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Hellhole Trilogy #3
Hellhole: Inferno
The thrilling conclusion to the Hellhole trilogy
After the events of Hellhole Awakening, the people of Hellhole and the shadow-Xayans scramble to rally against the threat from the still-living rogue Xayans. Back on Sonjeera, the Monarchy is in an uproar after their surprising defeat and the breakaway of the Deep Zone planets. The dowager Queen decides to go to Hellhole on a diplomatic mission, hoping to keep her power. But after touring Hellhole, Queen Michella is shaken, and begins to realize that she can never have the old Monarchy back.
Before the Queen can return to Sonjeera, she’s captured by the rogue Xayans and learns the reason for their attack: the orthodox Xayans had developed their minds to the point where they could evolve and, in so doing, trigger another Big Bang, wiping out everything.
The rogue Xayans thought they succeeded in stopping the ascension, but the orthodox Xayans on Hellhole are nearly ready. Now, twenty-two huge asteroids from the outer reaches of the solar system are bearing towards Hellhole, summoned by the rogue sect as a last resort. Can all these lives and the planet itself be saved?
After the events of Hellhole Awakening, the people of Hellhole and the shadow-Xayans scramble to rally against the threat from the still-living rogue Xayans. Back on Sonjeera, the Monarchy is in an uproar after their surprising defeat and the breakaway of the Deep Zone planets. The dowager Queen decides to go to Hellhole on a diplomatic mission, hoping to keep her power. But after touring Hellhole, Queen Michella is shaken, and begins to realize that she can never have the old Monarchy back.
Before the Queen can return to Sonjeera, she’s captured by the rogue Xayans and learns the reason for their attack: the orthodox Xayans had developed their minds to the point where they could evolve and, in so doing, trigger another Big Bang, wiping out everything.
The rogue Xayans thought they succeeded in stopping the ascension, but the orthodox Xayans on Hellhole are nearly ready. Now, twenty-two huge asteroids from the outer reaches of the solar system are bearing towards Hellhole, summoned by the rogue sect as a last resort. Can all these lives and the planet itself be saved?
448 pages, Paperback
First published August 12, 2014
46 people are currently reading
760 people want to read
About the author
Kevin J. Anderson
1,037 books3,102 followersYes, I have a lot of books, and if this is your first visit to my amazon author page, it can be a little overwhelming. If you are new to my work, let me recommend a few titles as good places to start. I love my Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series, humorous horror/mysteries, which begin with DEATH WARMED OVER. My steampunk fantasy adventures, CLOCKWORK ANGELS and CLOCKWORK LIVES, written with Neil Peart, legendary drummer from Rush, are two of my very favorite novels ever. And my magnum opus, the science fiction epic The Saga of Seven Suns, begins with HIDDEN EMPIRE. After you've tried those, I hope you'll check out some of my other series.
I have written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and I'm the co-author of the Dune prequels. My original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. I have also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in collaboration with Tom Veitch, Predator titles (also for Dark Horse), and X-Files titles for Topps.
I serve as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest.
My wife is author Rebecca Moesta. We currently reside near Monument, Colorado.
I have written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and I'm the co-author of the Dune prequels. My original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. I have also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in collaboration with Tom Veitch, Predator titles (also for Dark Horse), and X-Files titles for Topps.
I serve as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest.
My wife is author Rebecca Moesta. We currently reside near Monument, Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
April 30, 2025
Good SiFi read. Recommended
November 17, 2022
Simplistic ending of the trilogy but was worth the read.
May 2, 2019
The shadow-Xayans have become very powerful in this conclusion to the trilogy. General Hellholme is forced out of retirement and is sent to the deep zone to find his missing son and put down the rebellion still ongoing.
Adolphus needs to respond to am emergency on one of the planets in the deep zone that is on a collision course with two large asteriods. As the planet continues to come back alive with the return of more and more shadow-Xayans. But they are keeping something back from the humans who are their hosts.
I really liked this book, although the ending was a bit bizarre and a bit too convenient, it did not detract from the book itself. I really liked this trilogy and the whole world that was built.
Adolphus needs to respond to am emergency on one of the planets in the deep zone that is on a collision course with two large asteriods. As the planet continues to come back alive with the return of more and more shadow-Xayans. But they are keeping something back from the humans who are their hosts.
I really liked this book, although the ending was a bit bizarre and a bit too convenient, it did not detract from the book itself. I really liked this trilogy and the whole world that was built.
August 31, 2014
Hellhole Inferno (Hellhole, #3) by Brian Herbert by Brian Herbert Brian Herbert and Anderson Kevin J 1962- (no photo)
If you've read any of my reviews of other books by these authors, you know how critical I am of their EXTREMELY one-dimensional characters. Yet their premises are interesting enough that I keep reading their stuff. I guess their books are some of my guilty pleasures of reading. Still, they don't deserve high ratings. Ah well. One of those little contradictions in life.
This is the conclusion of a trilogy in which an evil empire is trying to defeat the oh-so-pure and good rebels. At the same time, life for the rebels is complicated by a race of aliens with strong powers that has been awakened on their planet. There's a twist here that isn't totally unexpected, but is still ALMOST nicely done.
If you've read any of my reviews of other books by these authors, you know how critical I am of their EXTREMELY one-dimensional characters. Yet their premises are interesting enough that I keep reading their stuff. I guess their books are some of my guilty pleasures of reading. Still, they don't deserve high ratings. Ah well. One of those little contradictions in life.
This is the conclusion of a trilogy in which an evil empire is trying to defeat the oh-so-pure and good rebels. At the same time, life for the rebels is complicated by a race of aliens with strong powers that has been awakened on their planet. There's a twist here that isn't totally unexpected, but is still ALMOST nicely done.
August 30, 2022
Hellhole Inferno is the third book in the "Hellhole" trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. First, let me say I enjoyed this book very much. Some books in Fantasy are known as Grimdark Fantasy. This book could be rightly described as Grimdark Space Opera. It is very dark and violent compared to much space opera/military science fiction. If dark violent fiction is not to your taste then stay away from this series. If like me, you enjoy this type of fiction then you will enjoy this book. This book does a great job of winding up this trilogy. A great read all in all.
I have read several negative reviews from readers who were disappointed that it wasn't more like the "Dune" books written by these two authors. Personally, I am glad that it was very different because I think "Dune" and the follow-up books are highly over-rated.
I have read several negative reviews from readers who were disappointed that it wasn't more like the "Dune" books written by these two authors. Personally, I am glad that it was very different because I think "Dune" and the follow-up books are highly over-rated.
January 19, 2023
We can't possibly stop these super fast asteroids, oh they missed, better stop them immediately then.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2014
Hellhole: Inferno brings a satisfying ending to a fun sci-fi series. With a large cast of characters, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson have laid out a story that’s one part military sci-fi, one part political suspense, and one part alien exploration. As an exiled general tries to save his frontier colonies from annihilation, he must deal with vengeful galactic rulers, treachery from his own allies, and the threat of alien attackers who can move asteroids with their minds and posses other beings against their will. As the third book in the trilogy, Inferno brings a climatic end to the shattering events.
With such a large cast, there are a lot of plotlines in this story, some more important than others. General Tiber Adolphus struggles to protect his people from the vengeful Constellation fleet as well as the impending threat of the alien Ro-Xayans. On a smaller scale, he has to deal with ruling the planet Halholme and leading the 52 worlds of the Deep Zone with all their varied issues. Plus there’s the Xayans and their quest for ala’ru (a spiritual transcendence).
On the flip-side of the conflict is Commodore Percival Halholme and his duty to defeat General Adolphus and his rebel followers. Percival is also motivated by his desire to free his capture son, Escobar, who is imprisoned on Hellhole. But Halholme’s sense of honor is constantly tested by the corrupt leaders of the Constellation.
That leads us to Diadem Michella Duchenet, the Black Lord Riomini, and Ishop Heer. Michella is the evil queen of the Constellation and insistent on subduing the rebellion of the Deep Zone worlds. The ruthless Riomini is an ambitious nobly vying for power and scheming to be the next Diadem of the Constellation. Then there’s Ishop Heer, Michella’s hatchet man, and a dangerous servant who is bent on righting an ancient wrong by killing members of the Constellation’s nobles. He’s almost completed his list of revenge save for one…a Duchenet.
Yet that only scratches the surface of the long list of characters and plots. There are exiled nobles questing for revenge, alien prophets striving for nirvana, imprisoned officers trying to escape, miners, pilots, bureaucrats, ship captains, etc. All of them characters who have had their in’s and out’s in the previous books and who get their final chapters in this one.
Taking it all in, Inferno is an entertaining read. While the conclusion doesn’t rank it as anything earth shattering, it’s satisfying. Some of my favorite characters, like Ishop Heer and Laderna, didn’t have the best endings. Yet others like Percival and Adolphus were pretty good. With so many characters, it was kind of hit and miss. Not all of them had important parts to play. The one’s who got short-shifted were disappointing or just not all that interesting.
The build up and conclusion of the plots, however, was handled a lot better. There were several battles, changes of power, and constant turmoil and surprises. It kept the story fun and unpredictable. Plus many of the plots, though seemingly disconnected, tied back into each other. As an end product, it worked well.
If you’re already read the previous two novels, you’re kind of suck in having to read the third. The good new is it’s worthwhile. For those who haven’t jumped into the series yet, it’s worth checking out. As stated above, it’s a sprawling sci-fi epic with a large cast, layered plots and lots of drama, action and surprises. I give Hellhole: Inferno a four out of five.
With such a large cast, there are a lot of plotlines in this story, some more important than others. General Tiber Adolphus struggles to protect his people from the vengeful Constellation fleet as well as the impending threat of the alien Ro-Xayans. On a smaller scale, he has to deal with ruling the planet Halholme and leading the 52 worlds of the Deep Zone with all their varied issues. Plus there’s the Xayans and their quest for ala’ru (a spiritual transcendence).
On the flip-side of the conflict is Commodore Percival Halholme and his duty to defeat General Adolphus and his rebel followers. Percival is also motivated by his desire to free his capture son, Escobar, who is imprisoned on Hellhole. But Halholme’s sense of honor is constantly tested by the corrupt leaders of the Constellation.
That leads us to Diadem Michella Duchenet, the Black Lord Riomini, and Ishop Heer. Michella is the evil queen of the Constellation and insistent on subduing the rebellion of the Deep Zone worlds. The ruthless Riomini is an ambitious nobly vying for power and scheming to be the next Diadem of the Constellation. Then there’s Ishop Heer, Michella’s hatchet man, and a dangerous servant who is bent on righting an ancient wrong by killing members of the Constellation’s nobles. He’s almost completed his list of revenge save for one…a Duchenet.
Yet that only scratches the surface of the long list of characters and plots. There are exiled nobles questing for revenge, alien prophets striving for nirvana, imprisoned officers trying to escape, miners, pilots, bureaucrats, ship captains, etc. All of them characters who have had their in’s and out’s in the previous books and who get their final chapters in this one.
Taking it all in, Inferno is an entertaining read. While the conclusion doesn’t rank it as anything earth shattering, it’s satisfying. Some of my favorite characters, like Ishop Heer and Laderna, didn’t have the best endings. Yet others like Percival and Adolphus were pretty good. With so many characters, it was kind of hit and miss. Not all of them had important parts to play. The one’s who got short-shifted were disappointing or just not all that interesting.
The build up and conclusion of the plots, however, was handled a lot better. There were several battles, changes of power, and constant turmoil and surprises. It kept the story fun and unpredictable. Plus many of the plots, though seemingly disconnected, tied back into each other. As an end product, it worked well.
If you’re already read the previous two novels, you’re kind of suck in having to read the third. The good new is it’s worthwhile. For those who haven’t jumped into the series yet, it’s worth checking out. As stated above, it’s a sprawling sci-fi epic with a large cast, layered plots and lots of drama, action and surprises. I give Hellhole: Inferno a four out of five.
September 11, 2015
The conclusion to the Hellhole sci-fi trilogy is both satisfying and sad. Sad, only because it's a shame to see these complex and unique characters' stories come to a close but equally satisfying in the way INFERNO was written.
A gripe of mine with the earlier books was the lack of closure and cliffhanger-like endings which is not the case here. Authors Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert make sure to tie-up any loose ends and add some nice twists to keep the sci-fi interstellar epic fresh.
With the planet Hellhole destined for doom on two fronts; one at the hand of the planet conquering Diadem, the other, a rogue faction of Ro-Xayans who want to destroy the planet to prevent the few surviving original Xayans and the newly converted human shadow-xayans from reaching ala-'ru - a mysterious spiritualist transcendence (which is revealed in the later stages of the book), General Adolphus rallies the defense forces of the 52 planets that comprise the Deep Zone along with the telepathy skills of the Xayans to forge a last stand against both threats.
As you'd expect there is a degree of sci-fi military embedded in the plot yet the element is grounded by deep characterisation and interesting sub plots that encompass the political ramifications of war, commerce, and trade. Despite having an other worldly tone there are loads of humanist aspects to INFERNO to compliment the action sequences and make everything feel all the more 'real' while reading.
I truly loved this trilogy and plan on rereading early next year. As for, HELLHOLE: INFERNO - it's a perfect way to end a very entertaining story.
http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
A gripe of mine with the earlier books was the lack of closure and cliffhanger-like endings which is not the case here. Authors Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert make sure to tie-up any loose ends and add some nice twists to keep the sci-fi interstellar epic fresh.
With the planet Hellhole destined for doom on two fronts; one at the hand of the planet conquering Diadem, the other, a rogue faction of Ro-Xayans who want to destroy the planet to prevent the few surviving original Xayans and the newly converted human shadow-xayans from reaching ala-'ru - a mysterious spiritualist transcendence (which is revealed in the later stages of the book), General Adolphus rallies the defense forces of the 52 planets that comprise the Deep Zone along with the telepathy skills of the Xayans to forge a last stand against both threats.
As you'd expect there is a degree of sci-fi military embedded in the plot yet the element is grounded by deep characterisation and interesting sub plots that encompass the political ramifications of war, commerce, and trade. Despite having an other worldly tone there are loads of humanist aspects to INFERNO to compliment the action sequences and make everything feel all the more 'real' while reading.
I truly loved this trilogy and plan on rereading early next year. As for, HELLHOLE: INFERNO - it's a perfect way to end a very entertaining story.
http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
September 18, 2016
Thoroughly satisfying ending to this trilogy. Plot lines and character lines brought nicely to a crescendo.
October 24, 2015
Hellhole Inferno, book 3 of the Hellhole Trilogy, has perfectly followed on from the previous two books, Hellhole and Hellhole Awakening. Quite often, a trilogy will have a great first book, but the other two could be very hit and miss. Not this.
Hellhole Inferno kept up the suspense, action, drama and horror of the previous books. The 'movie scene' chapter style is engaging, keeping you turning the pages to see what is happening to the other characters on other planets. The way all three books have tied in to each other is truly impressive, but you wouldn't expect anything less from two great authors with a pedigree such as Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert.
I would highly recommend this series to any sci-fi and fantasy fans. A very solid 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Hellhole Inferno kept up the suspense, action, drama and horror of the previous books. The 'movie scene' chapter style is engaging, keeping you turning the pages to see what is happening to the other characters on other planets. The way all three books have tied in to each other is truly impressive, but you wouldn't expect anything less from two great authors with a pedigree such as Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert.
I would highly recommend this series to any sci-fi and fantasy fans. A very solid 4.5 out of 5 stars.
September 29, 2020
I'm actually reviewing the Hellhole trilogy as a whole instead of each book separately. I did not expect to like it as much as I did. At first I was annoyed because I thought the focus would be on the colonization of the planet Hellhole, and I thought the discovery of the aliens and the war with the Diadem were intrusive, but it all fit together beautifully, and by the time I reached the end of the first book, I couldn't put it down. The villains were suitably evil, the good guys suitably flawed, and the balance of the rebellion went back and forth so that I needed a scorecard to keep track.
WARNING: SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ AHEAD IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!
The book shows the dangers of an authoritarian oligarchy, where all the rules are made by the rich whose main concern is gaining more wealth on the backs of the workers. I will warn you, a lot of good characters die horribly in this series. The first deaths surprised and shocked me, some of the deaths I kept expecting the people to magically come back to life ala Star Trek's Spock. At first I thought the aliens smacked a little of deux ex machina, but that was resolved as well.
I enjoyed this trilogy very much and highly recommend it.
WARNING: SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ AHEAD IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!
The book shows the dangers of an authoritarian oligarchy, where all the rules are made by the rich whose main concern is gaining more wealth on the backs of the workers. I will warn you, a lot of good characters die horribly in this series. The first deaths surprised and shocked me, some of the deaths I kept expecting the people to magically come back to life ala Star Trek's Spock. At first I thought the aliens smacked a little of deux ex machina, but that was resolved as well.
I enjoyed this trilogy very much and highly recommend it.
November 5, 2021
The authors phoned this one in. The adequate storytelling and sorta fun pulpy story of the first two in the trilogy (evocative of Heinlein's YA stories) were not done any justice by this book.
Every page was just exposition, simply telling us things about characters and settings. Not a lot of dialog.. and nearly zero scene painting - just exposition. Characters were not especially well developed in the first two books.. but collapsed back into one dimensional in this one.
There were weak parts of the first two books that relied on "tell" instead of "show" but this one was simply lousy with crappy writing. It was so bad that I won't bother to read anything these two have collaborated on, in the future. It just feels really really lazy, like they crammed the notes for the book into grammatically correct sentences and then pushed it out to the publisher.
Given that this one is so bad, don't even bother to read the first two. Save yourself from an unsatisfying slog, wondering where the energy of the first book went, and some of the interesting plotting of the 2nd book went.
Every page was just exposition, simply telling us things about characters and settings. Not a lot of dialog.. and nearly zero scene painting - just exposition. Characters were not especially well developed in the first two books.. but collapsed back into one dimensional in this one.
There were weak parts of the first two books that relied on "tell" instead of "show" but this one was simply lousy with crappy writing. It was so bad that I won't bother to read anything these two have collaborated on, in the future. It just feels really really lazy, like they crammed the notes for the book into grammatically correct sentences and then pushed it out to the publisher.
Given that this one is so bad, don't even bother to read the first two. Save yourself from an unsatisfying slog, wondering where the energy of the first book went, and some of the interesting plotting of the 2nd book went.
July 15, 2024
I have 4 stars because all the story elements wrapped up, finished the series in a satisfying way with no extra parts to re-explore. But as an entire series, knowing how everything happened and ends, it could have been shorter than a trilogy, or just shorter books, and felt more like a 3-star over all because of all the extra bulk.
I’ve read all of Herbert and Anderson’s extended Dune series and people give it similar criticisms, but at least that felt more expansive as part of the broader Dune experience. For a separate series it felt like this universe struggled to earned the page count for the world building and character development. But still a medium enjoy, no regrets.
I’ve read all of Herbert and Anderson’s extended Dune series and people give it similar criticisms, but at least that felt more expansive as part of the broader Dune experience. For a separate series it felt like this universe struggled to earned the page count for the world building and character development. But still a medium enjoy, no regrets.
January 27, 2019
An excellent book and great way to end the trilogy.
My only gripes with this book is that once you hit the 2/3 to 3/4 mark it felt like it started becoming more predictable. Also the ending felt a little rushed.
It was almost like the authors had been given an ultimatum to have the book completed by a certain time and they did everything they could to make that deadline.
Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this book and I would definitely be interested if the authors created an additional book/series to expand on some of the plot lines that weren't quite wrapped up.
My only gripes with this book is that once you hit the 2/3 to 3/4 mark it felt like it started becoming more predictable. Also the ending felt a little rushed.
It was almost like the authors had been given an ultimatum to have the book completed by a certain time and they did everything they could to make that deadline.
Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this book and I would definitely be interested if the authors created an additional book/series to expand on some of the plot lines that weren't quite wrapped up.
September 1, 2023
Once again Kevin J. Anderson delivers an adventure story that captivates us all the way to the “deep zones” of space. The different character developments connected through the main plot of survival despite the odds against you is nothing short of excellent story telling. I appreciated the real emotions a war hero would fee after following unspeakable orders down to the spoiled feelings of a disposable daughter. I look forward to reading the future installments of whatever this writer thinks up next!
August 29, 2023
maybe i should have read vol. 1 and vol. 2 before I picked this up. anyway, i saved a lot of time by reading up to p. 40 or so -- things were tedious, plodding along, so I skipped to approx. 40 pages from the end, and -- it's like i read the beginning, and the end (skipped the corpulent middull) and it seems to me that I got the gist of the whole thing.
September 21, 2014
It's weird that the blurb on the cover calls it military science fiction, it clearly seems to be space opera to me. There are some ships in it occasionally and quite a bit of strategy with the rebellion, but it's not about battles and military operations. But when I think about it, most of the sub-plots revolve about the rebellion and strategies about that. There are very few romances or personal relationships. What makes a space opera? This series seems very comparable to Anderson's Saga of the Seven Suns to me and that's certain opera and not military, despite the war at it's center. I did a search and two of my very favorite sources turned up (literally, and I don't have many favorites in Safari) http://io9.com/5243415/whats-the-diff... and http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2010... so clearly (ha ha) according to all of the experts it could go either way. If space opera equals adventure and destiny, well we could have that with the Xayans trying to reach their version of the singularity before their enemy Ro-Xayans can destroy them and Hellhole along with them. That was much more a focus of this book in particular than military action was. And we have the Deep Zone planets trying to be independent of the Constellation inner planets, that's a quest of the underdogs against the evil overlords like in Star Wars. Or Dune (duh). The focus of much of it is political maneuvering, strategic posturing, a bit of attempted murdering, and military movement. But I wouldn't call it military science fiction unless more of the focus was on actually battles between the two groups of planets. And unless the two systems actually were in an all-out war, or more significantly engaged than this. Maybe It just feels that way from the perspective of the third book. The second was more miliary in some ways, from what I remember. I think the series is at most military light, if there were such a thing. But whatever sells books! It's just a shame if people get them home and are disappointed because it isn't what they expected from the blurb.
Unfortunately, that was the most interested part of the Inferno for me, my mind kept going back to thinking about that question. This book wasn't terrible by any means, it was fine. It was slower than I hoped but not as bad as I sort of somehow expected it to be. I think I might have been nervous because the last book that I read by this duo, Mentats of Dune, was such a huge disaster. This book didn't have the problems that that one had, like major repetitiveness within the switching points of view. Actually, it's possible that I might be less critical of this one because that one was so bad, just because I'm so relieved this isn't in that ballpark.
Inferno did have the same shallow characterizations that Mentats had. This one wasn't quite as bad, but most of these people were one, maybe two note. Riomini was the worst, he was such a literal black hat, a stereotypical monster, and a dumb one at that, how was that supposed to be fun? But they needed to wrap up the series, so he got turned into an idiot, it made everything easy for everyone. Not so fun to read, but easy. With no character development it was just very hard to get excited about picking the book up each time I came back to it because it would just be more of the same each night. There wasn't anything I was particularly looking forward to, no character I was excited to read about or point of view chapters I was waiting to come around again. None of the characters stood out as being more fun than the others. Usually in a series like this the fans should be having big debates about who their favorite cool character was - Tiber was the hero, no Keana was, no, the Commodore was the coolest! I can't imagine anyone caring enough to bother. It wasn't hopeless, it just wasn't great. A space opera or military sci-fi, either way, should inspire passion, rooting for the good guys, hating the bad guys. Though if you think about Star Wars there wasn't much character development there either, huh? Hero, hero, villain, worse villain, all pretty simple. This one did have the advantage of the alien Xayans and Ro-Xayans keeping things interesting, stirring the pot, alternately helping and hindering in many different ways. And the solutions to several of the problems near the end were good, I'm glad I didn't spoil it with my reading ahead when I got impatient. Most of the big stuff really wrapped up in a few pages and then it was over. The series started with a lot of promise, and it ended with an "eh, that was OK I guess." I don't regret the time I spent on the books, I'd recommend the series to people who are really into "space operas" or anyone who likes sci-fi if they could get it in paperback or if they're able to spend money without being too stressed about it. It wouldn't the first thing that would come to mind when I think of recommendations though.
Unfortunately, that was the most interested part of the Inferno for me, my mind kept going back to thinking about that question. This book wasn't terrible by any means, it was fine. It was slower than I hoped but not as bad as I sort of somehow expected it to be. I think I might have been nervous because the last book that I read by this duo, Mentats of Dune, was such a huge disaster. This book didn't have the problems that that one had, like major repetitiveness within the switching points of view. Actually, it's possible that I might be less critical of this one because that one was so bad, just because I'm so relieved this isn't in that ballpark.
Inferno did have the same shallow characterizations that Mentats had. This one wasn't quite as bad, but most of these people were one, maybe two note. Riomini was the worst, he was such a literal black hat, a stereotypical monster, and a dumb one at that, how was that supposed to be fun? But they needed to wrap up the series, so he got turned into an idiot, it made everything easy for everyone. Not so fun to read, but easy. With no character development it was just very hard to get excited about picking the book up each time I came back to it because it would just be more of the same each night. There wasn't anything I was particularly looking forward to, no character I was excited to read about or point of view chapters I was waiting to come around again. None of the characters stood out as being more fun than the others. Usually in a series like this the fans should be having big debates about who their favorite cool character was - Tiber was the hero, no Keana was, no, the Commodore was the coolest! I can't imagine anyone caring enough to bother. It wasn't hopeless, it just wasn't great. A space opera or military sci-fi, either way, should inspire passion, rooting for the good guys, hating the bad guys. Though if you think about Star Wars there wasn't much character development there either, huh? Hero, hero, villain, worse villain, all pretty simple. This one did have the advantage of the alien Xayans and Ro-Xayans keeping things interesting, stirring the pot, alternately helping and hindering in many different ways. And the solutions to several of the problems near the end were good, I'm glad I didn't spoil it with my reading ahead when I got impatient. Most of the big stuff really wrapped up in a few pages and then it was over. The series started with a lot of promise, and it ended with an "eh, that was OK I guess." I don't regret the time I spent on the books, I'd recommend the series to people who are really into "space operas" or anyone who likes sci-fi if they could get it in paperback or if they're able to spend money without being too stressed about it. It wouldn't the first thing that would come to mind when I think of recommendations though.
April 5, 2019
The last book of the trilogy. A satisfying closure of the Hellhole story. A bit sad to see everyone go, you grow somewhat attached after three books. Great scope and tie up of all storylines. Recommended series, highly entertaining.
August 8, 2021
Rollicking yarn
Final book of the trio completes the story satisfactorily tho I would happily follow the developments in the Crown Jewel and Deep Zone planets, and their peoples human and alien.
Final book of the trio completes the story satisfactorily tho I would happily follow the developments in the Crown Jewel and Deep Zone planets, and their peoples human and alien.
April 12, 2022
Overall, this series was good and a fun read. This last book got a bit tedious for me as they brought all the story lines to their conclusion. Also, I felt that the last chapter or so was a rushed ending for the book.
June 7, 2017
A straightforward simple read
I found this to be an easy read with none of the complexity of the Dune books. I miss the fullness that complexities can give, though..
I found this to be an easy read with none of the complexity of the Dune books. I miss the fullness that complexities can give, though..
July 3, 2017
Moderately enjoyable story with lots of cookie cutter space opera schlock. I had zero emotional investment in any of the one-dimensional characters. I expect better things from KJA and BH.
January 8, 2019
such lazy writing - like yeah i know that happened :( started scan reading it was that bad
February 13, 2019
I loved this last book. It was non stop intrigue and the story was great. I liked how the story concluded even as I wish there was more!
December 27, 2019
The alien race tries to ascend as the empire strikes again
August 6, 2020
Finally finished the book. It was an okay sci fi book. I may have compared to the Saga of the Seven Suns (which i loved). This was a good series, but not my favorite.
November 4, 2021
Aliens vs Aliens, humans vs humans, oh my. Very interesting story, then miracles happen.
January 31, 2022
A run of the mill SciFi book ! Nothing special but OK !
October 2, 2022
Predictable yet fun ending. Loved it all.
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