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Hell Itself
After an unusual discovery is unearthed in Venice, skulls with bricks placed in their teeth and buried among the plague fields, Peter Keenan travels to Italy on a mission to uncover the sordid history of vampires in the country. As past and present collide, a dark secret comes to light that threatens to reveal more than the journalist is prepared to accept. A secret that could very well lead to his own demise.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 16, 2020
1 person is currently reading
About the author
Michael Bentley
38 books6 followersA specialist in British politics in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Michael John Bentley, FRHistS, is Emeritus Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews and is currently Senior Research Fellow in History at St Hugh's College, Oxford.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 17, 2020
I downloaded Hell Itself, authored by Michael S. Bentley, free from the kindle store, after a Twitter tag for a review consideration. Below is my honest review, freely given.
I rated this novel 3.5 stars. I think most people can recognize the terms Black Plague and Red Death; this is the first I have read of them being joined together in a historical re-imagining—really unique pairing in my opinion.
I’m going to be honest, there were many things I liked about the story, but I was unable to have what I would consider a smooth or immersive read. I thought it interesting that these vampires seemed to be nomadic, yet restrained in their movements; solitary, yet they would search for converts; and ruthless hunters, yet when changing someone they would be courteous and gain permission. They were made up of contradictions; some of the things that were fatal to them made sense, but then later something that would not harm them at all seemed unbelievable in contrast.
I enjoyed the chapters in the past best, those read the richest. The modern chapters had dialogue that felt awkward to me, and they were mainly reactions to faceless entities. Most of the characters were male, and vampire; I got confused sometimes on who was who, if the character’s name was not said. It became more confusing for me towards the end, when things were being wrapped up.
Having said all that, I read some real talent in this novel, so even with the parts that did not mesh with me, I count it as a good book. I have two other books by him downloaded from the kindle store, and I am going to read them as well; their descriptions sound intriguing.
I rated this novel 3.5 stars. I think most people can recognize the terms Black Plague and Red Death; this is the first I have read of them being joined together in a historical re-imagining—really unique pairing in my opinion.
I’m going to be honest, there were many things I liked about the story, but I was unable to have what I would consider a smooth or immersive read. I thought it interesting that these vampires seemed to be nomadic, yet restrained in their movements; solitary, yet they would search for converts; and ruthless hunters, yet when changing someone they would be courteous and gain permission. They were made up of contradictions; some of the things that were fatal to them made sense, but then later something that would not harm them at all seemed unbelievable in contrast.
I enjoyed the chapters in the past best, those read the richest. The modern chapters had dialogue that felt awkward to me, and they were mainly reactions to faceless entities. Most of the characters were male, and vampire; I got confused sometimes on who was who, if the character’s name was not said. It became more confusing for me towards the end, when things were being wrapped up.
Having said all that, I read some real talent in this novel, so even with the parts that did not mesh with me, I count it as a good book. I have two other books by him downloaded from the kindle store, and I am going to read them as well; their descriptions sound intriguing.
Displaying 1 of 1 review