What do you think?
Rate this book
Hellboy Novels #3
Hellboy: On Earth as it is in Hell
Fifty years ago, a blood-red, cloven-hoofed demon was conjured up by Axis powers at the end of World War II, but adopted by the United States government, which gave him the name Hellboy and raised him in secrecy. Today, Hellboy is a top field agent for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. He questions the unknown - then beats it into submission.
His latest case: angels have attacked the Vatican, destroying an entire floor of the building's precious library. That's a new one, even for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. The BPRD dispatches Hellboy and his amphibious colleague, Abe Sapien, to investigate. When they arrive ojn the scene, they discover that thousands of documents from all eras of history have been destroyed - except for one, saved from the holy fire by an obsessive scholar. His prize? An ancient scroll allegedly written by Jesus the Nazarene - decades after the crucifixion. Hellboy's first thought is that the scroll was the focus of the seraphim's attack - but why would heavenly creatures undertake such violence and ruin?
The answer to this puzzle will lead Hellboy down a terrifying trail to ancient gods, vengeful demons, and a hidden world made of the purest evil...
His latest case: angels have attacked the Vatican, destroying an entire floor of the building's precious library. That's a new one, even for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. The BPRD dispatches Hellboy and his amphibious colleague, Abe Sapien, to investigate. When they arrive ojn the scene, they discover that thousands of documents from all eras of history have been destroyed - except for one, saved from the holy fire by an obsessive scholar. His prize? An ancient scroll allegedly written by Jesus the Nazarene - decades after the crucifixion. Hellboy's first thought is that the scroll was the focus of the seraphim's attack - but why would heavenly creatures undertake such violence and ruin?
The answer to this puzzle will lead Hellboy down a terrifying trail to ancient gods, vengeful demons, and a hidden world made of the purest evil...
359 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
20 people are currently reading
825 people want to read
About the author
Brian Hodge
150 books462 followersBrian Hodge, called “a writer of spectacularly unflinching gifts” by Peter Straub, is the award-winning author of ten novels of horror and crime/noir. He’s also written well over 100 short stories, novelettes, and novellas, and four full-length collections. His first collection, The Convulsion Factory, was ranked by critic Stanley Wiater as among the 113 best books of modern horror.
He lives in Colorado, where he also dabbles in music and photography; loves everything about organic gardening except the thieving squirrels; and trains in Krav Maga, grappling, and kickboxing, which are of no use at all against the squirrels.
He lives in Colorado, where he also dabbles in music and photography; loves everything about organic gardening except the thieving squirrels; and trains in Krav Maga, grappling, and kickboxing, which are of no use at all against the squirrels.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 3, 2015
This Hellboy novel delved pretty deep into theology and came across as a great read. Basically a scroll is found that is supposed to have been written by Jesus himself. The problem? It would have been written well after the time of his "death." Several different forces are trying to possess the scroll for various reasons, and Hellboy and the BPRD must be sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. There are also some pretty scary angels involved in the hunt. Think The Davinci Code, but more supernatural and with Hellboy involved. I will warn you it's a dark tale.
Overall, one of the better Hellboy stories Ive read. Hellboy fans will love it, and honestly, this may even appeal to fans who haven't read Hellboy.
Overall, one of the better Hellboy stories Ive read. Hellboy fans will love it, and honestly, this may even appeal to fans who haven't read Hellboy.
December 4, 2012
When I really love an author I will go and read everything that author has written (or attempt to), usually becoming so overwhelmed with his or her work that I get sick of it and cannot read it again for many years (Robert Jordan, Anne Rice, Jim Butcher, Kinky Friedman have all suffered this fate with me). But sadly Brian Hodge sort of dropped out of sight in mid obsession. While I've read probably 89% of what he's done there's a few out there that still elude me.
I have always loved him and I'm not sure if it's the absence that has made my heart grow fonder or if this was his best work.
I tried to get my husband to read him and he read maybe three novels until one novel ended in a way he did not like and that pretty much ruined any other Hodge book for him. When I told him I was reading this one the first words out of his mouth were "Will it end with Hellboy jumping in a lake?!", so I guess he's still holding a grudge.
As someone who is not a slave to the comics, I loved it. That being said I cannot tell you how true it was or was not to Mike Mignola's original series, though it follows quite well with anything I've seen on film and stands up brilliantly on its own.
And really, if you know anything about the characters, who doesn't want to see Liz go up against the Seraphim?!
It was a great book and I'm sad it's over because it means Brian has exited my life once more.
I have always loved him and I'm not sure if it's the absence that has made my heart grow fonder or if this was his best work.
I tried to get my husband to read him and he read maybe three novels until one novel ended in a way he did not like and that pretty much ruined any other Hodge book for him. When I told him I was reading this one the first words out of his mouth were "Will it end with Hellboy jumping in a lake?!", so I guess he's still holding a grudge.
As someone who is not a slave to the comics, I loved it. That being said I cannot tell you how true it was or was not to Mike Mignola's original series, though it follows quite well with anything I've seen on film and stands up brilliantly on its own.
And really, if you know anything about the characters, who doesn't want to see Liz go up against the Seraphim?!
It was a great book and I'm sad it's over because it means Brian has exited my life once more.
September 21, 2020
This is one of the better Hellboy prose novels, telling a well-plotted and well-paced story while staying true to Mignola's graphic original vision. I thought Hodge captured Liz's character particularly well, as well The Big Guy's. Angels attack The Vatican, and Hellboy, Liz, and Abe are called in to investigate. It would've made a classic graphic story, with some interesting philosophical ruminations on religion and the nature of good and evil. Anyone whoever considered joining the B.P.R.D. should give it a shot.
May 12, 2020
Picked this up without knowing much about the character years ago, and to date it is still my favorite Hellboy story
April 16, 2011
Synopsis:
Hellboy and his team are called in by the Vatican. This would be unusual in and of itself, but the team discovers the devastation they are investigating is caused not by legions from Hell but the legions of Heaven.
Author:
Brian Hodge has quite a list of books on Good Reads averaging about 3.66 stars. This is the first book of his that I’ve read, but he does quite a lot in the horror or crime genre.
Review:
I’m a fan of Hellboy. Have been ever since I read the watched Hellboy and Hellboy II. Ok, so I didn’t follow my own rules about reading the books first. But having not grown up in a comic book or graphic novel permissive house, I have an excuse.
Anyway, lately I’ve been catching up and read the local library’s massive collection ((2 books. Count ‘em. 1. 2.)) of the Hellboy graphic novel series. So it was with some joy that I saw Brandg had picked this actual novel up for me to read.
The book reads just as you’d expect a graphic novel to read. It is entertaining, fast paced, and full of just as many twists and turns of the supernatural as the comics. It’s not much more than brain floss, but can you expect much more from a book based out of a comic genre?
That being said, there’s a real historic flavor to this book that most other comics don’t have. I think that’s one aspect of Hellboy in general that drew me to the series in the first place.
All of the main characters you are familiar with [Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman, and Kate Corrigan] from the graphic series make an appearance. In keeping with the cannon, Hellboy’s father is dead in this novel.
I think it is an interesting twist to make angels the bad guy as it is very a-typical unless you stumbled benightedly into Legion last year. While I wasn’t sure it would work as I assumed God would be made the bad guy, I can honestly say that isn’t really how it goes. And there are enough plot twists to make it worth the read.
My one drawback was the heavy use of exposition with inserted pages of ‘historical documentation’ and ‘BPRD’ files. I will admit to being highly tempted to skim those sections as they were just heavy reading.
Summary:
It comes in at 368 pages and is tight enough to make you want to flip every single one. It’s a good, short read for a young adult and works as a brain-treat for an inclined adult.
Technorati Tags: Hellboy,Brian Hodge,book,review,Dark Horse Comics,Abe Sapien,Liz Sherman
Originally posted on AllisonDDuncan.com
Hellboy and his team are called in by the Vatican. This would be unusual in and of itself, but the team discovers the devastation they are investigating is caused not by legions from Hell but the legions of Heaven.
Author:
Brian Hodge has quite a list of books on Good Reads averaging about 3.66 stars. This is the first book of his that I’ve read, but he does quite a lot in the horror or crime genre.
He's a longstanding award nominee, having occupied numerous finalist slots for the Bram Stoker Award, the World Fantasy Award, and Britain's CWA Dagger Award for crime writing, among others. In 2004, he broke an equally longstanding Susan Lucci-like losing streak, taking the International Horror Guild Award for outstanding short fiction, for his story "With Acknowledgments to Sun Tzu." – BrianHodge.net
Review:
I’m a fan of Hellboy. Have been ever since I read the watched Hellboy and Hellboy II. Ok, so I didn’t follow my own rules about reading the books first. But having not grown up in a comic book or graphic novel permissive house, I have an excuse.
Anyway, lately I’ve been catching up and read the local library’s massive collection ((2 books. Count ‘em. 1. 2.)) of the Hellboy graphic novel series. So it was with some joy that I saw Brandg had picked this actual novel up for me to read.
The book reads just as you’d expect a graphic novel to read. It is entertaining, fast paced, and full of just as many twists and turns of the supernatural as the comics. It’s not much more than brain floss, but can you expect much more from a book based out of a comic genre?
That being said, there’s a real historic flavor to this book that most other comics don’t have. I think that’s one aspect of Hellboy in general that drew me to the series in the first place.
All of the main characters you are familiar with [Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman, and Kate Corrigan] from the graphic series make an appearance. In keeping with the cannon, Hellboy’s father is dead in this novel.
I think it is an interesting twist to make angels the bad guy as it is very a-typical unless you stumbled benightedly into Legion last year. While I wasn’t sure it would work as I assumed God would be made the bad guy, I can honestly say that isn’t really how it goes. And there are enough plot twists to make it worth the read.
My one drawback was the heavy use of exposition with inserted pages of ‘historical documentation’ and ‘BPRD’ files. I will admit to being highly tempted to skim those sections as they were just heavy reading.
Summary:
It comes in at 368 pages and is tight enough to make you want to flip every single one. It’s a good, short read for a young adult and works as a brain-treat for an inclined adult.
Technorati Tags: Hellboy,Brian Hodge,book,review,Dark Horse Comics,Abe Sapien,Liz Sherman
Originally posted on AllisonDDuncan.com
Read
April 4, 2019Nice brain candy. Good read, had a few laughs while starving a strep throat
October 31, 2018
Wow!! This is the best one yet, I really loved this novel. I thought it was really interesting that the plot was so Roman Catholic in nature, especially since Mignola sort of steered away from Catholicism in the original Hellboy comics. This book was gruesome, disturbing, evocative, and immensely rewarding.
August 2, 2011
Okay, i did not pick up a novelization of my favorite comic book character for 30 pages of action and the rest in lame ass inner monologues and soul searching conversations. lame.
November 17, 2014
I alwayss thought HB would have made a great TV sereis. And this book would have been a great, two part episode. And a big ole biblical/supernatural storline to follow. Very cool book.
March 30, 2025
Hellboy is usually very entertaining, in almost any incarnation. (Perfect word for him, actually.) The movies. The graphic novels. The books. Hellboy is such a good character, and he somehow makes creepy and scary stuff less so. When the bad guy from hell is on our side, things are gonna work out, right? I'm not a horror fan, but I am a Hellboy fan. And this is a good one.
The author is a writer. He has his own stuff he does. But he got hired to write this, and in situations like that, writing in someone else's universe, the prose and the pacing and the tone can be kinda... average. No shade to any writer who's done that work. Good on them for being published ever in any way. But this is much better than that. I stopped several times to look up once more who wrote this and what else he had out there, because I just liked the sound of it. Things meant to be descriptive were nicely descriptive. Things meant to be emotional actually were emotional. Things meant to be witty were actually witty. Not just suggested, not just in the ballpark, but well done.
It's not that the story is that much better. It's basically pulp fiction, and that's fine, because that's why you pick it up. But there's a lot that's done with the characters--again, in every incarnation--that is interesting and touching and worthwhile, which is cool. And the writing is surprisingly excellent.
I'll give a typical example.
There's a scene where Hellboy goes to talk to a Father Simon about the implications of the events in the story, trying to sort them out, maybe get some advice, and it's a very nice, quiet, helpful scene, useful for both pacing and tone, but it's also a nice buddy kind of moment. And it's smart. In a way, it's simultaneously subversive of religion while also making a case for it.
I think that's pretty great. And that's just how the whole book sounds. Solid.
So I don't often give a book in a universe like this a 5 star rating, since even a four means it's a good book, but I feel like a 5 is called for. And lots of other readers agree.
Okay, I don't mean to oversell. The scope is still just the normal Hellboy tale. It's not life-changing. But in terms of quality, it's as good as you could want in the genre. If you like this series or genre, and if you want to show other people that you can find high quality in this type of book, you won't go wrong holding this one up and showing it to them.
Lots of scary demons and angels in this. We go to Rome and the Mediterranean and places not quite in any world. Scary stuff and secret stuff from history and modern mystery with guns. You know the drill. It's good.
Recommended.
The author is a writer. He has his own stuff he does. But he got hired to write this, and in situations like that, writing in someone else's universe, the prose and the pacing and the tone can be kinda... average. No shade to any writer who's done that work. Good on them for being published ever in any way. But this is much better than that. I stopped several times to look up once more who wrote this and what else he had out there, because I just liked the sound of it. Things meant to be descriptive were nicely descriptive. Things meant to be emotional actually were emotional. Things meant to be witty were actually witty. Not just suggested, not just in the ballpark, but well done.
It's not that the story is that much better. It's basically pulp fiction, and that's fine, because that's why you pick it up. But there's a lot that's done with the characters--again, in every incarnation--that is interesting and touching and worthwhile, which is cool. And the writing is surprisingly excellent.
I'll give a typical example.
There's a scene where Hellboy goes to talk to a Father Simon about the implications of the events in the story, trying to sort them out, maybe get some advice, and it's a very nice, quiet, helpful scene, useful for both pacing and tone, but it's also a nice buddy kind of moment. And it's smart. In a way, it's simultaneously subversive of religion while also making a case for it.
Hellboy was quite certain that the whole creed, Anglican and Roman and Protestant alike, could collapse tomorrow and it wouldn't make a bit of difference to Father Simon. He would go on as though nothing had changed. He'd put on his collar when appropriate, he'd say Mass for whoever straggled into the pews, he'd sit for hours at a deathbed. He'd sing--rarely on key--and he would pray. Like always. It was who and what he was. My religion is kindness, the Dalai Lama had said, and Father Simon probably could've said it too.
I think that's pretty great. And that's just how the whole book sounds. Solid.
So I don't often give a book in a universe like this a 5 star rating, since even a four means it's a good book, but I feel like a 5 is called for. And lots of other readers agree.
Okay, I don't mean to oversell. The scope is still just the normal Hellboy tale. It's not life-changing. But in terms of quality, it's as good as you could want in the genre. If you like this series or genre, and if you want to show other people that you can find high quality in this type of book, you won't go wrong holding this one up and showing it to them.
Lots of scary demons and angels in this. We go to Rome and the Mediterranean and places not quite in any world. Scary stuff and secret stuff from history and modern mystery with guns. You know the drill. It's good.
Recommended.
April 1, 2020
As I was reading Adam-Troy Castro's Sinister Six trilogy, featuring Spider-Man, I remembered I had this Hellboy novel, and figured it would be a good thematic jump to read it next. It didn't matter that I didn't really know the character (I haven't read the comics or seen the movies, but I understand who he is ... sorta), I just get these reading projects in my head and they keep me moving forward through the books I still have to read.
(There are LOTS of them, so any organization method helps.)
The thing is, Spider-Man and Hellboy (at least as portrayed through these books) are nothing alike. Spider-Man is goofy, fun, and honorable; Hellboy is ... well, he's definitely honorable, but neither goofy nor fun apply to him. A demon born to Earth through the help of a Nazi occult group, chasing down a scrap of paper nearly 2000 years old that is being sought by both seraphim and demons alike, Hellboy is on the much darker scale of comic book heroes. I knew this (Guillermo del Toro directed the movies, after all), but to put these books together for a reading project is just looking on the surface of these novels, and just seeing "superhero".
I'm at a disadvantage for not knowing enough about Hellboy before reading this, since I don't even know the histories of the characters. Luckily, Hodge gives us an overview into H.B, Liz, and Abe, and he's a talented enough writer that he doesn't rely on the characters as they are in the comics to carry the bulk of their characterization. He makes the characters distinct, and he gives them the proper motivations and backstories. I don't know how accurately they're portrayed based on the comics, and if there were any references/Easter eggs in the novel, I didn't get them. I don't feel I missed much, though, if anything.
Another thing I liked about the book is how Hodge used Hellboy's origins as a central part of the plot of the story. It gives the novel a self-contained feel, which goes a long way toward not feeling left out, or feeling too disadvantaged at not knowing the characters. It feels like the characters were created for this book.
I didn't have as much love for Hodge's books published under the Abyss imprint as I did when I first read them in the '90s, but OEaIIiH is a fine book, strongly written and very much in the horror vein. It's a shame he didn't write any more Hellboy novels, because the character and the author feel like a perfect match.
(There are LOTS of them, so any organization method helps.)
The thing is, Spider-Man and Hellboy (at least as portrayed through these books) are nothing alike. Spider-Man is goofy, fun, and honorable; Hellboy is ... well, he's definitely honorable, but neither goofy nor fun apply to him. A demon born to Earth through the help of a Nazi occult group, chasing down a scrap of paper nearly 2000 years old that is being sought by both seraphim and demons alike, Hellboy is on the much darker scale of comic book heroes. I knew this (Guillermo del Toro directed the movies, after all), but to put these books together for a reading project is just looking on the surface of these novels, and just seeing "superhero".
I'm at a disadvantage for not knowing enough about Hellboy before reading this, since I don't even know the histories of the characters. Luckily, Hodge gives us an overview into H.B, Liz, and Abe, and he's a talented enough writer that he doesn't rely on the characters as they are in the comics to carry the bulk of their characterization. He makes the characters distinct, and he gives them the proper motivations and backstories. I don't know how accurately they're portrayed based on the comics, and if there were any references/Easter eggs in the novel, I didn't get them. I don't feel I missed much, though, if anything.
Another thing I liked about the book is how Hodge used Hellboy's origins as a central part of the plot of the story. It gives the novel a self-contained feel, which goes a long way toward not feeling left out, or feeling too disadvantaged at not knowing the characters. It feels like the characters were created for this book.
I didn't have as much love for Hodge's books published under the Abyss imprint as I did when I first read them in the '90s, but OEaIIiH is a fine book, strongly written and very much in the horror vein. It's a shame he didn't write any more Hellboy novels, because the character and the author feel like a perfect match.
March 17, 2021
A decent way to pass time, but all in all not enough happened in the book for it to be truly engaging.
The parts I liked were those sections where the story got a little dark. In the comics, you never get any feeling of foreboding or fear because you're busy admiring Mike Mignola's beautiful artwork. That's not true for a book, so there were some genuinely creepy bits that I quite enjoyed reading.
But other than that there's not much to love... The first half of the book is slow, the stakes never feel particularly high, and the supporting cast is very forgettable.
The parts I liked were those sections where the story got a little dark. In the comics, you never get any feeling of foreboding or fear because you're busy admiring Mike Mignola's beautiful artwork. That's not true for a book, so there were some genuinely creepy bits that I quite enjoyed reading.
But other than that there's not much to love... The first half of the book is slow, the stakes never feel particularly high, and the supporting cast is very forgettable.
May 25, 2021
Another book that I set down after reading about a third of it because it was just a bit boring. I expected a Hellboy novel to have a bit of action and humor and to focus on the main characters. I didn't get any of that.
The first part of this book is mostly an info dump that was interesting but really didn't do much to move the story forward. What I read was mostly just church officials filling Hellboy in on some sordid history. I am sure it plays in to later events in the story but I was so bored with it that I didn't care to stick around for more.
The first part of this book is mostly an info dump that was interesting but really didn't do much to move the story forward. What I read was mostly just church officials filling Hellboy in on some sordid history. I am sure it plays in to later events in the story but I was so bored with it that I didn't care to stick around for more.
August 24, 2022
This was a really fun prose novel inspired by a popular graphic novel character (and supporting staff). Hellboy and the gang are called in to investigate following a serious assault on the Vatican, but are the legions of Hell to blame? Or something else?
I definitely need to read more of Brian Hodge's work, because the guy can definitely write.
I definitely need to read more of Brian Hodge's work, because the guy can definitely write.
April 15, 2019
3.5 really. The action was good. The story idea was great. There where parts of this book that dragged. I had a hard time getting through the really slow parts. I liked the character development of Liz. It really helped set up HB and her brother sister relationship.
August 31, 2022
This was a prose adaptation of the Hellboy character, and it was really good. The story revolves around a dreadful attack inflicted on the Vatican, and it's fair to say the author chooses an interesting set of villains.
October 18, 2018
I love Hellboy. This was really good one with an intriguing plot.
April 6, 2019
Story was okay but man the characterization felt way off. Not Mignola artwork through the book either which was a bummer.
March 14, 2021
As much as I love Mike Mignola's Comics, Hell boy really come to life for in prose.
October 24, 2021
I liked it, I think they spent a lot of time at the Vatican in the beginning but still good.
December 23, 2022
Started off a little rough and maybe not my favorite characterizations of the characters but it ended really well. A very solid book.
March 5, 2025
Great read. Big fan of Hellboy. Dryer in some parts, but picks right back up after those chapters. Great read for Hellboy fans.
July 29, 2015
I've now read 5 of the Hellboy novels and this was by far the best of them.
After an attack on the Vatican by a squadron of angels, Hellboy, Abe Sapien, and Liz Sherman are called in to take custody of an ancient document which was the intended target of the angels' attack. Before the agents of the BPRD understand the full scope of what they're dealing with, they find themselves caught between Heaven, Hell, and an ancient cabal of Catholic priests committed to fighting evil by any means necessary.
Though some of the other Hellboy novels feel like they were churned out too quickly (thin story lines, inconsistent writing, lack of real character development), On Earth as it is in Hell was a great surprise to me. This book is firing on all cylinders. It's a fun thriller with some very creepy moments and great action. The mythology behind the story is also really solid, suggesting that the writer did his research and really thought the idea through. But perhaps most importantly, the characters really come to life. Brian Hodge takes ownership of the cast (especially Hellboy and Liz), telling us more about them and really putting them through their emotional paces. Hodge has done a great job of expanding on who the characters are in a way that is in harmony with who they've already been established to be.
After an attack on the Vatican by a squadron of angels, Hellboy, Abe Sapien, and Liz Sherman are called in to take custody of an ancient document which was the intended target of the angels' attack. Before the agents of the BPRD understand the full scope of what they're dealing with, they find themselves caught between Heaven, Hell, and an ancient cabal of Catholic priests committed to fighting evil by any means necessary.
Though some of the other Hellboy novels feel like they were churned out too quickly (thin story lines, inconsistent writing, lack of real character development), On Earth as it is in Hell was a great surprise to me. This book is firing on all cylinders. It's a fun thriller with some very creepy moments and great action. The mythology behind the story is also really solid, suggesting that the writer did his research and really thought the idea through. But perhaps most importantly, the characters really come to life. Brian Hodge takes ownership of the cast (especially Hellboy and Liz), telling us more about them and really putting them through their emotional paces. Hodge has done a great job of expanding on who the characters are in a way that is in harmony with who they've already been established to be.
July 5, 2014
Angels have attacked the Vatican to destroy a controversial manuscript, and that's just for openers!
Brian Hodge takes a stab at the world of Hellboy and the BPRD and does it exceptionally well. The characters ring true, which for me is the first thing I look for in a story written by someone other than the creator. These still feel like Mignola's characters, so I can jump right into the story.
And what a story! Angels and demons after an ancient scroll, and the BPRD is right in the middle. There were elements of this one that didn't seem to fit right away, but they eventually pay off (but I was so interested in other parts that I forgot about some of them until the resolution).
This is what Hellboy does best, a blend of religion, folklore, and ancient occult in the modern world. Good stuff.
Brian Hodge takes a stab at the world of Hellboy and the BPRD and does it exceptionally well. The characters ring true, which for me is the first thing I look for in a story written by someone other than the creator. These still feel like Mignola's characters, so I can jump right into the story.
And what a story! Angels and demons after an ancient scroll, and the BPRD is right in the middle. There were elements of this one that didn't seem to fit right away, but they eventually pay off (but I was so interested in other parts that I forgot about some of them until the resolution).
This is what Hellboy does best, a blend of religion, folklore, and ancient occult in the modern world. Good stuff.
August 6, 2009
I always love being drawn deep into the dark and light worlds of Hellboy, and this exploration did not disappoint. How can you not like secret passageways and forbidden documents in the Vatican, seraphim assassins, Hellboy being swallowed like Jonah by the Leviathan, and the uber-evil demon Moloch! This flowed a bit like a movie, with some of the same character traits as portayed in the movie world version of Hellboy. An entertaining but occassionally uneven romp, with some interesting insights into the established BRPD characters and intriguing (and appropriately unusual) supporting characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2008
I love the Hellboy comics and have been pleasantly surprised by how much I also enjoy the Hellboy books. When I'm craving a little action and horror, these always fit the bill.
Hodge does a fantastic job of showcasing Liz, getting the reader into her head and the love-hate relationship she has with the BPRD.
I'd like to see this writer tackle more Hellboy stories.
Hodge does a fantastic job of showcasing Liz, getting the reader into her head and the love-hate relationship she has with the BPRD.
I'd like to see this writer tackle more Hellboy stories.
November 22, 2007
A superb Hellboy original novel. The plot is fascinating, involving angels attacking the Vatican, and the character development is also satisfying.
December 21, 2008
I love Hellboy but I also love Brian Hodge and he brought a wonderful and original story to life despite it being set in a universe he didn't create.
February 18, 2013
Best Hellboy book I've ever read.
January 29, 2016
I enjoyed the story, and there was great character development throughout. But the story seemed to rush at the end. Definitely worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews