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Circles in Hell #4
The Reluctant Demon: Circles In Hell, Book Four (Volume 4) by Mark Cain
Satan has made a new demon, and he’s a doozy, maybe the most powerful ever created. There’s just one problem … this freshly-minted hellion isn’t sure he wants the job. In the wacky final volume of the Circles in Hell series, Steve Minion attends Beast Barracks, where he learns both the arcane and mundane arts of being a servant of the Devil. Strength, speed and endurance are all part of a demon’s physical makeup, but he must be taught to be sneaky, cruel and ruthless… and of course to ignore personal hygiene. As Steve begins work as a full-fledged bad guy, he must confront the demons exist to torment the damned, and Hell’s former handyman-in-chief doesn't seem to have the stomach for the work. Still, there’s no alternative for our hero. Once a demon, always a demon, as the saying goes. Steve’s stuck in his new role, but really, what good to anyone is a reluctant demon? The Reluctant Demon is the fourth volume in the fantasy comedy series, Circles in Hell. It has been compared to other works of “Hell Fiction” including The Screwtape Letters and Good Omens and to the paranormal humor of Tom Holt, Christopher Moore and Douglas Adams. _______________________________________________ Comedy Fiction Book Categories >Satire and Humor >Fantasy Comedy >Hell Fiction >Devils and Demons >Fiction Humor >Paranormal Humor >Paranormal Comedy Romance
Mass Market Paperback
First published October 31, 2015
139 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
Mark Cain
28 books220 followersWriter living in Austin, Texas.
My work could best be described as satire, with a little fantasy thrown in. This is a good characterization of my comic fantasy series, CIRCLES IN HELL.
Here is a link to the series page.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017...
My work could best be described as satire, with a little fantasy thrown in. This is a good characterization of my comic fantasy series, CIRCLES IN HELL.
Here is a link to the series page.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
April 17, 2020
I was rather disappointed in this story. I didn’t think it was as much fun as the other three.
June 29, 2020
Really loved this series. Funny, Smart and well written!
December 18, 2015
While this one was still a witty, intelligent read and offered the only logical ending to the series, I wasn't as taken in as I was with the other books. For me, there was too much dwelling on the same theme, and not enough plot. I'm probably complaining on a high level, because all in all, it was a good read, but given that the other books of the series were so damn brilliant, it was a bit of a letdown.
October 19, 2017
I loved this series. Yes, it is a little bit predictable, but sometimes it's nice to dive into a book that you can just relax and enjoy. This was a great wrap up to a great series.
December 10, 2019
As good as the first. Interesting, funny, on the lighter side despite the subject :)
June 9, 2016
“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”
It seems I somehow missed book 3 in this series, as this is book four. Steve has been tricked into becoming a demon. He is good at it except for the torturing human part. Will his free will win out and allow him to re-gain a shred of his humanity.
The narration was well done. The characters were excellently portrayed, with plenty of enthusiasm.
It seems I somehow missed book 3 in this series, as this is book four. Steve has been tricked into becoming a demon. He is good at it except for the torturing human part. Will his free will win out and allow him to re-gain a shred of his humanity.
The narration was well done. The characters were excellently portrayed, with plenty of enthusiasm.
June 24, 2025
Loved it. Maybe not as much as the first three, but still enough to give it a 5 star thumbs up.
At the end of book 3 Steve Minion was tricked by Satan into becoming a demon. This book starts just after the events of that book with Steve having left his role as Hell's superintendent, and transitioning into becoming a Demon via Demon bootcamp. He makes a good go of things and soon learns he's become one of the most powerful Demon's in Hell. One problem though, his heart really isn't in it and despite Satan using his powers Steve tries everything to get out of the some of the tormenting he should be inflicting onto the damned human populous of the underworld.
This book nicely completed the Omnibus of 4 books I had and ends on both a resolution and a cliffhanger. Of course I'm going to read the book!! I love some of the characters in this. They are well written and amusing. Everyone from BOOH and Beelzebub, to lovely Lilleth the succubus, to the earls of Hell and Satan himself. The story may not have been as plot and mystery heavy as the last book which at time read like noie pulp mysteries, but it had a definite feel to it - which was kind of like a lot of War films between 1970 -2000 with bands of brothers all going through boot camp. 5 stars from me.
At the end of book 3 Steve Minion was tricked by Satan into becoming a demon. This book starts just after the events of that book with Steve having left his role as Hell's superintendent, and transitioning into becoming a Demon via Demon bootcamp. He makes a good go of things and soon learns he's become one of the most powerful Demon's in Hell. One problem though, his heart really isn't in it and despite Satan using his powers Steve tries everything to get out of the some of the tormenting he should be inflicting onto the damned human populous of the underworld.
This book nicely completed the Omnibus of 4 books I had and ends on both a resolution and a cliffhanger. Of course I'm going to read the book!! I love some of the characters in this. They are well written and amusing. Everyone from BOOH and Beelzebub, to lovely Lilleth the succubus, to the earls of Hell and Satan himself. The story may not have been as plot and mystery heavy as the last book which at time read like noie pulp mysteries, but it had a definite feel to it - which was kind of like a lot of War films between 1970 -2000 with bands of brothers all going through boot camp. 5 stars from me.
August 27, 2025
Okay, this is a book of two halves for me.
The opening half is very much a boot camp/college dorm comedy sort of story that feels a bit like a nostalgia trip to the 80's at times, and a bit lame and dated at others. It's fine, but diverges well away from the tone of the series.
The second half is where all of the meat of the story really lies, and where my enjoyment kicked in for his volume. While it still gets well away from the roots of what the series is, it at least is more focused on plot progression and feels like it's going somewhere.
That isn't to say it's great though. This might be the weakest entry in the series so far. I can only hope that this is an unfortunate drop and things will pick up again after that rather odd ending. And that's another thing. The whole ending feels very, very cheep. Like the author had to bend several of their own world's rules to make it work. Not really a great sign, but I guess I'll find out in a couple days when I get another credit on Audible and can pick up the next set of volumes.
The opening half is very much a boot camp/college dorm comedy sort of story that feels a bit like a nostalgia trip to the 80's at times, and a bit lame and dated at others. It's fine, but diverges well away from the tone of the series.
The second half is where all of the meat of the story really lies, and where my enjoyment kicked in for his volume. While it still gets well away from the roots of what the series is, it at least is more focused on plot progression and feels like it's going somewhere.
That isn't to say it's great though. This might be the weakest entry in the series so far. I can only hope that this is an unfortunate drop and things will pick up again after that rather odd ending. And that's another thing. The whole ending feels very, very cheep. Like the author had to bend several of their own world's rules to make it work. Not really a great sign, but I guess I'll find out in a couple days when I get another credit on Audible and can pick up the next set of volumes.
March 11, 2022
I just gushed about how much I love these books, but this one… it didn’t do a lot for me.
I like the idea of a guy being tricked into becoming a demon. That’s kind of Scratch’s MO, right? But things are just too perfect for Steve Minion here. (After)life is just running too smoothly.
And he turned into a bit of a Mary Sue. A Mary Sue is a character “depicted as unrealistically lacking in flaws and weaknesses.” Steve Minion has always been smart, but now he’s smart, attractive, with a beautiful, sex-craving partner, and able to harness his new superpowers far easier than any of his classmates. While most new demons are treated like garbage, Minion gets to friend level with at least one leader in Hell. Everyone’s jealous of him. Everyone gives him the benefit of the doubt.
And the ending is half-apparent from the end of the LAST book.
I was disheartened reading this. It just made Minion a Superman of sorts.
Maybe the next one will be better.
I like the idea of a guy being tricked into becoming a demon. That’s kind of Scratch’s MO, right? But things are just too perfect for Steve Minion here. (After)life is just running too smoothly.
And he turned into a bit of a Mary Sue. A Mary Sue is a character “depicted as unrealistically lacking in flaws and weaknesses.” Steve Minion has always been smart, but now he’s smart, attractive, with a beautiful, sex-craving partner, and able to harness his new superpowers far easier than any of his classmates. While most new demons are treated like garbage, Minion gets to friend level with at least one leader in Hell. Everyone’s jealous of him. Everyone gives him the benefit of the doubt.
And the ending is half-apparent from the end of the LAST book.
I was disheartened reading this. It just made Minion a Superman of sorts.
Maybe the next one will be better.
November 19, 2017
I enjoyed this book as I did the previous three. You could see this ending coming a mile away and was pretty predictable from the previous book in the series.
Personally though, I had really been hoping to see Steve Minion given that "special factotem" status and solving the special problems around Hell instead of focusing on the stupid typical rigamarole of terrorizing the damned.
That approach could have given so much more to explore and examine the intrigue of mythological mayhem across many more books in the series.
I also admit that I had hoped to see Steve realize that Lillith was the "right one" for him instead of Florence.
I mean, it turned out obvious but still an entertaining story.
Personally though, I had really been hoping to see Steve Minion given that "special factotem" status and solving the special problems around Hell instead of focusing on the stupid typical rigamarole of terrorizing the damned.
That approach could have given so much more to explore and examine the intrigue of mythological mayhem across many more books in the series.
I also admit that I had hoped to see Steve realize that Lillith was the "right one" for him instead of Florence.
I mean, it turned out obvious but still an entertaining story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2019
I thought the author had painted himself into a corner at the end of book 3 but that turned out to not be case. The MC, Steve Minion, was tricked into becoming a demon. This makes Steve unique since the benefits of being a demon usually means damned souls are willing to make the change. Demons lose their free will, having to do whatever Satan tells them to do. Thanks to his unique circumstances Steve eventually becomes able to disobey Satan. When Steve became a demon he also gained the rare ability to teleport which is good as this allows him to stay ahead of the demons and devils sent by Satan to bring him in. Eventually Steve finds refuge with Chiron where Flo joins him with a plan to get Steve out of his current fix.
Bottom line: Quite enjoyable and worth the read.
Bottom line: Quite enjoyable and worth the read.
June 1, 2017
Another fun installment in the Circles of Hell series. However, I didn't find this one to be as exciting and full of cat and mouse mystery situations as the previous books. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it. Steve as always was his usual wry witty self hurrying through Hell only willing to use his sarcasm to torture the damned though he was commanded by Satan to do much more. This time he was in the Demon Corp. which made him more miserable that usual. It was funny just not my favorite of the 4 books so far.
June 14, 2017
So what happens when you take someone with a sadistic streak and make him a demon?
well apparently he loses his grove? I don't know, Steve was such a fun character but here he ends up over shadowed by the insanity around him... which is odd to say considering he was surrounded by it in all 4 books!
The ending was cute though and I loved both Satin and Beezee, the slapstick was on point (which is why you'd want to read this series anyway right?)
3.5 stars from me and a recommendation. A fitting end to a fun, light-hearted series.
well apparently he loses his grove? I don't know, Steve was such a fun character but here he ends up over shadowed by the insanity around him... which is odd to say considering he was surrounded by it in all 4 books!
The ending was cute though and I loved both Satin and Beezee, the slapstick was on point (which is why you'd want to read this series anyway right?)
3.5 stars from me and a recommendation. A fitting end to a fun, light-hearted series.
October 31, 2018
I absolutely love this series. I have listened to the audiobook series at least 7 times. the series starts off great and just gets better. The thing I like the most is the unpredictability of the plot. Just when you think you know what to expect, you get thrown one hell of a curveball. All of the characters are so rich, no two dimensional characters here! It is amazing that the author can make you care as much about ancillary characters and their story as the main protagonist. I found myself wanting to know as much about Beelzebub, Charon, Booh, and St Peter as Steve and Orson!
February 20, 2018
Change in the tone of the series as our hero, Steve Minion, transitions from damned soul to demon. In the process, we lose the clever "jobs" he did as Hell's Maintenance Supervisor in favor of his exploits and self-loathing as his "job" becomes tormentor of his friends.
Not my favorite in the series, but it seems to be Cain's segue to a different direction for Mr. Minion, as the next book in the series is titled "I'm No Angel."
Not my favorite in the series, but it seems to be Cain's segue to a different direction for Mr. Minion, as the next book in the series is titled "I'm No Angel."
May 24, 2017
Book 4
This series keeps getting better and better with every book! Spoiler alert: I knew Steve was a good guy! I knew when he confronted St. Peter, it would be Peter that fixed it...with a breeze from the Big Guy. Haha I'm extremely happy the way it ended! Is there another one? If so, I'm starting it now!
This series keeps getting better and better with every book! Spoiler alert: I knew Steve was a good guy! I knew when he confronted St. Peter, it would be Peter that fixed it...with a breeze from the Big Guy. Haha I'm extremely happy the way it ended! Is there another one? If so, I'm starting it now!
August 23, 2017
Somewhat of a disappointment for me. I was looking for a bit more humor like I found in the first book of the series but I suppose that is expecting too much. Mildly amusing at times but very predictable IMHO.
April 6, 2018
I’m so happy I found this series!
If you like Christopher Moore, Philip K Dick, Neil Gaiman or even CS Lewis, you will love these books. I’ve laughed so much, fell in love with the bat out of hell, cheered for a failed demon and lots of other stops on this reading roller coaster.
If you like Christopher Moore, Philip K Dick, Neil Gaiman or even CS Lewis, you will love these books. I’ve laughed so much, fell in love with the bat out of hell, cheered for a failed demon and lots of other stops on this reading roller coaster.
January 17, 2019
The same jokes and "wit" were used throughout the entire series. The characters never developedn as becoming a demon is NOT a character development. It's really too bad, because the original concept had potential. It just seems the writer only had one idea.
August 4, 2022
Excellent!
This series really grows on you! Each book is better than the previous. Funny story, atypical, witty, it doesn't look like anything I ever read. Hail to Steve Minion, Orson Wells and BOOH! 😉
This series really grows on you! Each book is better than the previous. Funny story, atypical, witty, it doesn't look like anything I ever read. Hail to Steve Minion, Orson Wells and BOOH! 😉
September 2, 2017
Very fun!
A good read that is both thoughtful and funny. Read all three, they're great! I don't know if there will be another book but I'm sure it would be interesting!
A good read that is both thoughtful and funny. Read all three, they're great! I don't know if there will be another book but I'm sure it would be interesting!
April 17, 2020
Postulating fun. More, more...
May 13, 2020
There is no Heaven in Hell.
What happens when Steve is tricked into becoming something he does not want to be a demon. How can he get out of it?
What happens when Steve is tricked into becoming something he does not want to be a demon. How can he get out of it?
July 24, 2020
Excellent
Really nothing else to say. Story is hitting it's stride, plot is great, the characters are brilliant and very well developed. Excellent.
Really nothing else to say. Story is hitting it's stride, plot is great, the characters are brilliant and very well developed. Excellent.
December 24, 2020
Fitting, very witty, end to the fourth book of this trilogy.
November 10, 2021
You’ve got to feel bad for Steve he puts up with a lot of shit from satan and he takes it. like water off a ducks back it just slides off him. I’d like to meet steve one of these days!
February 1, 2022
quite nice, although dog
June 22, 2022
The message that this book transmits is really good, it is undoubtedly a unique book.
March 26, 2023
changes
Steve has been changed. Flo is looking for him. He is trying to be the best demon but something just isn't right.
Steve has been changed. Flo is looking for him. He is trying to be the best demon but something just isn't right.
March 21, 2017
Fabulous. Can't wait for the follow up to this. I heard he is going to do more circles in hell after many requests. I can't wait. Fabulous series. Steve is great at rebelling in hell but it gets him noticed! And punished, and rewarded, well supposedly rewarded anyway. I just love the thought of everyday life for a superintendent odd job guy, in hell!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews