Happy Hour in Hell

Bobby Dollar, Volume 2

By: Tad Williams

Narrated by: George Newbern

Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

I've been told to go to Hell more times than I can count. But this time I'm actually going. My name's Bobby Dollar, sometimes known as Doloriel, and of course, Hell isn't a great place for someone like me - I'm an angel. They don't like my kind down there, not even the slightly fallen variety. But they have my girlfriend, who happens to be a beautiful demon named Casimira, Countess of Cold Hands. Why does an angel have a demon girlfriend? Well, certainly not because it helps my career.

She's being held hostage by one of the nastiest, most powerful demons in all of the netherworld - Eligor, Grand Duke of Hell. He already hates me, and he'd like nothing better than to get his hands on me and rip my immortal soul right out of my borrowed but oh-so-mortal body. But wait, it gets better! Not only do I have to sneak into Hell, make my way across thousands of miles of terror and suffering to reach Pan-demonium, capital of the fiery depths, but then I have to steal Caz right out from under Eligor's burning eyes and smuggle her out again, past demon soldiers, hellhounds, and all the murderous creatures imprisoned there for eternity.

And even if I somehow manage to escape Hell, I'm also being stalked by an undead psychopath named Smyler who's been following me for weeks. Oh, and did I mention that he can't be killed? So if I somehow survive Hell, elude the Grand Duke and all his hideous minions, and make it back to the real world, I'll still be the most hunted soul in Creation. But at least I'll have Caz. Gotta have something to look forward to, right? So just pour me that damn drink, will you? I've got somewhere to go.

©2013 Tad Williams (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Mixed feelings

What did you like best about Happy Hour in Hell? What did you like least?

This book has an interesting and scary take on Hell. We got to see some of the love and purity of heaven last book, now you get the other side. Dollar learns a lot about true desperation.

There's a few things that really bothered me about the book. The biggest one is the "interludes" to his one night with Caz. The problem is, in the other book it was quite detailed, they did this, fell asleep, woke and did this... But in this book there's ALL these conversations and sexual experiences that don't feel genuine to the original story of the night. It feels like they are just in here to justify him being in Hell and being infatuated like a 14 yr old boy. I also don't see the connection between them. I see obsession and infatuation from him, and a careless attitude at the best of times from her. She's either being bitchy or WAY to vulnerable for a hundreds of years old demon. At one point she's telling him to shut up so she can tell a story, but then doesn't want to finish it once she gets his attention and is at the last part. I was getting so annoyed with her character.
He seems to truly be in love with her beauty, but nothing about her. Their whole thing just doesn't add up for me. It detracts from an interesting story.

Another thing is the amount of time spent in hell vs what was actually accomplished. I did a lot of fading in and out of interest, and when I realized I faded, I didn't need to go back, I knew it was just stuff. Not actual needed info to progress the story.

I will probably give another book in the series a chance. I think Williams is a creative writer, but his relationship and romance writing needs some work.

Middle in the series

I really enjoyed the first Bobby Dollar book, but this one took me a long time to get through. I enjoyed Bobby on Earth, but for this book he goes to Hell, and it's not nearly as much fun. It's the middle in the series, so pretty much a treadmill book. Lots of running around and going nowhere.

The reader did a great job. There aren't a lot of different accents, but each of the characters is distinct.

Awesome. Great addition to the Bobby Dollar series.

There really wasn't a happy hour in Hell. But Bobby Dollars' tribulations in Hell were a great story. Many reviewers complain this book is nothing like the first, but that's what makes it great. I found it fascinating with rich descriptions of Hell and the inhabitants. The places and structure of Hell in this book add a new flavor for the unfortunate consequences of a life lived sourly. A great adventure. I kept wondering what would happen next. I was not disappointed.

wow

all I can say is that it's incredibly hard to stop listening to it once you start my hat's off to you Tad

A step behind Bobby Dollar

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The escape from Hell was too long. A reader wants to know how the story turns out and it just took a long time to find out

What about George Newbern’s performance did you like?

Excellent as always

Was Happy Hour in Hell worth the listening time?

I give it a 3 out of 4

Any additional comments?

There has to be a third book to wrap the series up. I would like to see more conflicts from Heaven and the hopefully good outcome on the forbidden romance.

Poor Bobby D

Story picks up right where the first leaves off pretty much, and is a non stop torture fest for our boy Bobby. Lots of gritty stuff, and it gets dark at times. Not for younger readers/listeners.

Bobby Dollar you love struck FOOL

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The ending

What was most disappointing about Tad Williams’s story?

It didn't measure up to the first book. Yes, I did enjoy the book but I expected more.

What three words best describe George Newbern’s voice?

Entertaining, Good,

Could you see Happy Hour in Hell being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes I could see this made into a movie but it never will be unless his next books to this series is better then this one.

Any additional comments?

Its a good listen. To me it was barley worth the credit, but it was worth the credit. I hated that he is so obsessed with his demon lady. I mean come on she is a demon and he is a angel. You know that he's going through all kinds of hell and she will probably just screw him over cause its in her nature. I loved the first book. This book not so much.

intense images, a tough guy who won't give up

Bobby is in the soup for real this time, in a surreal menagerie of beings, some out to get him, most who just want to get by for another day in hell.

Better Than the Book

If you could sum up Happy Hour in Hell in three words, what would they be?

A Chase Story

What other book might you compare Happy Hour in Hell to and why?

This series is a lot like the Dresden books. A hard boiled character in a magical world. Only this time it's heaven and hell instead of wizards and vampires.

What about George Newbern’s performance did you like?

George Newbern's narration kept the story rolling along through all the slow bits and his character voices were well done and distinctive.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

A few of the descriptions of hell and hell's denizens were such that I had to pause the story while I ate my meal or risk loosing my appetite.

Any additional comments?

I read this book when it first came out and found it a little tedious, a little boring, and suffering from all the worst faults of a middle book. But the audiobook went down easier and was enjoyable. All the slow bits seemed to flow past more smoothly and I was less aware that so little of note was happening. I actually enjoyed listening to the story, where the reading almost felt like a chore.

A Catholic afterlife — without Jesus

This is primarily a review of the first two books’ theology from a Christian perspective. All I will say from an entertainment perspective is that the plot, characters and narration are all engrossing enough for me to have completed the second book in the series— and that the descriptions of hell will definitely curb your appetite for food and probably for sex.
This applies as much to Book One as to Book Two:
Bobby Dollar’s eschatological universe is built on a Catholic framework — but without Jesus. It’s structurally Catholic, because Purgatory serves as an intermediate step toward heaven. Bobby Dollar’s assigned mission is to advocate — against the representatives of Satan — for the souls of recently deceased persons to go to heaven, or at least to Purgatory.
However, nowhere in these trials does anyone claim the saving mercy of Jesus through the redemption of the cross. Although Christian morals and some traditional theological reasoning are both present, it’s a Christless theism that isn’t much akin to Judaism. People are judged strictly on whether they have done good or evil, and what personal extenuating circumstances may have mitigated their sins enough to keep them out of hell. It’s a good format for raising significant moral questions about motives and deeds, as long as the reader doesn’t mistake it for an examination of Christianity. If this was evangelical Judgment, Jesus himself would show up to tell the demonic forces that he had died to save this person, and then escort the person safely to heaven. If this was Catholic Judgement, there would be somewhat more complicated questions involving sacraments and the Act of Contrition, before the soul continued to Purgatory or Heaven, again based on the saving death of Jesus. None of that is present.
Beyond that, the descriptions of angels may disturb readers. Actually, the strong masculine angels of these books are far more biblical than the cherubs and generally feminine or effeminate portrayals in much pop theology and pop art. And the idea that an angel could go bad and rebel against God is consistent with orthodox Christianity. Williams leans toward the pop spirituality view that angels were formerly human, rather than the traditional biblical understanding that they are a separate order of being. But he leaves that a bit murky.
What may be most unsettling to Christians about even the best angels in these stories is that their understanding of virtue and holiness has no application to their sexual conduct. Although they can harshly judge human adultery, the angels have sex with each other, with humans and even with demons, without marriage or moral qualms concerning fornication. It reminds me of a real mega church pastor who fell from grace years ago in a scandal when he was found to have committed adultery with numerous married women. He had apparently convinced them it was acceptable by quoting Mark 12:25, a passage that has traditionally been taken to mean that neither angels nor saints have sex in heaven: “When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.” The mega church pastor told the women that this really meant that in heaven — and presumably among angels — you could have sex with whomever you want, without benefit of marriage. He might have been the inspiration for Bobby Dollar, although Dollar does discover his One True Love and strives to be faithful to her.
Regarding the specific plot of “Happy Hour in Hell,” it owes as much to the pagan myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as to Dante, James Joyce and others who have written their visions of hell. It raises significant theological questions about the justice of damning people forever, whether damned souls may experience true repentance and, consequently, be reprieved from hell. But it’s unsatisfying as an exploration of Christian doctrine on these issues — doctrine on which Christian traditions have a variety of teachings in any case. The central difficulty is that there is no option to claim salvation through Jesus, and no reference to the crucified Jesus descending to the underworld to liberate trapped souls. There is, however, a sense in which Bobby himself serves as a Christ figure in this book — descending to Hell and suffering in order to save the demon he loves. On that level, it works as an exploration of saving love, and of love that sees past sims and flaws to the core of created goodness at the heart of a damaged soul.
Plot wise there are some logical gaps. The main one for me is how Bobby can keep secrets from his angelic superiors when mere mortals have guardian angels who know everything they think, say or do. But this is a work of fantasy, so it’s fair to suspend logic. Bottom line: I’ve enjoyed these books immensely — but don’t regard them as a serious exploration of Christianity.