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Hell's Underground #2
The Demon Assassin
Having once risked everything precious to him to halt King Lud's progress from the ancient bowels of London to the city's modern streets, teenage Paul Rector knows his task is far from over. Paul also knows that, like his brother John and his great uncle Harry, he is both demon and man. Will it be fate that decides which side wins out? To find out, Paul takes Hell's Underground back to London of the Blitz in World War II and becomes involved in defeating Harry Rector's plot to assassinate Prime Minister Churchill. His main weapons are fire and fear. Along the way, he learns more about the Rector curse and once again endangers not only his own life, but the lives of the people he comes to regard as a second family.
- GenresYoung AdultHorror
364 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2008
4 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Alan Gibbons
165 books56 followersAlan Gibbons is an author of children's books and a Blue Peter Book Award. He currently lives in Liverpool, England, where he used to teach in a primary school. His father was a farm laborer, but was hurt in an accident when Alan was eight years old. The family had to move to Crewe, Cheshire where Alan experienced bullying for the first time. He began to write for his pupils as a teacher, but never tried to get any of his work published.
Gibbons trained to be a teacher in his mid-thirties and starting writing short stories for his students. Later, he began to write professionally. In 2000, he won the Blue Peter Book Award in the category "The Book I Couldn't Put Down" category for Shadow of the Minotaur. He was a judge for the 2001 Blue Peter Book Awards. He was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 2001 and 2003 and shortlisted twice for the Booktrust Teenage Prize. He has also won the Leicester Book of the Year, the Stockport Book Award, the Angus Book Award, the Catalyst Award, the Birmingham Chills Award, the Salford Young Adult Book Award and the Salford Librarians' Special Award.
Gibbons trained to be a teacher in his mid-thirties and starting writing short stories for his students. Later, he began to write professionally. In 2000, he won the Blue Peter Book Award in the category "The Book I Couldn't Put Down" category for Shadow of the Minotaur. He was a judge for the 2001 Blue Peter Book Awards. He was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 2001 and 2003 and shortlisted twice for the Booktrust Teenage Prize. He has also won the Leicester Book of the Year, the Stockport Book Award, the Angus Book Award, the Catalyst Award, the Birmingham Chills Award, the Salford Young Adult Book Award and the Salford Librarians' Special Award.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 15, 2015
Whilst this is a wonderful read I could not bring myself to enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the first book in the series. I’m not exactly sure where it fell short but for me some of the magic was lost. The first one truly blew my mind whereas this book was nothing more than an entertaining read.
It may be enough to keep you interested in the story yet for me it was not as brilliant as it could have been.
It may be enough to keep you interested in the story yet for me it was not as brilliant as it could have been.
August 4, 2017
This second book in the series was more fast paced than the first one and so I did enjoy it more. More of the history behind King Lub and each time you find out a bit ready to go further back in time for the next story.
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February 20, 2021I'm not rating this because it's a children's book, that somehow found it's way onto one of my bookshelves. I decided to give it a try, but it's not holding my interest. I think I would have really enjoyed it when I was a teenager though.
May 25, 2021
Excellent book
Love this series so glad I decided yo pick it up again. Harry is just the right amount of unhinged and Paul is treading the line.
Love this series so glad I decided yo pick it up again. Harry is just the right amount of unhinged and Paul is treading the line.
September 11, 2023
i remember reading this book over and over again in year 7 for some reason…
November 11, 2013
Book Review – Demon Assassin
Demon Assassin, written by Alan Gibbons, is, as you can tell from the name, a story about a teen heartthrob and his life during high school; and since that fooled no one I will continue on with the review. Demon Assassin is an adventure novel and the second instalment of the 4 book ‘Hell’s Underground’ series; it is set in World War II London. The intended audience would be older teenagers and adults, most likely who enjoy reading about dark themes such as horror and demons. The story is based around a teenager named Paul going into the past to stop an event which could cause the main antagonist and demon lord, King Lud, from breaking free of his prison. If you have not read the first book, like me, Paul is a blank slate at the start in which you see him develop as a character and as a descendant of demons.
Right off the bat the world seems abnormal with Paul entering what seems to be a ghost train and travelling through time. The setting of London during the blitz is a hard one to make realistic but the sense of panic and destruction illustrated with carefully placed words really sets this book up for an excellent plot. The theme of demons is brilliant to match the dark times of World War II London; some of the events that happen can easily be disregarded or left unnoticed by the public because of how evil and devastating that point in time already was. The story has Paul and some newly acquainted friends, Temple and Evelyn, seek out answers and try to stop the demon assassin from completing his task, it seemed to be a bit cliché with guarded castles and a haunted house but it fit in with the story nicely. The portrayal of demons was excellent it shows them being inhuman and evil, there is one scene were the demon assassin is toying with Paul and his emotions which really brings out how heartless demons are. The characters are your regulars, a teen boy being the only one who can stop disaster from occurring, Temple a hardy officer working for the prime minister and Evelyn a teen girl who seeks adventure. Alan Gibbons puts his own twist on demons, they aren’t just your run of the mill red guys with horns and wings, each of them are different and at most times appear human.
This book is an excellent read and the story gets better the later in the book it is, being someone who normally doesn’t enjoy reading I found this difficult to put down, with the change of scenes and problems that occur keeping me hooked in, I’ve never read anything like this but I am glad I chose this book to pick up off the shelf. If you’re someone that enjoys demons and evil, World War II or just a good book with dark themes this is a must read, do make sure you read the first book, “Scared to Death” before the second though.
Demon Assassin, written by Alan Gibbons, is, as you can tell from the name, a story about a teen heartthrob and his life during high school; and since that fooled no one I will continue on with the review. Demon Assassin is an adventure novel and the second instalment of the 4 book ‘Hell’s Underground’ series; it is set in World War II London. The intended audience would be older teenagers and adults, most likely who enjoy reading about dark themes such as horror and demons. The story is based around a teenager named Paul going into the past to stop an event which could cause the main antagonist and demon lord, King Lud, from breaking free of his prison. If you have not read the first book, like me, Paul is a blank slate at the start in which you see him develop as a character and as a descendant of demons.
Right off the bat the world seems abnormal with Paul entering what seems to be a ghost train and travelling through time. The setting of London during the blitz is a hard one to make realistic but the sense of panic and destruction illustrated with carefully placed words really sets this book up for an excellent plot. The theme of demons is brilliant to match the dark times of World War II London; some of the events that happen can easily be disregarded or left unnoticed by the public because of how evil and devastating that point in time already was. The story has Paul and some newly acquainted friends, Temple and Evelyn, seek out answers and try to stop the demon assassin from completing his task, it seemed to be a bit cliché with guarded castles and a haunted house but it fit in with the story nicely. The portrayal of demons was excellent it shows them being inhuman and evil, there is one scene were the demon assassin is toying with Paul and his emotions which really brings out how heartless demons are. The characters are your regulars, a teen boy being the only one who can stop disaster from occurring, Temple a hardy officer working for the prime minister and Evelyn a teen girl who seeks adventure. Alan Gibbons puts his own twist on demons, they aren’t just your run of the mill red guys with horns and wings, each of them are different and at most times appear human.
This book is an excellent read and the story gets better the later in the book it is, being someone who normally doesn’t enjoy reading I found this difficult to put down, with the change of scenes and problems that occur keeping me hooked in, I’ve never read anything like this but I am glad I chose this book to pick up off the shelf. If you’re someone that enjoys demons and evil, World War II or just a good book with dark themes this is a must read, do make sure you read the first book, “Scared to Death” before the second though.
December 11, 2015
Alan Gibbons really is an amazing author with so much talent in writing horror stories. He made the book very interesting and I couldn't stop turning the page. It is incredibly scary and well-written, therefore it is a fantastic book to add to your chat list! The venue is at Great Britain where the WW2 cracks and Hitler and Heydrich's men start to bomb the city. In my opinion, the main character, Paul Rector is a brave, risk-taking leader who goes back in time and suffers amnesia. Slowly, his memory jogs back until he realises why he is there and what his mission is. A story about a half demon half man trying to stop King Lud's 'prince demon', Harry. A mixture of horror and adventure.
December 15, 2012
had to reread the last 2 chapters BECAUSE IT WAS SO DAMN GOOD.
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June 23, 2014A very good read so far, intriguing characters, historical events and an special depth to it.
August 18, 2012
Great writer, great story
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October 22, 2014bc416d6a-d766-48e9-9708-12d30a0bc3ac
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews