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Lost Level #3
Hole In The World
An hour ago, they were nineteen strangers on an airport shuttle, braving travel delays and a freak blizzard. Then they fell through a hole in the world. Now, they are nineteen strangers trapped in a dangerous dimension filled with prehistoric monsters, futuristic technology, and otherworldly mysteries. They’ll have to learn to work together if they want to survive and return home…but will any of them be left alive by then?
Thunderstorm Books is proud to present HOLE IN THE WORLD — a weird fantasy prequel to Brian Keene’s popular THE LOST LEVEL series.
Thunderstorm Books is proud to present HOLE IN THE WORLD — a weird fantasy prequel to Brian Keene’s popular THE LOST LEVEL series.
277 pages, Hardcover
First published February 10, 2018
29 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Brian Keene
382 books2,991 followersBRIAN KEENE writes novels, comic books, short fiction, and occasional journalism for money. He is the author of over forty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and dark fantasy genres. His 2003 novel, The Rising, is often credited (along with Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later film) with inspiring pop culture’s current interest in zombies. Keene’s novels have been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French, Taiwanese, and many more. In addition to his own original work, Keene has written for media properties such as Doctor Who, Hellboy, Masters of the Universe, and Superman.
Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.
Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.
Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.
The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.
Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.
Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.
Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.
The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 12, 2018
“Hole In The World” by Brian Keene is the third installment of his “Lost Level” series and acts as prequel to the events that have already occurred. The main protagonist from the next two novels does not make an appearance in this adventure thus making it easy to read the book independently.
The ‘Lost Level’ series consists of the following books:
1. “The Lost Level” (2014)
2. “Return to the Lost Level” (2017)
3. “Hole In the World” (2018)
The series will continue with “Beneath the Lost Level”
The events in “Hole In the World” take place shortly prior to “The Lost Level” and help to explain some of the mysteries from later events in the series. It should be noted that the “Lost Level” is a pocket universe that intersects our own world and other realities, culture, flora and fauna not found on our earth. The environment, to me, is quite reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burroughs “Pellucider” (1915) series.
This installment is a bit different than your normal fiction in that all of the characters are real existing people. It seems that Mr. Keene afforded people the opportunity to pay via some Kickstarter campaigns to become characters in this book and play parts in the development of events that transpire throughout the narrative.
IMHO this is the weakest installment, so far, in the series mainly due to the same events being described from various viewpoints over and over. For example, the first seventy pages focuses on the characters incredulous reactions to events can not really be occurring that obviously are, and the reaction of all the participants toward their cell phones are no longer actually working. There is a bit of fun and some humor interspersed throughout the story making the tongue-and-cheek more palatable.
This hardcover is numbered 14 of 168 copies printed and is signed by Brian Keene.
Cover Art by Steven Gilberts
The ‘Lost Level’ series consists of the following books:
1. “The Lost Level” (2014)
2. “Return to the Lost Level” (2017)
3. “Hole In the World” (2018)
The series will continue with “Beneath the Lost Level”
The events in “Hole In the World” take place shortly prior to “The Lost Level” and help to explain some of the mysteries from later events in the series. It should be noted that the “Lost Level” is a pocket universe that intersects our own world and other realities, culture, flora and fauna not found on our earth. The environment, to me, is quite reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burroughs “Pellucider” (1915) series.
This installment is a bit different than your normal fiction in that all of the characters are real existing people. It seems that Mr. Keene afforded people the opportunity to pay via some Kickstarter campaigns to become characters in this book and play parts in the development of events that transpire throughout the narrative.
IMHO this is the weakest installment, so far, in the series mainly due to the same events being described from various viewpoints over and over. For example, the first seventy pages focuses on the characters incredulous reactions to events can not really be occurring that obviously are, and the reaction of all the participants toward their cell phones are no longer actually working. There is a bit of fun and some humor interspersed throughout the story making the tongue-and-cheek more palatable.
This hardcover is numbered 14 of 168 copies printed and is signed by Brian Keene.
Cover Art by Steven Gilberts
March 18, 2019
Hole in the World by Brian Keene is a book I won from LibraryThing. I like the fact that it had a totally different take on "where" they went and "when" ! A shuttle full of people is being driven during a blizzard. The airport has shutdown flights and people are having to hold up in a hotel. They don't make it to their destination. They crash into a creature like a dinosaur! It is sunny out. On board is a serial killer, a paraplegic, mother and daughter, and a variety of others. What happens there is very different from other books and it is not 'what' or 'where' the reader would normally read about. Lots of interesting developments! I was bouncing between a 4 and 5 star but this is so unusual that I had to give it the 5!
August 22, 2019
Hole in the World in the third book in the Lost Level Series which pits displaced humans from a swath of multiverses into a land out of time, a unique place which doesn't confirm to any period or time-stream; aliens are as much at home as dinosaurs and giant futuristic robots.
In the previous books (The Lost Level, and Return to the Lost Level) we followed the escapades of men's adventure magazine hero Aaron Pace as he 1), establishes himself in the Lost Level, 2) sojourns across the dangerous landscape in search of a loved one, and 3) kicks the a$$ of any comic-book creature which comes his way. Cool stuff.
Hole in the World transports the reader, much like the characters of the book, into a time before Aaron Pace's current adventure, where the sheen of this mystical place isn't yet tarnished by the blood of battles fought and haunted by the ghosts of characters passed. It's a prequel of sorts which adds to the continuity and compliments the other two books.
The action is pretty intense at times with some truly memorable moments; for instance, how the wheelchair Aaron stumbled across made its way to the Lost Level, and a *spoiler alert* cameo of a character featured in the other books.
Despite the larger cast of characters this time 'round, there's enough depth and backstory to make you feel each trial and tribulation; when a character succumbs to a bloody fate, the wounds cut deep. It's because of this great characterization, the absence of Aaron Pace isn't missed as much as he could have been.
My rating: 5/5 stars. If you've read the previous books, I strongly suggest picking this one up, heck, even if you haven't read them, grab this one anyway.
In the previous books (The Lost Level, and Return to the Lost Level) we followed the escapades of men's adventure magazine hero Aaron Pace as he 1), establishes himself in the Lost Level, 2) sojourns across the dangerous landscape in search of a loved one, and 3) kicks the a$$ of any comic-book creature which comes his way. Cool stuff.
Hole in the World transports the reader, much like the characters of the book, into a time before Aaron Pace's current adventure, where the sheen of this mystical place isn't yet tarnished by the blood of battles fought and haunted by the ghosts of characters passed. It's a prequel of sorts which adds to the continuity and compliments the other two books.
The action is pretty intense at times with some truly memorable moments; for instance, how the wheelchair Aaron stumbled across made its way to the Lost Level, and a *spoiler alert* cameo of a character featured in the other books.
Despite the larger cast of characters this time 'round, there's enough depth and backstory to make you feel each trial and tribulation; when a character succumbs to a bloody fate, the wounds cut deep. It's because of this great characterization, the absence of Aaron Pace isn't missed as much as he could have been.
My rating: 5/5 stars. If you've read the previous books, I strongly suggest picking this one up, heck, even if you haven't read them, grab this one anyway.
January 22, 2021
A group of strangers fins themselves stranded on another planet/dimension. Their fight for survival is basically like their odds of winning the lottery. Book was a fast read graphic and bloody. Monsters of all kind.
August 24, 2019
Hole in the World is a novel set on Keene's Lost Level prior to the events recounted in the two previous volumes. It's a fun book filled with sly nods to famous icons of the genre (King's mono from the Dark Tower, for example), a bus-load of interesting characters who're marooned after a crash, and their struggle to survive as they await rescue. It's a very fast-paced story, and reminded me of the old horror films where you play the game with yourself as the movie progresses of trying to guess who's going to survive and who's not. (I'm usually pretty good at that game, but Keene definitely is the winner here.) You wouldn't need to be familiar with the two earlier books or any of Keene's other work to enjoy this one. It's not a horror novel in the traditional sense of his better-known work... but it's lots of fun in the E.R. Burroughs tradition.
June 10, 2019
Amazing as always! Keene' work is just so enjoyable, jump in if you haven't already, you won't regret it!
September 2, 2023
So this is the third audiobook I've heard from Keene in a row. I enjoy it.
First of all, this novel does not require you to read the previous 2 but if you've read it would be a beneficit. The reason is that this novel follows a different set of characters from the previous two. I've read that this novel was done via somekind of kickstarter and we are introduced to 17 characters. So the first 70 pages (around 1h30) is basically getting to know them. Most of them have a story and they are really cool but I think 17 characters for a 277 page book is a bit too much. And you know that the vast majority will have short lives (after all, that world is full of dangers).
The vast majority were flesh out and although sound a bit alike some were really interesting. Would be interesting to know how he created them. Did he give them personalities or the people gave them their own ideas? I don't know, either way it was cool. 7/10
So what this book about, a bunch of people are on a bus where a major snow storm is falling. as I've said the first 70 pages are just introducing on why they are there, how they meet (if they know each other etc). Then they travel to another world and then we go to some stuff we already know, this world is unforgiving, with dinosaurs, insects that will kill you, plants that will kill you, water that will kill you, trees that... you get the picture. Some of these we already knew from previous novel.
I won't get into much spoilers on who die or not, but something shifted on this novel.. so spoilers ahead.
Last novel we were introduced to somekind of aliens and here they appear yet again, but instead of being totally evil they are just well neutral, even saving a child that "shouldn't" be there. Another was the ending, although the vast majority died (as expected) three of them enter somekind of portal (or did they)., And we get to know the tree of life, basically its Keene idea that angels are nothing more than aliens and they created humanity.
Spoilers ending...
Is this novel good? It's okay and a nice edition to the series Lost Level and starts to answer some stuff about the world. BUT more questions arise from this. I don't know if he is going to write more stuff BUT lets hope so. I will keep reading them. Keene is one of my favourite writers , when he doesn't preach.
First of all, this novel does not require you to read the previous 2 but if you've read it would be a beneficit. The reason is that this novel follows a different set of characters from the previous two. I've read that this novel was done via somekind of kickstarter and we are introduced to 17 characters. So the first 70 pages (around 1h30) is basically getting to know them. Most of them have a story and they are really cool but I think 17 characters for a 277 page book is a bit too much. And you know that the vast majority will have short lives (after all, that world is full of dangers).
The vast majority were flesh out and although sound a bit alike some were really interesting. Would be interesting to know how he created them. Did he give them personalities or the people gave them their own ideas? I don't know, either way it was cool. 7/10
So what this book about, a bunch of people are on a bus where a major snow storm is falling. as I've said the first 70 pages are just introducing on why they are there, how they meet (if they know each other etc). Then they travel to another world and then we go to some stuff we already know, this world is unforgiving, with dinosaurs, insects that will kill you, plants that will kill you, water that will kill you, trees that... you get the picture. Some of these we already knew from previous novel.
I won't get into much spoilers on who die or not, but something shifted on this novel.. so spoilers ahead.
Last novel we were introduced to somekind of aliens and here they appear yet again, but instead of being totally evil they are just well neutral, even saving a child that "shouldn't" be there. Another was the ending, although the vast majority died (as expected) three of them enter somekind of portal (or did they)., And we get to know the tree of life, basically its Keene idea that angels are nothing more than aliens and they created humanity.
Spoilers ending...
Is this novel good? It's okay and a nice edition to the series Lost Level and starts to answer some stuff about the world. BUT more questions arise from this. I don't know if he is going to write more stuff BUT lets hope so. I will keep reading them. Keene is one of my favourite writers , when he doesn't preach.
April 2, 2019
This book was weak. I loved the last two books, but this is basically just a whole batch of new characters being killed off in an environment from the Lost Level. The few little nods to previous books of Keene’s were no where near enough to mask the lack of any real story line. Keene tells us at the end of the book that all the characters were real people who paid to be in the book. I think this is where the problem lies. There is no purpose to any of them. They just arrive and begin dying in an assortment of random occurrences. Pretty boring but I read to the end in the hope something worthwhile would happen but I was left feeling pretty disappointed.
February 24, 2020
Interesting fantasy/horror novel about a shuttle bus full of passengers that disappears into a wormhole repository of space and time. It's a story of survival against the environment, including carnivorous grass, dinosaurs and snake people. Highly recommended.
October 16, 2019
Multiple references to Ten Little Indians should leave little surprised of what this prequel is. Super fast pace and fun introduction to this crazy new world
April 3, 2020
Hole in the world is another fun instalment of Brian’s Lost Level series, it’s not as good as the previous two books but it’s still a decent read. I hope there’s not too much of a wait until the next entry as this book acts as a prequel to the series when there still seems to be much more of the main story to be told.
March 12, 2018
If you like the other books in the series then you'll love this one and all the little ties between them.
September 11, 2019
You knew airport shuttles were evil, this is just proof.
Poor, unfortunate souls, hoping to fly home from BWI, find themselves on a shuttle to hotel accommodations when the airport is closed in a blizzard. A random assortment of friends, family, and strangers, they know little about one another - until a hole opens in spacetime and they fall through together to an unknown world. And that world does not want them there. Every choice could be their last as they try to navigate their new existence and find a way back home.
Hole in the World is just plain sci-fi fun. As a prequel to author Brian Keene’s series “The Lost Level”, this is uniquely a book populated by Kickstarters. Each traveler to the unknown is based upon a real donor who would love to see themselves die in an awesomely gruesome way (razor grass!!).
You can read Karin's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
Poor, unfortunate souls, hoping to fly home from BWI, find themselves on a shuttle to hotel accommodations when the airport is closed in a blizzard. A random assortment of friends, family, and strangers, they know little about one another - until a hole opens in spacetime and they fall through together to an unknown world. And that world does not want them there. Every choice could be their last as they try to navigate their new existence and find a way back home.
Hole in the World is just plain sci-fi fun. As a prequel to author Brian Keene’s series “The Lost Level”, this is uniquely a book populated by Kickstarters. Each traveler to the unknown is based upon a real donor who would love to see themselves die in an awesomely gruesome way (razor grass!!).
You can read Karin's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
May 16, 2019
I have read a number of Brian Keene's books, so I was thrilled when I won a copy of this book through a LibraryThing giveaway. The book is an extremely quick read but, with far too many characters and copious amounts of violent death of same. The character-by-character introductions at the start of the book offered only brief glimpses of the individual and were probably more annoying than helpful because I felt like I needed a scorecard to keep everybody straight. Unfortunately, the frenetic pace of the book never allowed many of these characters to be fully fleshed out.
I didn't realize this until I had finished the book, but as it turns out, this novel is actually the prequel to Keene's Lost Level series. I haven't read any of those books - nor do I intend to after this experience - because of the bizarre nature of the plot and the sheer burden of trying to keep track of over a dozen characters. The book's premise can't distinguish itself between sci-fi, horror, fantasy, or splatterpunk. Aliens, dinosaurs, angels, weird flora and fauna, and (did I mention) a whole bunch of less-than-likable characters (even a serial killer) are all present in this strange little story. By the way, I don't think I've ever read a book with as many characters who went into shock as did in this novel.
I'm sure that many of those who gave this book a higher rating than I did are fans of the Lost Level series, so I understand and respect that. For this reader, however, I'll give Keene's zombie stories another look, but this will be my last visit to the Lost Level.
I didn't realize this until I had finished the book, but as it turns out, this novel is actually the prequel to Keene's Lost Level series. I haven't read any of those books - nor do I intend to after this experience - because of the bizarre nature of the plot and the sheer burden of trying to keep track of over a dozen characters. The book's premise can't distinguish itself between sci-fi, horror, fantasy, or splatterpunk. Aliens, dinosaurs, angels, weird flora and fauna, and (did I mention) a whole bunch of less-than-likable characters (even a serial killer) are all present in this strange little story. By the way, I don't think I've ever read a book with as many characters who went into shock as did in this novel.
I'm sure that many of those who gave this book a higher rating than I did are fans of the Lost Level series, so I understand and respect that. For this reader, however, I'll give Keene's zombie stories another look, but this will be my last visit to the Lost Level.
April 28, 2019
If you are looking for a tense adventure into deadly territory with a large group of hapless fellow mortals, then strap in, because that is what you get with Brian Keene’s Hole in the World. Over the past few years I have become a fan of Keene’s work which usually dwells primarily in the realm of supernatural horror. The Ghoul, The Darkness on the Edge of Town, and Dark Hollow are my personal favorites. I haven’t read his entire library; as when I enjoy a writer, I like to ration my consumption. When I received an early review copy of this book I was surprised to see that this book seemed more of a weird/sci-fi horror story.
Hole in the World imagines an airport shuttle full of people that end up in a strange new world. Without explanation, the survivors of the initial crash through dimensions must manage to survive in a jungle landscape that holds a wonderland like variety of horrors and deadly encounters. Keene’s excellent use of tense situations and visceral horror courses throughout this quick read. If that is what you want, then you will be satisfied glutting on the deadly story of strangers having to rely on each other and make split second decisions in the face of perpetual danger.
To read the entire review go to: https://www.tlbarrett.com/post/book-r...
Hole in the World imagines an airport shuttle full of people that end up in a strange new world. Without explanation, the survivors of the initial crash through dimensions must manage to survive in a jungle landscape that holds a wonderland like variety of horrors and deadly encounters. Keene’s excellent use of tense situations and visceral horror courses throughout this quick read. If that is what you want, then you will be satisfied glutting on the deadly story of strangers having to rely on each other and make split second decisions in the face of perpetual danger.
To read the entire review go to: https://www.tlbarrett.com/post/book-r...
March 4, 2019
My copy of Hole in the World arrived on Friday, and I finished it less than 24 hours later. It's not a short book, but it's a fast read, a book you won't want to put down. The action is nonstop, and it's the perfect mix of humor, horror, action, and excitement. The blurb provides a great summary: "An hour ago, they were nineteen strangers on an airport shuttle, braving travel delays and a freak blizzard. Then they fell through a hole in the world." No one is safe after the fall, and it's a wild ride to the end. This was the perfect read to start off my weekend.
April 16, 2019
Hole in the World is a prequel to Brian Keene's Lost Level series. I enjoyed the story but it seemed like it was lacking in a real plot and was showcasing the world that Keene had created. When I got to the end I read his Afterword and now realize this was a Kickstarter and a few people got to pay to be written into the story. Overall it was a lot of fun. I came to read about people being eaten by dinosaurs and killed in other various ways, and I was not disappointed.
March 26, 2019
The socks always get me..
Overall not my fave Keene but mostly just because I didn't love how the characters were introduced. Too many to remember and the back to back intros didn't work for me.
Having said that some truly epic deaths and lost level references so it was still fun
Overall not my fave Keene but mostly just because I didn't love how the characters were introduced. Too many to remember and the back to back intros didn't work for me.
Having said that some truly epic deaths and lost level references so it was still fun
March 25, 2019
AND THEN THERE WAS ONE, IT IS.....
Hello, the story was very good and entertaining to read. Also, it closed a few gaps in the other stories. However, I didn't like the ending. Thanks.
Hello, the story was very good and entertaining to read. Also, it closed a few gaps in the other stories. However, I didn't like the ending. Thanks.
April 22, 2019
This was Brian Keene's book that he wrote after a contest to get your name in his book. Knowing that, it makes the book even better. Grotesque deaths, humor, insane world.... quick read that is quite fun!
January 4, 2023
I won this book from LibraryThing. I like movies and books about prehistoric times and was looking forward to reading this one. It was just ok for me. I didn’t like some of the grisly descriptions it portrayed and I didn’t find many likable characters either. I did like the the story though.
December 31, 2019
Sometimes you want to read a book about dinosaurs and robots
October 2, 2024
3.75 stars
I had a blast with this book. It was definitely an upswing for me over the second book in this series.
I had a blast with this book. It was definitely an upswing for me over the second book in this series.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews