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Hellhole  By  cover art

Hellhole

By: Brian Herbert,Kevin J Anderson
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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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

What listeners say about Hellhole

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    327
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
    101
  • 2 Stars
    33
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Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
    49
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    9
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    283
  • 4 Stars
    165
  • 3 Stars
    77
  • 2 Stars
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    15

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Cliff hanger alert!

They need to be much clearer that this is the first book in a series that is not even going to try and make it so it stands alone.

I personally think this is sloppy… you have to resolve “something” to make it satisfying.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

It's a Herbert Novel

This is a good Story. Before you start reading you need to know it is a Herbert novel. You will need to keep track of multiple story arcs and do not expect a resolution. If you can handle that you are in for a good ride.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

19 hours to disappointment

I have purchased and listened to 6 or 7 multi-book novels but I have made sure that all of the books in the series are available as I don't like to be left hanging, waiting months or even years for the next book in the series.

In this case Audible put an interesting looking book with a plot line that seemed complete on its list without any warning that it concludes up in the air with odds and ends of plot flapping in the breeze. Had I any warning I would have saved my credit for a different book.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Act One of Three

Hellhole is a wonderful character driven story that strives to match the imagination of Frank Herbert's Dune series. It many ways it succeeds but it is hampered by the intention to make a Hellhole trilogy with a cliffhanger steeper than any other I've seen in literature. If you're not expecting it you can easily feel cheated but taking the events of this first book as a vignet into a larger, continuous universe you can still come away with an appreciation for Hellhole. It's still a very rich novel and one that has been better contrstructed than some other collaborations between Anderson and the younger Herbert. Enjoy, but do keep in mind what you're getting into.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

You feel like you have been ripped off.

The story in general is a good one, the only problem is the ending. There is none!! Imagine watching Star Wars and right before they blow up the death star the movie ends. I have never listened to a book in all my years that the author did something so stupid. I will not be getting the second book if it ever comes out. The story was not that interesting and I will boycott on principal alone.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

HALF A BOOK...MAYBE A THIRD OF A BOOK!

It's shocking that this book was sold as a complete work. After much build up, and as it seemed to be getting to the end-game the BLOODY THING ENDS!
HOW CAN THE BOOK BE FINISHED WHEN EVERYTHING IT WAS BUILDING UP TO WASN'T INCLUDED!
This is half a story and it was cut short so Herbert and Anderson can release what will be in essence the end of the first book as a second book to rip people off. Ridiculous

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

20 hours and no ending!!!

I am at a loss with this book. Never before could my rating have ranged anywhere from 1 to 5.
First off, after reading the write-up, I thought this was going to be sort of a post-apocalyptic book, telling us how they built a civilization on a ravaged planet. NOPE! chapter 2 begins with "Ten years later". Ok, I can't blame the writers for not doing what I thought.
But then, out of the next 6 hrs, there is about 1 hour covering life on the planet Hellhole. Too much background!!!
Then, the last 2/3rds of the book, it starts to get real good, as they focus on Hellhole. In fact, I couldn't stop listening. But, as other have said...this book as no ending. Book 1 of any trilogy has an ending! yes, there are loose ends, but that is not the case here. It builds and builds, and then just ends. Didn't we all learn in Writing 101 that all books need a climax and a resolution? As others have suggested, wait until part 2 is out if you don't want to be left hanging.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

wasted credit

I agree with the others, would have waited to get this book if I had known it was going to be a series. the book was slow, but good, if their is a second part.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Yet another great Hellhole story.

A futuristic Napoleon fights to defeat a tyrannical monarchy. Great story with lots of intrigue, plots and schemes. This is a book series that both men and women will like. Scotts wonderful voice is like a perfectly paired wine to this meal of a book. Women's voices are believable and not overmodulated. Character voices are well done without going overboard. I highly recommend this series.

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5 people found this helpful