For This is Hell

by Steven Savile, Aaron Rosenberg

London, 1593. Christopher Marlowe, playwright, spy, and renowned womanizer, is desperately working on what could be his greatest play. But inspiration eludes him, until a chance encounter with a dark temptress rekindles his passion and the words start to flow with that famous passion.Forces are arrayed against Marlowe. Something doesn't want him finishing, and it's not just the Queen’s Privy Council, who would see Marlowe institutionalized. The Black Death is abroad—illness and madness rampage through the streets, causing death and insanity and mayhem. Marlowe suspects there is a foul agency at work, but can the incandescent playwright stop the chaos before it overwhelms the entire city?This new occult thriller from bestselling authors Aaron Rosenberg and Steven Savile combines Elizabethan theatre, ancient mythology, and ageless seduction to create a dark, gripping tale that is both as old as time itself and wholly original.

183 pages, ebook

First published January 30, 2012

About the author

Steven Savile (born October 12, 1969, in Newcastle, England) is a British fantasy, horror and thriller writer, and editor living in Sala, Sweden.

Under the Ronan Frost penname (inspired by the hero of his bestselling novel, Silver) he has also written the action thriller White Peak, and as Matt Langley was a finalist for the People's Book Prize.

Reviews

[Albert Yates · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost gave up on this book, after only 20 pages I was going to throw it across the room and be and with it. The pace of the book was at a crawl, the early English language the author was using was hurting my head.

It wasn't until they introduced Lorelai that the book picked up and began to become a little more interesting.

It was part of the Story bundle of Monster fiction and its inclusion in that bundle made no sense until the closing couple of chapters in the book.

2.5/5

[Cherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Transport yourself to the gritty streets of London circa 1593. This fast paced, fun novella puts the reader smack in the middle of Christopher Marlowe's play, only he can't quite finish it. He has writer's block and his mission is to find his muse so the story of the Phoenix can be born, played out on the stage of the Curtain by none other than the Admiral's Men.

I loved the twists and turns, even when I anticipated them. If you love this time period, you'll enjoy this book.

[Tristan Robin Blakeman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Historically inaccurate and confusingly written. This book (really just a long short-story) can't make up it's mind if it's an historical novel, a history, a ghost story, an analysis of the creative spirit. And ends up being none of them.

The only reason I finished it was because it was SO short. Had it been a regular length novel, I would never have it all the way through.

[Samuel Guglielmo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about a playwright who is trying to finish his greatest work amid a shadowy organization trying to stop him and a mysterious sickness taking over London. Twist is way too obvious, but it's an interesting story.