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Pandemonium
Kidnapped in broad daylight from a busy Edinburgh street, Hannah Wilson has no idea what her abductors want with her, as they chain her in the back of their van and speed out of the city. They tell her she's perfectly safe when she's terrified for her life.
Transported to the far north of Scotland with dozens of others, all yanked from their lives across Britain, Hannah is taken to an isolated compound they call Pandemonium, which is an ultra-secure prison ruled by creatures that should exist only in nightmares - a place no one has survived for more than a few months.
Hundreds of miles away from help, her family's lives at risk if she disobeys any order, Hannah knows the key to surviving her captivity is to bond with strangers and teach them all to refuse to be victims. But, she's running out of time to convince the other captives to take their fight to the black heart of the prison and its inhuman warden; Hannah is yet to discover she is not the only one about to start a war.
In Pandemonium, all Hell is going to break out.
Transported to the far north of Scotland with dozens of others, all yanked from their lives across Britain, Hannah is taken to an isolated compound they call Pandemonium, which is an ultra-secure prison ruled by creatures that should exist only in nightmares - a place no one has survived for more than a few months.
Hundreds of miles away from help, her family's lives at risk if she disobeys any order, Hannah knows the key to surviving her captivity is to bond with strangers and teach them all to refuse to be victims. But, she's running out of time to convince the other captives to take their fight to the black heart of the prison and its inhuman warden; Hannah is yet to discover she is not the only one about to start a war.
In Pandemonium, all Hell is going to break out.
Audible Audio
Published March 29, 2021
2 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Luke Walker
75 books76 followersLuke Walker has been writing horror and dark thrillers for most of his life. His horror titles include the new novel Burn as well as The Ninth Circle, Winter Graves, The Nameless, The Day Of The New Gods, The Mirror Of The Nameless, The Kindred, Pandemonium and The Dead Room and others. Several of his short stories have been published online and in magazines/books. His speculative thriller Terminal State, written under the name Rob Harrison, is out now. Luke's next novels Chaos and The Fall will be published by Baynam Books Press.
Luke's Bluesky page is @lukewalkerwriter.bsky.social
Sign up to his newsletter at
https://substack.com/@lukewalkerwriter
Or find him at https://lukewalkerwriter.wordpress.com
He is forty-eight and lives in England with his wife and cat.
Luke's Bluesky page is @lukewalkerwriter.bsky.social
Sign up to his newsletter at
https://substack.com/@lukewalkerwriter
Or find him at https://lukewalkerwriter.wordpress.com
He is forty-eight and lives in England with his wife and cat.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 26, 2020
PANDEMONIUM is a place, maybe not the capital of hell as it is in the epic Milton poem, but it's close! Maybe it's more like Hotel California? Because once you check in, you never check out.
Hannah leaves work for the day, intent on getting home to care for her aging mother. Suddenly, a man walks up with a knife and bundles her into a van with even more men waiting inside. She is so surprised she barely has time to understand what's happening, never mind save herself. A few days and one failed escape attempt later they arrive at Pandemonium.
There, Hannah meets other men and women in the same situation and the story turns into something else altogether. Their leader, Monin, loves them; he loves them with all of his heart. He is going to take care of them and all of their worries from the old world will disappear. And then, someone attempts to escape. Will they be successful? Will Hannah try to escape as well or will she be happy to remain there, free from the worries of work and family obligations? You'll have to read this to find out!
It's difficult to describe this book-it's dark fiction/horror,(obviously), but I also got a kind of cosmic horror vibe, or closer to an "other worlds overlapping and/or coexisting with ours" situation. There's also a bit of a cult feel to it-in regards to Monin. Who is this guy, (is he even a guy? Or something other-wordly?) What does he want? This is where the mystery and suspense comes in.
I have been reading Luke Walker's work for a while now and I have to say that it's these novels from him that I enjoy the most. By "these", I mean the ones with creative monsters, horrible worlds, and truly evil people. I also enjoy his ability to create strong, believable women as protagonists in his books, and Hannah is definitely one of them.
I enjoyed the creativity, the horror and the gore, (those rat-things skeeved me out!), and I especially liked Hannah and Piotr as characters. I liked trying to determine what was going to happen next and for all of these reasons:
I recommend PANDEMONIUM!
Available tomorrow, but you can pre-order here: https://amzn.to/2vOYBpV
*I was provided an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
Hannah leaves work for the day, intent on getting home to care for her aging mother. Suddenly, a man walks up with a knife and bundles her into a van with even more men waiting inside. She is so surprised she barely has time to understand what's happening, never mind save herself. A few days and one failed escape attempt later they arrive at Pandemonium.
There, Hannah meets other men and women in the same situation and the story turns into something else altogether. Their leader, Monin, loves them; he loves them with all of his heart. He is going to take care of them and all of their worries from the old world will disappear. And then, someone attempts to escape. Will they be successful? Will Hannah try to escape as well or will she be happy to remain there, free from the worries of work and family obligations? You'll have to read this to find out!
It's difficult to describe this book-it's dark fiction/horror,(obviously), but I also got a kind of cosmic horror vibe, or closer to an "other worlds overlapping and/or coexisting with ours" situation. There's also a bit of a cult feel to it-in regards to Monin. Who is this guy, (is he even a guy? Or something other-wordly?) What does he want? This is where the mystery and suspense comes in.
I have been reading Luke Walker's work for a while now and I have to say that it's these novels from him that I enjoy the most. By "these", I mean the ones with creative monsters, horrible worlds, and truly evil people. I also enjoy his ability to create strong, believable women as protagonists in his books, and Hannah is definitely one of them.
I enjoyed the creativity, the horror and the gore, (those rat-things skeeved me out!), and I especially liked Hannah and Piotr as characters. I liked trying to determine what was going to happen next and for all of these reasons:
I recommend PANDEMONIUM!
Available tomorrow, but you can pre-order here: https://amzn.to/2vOYBpV
*I was provided an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
March 29, 2020
Horror done right.
Overall this was a fast read, lots of gore but not too much, good character development. Monin's powers were handled well and he REALLY creeped me out. I was surprised at the initial twist (where Hannah was taken and why) and I'm not often surprised. I enjoyed all the supernatural critters and their great descriptions. I liked the red-eyed creature resolution and I was pleased at the fates of the bad guys.
There is a rape scene but it's handled well. I will throw a book across the room otherwise.
The author wins ALL THE APPLAUSE because he ENDED the book. No loose ends. No "what ifs". No subtext plea for a sequel. I can easily see a possible sequel, but major kudos for ending the book.
Overall this was a fast read, lots of gore but not too much, good character development. Monin's powers were handled well and he REALLY creeped me out. I was surprised at the initial twist (where Hannah was taken and why) and I'm not often surprised. I enjoyed all the supernatural critters and their great descriptions. I liked the red-eyed creature resolution and I was pleased at the fates of the bad guys.
There is a rape scene but it's handled well. I will throw a book across the room otherwise.
The author wins ALL THE APPLAUSE because he ENDED the book. No loose ends. No "what ifs". No subtext plea for a sequel. I can easily see a possible sequel, but major kudos for ending the book.
January 24, 2022
Maybe the story is good, maybe not. I can honestly not say, after listening to the horrible narration by M. Calhoun for about forty minutes. A story that plays out in Schotland and all characters have the most nasal American accent one can imagine. What was the publisher thinking when they contracted Calhoun?
September 4, 2021
This was such a fun read!
Pandemonium is a thriller/horror that immediately launches the reader into a story that precedes at a blistering pace. Hannah, abducted from the streets of Edinburgh, finds herself carried into a world of terror and doubt.
Deep into the country, Hannah and a handful of other victims find themselves escorted onto the estate of a man named Monin. The idyllic retreat is a layered cake of eldritch horrors - and Monin is not the man he seems to be. He is a creature of unusual appetites.
The novel is laced with intense suspense - always evolving, with no rest or lull in the story. The characters are moving and the imagery is crisp and graphic - leading to a grisly fun time.
Pandemonium is a thriller/horror that immediately launches the reader into a story that precedes at a blistering pace. Hannah, abducted from the streets of Edinburgh, finds herself carried into a world of terror and doubt.
Deep into the country, Hannah and a handful of other victims find themselves escorted onto the estate of a man named Monin. The idyllic retreat is a layered cake of eldritch horrors - and Monin is not the man he seems to be. He is a creature of unusual appetites.
The novel is laced with intense suspense - always evolving, with no rest or lull in the story. The characters are moving and the imagery is crisp and graphic - leading to a grisly fun time.
July 24, 2021
An exciting and original horror story that is relentless from the captivating opening through to the very satisfying conclusion. The characters are three dimensional and credible and the unreality of their situation is described with well-crafted passion. One hell of a ride that's making me want to read a lot more of Luke Walker's work.
June 16, 2020
Dark, visceral and engaging
This story gripped me from page one and then moved with breakneck speed as we journeyed with Hannah towards Pandemonium. There were plenty of twists and turns on the way to a satisfying and bloody conclusion. A treat for horror fans. Well worth a read.
This story gripped me from page one and then moved with breakneck speed as we journeyed with Hannah towards Pandemonium. There were plenty of twists and turns on the way to a satisfying and bloody conclusion. A treat for horror fans. Well worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews