Hellfighters

The Devil's Engine #2

by Alexander Gordon Smith

Thrown into a relentless war against the forces of darkness, fifteen-year-old Marlow Green and his squad of secret soldiers must fight for control of the Devil’s Engines―ancient, infernal machines that can make any wish come true, as long as you are willing to put your life on the line. But after a monstrous betrayal, Marlow, Pan and the other Hellraisers find themselves on the run from an enemy with horrific powers and limitless resources―an enemy that wants them dead at all costs. Failure doesn’t just mean a fate worse than death for Marlow, it means the total annihilation of the world. And when all looks lost and the stakes couldn’t be higher, just how far is he willing to go?

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction

312 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2016

About the author

Alexander Gordon Smith is the author of the Escape from Furnace series of young adult novels, including Lockdown and Solitary. Born in 1979 in Norwich, England, he always wanted to be a writer. After experimenting in the service and retail trades for a few years, Smith decided to go to University. He studied English and American Literature at the University of East Anglia, and it was here that he first explored his love of publishing. Along with poet Luke Wright, he founded Egg Box Publishing, a groundbreaking magazine and press that promotes talented new authors. He also started writing literally hundreds of articles, short stories and books ranging from Scooby Doo comic strips to world atlases, Midsomer Murders to X-Files. The endless research for these projects led to countless book ideas germinating in his head. His first book, The Inventors, written with his nine-year-old brother Jamie, was published in the U.K. in 2007. He lives in England.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/alexan...

Reviews

[Ricky · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book in Alexander Gordon Smith's devilish little trilogy got off to a pretty good start, but the sequel improves on its predecessor so very much. While the first book was brought down a bit for me by the romantic elements not eliciting so much interest, this book is all action, all the time. It's a rip-roaring, pure-hellfire adrenaline rush on the level of Fury Road, with the usual Darren Shan-esque levels of horror we've come to expect from Smith - something very much needed while we're all waiting for Shan to serve us his next scary vision.

One more book left in the trilogy, which I'm dying to read now after this diabolical cliffhanger...

[Wendy Holliday]

edit: blurb edited! 5/23/16

Uhm..... The description on this book here is kind-of a major spoiler if you haven't read the first book. Just a heads up.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

REFF DO SOMETHING REFF!!!!
Mammon isn’t dead I scream as I’m dragged into a padded cell.
Anyway lowkey hate you because why would you kill my baby 💔💔🥀🥀🥀

[Nicholas Lange · Rating 2 out of 5]

Smith, Alexander Gordon. The Devil's Engine. First ed., vol. 2, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR), 2016.

Genre: Fiction/Horror/Fantasy

Summary and Analysis: "Hellfighters" is set in a fantastical world in which our story's protagonist, a fifteen year old boy named Marlow Green. This is the second installment of the series "Hellraisers" is the original, and the third is "Hellwalkers". In this book, Marlow and his fellow soldiers must fight to obtain the devil's engines which are powerful, mystical machines that can make any wish you desire come true. When our young protagonist is betrayed, he and his squad of soldiers must go on the run from an enemy with limitless powers and will not stop until they are dead and has the power to destroy the world. Having not read the first book (not knowing this was a series) I consulted the other reviews to see what people thought. Apparently the first book had some romantic elements incorporated, which is just baffling to me given the action-packed page-turner that this one is. Maybe since the first one was not as well received (three out of five is not bad, but I’m sure he would like it to be higher) as many readers felt the romance elements did not fit, Smith decided to go with a complete one-eighty and gave his readers more of the action, violence, and gore that had originally anticipated. What is interesting is that while of these fantastical scenarios are taking place, Smith still takes the time to incorporate the struggles that a regular fifteen year old would face, but that makes this story relatable for its audience in a very unexpected way. For me personally,. I did not have the first book at my disposal, but this looked intriguing. This should be viewed as a testament to Smith’s writing as even though I did not read the works in chronological order it was still an excellent read.

A Creative Writing Lens: An element that is impossible to ignore in Alexander Gordon Smith's writing, is his ability to write about gore. Some passages are hard to swallow, but others are almost poetic. There is definitely a picture that is painted in the reader's mind regardless of how they received it. For me personally, most of the images were not too hard to handle,but for those with weak stomachs I could see this book being a struggle to finish. Smith has done something that all writers should try to replicate, take a less than glorious image, and turn it into something extremely appealing. Short and sweet, but it is the absolute truth.

Teaching Ideas: Given the context of this book, I'm not sure how many teachers would want to use this in a classroom setting, but there is something you could try. Have your HIGH SCHOOL (can't be more clear on that) students imagine that Armageddon is starting right now, but do not disclose the cause (zombies, weather, etc.). Tell the students that they must grab something to protect themselves with in hopes that they survive. Set a timer for two minutes and see what your students come up with. Not all items have to be weapons to defend themselves as they do not know what is causing all of this. At the end tell the students what the cause was and determine who would make it. More of a fun exercise, but it does promote kids to think on their feet and problem solve.

This is a thrilling page turner, I recommend you try it!

[Shyla Colt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy Rusted Metal Batman. Hold onto your tights because this is going to be a bumpy ride. If you thought the last book left off in a place that made you want to scream because you needed to know what happened to next, welcome to an even more insane book. I don't want to ruin any of the twists and turns, so I'm going to vague you. Be prepared to be stunned, my fellow readers. The poop is hitting the fan and it's splattering in places you hadn't even considered.

I'm still reeling as I write this. I wasn't ready. SO let's talk about Pan... Love to hate her, hate to love her... Yeah, the Jury is out. I had to lower my stars because she got under my skin so much, and not in a good way. Please redeem her a bit, Mr. Smith. I get her life was jacked, but so was every other Hell Raiser.... why is she a special unicorn. Marlon... buddy... snap out of it.

I can't stop gushing about this book. I loved it. Highly recommend this one! 4.5

[Stephania · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's clear that Alexander Gordon Smith took the reviews of the first book into account as he was writing this one. If you liked the premise of Hellraisers but thought it plodded on or that the characters weren't developed, I implore you to read Hellfighters. It instantly jumps into character development (and I mean on the first page), and despite being roughly half the length of Hellraisers, it packs a lot of plot.

Obviously, because this is an Alexander Gordon Smith novel, he brings his usual blood and gore fest to the table, and it's good to see that he has not lost his touch with gore or emotional impact.

The emotional development is spectacular and doesn't feel forced or too fast, and overall, I'd highly recommend Hellfighters--it was well worth the wait.

[Saleena Longmuir · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is part two of the Devil's Engine series, and even though I didn't love the first one, I figured I would try the next section anyway. Honestly, some of the issues I had with the first one, were dealt with in this issue, and the writing is strong. Some parts of it were predictable, but it was creepy and interesting and well paced. Not my favorite book series, but I think teens will love it; and that is who should love it.

[Teana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Either 3.5 or a 4.
Good storyline. I give a low reviews because marlow is one of the worst lead characters. He screws up every mission. Literally screws up a mission just to get Pan. I don't think he is in love with her, but more obsessed with her..

[Zeke · Rating 3 out of 5]

good

[Darby Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

no spoilers: this book is great. You know a book is truly good when it makes you feel feelings. This combination of horror and action is a must

[Ida Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Just love Marlow

[BlueSnakeReaper · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Pan?"
"No, It's Santa Clause you idiot."
My favorite line in the book. Highly recommend it.

[Amy Braun · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I read these books, but I have to admit that it didn't take me long to become re-emerged in the world, to remember the characters, and to recall why I loved this series so much! The story is very fast paced (almost nonstop action, a Gordon Smith signature), but I never felt like it was too much. Gordon Smith's action is always exciting, the demons unlike anything I've read before in fiction and the tension so quick I've bitten my nails down to the quick. Another thing Gordon Smith does well (and some would argue a little too well), is the gore factor. It's pretty prevalent in HELLFIGHTERS, especially during a scene at the end where I actually recoiled a little bit. It didn't take me out of the story, but suffice it to say I won't be forgetting it any time soon. The story was fantastic, filled with twists and turns until the very last page, which I definitely did not see coming, and the end will leave me pulling at my hair for months. The characters are great, with Marlow growing (still making some dumb mistakes but you can't help but love the guy), and my favourite, Pan, becoming even more intense and complex than I could have imagined. This is definitely a series to be read and enjoyed by horror fans who like their terror to be visceral, unique, and incredibly intense. Don't miss out!

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a great trilogy so far.
So in this book we have Marlow and the others still trying to figure out how to save themselves and the world.
During their adventures they learn the evil they have been chasing might not be the evil one after all and it's possibly someone else they trusted. Who will stop the engines? The evil? Who will end up in hell and who ends up saving whom? Looking forward to reading book three.
I so want to reread books one and two and then the whole trilogy again.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won an ARC of this novel in a goodreads drawing.

It's a passable fantasy about a group of teens trying to get The Devil's Engines, which will grant any wish if one is willing to put their lives on the line.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way too violent and gross for my taste, but the characters are so amazing I had to read the 2nd book to find out what happens to them. This is perfect for fans of dark fantasy that has non-stop action.