What do you think?
Notes on a Colonial Situation in Hell
304 pages, Hardcover
First published September 22, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 29, 2026
Robert G. Penner is a completely new name for me, but the intriguing premise of this book and a recommendation from my local indie bookstore led me to pick this one up.
Notes on a Colonial Situation in Hell is basically a work of alternate history, set in the late nineteenth century. Somewhere around the middle of that century, miners near the city of Manchester dug deep enough to break through to an underground realm, which is determined to be at least something of an analog to the human notion of Hell, and thus it is named.
Those plucky and pragmatic Brits waste no time in colonizing a portion of this new realm, establishing cotton and tobacco plantations, building small cities, and appointing an Anglican bishop of Hell. There are demons and dead souls about the place, but some small interventions by the British military drive the demons beyond the territory the Brits have claimed, and everyone is free to relax and play another round of bridge.
The story is not nearly comedic as it may sound, and the characters initially lead rather dull lives that are not too different than their countrymen up on the surface. No one reflects much on the large philosophical and spiritual questions raised by a human incursion into Hell, and author Penner engages in minimal world-building. For example, he never addresses the question of why only the British have colonized Hell, and the other colonial powers of the nineteenth century seem to be entirely absent.
That lack of world-building frustrated me for the first half of the book. However, once the plot really gets going in later pages, the author allows his characters to enter Hell Undiminished, that portion of the underground world that the Brits have not yet settled. And then things get truly strange: those who venture into Hell Undiminished essentially encounter a version of the underworld that matches their own visions of it, such that individual characters have widely varying experiences. The bizarre infernal visions of Hieronymus Bosch come to life for some characters, and others encounter phenomena derived from the words of Dante and Milton. There is much gruesome violence, but none of it exceeds what the human characters inflict on each other in pursuit of their own vices.
Notes on a Colonial Situation in Hell is an odd and sometimes very rewarding work, and although it's imperfect (as mentioned earlier with the incomplete world-building), it was nonetheless something of a page-turner for me, simply because the author's evocation of Hell Undiminished is so mutable, weird, and very sinister.
Notes on a Colonial Situation in Hell is basically a work of alternate history, set in the late nineteenth century. Somewhere around the middle of that century, miners near the city of Manchester dug deep enough to break through to an underground realm, which is determined to be at least something of an analog to the human notion of Hell, and thus it is named.
Those plucky and pragmatic Brits waste no time in colonizing a portion of this new realm, establishing cotton and tobacco plantations, building small cities, and appointing an Anglican bishop of Hell. There are demons and dead souls about the place, but some small interventions by the British military drive the demons beyond the territory the Brits have claimed, and everyone is free to relax and play another round of bridge.
The story is not nearly comedic as it may sound, and the characters initially lead rather dull lives that are not too different than their countrymen up on the surface. No one reflects much on the large philosophical and spiritual questions raised by a human incursion into Hell, and author Penner engages in minimal world-building. For example, he never addresses the question of why only the British have colonized Hell, and the other colonial powers of the nineteenth century seem to be entirely absent.
That lack of world-building frustrated me for the first half of the book. However, once the plot really gets going in later pages, the author allows his characters to enter Hell Undiminished, that portion of the underground world that the Brits have not yet settled. And then things get truly strange: those who venture into Hell Undiminished essentially encounter a version of the underworld that matches their own visions of it, such that individual characters have widely varying experiences. The bizarre infernal visions of Hieronymus Bosch come to life for some characters, and others encounter phenomena derived from the words of Dante and Milton. There is much gruesome violence, but none of it exceeds what the human characters inflict on each other in pursuit of their own vices.
Notes on a Colonial Situation in Hell is an odd and sometimes very rewarding work, and although it's imperfect (as mentioned earlier with the incomplete world-building), it was nonetheless something of a page-turner for me, simply because the author's evocation of Hell Undiminished is so mutable, weird, and very sinister.
September 25, 2026
Wow. I think it is fair to say that I have never read a book like this one before. Yes, literary fiction, but also women's fiction, but also a mystery, but also horror, but also science fiction, but also an allegory, but also historical fiction (of a sort). So fantastical, so over-the-top, so absurd. Like a combination of of Alice in Wonderland meets Dante's Inferno meets The Hobbit meets Arachnophobia. It's about the British Empire, and how they have the opportunity to colonize the land in Hell, and how the demons and the lost souls react to this invasion of their turf. The characters are both obnoxious and likable, and everything is turned on its head, backwards, and upside down. The Rules of a Gentleman do not apply in Hell, and so everything is topsy-turvy and ridiculous. There is no point to this novel other than to entertain, and that it does. Reading it is like being on an amusement park ride; I was elated and thrilled, but also scared and nauseous. If my review doesn't make sense, then I am to be forgiven, because this novel makes no sense, and when you read it, you will come away as discombobulated as I did, and you'll understand. At any rate, worth the read. **I received this book free for review, but all opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Notes on a Colonial Situation in Hell by Robert G. Penner
There is a lot going on here.
The plot narrative follows several characters as they journey within Hell, which here turns out to be located deep underground and physically accessible by a shaft from the northwest of England. (Reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burrough’s Pelucidar series?)
Since this discovery is made at the height of colonial expansion during the Victorian Age, the British government establishes a colony on the outer edge, and this provides an opportunity to criticize the impact of colonialism, not only upon the native inhabitants but also upon the colonists as well: wives and young indentured female servants, workers and farmers, soldiers and missionaries, bureaucrats and businessmen, all struggling to survive and achieve their goals in a difficult and dangerous world.
Since this is Hell, the natives are demons, which come in many different shapes and sizes, and they steadfastly refuse to communicate with the humans. Which gives an especially ironic meaning to ‘demonizing the other.’
The shifting points of view and bizarre underworld, which is influenced by medieval iconography and writings (including Dante), do create an atmosphere of horror in a distractingly confusing tapestry, but they allow plenty of opportunity for satire, particularly directed at exploitation. Unsurprisingly, those who are exploited are too often ready to exploit those over whom they too have power, particularly women.
This is a sobering post-colonial and feminist vision that reveals how a colony moves from a paternalistic system, which peacefully co-exists with the original inhabitants, to a more destructive and exploitive capitalism, which is intolerant of dissent and violent in its retaliations against resistance.
Strongly recommended.
There is a lot going on here.
The plot narrative follows several characters as they journey within Hell, which here turns out to be located deep underground and physically accessible by a shaft from the northwest of England. (Reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burrough’s Pelucidar series?)
Since this discovery is made at the height of colonial expansion during the Victorian Age, the British government establishes a colony on the outer edge, and this provides an opportunity to criticize the impact of colonialism, not only upon the native inhabitants but also upon the colonists as well: wives and young indentured female servants, workers and farmers, soldiers and missionaries, bureaucrats and businessmen, all struggling to survive and achieve their goals in a difficult and dangerous world.
Since this is Hell, the natives are demons, which come in many different shapes and sizes, and they steadfastly refuse to communicate with the humans. Which gives an especially ironic meaning to ‘demonizing the other.’
The shifting points of view and bizarre underworld, which is influenced by medieval iconography and writings (including Dante), do create an atmosphere of horror in a distractingly confusing tapestry, but they allow plenty of opportunity for satire, particularly directed at exploitation. Unsurprisingly, those who are exploited are too often ready to exploit those over whom they too have power, particularly women.
This is a sobering post-colonial and feminist vision that reveals how a colony moves from a paternalistic system, which peacefully co-exists with the original inhabitants, to a more destructive and exploitive capitalism, which is intolerant of dissent and violent in its retaliations against resistance.
Strongly recommended.
Read
September 17, 2026My conversation with Penner discussing the book here:
https://umfm.com/programming/broadcas...
https://umfm.com/programming/broadcas...
Review of advance copy
What a strange and wild tale it was. A fantastic concept of a novel. I'm still not even sure what my thoughts truly are other than I enjoyed this moment. I loved the ending, it was perfect.
Received as an ARC.
Received as an ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
An entrance to Hell is discovered in northern England in the late 1700s and the English colonize it, of course. Great stuff! Read an advance copy, forthcoming 9/26
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
4⭐️ Fascinatingly weird book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews