Hell's Door Opens

by Jon Creffield

Hell’s Door Opens is a dark story of heroic sword and sorcery action. A bloody and thought-provoking tale combining elements of horror with fantasy, the story appeals to the existing sword and sorcery audience and attracts lovers of the macabre too. The action takes place in and around the city of Sept, a metropolis under supernatural attack. A spell of madness conjured up from the depths of hell brings cannibalism, torture and depravity to the population.

In this fast-paced story of violent battle, torture, lust and love, Prince Calgus must find a way to save the city before the nomads of the desert attack. With the seeress Jessela, the killer Sevenet, and the courtesan come assassin Semara, Calgus seeks to save Sept from the evil consuming its citizens.

As the people of Sept are swept away in an orgy of destruction, only steel and blood can stop the onslaught of demonic entities, diseased sorcerers and vicious desert warriors.
A terrifying vision of hell-spawned chaos is met by but a few good men that stand between ultimate evil and redemption in this roller-coaster action thrill ride. Not for the faint of heart, this story will grab you by the throat, releasing its grip only after you have conquered its battle-weary pages.

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 30, 2012

Reviews

[Derek Prior · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hell's Door Opens never lacks for one thing: atmosphere. The author positively infuses the book with it, creating the impression of an evil that is visceral, cloying, and ever so slightly disturbing. He's also created some intriguing characters with some surprising qualities. That said, the novel suffers at times from a prose style that is something of a double-edged sword. Its richness, which could have been drawn straight from the 1st Edition DMG, is terrific for mood but tends to be overcooked when it comes to action and dialogue. I would had preferred to see more vernacular dialogue, punchy action sentences, and less preoccupation with extraneous description. It's a style that may work well for some readers (it has something of the old-school about it), but for me it started to get in the way of the story, which, while standard D&D fare, had enough of the right elements to make a compelling tale.