning entertained me somewhat.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book.

[Winry Weiss · Rating 1 out of 5]

*sigh* No.

1-star reviews are few and far between from me (I can usually tell fairly early when a book is not fit for me), but this book… it didn’t start that bad, but by the end, it made me so irrationally angry. It wasn’t even lacklustre, it was just plain meh. Painfully, painfully so. I seriously contemplated DNFing it since halfway through, and I probably would have done better than persevering to the end.

This will turn into a rant nonetheless, so let’s start with positives: the cover-art is alluring (frankly though, it’s probably the best thing about this book) and the idea behind the lacking plot – that is, paranormal investigation in a space mining facility – is indeed really intriguing. And that’s… yeah, that’s it. That’s all I can say on a positive note.

There are too many wrongs, I don’t even know where to start…

I came into this story with the premise of a space horror heavy on the side of paranormal – an unusual combo that piqued my interest. Yeah, that didn’t work. Boy, did it not work at all – why was it even set in a space/vague early stages of space exploration setting, when it was never utilised in any way? This could be happening in a remote oil rig or mountain range! Then the weird and quite obsolete (by the supposed time of the setting) pop-culture references would make sense.

The characters were flat and, honestly, rather stupid – I practically must have eyerolled myself into another dimension following along their decisions – and weirdly horny in the worst possible situations! Yeah, near-death experiences or witnessing somebody die in a gruesome fashion might set your heart racing, I guess, but being all lovey-dovey basically the very next moment? Oh, come on. The insta-love between two of the characters was ill-timed enough.

The male gaze… practically physically present. It was impossible to not notice. Also, what was with the fixation on the menstruation of one of the characters? Why was that even there? Sure, if the creatures in the caves were drawn by the smell of blood, then it would be reasonable to include. But they weren’t. Why was that even there? And pads don’t work like that – she had wet undergarments, she wouldn’t be able to stick a fresh pad on, it would not hold! Why was that even there?

Inconsistencies. So, did Ramee’s mother die in a car crash long before this story started, or not? How many miners were actually missing? (Why do we even care about the missing miners? They were apparently just a background event or something.) Was Jerone’s mom lost in the cave system at any point? I have no idea.

And what the **** was that ending?! The story just stopped! They got from point A to point B, no explanations (which might not be a bad thing, when the story works otherwise), but what’s worse, no resolutions! No plot wrapped up at all. … Or maybe let me rephrase: No plot whatsoever.

I did not have a good time. I can’t recommend this book.

[Wayne Fenlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

With HELLWEG'S KEEP, I feel Justin Holley has created something on a personal level here. Not in a self-indulgent way. More of in kind, in homage to certain movies that have made an impact on him. A thank you letter, if you like.

Respectful nods are everywhere. Even down to a certain Character's name, who I believe has had a huge influence on his writing.

This story does not steal. Let's make that clear. Sure, you can say it's a bit like this movie and that movie, but in doing so, I feel it's cheapening the creativity of the author a little, and also could be unintentionally setting higher expectations for the reader.


With HK we have a great mix of characters, not quite a bunch of misfits, but close to it, as we tend to see in these kind of stories. They all bring something to the table, though. They aren't just there for the sake of it. Plus... It keeps things interesting.

Probably not a popular choice, but my favourite was Ramee, because I related to her the most. I feel Justin really understood her character well.

With some books you don't want to put down... It's chapter after chapter. This one, however, sat more comfortably with about five or six at a time. I enjoyed stepping away and letting the story simmer for a while.

Returning to it the next day somehow brought surprises. I have no understanding as to how, but for whatever reason, interrupting the flow worked extremely well here.

Concentration levels on my part? Possibly.

Anyway... some sci-fi/horror books can be heavily bogged down with jargon and the likes, but this one is presented in a much more user-friendly way. I appreciated that, too. It fitted with the kind of 80s vibe I was getting.

It has quite a general audience appeal to it... Well... until the the last twenty percent. It comes with some uncomfortable back story in regards to domestic abuse, and almost feels like it springs from nowhere. But again, thinking about it, it does make sense.

Some scenes could have done with beefing up a little, pushed a little further in the emotional side of things. Earlier on, I mean. Just to make you feel more invested towards each character. Some heavier hitting moments would have been sweet, but I suppose you do have to draw the line somewhere. You don't want to overdo things, end up with a ton of loose ends or something.

There is enough here in the grand scheme of things to appreciate.

For me, this is a solid four-star effort.
Really good stuff.

And I will definitely read more from Justin Holley.

Absolutely no question.

[Zumie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate a wasted potential. I love scifi horror and its not still not super common in horror books, so this sounded good. Unfortunately, every character is intensely stuck in their own head in a stupid way (mostly gagaing over a love interest like hey people you're surrounded by demons in a mining planet, i know ladies with mohawks are cool but a little focus here), there's a lot of informed narration of how the characters behave and all their quirks vs showing it, and there is NO REASON IT IS SET IN SPACE!!

This last point is egregious to me. The setting is a sort of 20 minutes into the future except somehow space travel is pretty common but that doesn't stop everyone from referencing stuff from the 80s and 90s all the time! People have MINIATURE NUCLEAR REACTORS TO HEAT THEMSELVES UP but they're still using gd EMF READERS TO CHECK FOR GHOSTS.

Oh yeah this is heavy on ghosts/demons in space which could have been interesting!!! Hell, Final Fantasy Spirits Within had a cool concept. Unfortunately these are just Default Christian Demons (they insist it's not god/satan heaven/hell stuff but then at the end and with weird angel kid it 100% is but like in a lazy way).

I was really bewildered why this isn't just set in some weird mine ON EARTH. It would have solved a lot of the time discrepancies (the miners go missing long enough to have earth send a group of people and then this random kid has survived that long?? alone?? and his dad waited for the group instead of going in alone which seems like exactly what he would do??) and considering how modern day almost all the tech is it would have worked fine.

And finally using a tragic dead kid of the main character as a literal deus ex machina felt like a complete ass-pull. Man I wonder if spoiler is going to be charged with murder for that sacrifice at the end since IT WAS ALL ON FILM.

This book ended with a lot of questions except not good ones more the what the hell was that.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review.

'Hellweg's Keep' starts off really strong. It's a fun combination of sci-fi horror and mystery with the perfect amount of world building for a book that is meant to make you feel isolated. The cover and the premise really hooked me in. It does give off that 'Event Horizon' and 'Alien' feel to it which I quite enjoyed.

For the most part I loved the writing style and would find myself fully immersed in the story but then a weird sentence structure or description would snap me back in to reality. Some of the dialogue is awkward and unnecessary and the little bits of romance thrown in felt really forced. I want to be clear that I did enjoy most of the dialogue and the back and forth between most of the characters including Gradius and Jasper. Their friendship was really fun.

From the moment that things start to get real for the characters the dread, claustrophobia and tension were palpable and then you get to the last quarter of the book. It felt rushed, it felt a bit silly and it honestly almost ruined the book. Without the ending this would be a four star read for me.

[John Kropewnicki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was given an advance release copy via NetGallery for this book.


The premise of Hellwegs Keep is awesome. "FbI detective investigates crime in space."

After that great start the book goes downhill. I think a major flaw is splitting the main two characters. There isn't really a reason that the FBI agent could also not be a paranormal investigator.

Also the name of the character adds meaningless confusion, why call someone Lunar when you are on a space base?



There are some really clunky/chringy sentences in this novel

"One last thunderous clang, steel grating and screeching like the coitus between ship and station would destroy both.".

"The pilot informed Kendra that Lunar didn’t have room in her personal transport for their equipment so they’d waited for the bigger bird and Lunar would fly her own and meet them below.".

"The scent of thieves oil overpowered the bleachy smell.". I have no clue what thieves oil is.


I can honestly say that I recommend no one read this book, unless they are reading a weird book ironically.

[Matt Cavanah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. The premise is intriguing and there are a lot of great ideas and elements.

But the execution just isn't there. The writing is rough, the characters thin, and there are several eye-rolling moments (including an unnecessary number of brand name drops).

The lead character is an FBI agent (in space!) but does absolutely no investigating of anything other than going into an unmapped underground cave. Worse, she defers to other characters who have done nothing to establish their credibility or usefulness.

Everyone, no matter their background, just accepts that paranormal activities are real well before any proof is offered. It's as if there were some kind of major paranormal event that was highly publicized and everyone was aware of, but no mention is made of this event to explain why they're all accepting of paranormal events.

The book also contradicts itself several times, especially when it comes to the effectiveness of guns.

This book could have used a little more time to cook and a better editor.

[Mindy'sBookJourney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy for review through NetGalley.

FBI agent Kendra Omen and a team of paranormal investigators with unique talents travel from the planet Terra to one of its moons Zeta One. They need to investigate the disappearance of a group of miners from the titanium mine below the surface. They become haunted by horrifying visions and what they find in the caverns below the mine is a nightmare in itself.

The characters in Hellweg's Keep are all very memorable whether likable or not. Most are likeable, especially the leader of the group Kendra. The dread and tension is set right away in the first part of the book. Then the team goes subterranean and the claustrophobia helps to boost those feelings through the roof. I am a huge fan of science fiction horror and this was the scariest I have read so far. I would recommend looking up content warnings before reading if you need to. There is one major one.

I recommend this novel to those that are looking for a psychological claustrophobic space adventure with vivid nightmare fuel.

[Evan Ladouceur · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am generally a fan of Flame Tree books; I think the imprint offers new authors and offbeat books. That said, I found Justin Halley’s Hellweg’s Keep disappointing. The amalgamation of space opera, mystery, horror, and outright fantasy didn’t gel for me. On the plus side, the horror element is gripping and the psychological tension keeps mounting. The background universe didn't feel fleshed out or real. Little things, like naming the lead viewpoint character Omen, or the colony planet Terra, seemed amateurish. I also found the narrative disjointed at times. But the real disappointment was a dues ex machina ending, bound with some really odd morality and a casual disregard for human life. While I will keep coming back to Flame Tree, I will approach Holley with caution.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely agree that this book is a combination of Alien and Event Horizon. The combination of a space setting and a haunting was absolutely exiting for me. Space stories seem so claustrophobic by nature. You simply can't run away when you're in a space setting. There were some fantastic characters in this book. My absolute favorite was Lunar. An absolute bad ass with a rainbow mohawk. Yep, loved her! Kendra and Zak were tough as nails also. The characters were great, the plot was inventive. And there were many fun scenes throughout. Some of the chapters were a tad slow for my taste, but I was never completely bored. I was slightly underwhelmed with the ending. It felt rushed and anticlimactic. I would still recommend this read to anyone that enjoys sci-fi horror.

[Dunya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Emmmmmm, no.

I was really drawn by the intro on the book’s back cover, but this book is just disappointing. The “end of Earth/beginning of space era” background setting contributes nothing to the plot whatsoever, and the story could well go when it’s set in a less explored cave on Earth. The inclusion of religion as a theme but not really explore it is a sin. (Also, the fact that extraterrestrial spirits/ghosts are scared of salt and iron makes me laugh so hard). And then the characters are just stupid, unconvincing, in many instances annoying. Imagine that the group split in two, each group leader has a communication device but NEVER use it in the entire exploration despite encountering accidents after accidents!! My advice is just not read this book, don’t waste your time.

[Terry and dog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous, dark cover of deep space with a space station and a bit of the planet showing in the bottom corner. Aside from the very beginning of the story, the feeling of this being in space disappears, being in the mines and talks of demons and religion tend to reinforce the earth feel. I think the romance kind of took over in parts when I wanted them to have more fear and suspense and a darker feel. Once I realized that this wasn’t going to be the story I expected it to be, (I had been waiting for this book for months so I knew what I wanted it to be like), I just went with it. There were some interesting…entities, an oppressing location and cool, gross things that happen to people, so that was good. Not a big fan of the ending. I’m going to have to give my expectations a good talking to.

[Samantha Hehr · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story begins with such promise. It is the combination of sci-fi off-world possibilities and isolation, with the supernatural and paranormal.

SPOILERS













I did not like how the misogynistic character died so quickly at the beginning, it was a bit too predictable. I'd rather have a connection to a character and then lose them, or see the misogynistic character have a character arc instead of just becoming cannon fodder.
I did not like how everyone experiences the same paranormal events basically exactly the same- it is quite repetitive and predictable.

[Sean Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading the synopsis I was hopeful that I’d get a novel that would stick with me. For some reason I kept thinking it would go Event Horizon on me and just go completely crackers but that’s not what I got. This was not the best thing I’ve read all year. If I’m reading a novel that’s set in the future then why are there product placements that feel distinctly 20-years ago? Stereotyped characters. Bland writing. Difficult to finish.

[Bee Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite Event Horizon being one of my favourite movies, space horror is a new sub genre for me. I loved The Luminous Dead, and Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes and have been looking for something similar. But this, this book offered something those others didn’t; a healthy dose of the occult (a tried and true favourite), and a little magic on the side. This compilation of horror, sci fi and fantasy was just right and made for a really good book!