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The Forsaken Comedy #1
From Hell with Love
Only the Horsemen of the Apocalypse can save the Devil... and if they don't, there'll be Hell to pay!
Damned to Hell after a life of misery, Niccolo da Firenze soon discovered Lucifer's prison was not what the Church had always claimed.
His new home was a breath of fresh air, Lucifer was a wise and gentle leader, and Niccolo quickly rose through the ranks and became the Horseman of Pestilence. Surrounded by new family and friends, accepted despite his faults, Niccolo would often forget his part in the coming Apocalypse.
That bliss comes to an end once Cadmus, the Horseman of Death, inherits a vision of Lucifer's murder. So, with his fellow Horseman by his side, Niccolo begins his frantic journey to uncover a conspiracy involving ancient demons, corrupted humans and even a few gods.
Damned to Hell after a life of misery, Niccolo da Firenze soon discovered Lucifer's prison was not what the Church had always claimed.
His new home was a breath of fresh air, Lucifer was a wise and gentle leader, and Niccolo quickly rose through the ranks and became the Horseman of Pestilence. Surrounded by new family and friends, accepted despite his faults, Niccolo would often forget his part in the coming Apocalypse.
That bliss comes to an end once Cadmus, the Horseman of Death, inherits a vision of Lucifer's murder. So, with his fellow Horseman by his side, Niccolo begins his frantic journey to uncover a conspiracy involving ancient demons, corrupted humans and even a few gods.
432 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 20, 2013
93 people are currently reading
236 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Kauffmann
10 books18 followersAs a kid, Kevin Kauffmann would spend most days creating worlds and adventures for action figures and old Transformers. After grabbing a degree from UNC-Chapel Hill, he decided that creating worlds should be more than a hobby.
The Icarus Trilogy, a sci-fi tale about futuristic gladiatorial warfare, was Kauffmann's first series, but he has since gone on to tell stories in many different genres. His Forsaken Comedy is a dark fantasy trilogy about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and his latest, Ouroboros, has received high praise for its representation of hallucinogen use and self-destructive behaviors.
Starting in 2024, 25&Y Publishing will release two novels and a collection from Kauffmann, the Misadventures of Rumpelstiltskin the Third, Daytrippers and Evenin' Flow, and he is the Narrative Director for Exfinitum, an upcoming card game from Yoton Yo Studios.
The Icarus Trilogy, a sci-fi tale about futuristic gladiatorial warfare, was Kauffmann's first series, but he has since gone on to tell stories in many different genres. His Forsaken Comedy is a dark fantasy trilogy about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and his latest, Ouroboros, has received high praise for its representation of hallucinogen use and self-destructive behaviors.
Starting in 2024, 25&Y Publishing will release two novels and a collection from Kauffmann, the Misadventures of Rumpelstiltskin the Third, Daytrippers and Evenin' Flow, and he is the Narrative Director for Exfinitum, an upcoming card game from Yoton Yo Studios.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 16, 2014
I don’t recall how I got ahold of this book or if someone recommended it but I remember being intrigued by the idea of reading about hell through the perspective of a demon or Lucifer.
Some weeks ago, having just finished reading NOS4A2, was browsing through my kindle collection to choose the next book from my “to read” list and saw “From Hell with love”. I thought to myself “the hell with it” in an unsuccessful effort to seem witty in my head and started reading. I know now, that if my schedule wasn’t so busy lately, I would have finished it in a matter of days.
Not because it’s 351 pages are a small matter for me but because I really liked it and occasionally I didn’t want to put it down. You see, Nicolo and Cadmus are such enjoyable and fun characters that you develop feelings for them almost from the beginning. I know I did anyways, although Nico’s stubbornness sometimes feels a bit too much, it helped me see a bit of my stubborn self in him.
On the whole I liked how the narrative jumps from the present to the past trying to give you better insight on the ways the protagonists’ characters were forged and the way the language is simple with the characters having normal everyday conversations, using normal, everyday expressions.
I know that the book probably won’t be nominated for any high literature awards or be in any bestselling charts, although I truly wish that you can make it there, but I did have a very good time reading it and this is my first ever book review on a site, so…you got that.
I liked “From hell with love” so much I wrote a review to tell people. I’m seriously thinking to continue with the two other books when I can because I truly want to see what happens to Nicolo and Cadmus, next.
Some weeks ago, having just finished reading NOS4A2, was browsing through my kindle collection to choose the next book from my “to read” list and saw “From Hell with love”. I thought to myself “the hell with it” in an unsuccessful effort to seem witty in my head and started reading. I know now, that if my schedule wasn’t so busy lately, I would have finished it in a matter of days.
Not because it’s 351 pages are a small matter for me but because I really liked it and occasionally I didn’t want to put it down. You see, Nicolo and Cadmus are such enjoyable and fun characters that you develop feelings for them almost from the beginning. I know I did anyways, although Nico’s stubbornness sometimes feels a bit too much, it helped me see a bit of my stubborn self in him.
On the whole I liked how the narrative jumps from the present to the past trying to give you better insight on the ways the protagonists’ characters were forged and the way the language is simple with the characters having normal everyday conversations, using normal, everyday expressions.
I know that the book probably won’t be nominated for any high literature awards or be in any bestselling charts, although I truly wish that you can make it there, but I did have a very good time reading it and this is my first ever book review on a site, so…you got that.
I liked “From hell with love” so much I wrote a review to tell people. I’m seriously thinking to continue with the two other books when I can because I truly want to see what happens to Nicolo and Cadmus, next.
September 11, 2016
i really wish the goodreads rating system would let me give this 2.5 stars instead of 2 but anyway
i'm not sure what my biggest gripe with this book would be aside from the fact that it was disappointing. i first saw this series mentioned in a wikipedia article about the goetian demons a while back, thought the description was cool but didn't try reading it for like a year until i saw that the first one was free for kindle. sure, the description given by goodreads here was kind of awkward and clunky, but the premise was intriguing enough, especially since it seemed similar to something i was writing that also involved demons from the goetia.
this book is not living up to its potential.
i want to say that kauffman had some interesting ideas but i'm not exactly sure what could have been done to make this better.
i have so many feelings and so many issues so i'll go through things one by one.
the characters range from well-written if a little boring to flatter than cardboard. my feelings about nico were mixed; on one hand, i have a soft spot for angry characters--i think we forget that anger is just as much a reaction to trauma and betrayal and misfortune as depression is--but sometimes being in his head for too long got old. Nico, who is a relative newcomer to Dis and the main character, is essentially the vessel that we the readers use to gain insight on all the coming and goings of hell, but it didn't feel like we necessarily got much from Nico. it's hard to explain, but let's put it this way: Nico only knows what we know, which isn't much until we get all these info dumps later on, and with the point of view jumping around at times, things got real confusing.
his backstory wasn't badly written but it felt weird and out of place. right as things were building up in the main plot we'd find ourselves suddenly thrust back and forth between the action and Nico's human life. I feel this would have worked better if this story was spaced out, getting only hints and such in this first book and have it slowly unravel through the next ones. We got hints about Cadmus's past which i thought was working well until it was kind of suddenly dropped in another flashback? it was hard to tell because the end got confusing.
anyway, I liked Cadmus. He definitely played well of Nico's fieriness without being flat. there isn't really much i can say about him other than i kind of wished he were the main character at times.
the villains were all really boring. how do you manage to make demons fighting boring? well, beleth was such an OBVIOUS VILLAIN. we know so little about him other than the fact that he's evil, he's a king, he's mean, etc. like the very moment he was introduced i absolutely knew he was going to be a villain. on the other hand azazel's part in betraying lucifer kind of came out of nowhere.
really, they were really boring and one of the worst things you can have in this kind of story is boring villains.
i don't have much to say about Mammon other than why the fuck is there a reference to The Shining in this? how would mammon know that. how would any of them know that.
which brings me to the next point--how does hell even work in this book? why do they speak like normal, modern day humans, use our slang and curses, somehow have knowledge of our memes? it's mentioned once that Dis has a common dialect, so what is that dialect? there's a lot of questionable world-building stuff in this but this was my biggest issue with it--the fact that it just seemed like earth but filled with monsters.
the writing in this book, while it had its share of good moments, had a ton of rookie mistakes in it. it's tells a LOT instead of showing. it's most obvious when the text straight up says something along the lines of "for some reason, barbas made an emotional investment in him [Nico]." we don't need to be explicitly told that. we should be able to gather that ourselves through the events and dialogue. also "for some reason" is a terrible, terrible phrase to have in your writing in my opinion. you should know why things happen! at least as long as it's not a mystery, of course.
another nitpicky thing about the writing is the way the characters show disgust at the forms of demons. like, Nico you were a leper in life, you're the Horseman of Pestilence, and you've been in Hell for 200 years and you still get grossed out by the things that would gross out a normal person? like, DUDE YOU'RE IN HELL!!!!
the fight scenes seemed really stilted and lifeless and there were SO MANY OF THEM. at times it felt less like there was a central plot and more like a string of battles loosely connected.
it really is a shame i didn't enjoy this much because i wanted to like it SO BAD. i do plan on reading the rest eventually, and i really hope they get better from here.
i'm not sure what my biggest gripe with this book would be aside from the fact that it was disappointing. i first saw this series mentioned in a wikipedia article about the goetian demons a while back, thought the description was cool but didn't try reading it for like a year until i saw that the first one was free for kindle. sure, the description given by goodreads here was kind of awkward and clunky, but the premise was intriguing enough, especially since it seemed similar to something i was writing that also involved demons from the goetia.
this book is not living up to its potential.
i want to say that kauffman had some interesting ideas but i'm not exactly sure what could have been done to make this better.
i have so many feelings and so many issues so i'll go through things one by one.
the characters range from well-written if a little boring to flatter than cardboard. my feelings about nico were mixed; on one hand, i have a soft spot for angry characters--i think we forget that anger is just as much a reaction to trauma and betrayal and misfortune as depression is--but sometimes being in his head for too long got old. Nico, who is a relative newcomer to Dis and the main character, is essentially the vessel that we the readers use to gain insight on all the coming and goings of hell, but it didn't feel like we necessarily got much from Nico. it's hard to explain, but let's put it this way: Nico only knows what we know, which isn't much until we get all these info dumps later on, and with the point of view jumping around at times, things got real confusing.
his backstory wasn't badly written but it felt weird and out of place. right as things were building up in the main plot we'd find ourselves suddenly thrust back and forth between the action and Nico's human life. I feel this would have worked better if this story was spaced out, getting only hints and such in this first book and have it slowly unravel through the next ones. We got hints about Cadmus's past which i thought was working well until it was kind of suddenly dropped in another flashback? it was hard to tell because the end got confusing.
anyway, I liked Cadmus. He definitely played well of Nico's fieriness without being flat. there isn't really much i can say about him other than i kind of wished he were the main character at times.
the villains were all really boring. how do you manage to make demons fighting boring? well, beleth was such an OBVIOUS VILLAIN. we know so little about him other than the fact that he's evil, he's a king, he's mean, etc. like the very moment he was introduced i absolutely knew he was going to be a villain. on the other hand azazel's part in betraying lucifer kind of came out of nowhere.
really, they were really boring and one of the worst things you can have in this kind of story is boring villains.
i don't have much to say about Mammon other than why the fuck is there a reference to The Shining in this? how would mammon know that. how would any of them know that.
which brings me to the next point--how does hell even work in this book? why do they speak like normal, modern day humans, use our slang and curses, somehow have knowledge of our memes? it's mentioned once that Dis has a common dialect, so what is that dialect? there's a lot of questionable world-building stuff in this but this was my biggest issue with it--the fact that it just seemed like earth but filled with monsters.
the writing in this book, while it had its share of good moments, had a ton of rookie mistakes in it. it's tells a LOT instead of showing. it's most obvious when the text straight up says something along the lines of "for some reason, barbas made an emotional investment in him [Nico]." we don't need to be explicitly told that. we should be able to gather that ourselves through the events and dialogue. also "for some reason" is a terrible, terrible phrase to have in your writing in my opinion. you should know why things happen! at least as long as it's not a mystery, of course.
another nitpicky thing about the writing is the way the characters show disgust at the forms of demons. like, Nico you were a leper in life, you're the Horseman of Pestilence, and you've been in Hell for 200 years and you still get grossed out by the things that would gross out a normal person? like, DUDE YOU'RE IN HELL!!!!
the fight scenes seemed really stilted and lifeless and there were SO MANY OF THEM. at times it felt less like there was a central plot and more like a string of battles loosely connected.
it really is a shame i didn't enjoy this much because i wanted to like it SO BAD. i do plan on reading the rest eventually, and i really hope they get better from here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2016
The premise of this story is quite interesting: the Four Horsemen go on a journey to save a Lucifer that isn't really a bad guy. I enjoyed the action in this novel and its fast pace. However, the two aforementioned are a source of vexation. The action in this novel is too specific. Kauffmann tells you that a character slashed with their right arm at someone's left side instead of a brief "Nico slashed at them." The author also has a tendency to use the word "before" much too often in relation to when a character performed an action rather than devising different ways to say the same thing.
While the fast pace kept me hooked it was a little... too fast. The characters uncovered the plot against Lucifer in about two days. I feel like it did not provide enough time to flesh out the characters or world a bit more. For example, Kauffmann says that the Devil is a father figure for Nico, but it does not show their relationship very much in the past or present.
The language in this novel also needs a touch-up. There are identifiers after every line of dialogue even when only two people are talking. Some grammar and spelling issues come up, but, unlike the excessive use of dialogue tags, they did not pull me out of the story. Almost as vexing as those damn tags, though, is the way the characters talk. They tease each other too much, and its always done in the same, childish way. It's particularly grating during fight scenes when I would expect more anger out of the characters.
Kevin Kauffmann has a tendency to change character perspective in an unneeded manner. The author wants us to know what other characters are feeling besides Nico, but this can be achieved though the main character's eyes instead of being in his flesh for a paragraph and then switching to another character in another paragraph just to know what they are feeling... and then switching back.
All in all it was good enough to hold me to the end, the plot being the part that mainly kept me interested.
While the fast pace kept me hooked it was a little... too fast. The characters uncovered the plot against Lucifer in about two days. I feel like it did not provide enough time to flesh out the characters or world a bit more. For example, Kauffmann says that the Devil is a father figure for Nico, but it does not show their relationship very much in the past or present.
The language in this novel also needs a touch-up. There are identifiers after every line of dialogue even when only two people are talking. Some grammar and spelling issues come up, but, unlike the excessive use of dialogue tags, they did not pull me out of the story. Almost as vexing as those damn tags, though, is the way the characters talk. They tease each other too much, and its always done in the same, childish way. It's particularly grating during fight scenes when I would expect more anger out of the characters.
Kevin Kauffmann has a tendency to change character perspective in an unneeded manner. The author wants us to know what other characters are feeling besides Nico, but this can be achieved though the main character's eyes instead of being in his flesh for a paragraph and then switching to another character in another paragraph just to know what they are feeling... and then switching back.
All in all it was good enough to hold me to the end, the plot being the part that mainly kept me interested.
September 19, 2014
I must say that I loved this book, I was iffy about reading it and it sat in the to be read file for a few weeks, much to my dismay after resding it. Its an original take on an age old tale. The tale of Heaven and hell. You follow a man in love through his last days, where he loses everything dear to him. Contracting leprosy was his beginning of his end, or so he thought. I won't ruin the story by saying he ends up in Hell, but I won't go into detail.
Forget the ideas we all have of heaven and hell, suspend your personal beliefs and enjoy a seriously good series. If you can not suspend your religious beliefs for this book then it might not be for you, but I would even recommend this to religious people.
I want to gush out the story for you but I always hate it when a story is ruined for me so I will be kind.
I can say that after reading the first book I had to go buy the next 2 and am almost done the 3rd one. I saw how close to the end and had to go to Kevin's web site to see if the book was really the end. Sadly it us but I found he wrote another series and is giving the first one away. So happy this has made me that I needed to come and give a review in thanks. I am sure this weekend will find me buying the other 2 books as well! So if you love original stories built on our whole history of myths and legends then you will love this series.
Give it a read and then devour the rest of the series in glee.
Forget the ideas we all have of heaven and hell, suspend your personal beliefs and enjoy a seriously good series. If you can not suspend your religious beliefs for this book then it might not be for you, but I would even recommend this to religious people.
I want to gush out the story for you but I always hate it when a story is ruined for me so I will be kind.
I can say that after reading the first book I had to go buy the next 2 and am almost done the 3rd one. I saw how close to the end and had to go to Kevin's web site to see if the book was really the end. Sadly it us but I found he wrote another series and is giving the first one away. So happy this has made me that I needed to come and give a review in thanks. I am sure this weekend will find me buying the other 2 books as well! So if you love original stories built on our whole history of myths and legends then you will love this series.
Give it a read and then devour the rest of the series in glee.
February 20, 2018
I'd like to give this book three and a half stars but that is sadly not an option. Well-written and decently sized story. Kauffmann's version of hell was far more interesting and unique than most depictions. Focusing on the fallen being actual angels at one point, not wanting to be in hell, and most having no real interest in humans much less in torturing them; this is not the hell depicted in almost every fantasy book ever written. The protagonist Nico for short is a former human turned new horseman of Pestilence who is not very interested in his appointed task of ushering in the Apocalypse. Upon arrival in hell he has adopted Lucifer as a father figure/mentor and uncovers a plot to kill him. With his talking horse, diseased -ridden body and best friend death at his side he decides to try and stop these prophecies from happening while trying to get clues out of enigmatic beings millions of years older than him. This task is complicated by the fact that the only thing in hell anybody can agree on, is you can't trust anybody.
Pro's: An interesting take on hell, an actual explanation of why fallen angels look bestial. Great and multiple fight scenes and interesting demons. Serious introspection's on life's miseries. Talking horses are always fun.
Con's: The plot of the story breaks suddenly into chapters discussing Nico's past life. While his background is interesting and helps flesh out the character, the random chapters switching back to forth from past to future can become a bit annoying. While the depictions of the various demons are illustrious his depictions of hell itself are surprisingly sparse.
Pro's: An interesting take on hell, an actual explanation of why fallen angels look bestial. Great and multiple fight scenes and interesting demons. Serious introspection's on life's miseries. Talking horses are always fun.
Con's: The plot of the story breaks suddenly into chapters discussing Nico's past life. While his background is interesting and helps flesh out the character, the random chapters switching back to forth from past to future can become a bit annoying. While the depictions of the various demons are illustrious his depictions of hell itself are surprisingly sparse.
June 11, 2017
I absolutely loved this book. The characters are interesting and the plot and the concept -definitely the concept- are incredibly unique and very, very gripping. The humor and the bond between the two main characters was probably the best part and much needed in an otherwise quite dark setting. If you are quite religious and set in your views of religion then this book probably isn't for you, as the story takes God -or Adonai as he's known here- and follows the idea that He isn't as benevolent as often believed to be, and then follows that theory further, making him a straight-up villain. Also if you get squeamish reading about blood (and other bodily fluids) then this book DEFINITELY isn't for you. Otherwise; prepare to be amazed.
February 14, 2022
This book was FANTASTIC! I never thought I would enjoy a book about demons so much!! The characters felt so realistic (both with their struggles and relationships) and very easy to sympathize with. Nico and Cadmus bounced off each other so naturally and their friendship was so sweet and adorable. I even found myself adoring almost everyone from the grand cast of side characters! The ending had me at the edge of my seat and I even shed a few tears at the last few pages. I can't wait to read the second and third book and later check out the rest of Kauffmann's stories too!!
March 9, 2024
Not my normal genre...
I have had this book in my library for a long time and decided to give it a try. It is not my normal genre, but it was well written and kept my interest. I do like to consider alternate ways that history (hell for example) could happen. It gave me pause, to think about the alternative. I am invested in the characters, especially the two main horsemen, and the fallen angels. Overall, thumbs up.
I have had this book in my library for a long time and decided to give it a try. It is not my normal genre, but it was well written and kept my interest. I do like to consider alternate ways that history (hell for example) could happen. It gave me pause, to think about the alternative. I am invested in the characters, especially the two main horsemen, and the fallen angels. Overall, thumbs up.
March 10, 2021
A very interesting book that leaves some to be discovered. Definitely worth reading.
March 13, 2021
A very good tale full of humour and action
October 4, 2014
I got this book for free from Book Rooster, promising an honest review, so I'm writing one. I didn't like this story at all. Talk about a downer! I only made it a few chapters into the book. Long enough to get the backstory on Pestilence, one of the four horsemen. Everyone in hell is misunderstood and had a horrible life. They are just trying to get by. Awful stuff keeps happening to them. I just couldn't stand to turn another page. I don't read with the goal of becoming depressed. I liked nothing about this book.
November 19, 2014
For the hellborn
This book drew me in and I was mesmerized by the first few pages.!I felt like I was in hell and I pictured every demon as it was written.I'm in lovve
This book drew me in and I was mesmerized by the first few pages.!I felt like I was in hell and I pictured every demon as it was written.I'm in lovve
November 3, 2015
Not entirely what I expected but not bad nonetheless. Consider a hell where torture isn't necessarily always the name of the game and the Horsemen of the Apocalypse were once human
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews