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Immortal #5
Immortal From Hell
Not all of Adam’s stories have happy endings “Paris is romantic and quests are cool. But the threat of a global pandemic kind of sours the whole thing. The good news was, if all life on Earth were felled by a plague, it looked like this one could take me out too. It’d be pretty lonely otherwise.” --Adam the immortal When Adam decides to leave the safety of the island, it’s for a good Eve, the only other immortal on the planet, appears to be dying, and nobody seems to understand why. But when Adam—with his extremely capable girlfriend Mirella—tries to retrace Eve’s steps, he discovers a world that’s a whole lot deadlier than he remembered. Adam is supposed to be dead. He went through a lot of trouble to fake that death, but now that he’s back it’s clear someone remains unconvinced. That wouldn’t be so terrible, except that whoever it is, they have a great deal of influence, and an abiding interest in ensuring that his death sticks this time around. Adam and Mirella will have to figure out how to travel halfway across the world in secret, with almost no resources or friends. The good news is, Adam solved the travel problem a thousand years earlier. The bad news is, one of his oldest assumptions will turn out to be untrue. Immortal From Hell is the darkest entry in the Immortal series.
- GenresFantasyUrban Fantasy
362 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 27, 2018
73 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Gene Doucette
43 books436 followersGene Doucette is a hybrid author, albeit in a somewhat roundabout way. From 2010 through 2014, Gene published four full-length novels (Immortal, Hellenic Immortal, Fixer, and Immortal at the Edge of the World) with a small indie publisher. Then, in 2014, Gene started self-publishing novellas that were set in the same universe as the Immortal series, at which point he was a hybrid.
When the novellas proved more lucrative than the novels, Gene tried self-publishing a full novel, The Spaceship Next Door, in 2015. This went well. So well, that in 2016, Gene reacquired the rights to the earlier four novels from the publisher, and re-released them, at which point he wasn’t a hybrid any longer.
Additional self-published novels followed: Immortal and the Island of Impossible Things (2016); Unfiction (2017); and The Frequency of Aliens (2017).
In 2018, John Joseph Adams Books (an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) acquired the rights to The Spaceship Next Door. The reprint was published in September of that year, at which point Gene was once again a hybrid author.
Since then, a number of things have happened. Gene published two more novels—Immortal From Hell at the end of 2018, and Fixer Redux in 2019—and wrote a new novel called The Apocalypse Seven that he did not self-publish; it was acquired by JJA/HMH in September of 2019. Publication date is May 25, 2021.
Gene plans to continue writing novels for both markets (traditional and self-published) as long as that continues to make sense. His most recent self-published novel is Immortal: Last Call (2020). He is currently at work on a large science fiction world-building project taking place on his Patreon site, the result of which will be a multi-novel series.
When the novellas proved more lucrative than the novels, Gene tried self-publishing a full novel, The Spaceship Next Door, in 2015. This went well. So well, that in 2016, Gene reacquired the rights to the earlier four novels from the publisher, and re-released them, at which point he wasn’t a hybrid any longer.
Additional self-published novels followed: Immortal and the Island of Impossible Things (2016); Unfiction (2017); and The Frequency of Aliens (2017).
In 2018, John Joseph Adams Books (an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) acquired the rights to The Spaceship Next Door. The reprint was published in September of that year, at which point Gene was once again a hybrid author.
Since then, a number of things have happened. Gene published two more novels—Immortal From Hell at the end of 2018, and Fixer Redux in 2019—and wrote a new novel called The Apocalypse Seven that he did not self-publish; it was acquired by JJA/HMH in September of 2019. Publication date is May 25, 2021.
Gene plans to continue writing novels for both markets (traditional and self-published) as long as that continues to make sense. His most recent self-published novel is Immortal: Last Call (2020). He is currently at work on a large science fiction world-building project taking place on his Patreon site, the result of which will be a multi-novel series.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 29, 2019
A SIMPLE MAN'S REVIEW:
What the hell?! Books aren't like a TV show that have to fit a specific amount of time. You can just write more pages! And if it's an e-book, it doesn't even cost more to publish! So if you've only got half the story so far, don't publish the freakin' book until you've got it all! Is a whole story too much to ask?
As you might have guessed, this book ends in the "to be continued" fashion. Funnily, as I was watching the "percentage of book left" rise, and we weren't anywhere near the conclusion, I was starting to feel like I did when I was a kid watching a TV show that I knew couldn't wrap it up in time and I'd have to wait until next week (yes, I'm that old). Frustrating!
The story itself is pretty bland, since the characters are just looking for the cause of the sickness. Sure, there's peril and fighting, but to move the story forward, it requires Adam to act foolishly and receive last-second rescue on multiple occasions. The only bright spot was the interesting story about Jack the Ripper, but even that leads to a predictable thread.
In the past month, I've read books 2 - 5 of this series, but this crap might have put me off any future Immortal Series books. The author has some great ideas but seems to suffer in writing sequels. Realizing that will help me in my future book-buying decisions.
Skip it! (I know, if you've already read the 4th book, you'll read this one, but if I could go back in time, I'd stop at book 3).
What the hell?! Books aren't like a TV show that have to fit a specific amount of time. You can just write more pages! And if it's an e-book, it doesn't even cost more to publish! So if you've only got half the story so far, don't publish the freakin' book until you've got it all! Is a whole story too much to ask?
As you might have guessed, this book ends in the "to be continued" fashion. Funnily, as I was watching the "percentage of book left" rise, and we weren't anywhere near the conclusion, I was starting to feel like I did when I was a kid watching a TV show that I knew couldn't wrap it up in time and I'd have to wait until next week (yes, I'm that old). Frustrating!
The story itself is pretty bland, since the characters are just looking for the cause of the sickness. Sure, there's peril and fighting, but to move the story forward, it requires Adam to act foolishly and receive last-second rescue on multiple occasions. The only bright spot was the interesting story about Jack the Ripper, but even that leads to a predictable thread.
In the past month, I've read books 2 - 5 of this series, but this crap might have put me off any future Immortal Series books. The author has some great ideas but seems to suffer in writing sequels. Realizing that will help me in my future book-buying decisions.
Skip it! (I know, if you've already read the 4th book, you'll read this one, but if I could go back in time, I'd stop at book 3).
March 28, 2020
Please give my Amazon review a helpful vote - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...
This is book 5 of Gene Doucett's "Immortal" series. This book is definitely not a stand-alone book. It follows closely on the heels of the immediately prior book, "Immortal and the Island of Impossible Things" and leaves the protagonist, the immortal man, Adam, in an immediate quandary, which will obviously be the jumping-off point for the next book. If you start with this one, you will be at sea. So don't.
You will also be missing a lot of fun.
Adam is around 60,000 years old, although his memory is crisp only for the last 10,000 years since not much was happening before then. He's gifted with a good immune system but nothing more remarkable than that. He's perennially drunk, sometimes for decades, but he's been fairly sober in this series. His world is people with strange beings of myth and legend, e.g. Elves, Goblins, Imps, pixies, ifrits, etc., that make up the "impossible things" on the "island of impossible things."
In the prior book, Adam and Mirella, his girlfriend/goblin bodyguard (who is far hotter than the word "goblin") implies, set up shop on a peaceful island in the South Pacific that was kept secret by the "other species" elite. The tropical paradise was marred by a mysterious message in blood, followed by a tsunami, a cult led by a prophet and murderous mermen, whose existence had never previously been known. In the course of dealing with these trials and tribulations, Adam meets an intelligent troll, discovers a disease that melts people and is surprised by the re-appearance of Eve, who is infected with the disease.
Who is Eve? Good question. Eve is the immortal woman that Adam has been chasing for several thousand years. She has a grudge against Adam and an odd way of getting around explored in "Immortal at the Edge of the World."
See what I mean about this not being a stand-alone book?
In this book, Adam is off in search of a cure for Eve's disease with Mirella, discovers that there is a bounty on his head, survives assassination attempts in Paris, and travels to Chicago where he was during the Columbian Exposition of 1893. Along the way, Adam discusses how he became acquainted with two serial killers; Jack the Ripper through his friend Herman, and HH Holmes through, again, Herman, aka Herman Muggridge. If that doesn't mean anything to you, then you should read "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. (I have the top-ranked review over there, by the way.)
There is action and adventure and fights galore. For a person who is mostly human standard, Adam is quite capable based on years of experience. These sequences come off as possible with luck and a bad attitude.
The denouement leaves around twenty dead, one of whom is a Chicago Police Department officer, and Adam in possession of the knowledge that there is a plan to exterminate the other species. Also, he learns that Herman is still alive, he's not the only immortal man, and Eve has recovered.
These are fun books. The writing carries the reader along. The character of Adam is sympathetic and humorous. This is exactly the kind of book you have been looking for as a diversion.
This is book 5 of Gene Doucett's "Immortal" series. This book is definitely not a stand-alone book. It follows closely on the heels of the immediately prior book, "Immortal and the Island of Impossible Things" and leaves the protagonist, the immortal man, Adam, in an immediate quandary, which will obviously be the jumping-off point for the next book. If you start with this one, you will be at sea. So don't.
You will also be missing a lot of fun.
Adam is around 60,000 years old, although his memory is crisp only for the last 10,000 years since not much was happening before then. He's gifted with a good immune system but nothing more remarkable than that. He's perennially drunk, sometimes for decades, but he's been fairly sober in this series. His world is people with strange beings of myth and legend, e.g. Elves, Goblins, Imps, pixies, ifrits, etc., that make up the "impossible things" on the "island of impossible things."
In the prior book, Adam and Mirella, his girlfriend/goblin bodyguard (who is far hotter than the word "goblin") implies, set up shop on a peaceful island in the South Pacific that was kept secret by the "other species" elite. The tropical paradise was marred by a mysterious message in blood, followed by a tsunami, a cult led by a prophet and murderous mermen, whose existence had never previously been known. In the course of dealing with these trials and tribulations, Adam meets an intelligent troll, discovers a disease that melts people and is surprised by the re-appearance of Eve, who is infected with the disease.
Who is Eve? Good question. Eve is the immortal woman that Adam has been chasing for several thousand years. She has a grudge against Adam and an odd way of getting around explored in "Immortal at the Edge of the World."
See what I mean about this not being a stand-alone book?
In this book, Adam is off in search of a cure for Eve's disease with Mirella, discovers that there is a bounty on his head, survives assassination attempts in Paris, and travels to Chicago where he was during the Columbian Exposition of 1893. Along the way, Adam discusses how he became acquainted with two serial killers; Jack the Ripper through his friend Herman, and HH Holmes through, again, Herman, aka Herman Muggridge. If that doesn't mean anything to you, then you should read "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. (I have the top-ranked review over there, by the way.)
There is action and adventure and fights galore. For a person who is mostly human standard, Adam is quite capable based on years of experience. These sequences come off as possible with luck and a bad attitude.
The denouement leaves around twenty dead, one of whom is a Chicago Police Department officer, and Adam in possession of the knowledge that there is a plan to exterminate the other species. Also, he learns that Herman is still alive, he's not the only immortal man, and Eve has recovered.
These are fun books. The writing carries the reader along. The character of Adam is sympathetic and humorous. This is exactly the kind of book you have been looking for as a diversion.
January 15, 2019
This series is like comfort food for me. Adam's narration is just so pleasant. He takes long meandering digressions into the ancient and not so ancient past, seemingly ignoring the main narrative. In reality, most of these literary cul-de-sacs will eventually have some impact on the plot.
The mood is most often languid, even the action scenes have a serene aspect. In addition to this seductively calm backdrop, Adam is eminently likable. I doubt even a modern SJW could cough up a wad of indignation for Adam. At times he seems a little self-destructive, but in a lazy way. He'll reach the end of his rope one day, just not today... if you know what I mean.
This entry in the series is of particular note since it brings to light a here-to-fore unknown plot arc that spans the entire series. We discover added depth to past events which renew the reader's interest in Adam's future. I particularly enjoy seeing Adam out-smarted again and again. He's not an immortal killing machine, he's just a guy.
The mood is most often languid, even the action scenes have a serene aspect. In addition to this seductively calm backdrop, Adam is eminently likable. I doubt even a modern SJW could cough up a wad of indignation for Adam. At times he seems a little self-destructive, but in a lazy way. He'll reach the end of his rope one day, just not today... if you know what I mean.
This entry in the series is of particular note since it brings to light a here-to-fore unknown plot arc that spans the entire series. We discover added depth to past events which renew the reader's interest in Adam's future. I particularly enjoy seeing Adam out-smarted again and again. He's not an immortal killing machine, he's just a guy.
August 22, 2021
4.0 out of 5 stars
One Structural Fault
August 22, 2021
Gene Doucette's 2018 novel [[ISBN:9781953637048 "Immortal, Book 5: Immortal from Hell"]] picks up shortly after its predecessor ends and continues what was unfinished there. It's a fine book in good "Immortal" form with one fault that diminishes it a bit. To wit, because of the way Doucette structures these books, it's obvious, very early on, exactly what's happening. I'll also add that unless he can pull something out of his hat in the final book, the disease that these books revolve around is simply impossible. Still, it's a good book and I'm rating it at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5.
One Structural Fault
August 22, 2021
Gene Doucette's 2018 novel [[ISBN:9781953637048 "Immortal, Book 5: Immortal from Hell"]] picks up shortly after its predecessor ends and continues what was unfinished there. It's a fine book in good "Immortal" form with one fault that diminishes it a bit. To wit, because of the way Doucette structures these books, it's obvious, very early on, exactly what's happening. I'll also add that unless he can pull something out of his hat in the final book, the disease that these books revolve around is simply impossible. Still, it's a good book and I'm rating it at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5.
June 5, 2025
4/5 Stars for me.
This series starts so much better for me, and was faster to delve into as the plot kicks off right away with interesting points. The last series felt like a filler, but this did get set up to be much more interesting to me!
The "4th" mysterious immortal and implementation was really well done- i did kind of guess who it was half way through- but it was a vague guess- I think the author did a really good job leading up to the last book!
I really like when novels make the villians kind of diabolical, but super funny/interesting. Chaotic or neutral evil is always a thrill to read about!
This series starts so much better for me, and was faster to delve into as the plot kicks off right away with interesting points. The last series felt like a filler, but this did get set up to be much more interesting to me!
The "4th" mysterious immortal and implementation was really well done- i did kind of guess who it was half way through- but it was a vague guess- I think the author did a really good job leading up to the last book!
I really like when novels make the villians kind of diabolical, but super funny/interesting. Chaotic or neutral evil is always a thrill to read about!
January 31, 2019
Even though this is the weakest of the Immortal series, still a good read. I love Adam's humor and sense of self. Unfortunately, this book went walkabout a good bit. And I didn't like some things attributed to Adam that were out of character. Didn't know pixies had their own language? Given he's probably the world's foremost linguist and has a long history with pixies, that's just unbelievable. Similarly, his ignorance of the underground world-wide support system the non-humans have.
February 25, 2019
Good writing, I liked the humour as always, and it was enjoyable enough. I must admit I haven't enjoyed it quite as much, as the first couple of books, as those were more of a standalone variety, and these later books are open ended with a hook to urge you to continue the series. I would prefer a bit more of a finished book with a proper ending, but ah well - I'm just glad the series continues, as I've grown attached to the characters :)
May 9, 2019
I have thoroughly enjoyed the previous novels in this series and though I liked this story I didn't find it as engrossing or enjoyable as previous books. Also, the story ended with a LOT needing to be concluded. I certainly hope there will be a sixth book in this series.
Also, the book had quite a lot of obvious grammatical errors. Mr. Doucette needs to fire his proofreader.
Also, the book had quite a lot of obvious grammatical errors. Mr. Doucette needs to fire his proofreader.
January 13, 2019
I dig the Immortal series. Though the way this one ended almost made me apoplectic. It didn't just end on a cliff hanger (it did), it ended in mid-thought as a cliff hanger!
Ugh!
Still, if you like sci-fi/fantasy historical fiction I highly recommended this book (and the series)!
Ugh!
Still, if you like sci-fi/fantasy historical fiction I highly recommended this book (and the series)!
March 19, 2019
If could ever be said that a book was too short, this was it. I've derived great pleasure from all the Immortal books, & this was no exception. I'm looking forward to the sequel, & then I may start all over again with volume 1.
May 21, 2020
While Gene Doucette didn't knock this one out of the park like he pretty much did with the first several books in this series it's still a highly entertaining and worthwhile read. I simply can't stop reading this series.
September 5, 2022
I dig the Immortal series. Though the way this one ended almost made me apoplectic. It didn't just end on a cliff hanger (it did), it ended in mid-thought as a cliff hanger!
Ugh!
Still, if you like sci-fi/fantasy historical fiction I highly recommended this book (and the series)!
Ugh!
Still, if you like sci-fi/fantasy historical fiction I highly recommended this book (and the series)!
December 29, 2018
Aaargh the torture of the cliffhanger! Well done. I was so excited to find this new trilogy featuring one of my favorite characters.
January 16, 2019
If You've got this far in the series you'll love it.
October 16, 2019
good, if short read
January 31, 2020
Another great book in a great series.
January 12, 2021
This story just keeps getting more interesting, the further in I get.
December 17, 2019
Frustratingly Excellent
Once again Gene Doucette hits it out of the park with the latest installment in his immortal series. And once again leaves us with a cliff hanger ending, waiting for the next and final installment.
In his previous book (Immortal and the Island of Impossible Things), he introduces new characters and some new twists to his world, but the story was pretty well self contained. Well up until the very end, when he throws in a completely unexpected and (seemingly) unrelated twist.
This picks up from there, ands ups the tension, the stakes, and the danger. A lot of this book is filling on backstory, but then with a lifetime of 40,000 years, most of your life is backstory.
Of course the cliffhanger here is bigger, being more naturally set up. We now see that so much of what happened in the previous book is relevant. We now have all the players in place ( or do we ?). Things for Adam are about as bad as they have ever been. How is he going to get out of his predicament, stop the bad guy, and this time save not just his own skin, but the world?
Now, my favorite Doucette novel is still Fixer (though Unfiction comes close), and in Immortal and the Madman
A great read, but now we have to wait to see how this all wraps up with frustrating impatience. I almost envy those who wait to read this until the next book comes out, as they won't have to endure the exquisite torture of the suspense of waiting for the next installment.
Once again Gene Doucette hits it out of the park with the latest installment in his immortal series. And once again leaves us with a cliff hanger ending, waiting for the next and final installment.
In his previous book (Immortal and the Island of Impossible Things), he introduces new characters and some new twists to his world, but the story was pretty well self contained. Well up until the very end, when he throws in a completely unexpected and (seemingly) unrelated twist.
This picks up from there, ands ups the tension, the stakes, and the danger. A lot of this book is filling on backstory, but then with a lifetime of 40,000 years, most of your life is backstory.
Of course the cliffhanger here is bigger, being more naturally set up. We now see that so much of what happened in the previous book is relevant. We now have all the players in place ( or do we ?). Things for Adam are about as bad as they have ever been. How is he going to get out of his predicament, stop the bad guy, and this time save not just his own skin, but the world?
Now, my favorite Doucette novel is still Fixer (though Unfiction comes close), and in Immortal and the Madman
A great read, but now we have to wait to see how this all wraps up with frustrating impatience. I almost envy those who wait to read this until the next book comes out, as they won't have to endure the exquisite torture of the suspense of waiting for the next installment.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews