The Heart of Hell

By: Wayne Barlowe

Narrated by: Carol Schneider

Award-winning artist Wayne Barlowe returns to his epic dark fantasy world with this sequel to God's Demon - The Heart of Hell - where rival demons war for control of the infernal domain.

Sargatanas has Ascended and the doomed, anguished souls have found themselves emancipated. Hell has changed...hasn’t it? The demons, wardens of the souls, are free of their inmates....

And the damned, liberated from their terrible torments, twisted and bent but thankful that they are no longer forced to be in proximity to their fearsome jailors, rejoice. But something is stirring under the surface of hell’s ceaseless carnage...and into this terrible landscape come three entities:

• Lilith, the former First Consort to Beelzebub and her Sisters of Sargatanas trying to find a way to save Hannibal...again
• Boudica, a brick no more, forever in search of her lost daughters
• Adramalik, the former Grand Master of the Priory of the Fly reduced to serving a new lord, Ai Apaec, and seeking his destiny as Prince of Hell.

Each will come across new terrors, new infernal monstrosities, all beyond even their imaginations, untouched by what Sargatanas wrought.

Is there something older than hell? Something no demon, born of heaven or hell, ever suspected?

What new horror, what rough beast, its hour come round at last...could possibly be hidden in hell?

©2019 Wayne Barlowe (P)2020 Mark Alan Miller

we've waited years for this!

it's a continuation on barlows hellscape and I'd wait a decade for the third part if I have too.

A Great In-between

Love how Hell is so vibrant with life, love how the Salamandrine were more talked about and I see the potential for continuation with Hannibal and the Fly's Story. The narration wasn't terrible but lacked the talent that was there for God's Demon.

slightly disappointed

I was excited at first to hear this story continued bit ended up being disappointed with it.

need the next one!

not as good as the firat but still full of vivid detail that leaves thw imagination wanting more

Not bad, but. . .

This was alright, but not great, and certainly a bit of a step down from the first novel, God's Demon.

The first half is actually pretty great, with a more diverse cast. The characterizations here are pretty good, too, especially the villain Adromalech and protagonist Lilith. The final third of the novel, however is pretty bad. It feels rushed and loose, and the climax is terrible.

I recommend this, but temper your expectations for a satisfying ending. Let's hope the final novel is better, and that we'll be able to read it in under a decade.