Hellhole

By: Brian Herbert, Kevin J Anderson

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 19 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Only the most desperate colonists dare to make a new home on Hellhole. Reeling from a recent asteroid impact, tortured with horrific storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and churning volcanic eruptions, the planet is a dumping ground for undesirables, misfits, and charlatans…but also a haven for dreamers and independent pioneers.

Against all odds, an exiled general named Adolphus has turned Hellhole into a place of real opportunity for the desperate colonists who call the planet their home. While the colonists are hard at work developing the planet, General Adolphus secretly builds alliances with the leaders of the other Deep Zone worlds, forming a clandestine coalition against the tyrannical, fossilized government responsible for their exile.

What no one knows is this: the planet Hellhole, though damaged and volatile, hides an amazing secret. Deep beneath its surface lies the remnants of an obliterated alien civilization and the buried memories of its unrecorded past that, when unearthed, could tear the galaxy apart.

©2011 DreamStar, Inc., and WordFire, Inc. (P)2011 Audio Renaissance

Critic reviews

“This new space epic from the best-selling team of Herbert and Anderson is wide and complex…Audie Award winner Scott Brick's performance keeps the suspense elevated. Fear not, these authors will deliver the rest of the story on schedule. Fans of traditional sf fare will keep this, and future volumes, moving off the shelves.” —Library Journal, starred review

“[Scott Brick] manages to capture the fiery determination of exiled General Adolphus and the cold calculating cruelty of Diadem Michella while still allowing the listener's imagination to fill in the gaps. The book's many other viewpoint characters also find unique expression in Brick's capable hands…Hellhole manages to stand out as a science fiction novel that succeeds in all the areas that the genre should. It's cerebrally engaging, spiritually challenging, and yet emotionally powerful as a story in its own right. I'm very excited to find out what the next two volumes have in store.” —Azurescape

“[Brick] has a very versatile voice which is easy to listen to, bringing life to all the characters in his own special way…The dialogue is fast and furious, likewise the action, and it is a page-turner from start to finish. Space opera at its best…this audiobook is certainly recommended not just for its story but for the good quality reproduction of the narration. It's new and exciting and it will surely be well received.” —SFCrowsnest.com

left hanging

The book is cut short so abruptly, I kept checking my iPhone audible application to check if there was something wrong. The book could have rewarded listeners with (at least) an end chapter full of action. Is that too much to ask?

Fun, Interesting, Twisty

First, you have to purchase both books at the same time because they must be listened to one after the other. Second, make sure you have about 35 hours of time you are not doing anything else. I found the story and the reading to be addicting. The characterizations are intense, the plot lines are complexly interwoven, and there are a lot of them, and the reading is superb. It's pretty obvious from the ending of the second book that more is to come and there are still unresolved plot lines. However, the second book does leave you in a satisfied place. One of the better listens since Ringo's Troy series. I strongly recommend this one.

Very Good Series Intro

The 1st section (though written well), is a little slow; the pace picks up in the 2ns section and builds to a cliffhanger ending by the end of the 3rd section. The plot is not at all predictable. I'll definitely buy book 2.

Great book....but

This is a great book. I'm about 40% through and I can't stop listening. Scott Brick is a master narrator. All that said, I can't give 5 stars because I'm upset that I have to wait until 2013 for the next installment. I'm willing to wait for quality writing, but waiting 4 years for a trilogy to finish is torture. Cronin has us waiting for The Passage, Scot Sigler has us waiting for the end of the Infected Trilogy and now this! At least The Strain trilogy is annual (sort of).

Give me the next installment next week and you'll get your extra star. :)

Suprised how good!!!

Scott Brick does his thing narrating.

Kevin and Brian really did a great job writing this novel and I can't wait to read the other two in the trilogy.

A blind alley that leaves you in the dark

This is a great story with great characters set in a compelling universe... It sure would have been nice if the publisher had told me that this is a first installment of a series. I wouldn't have spent the money or time to invest in a very long teaser for the next installments. The writers and publisher don't even leave you with a satisfying place to wait for the next installment, you are dropped off a story cliff to fall forever until the next installment. DONT BUY IT unless you desperately need to be led into a long, dark, blind alley to be left in the dark with a raw wound and an empty feeling in your soul for at least another year. If I had been left at a satisfying break point, it would be a five star read.

I really wanted to like this book...

I was really into this book, right up until midway through it. Without giving you spoilers, I'll say that the story turn a turn to the left, when I expected it to go right. It wasn't the change of story that bothered me, but rather the type of story it turned into.

Excellent can't wait for the next one.

If you could sum up Hellhole in three words, what would they be?

Otherworldly,
Fun,
Exciting

What other book might you compare Hellhole to and why?

Benhur in Space.... Red October ..as you know kinda what needs to be done just no way to tell how there going to play things out. Always a new twist as we learn the new worlds and their ways.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

I always like hearing Scott as his clear and concise voice are wonderful to listen to on long stretches.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A new dimension has opened for your race. Do you close it or embrace it?

Any additional comments?

What a wonderful tail, bravo ya’ll theirs something new around the corner and you won’t want to put this one down. Get it.. sit back.. enjoy for hours the tails told in this first installment.

Multiple Interesting Story Lines

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a great long listening experience. It has multiple characters with interesting story lines that never feel like something you need to suffer through to get back to the main story.

A good beginning

This first in the series is a good start for a lengthy epic. The characters are all flawed, but that is the point of this world and Hellhole is a great exploration into the depths of political betray and intrigue and the traps that the upper eschalon's of society often face. The author has a good understanding of world building. My only complaint is that the end leave me hanging a bit too much and I would have liked to had a better resolution for at least one of the loose ends.

The native life on Hellhole is intriguing and I'm looking forward to seeing where their story is going. As to the royalty of the core worlds, they deserve their fate and I think this is a great analysis of a decaying civilization.