Hellbender 2: Double Hockey Sticks

by Frank J. Fleming

This is the sequel to the novel Hellbender .

I’m not sure what to do here. If you read and enjoyed the first one, I don’t feel like I need to sell you very hard on this one. The characters you love from Hellbender — Doug, Bryce, Lulu, and Charlene — get into further misadventures, while I also expand on the lore from the first one. Are the people in charge really demons? What happened in the Last War? Well, there are more answers and more questions in the sequel — you know how it works.

If you haven’t read the first one, it seems like I should just point you to the blurb for that novel. I mean, I made my best attempt at explaining the story in that one. It’s a post-apocalyptic comedy. There’s a mercenary gang of loveable losers (called Hellbender) in constant conflict with more powerful forces out to destroy or oppress them. And Satan — or a guy who says he is Satan — is involved. It’s intriguing, and it's funny.

In this one, Hellbender faces an indescribable horror, a terrorist group that just enjoys terror and makes no demands, and a bunch of nuclear weapons. The gang is in way over its head again, and it’s going to be fun. I am excited for you. You know what? If you haven’t read the first one, just go ahead and jump into this one and read the first one later — consider it a prequel. You can call this book Hellbender and the previous one Origins.

Genres: Fiction

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 10, 2022

About the author

I used to write political satire, but then I got sick of politics and now sticking to science fiction and fantasy. It's supposed to be more serious writing, but people keep calling them comedies :(

Newsletter: http://frankjfleming.com

Reviews

[Frank Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is my funniest book yet. Good job, me.

[K L · Rating 5 out of 5]

The same band of misfits. An even greater threat to the fabric of reality. And if Hellbender is going to save the world again, can they at least get paid this time? (Maybe that's too much to ask.)

I really enjoyed this book. I binged it in about two days. Many of the questions set up in the first book are answered, and the ending leaves room for further adventures. Like book one, the plot consists of a lot of running around and mishaps and mayhem. What you previously enjoyed about the cast of characters remains consistent while still developing their stories (and backstories) further. It's worth the price to pick up a copy. It cracked me up. It also gave me a few things to think about. Perfect combo.

[Nathan L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank is funny

The usual hilarious fantasy romp, and safe for your teen to read, though they are unlikely to get all of the classic movie and comic book fan-service.

[Christoph Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastically funny. The weird timeline continues to amaze, the characters are awesome in fulfilling their roles, their interactions are priceless.

[Wesley Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow even better and trashier