Book Reviews

← Back to Hell Holes: The Complete Trilogy

Summary

Stars	Reviews	Percent
5 Stars	10	91%
4 Stars	1	9%
3 Stars	0	0%
2 Stars	0	0%
1 Star	0	0%
4.9 Stars	11 Reviews	100%

Note: Amazon has a well-known habit of deleting reviews without explanation. Sometimes, the deleted reviews magically reappear. That is the reason that a few of the links to following Amazon reviews may be broken.

5 Star Reviews

10) Myra McCulloch’s Review ★★★★★

By Myra McCulloch on 15 December 2024 (Goodreads Review)

A free book from Voracious Readers. thank you.

A great read with likeable and relatable characters for the good guys while the bad guys are your worst nightmare!

They went to examine unusual holes at the request of the oil company operating in Alaska’s Arctic Circle. That is where the invasion started as the portals to a hellish world spewed forth mankind’s Armageddon.

A captivating read.

9) What a Read! ★★★★★

By Charles Curtis Hunt on 17 October 2024 (Amazon US Review)

Will catch you off guard at every turn.

8) What a Ride ★★★★★

By Annie/Lynn on 9 October 2024 (Amazon US Review)

I received a free copy from Voracious Readers. I was very consumed with how well written and awesome this trilogy is. If you like sci-fi, this is definitely a series you will enjoy.

7) Stephanie’s Review ★★★★★

By Stephanie on 8 September 2024 (Goodreads Review)

Excellent set of books, really enjoyed them. Lots of supernatural as well as the science made it very interesting, read it quickly if that tells you anything, couldn’t put it down. Would highly recommend it!!

6) Barton Paul Levenson’s Review ★★★★★

By Barton Paul Levenson on 10 August 2024 (Goodreads Review)

In brief: This is a good book. Buy it. The action scenes are awesome, the good guys are likeable, the bad guys are irredeemably evil and they get theirs in the end, though not without great, wounding losses on our side. A very satisfying book.

In detail: Exxon-Mobile contacts Professor Jack Oswald, petroleum geologist, and his climate expert wife (!), Dr. Angela Menendez, asking for help. Mysterious holes in the tundra have opened up in Alaska, and the corporation fears they might open under the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, causing both an environmental disaster and, more importantly, the loss of mucho bucks. An annoying reporter, Aileen O’Shannon, tags along as they go to the site with a couple of grad student assistants. The hole turns out to be a Hell Hole–demons come out of it and try to eat them. They wind up fleeing down the Dalton Highway (it goes roughly north-south through Alaska), fighting demons as they go. Aileen turns out to be Curatrix Maxima Aileen O’Shannon of the Tutores Contra Infernum, a secret demon-fighting order (non-religious, despite the Order structure and Latin name). She’s a sorceress who can kill demons with her spells, channeled through her magic amulet. The order collects the amulets by killing demons; the high type called devils have one each at the base of their skulls. Jack recognizes the amulet as advanced tech rather than magic, to Aileen’s distress. The pseudo-Christian demonology of the middle ages turns out to be based on alien invaders. As more Hell Holes open up and more demons pour out, the whole northern hemisphere is threatened, with the south eventually on the timetable of conquest. The demons have no redeeming features; they hate humans and all other species not from their home world, and regard them only as food, to be killed as painfully as possible since it improves the meat. (Philosophy nerds will recognize this as an echo of a famous thought experiment in ethics.) The military is brought in and our friends have to go through a dimensional portal to try to stop the demons on their home world.

Things I liked:

• The good guys always have each other’s backs.
• Serious, scary problems keep popping up. The good guys think out solutions instead of relying entirely on brawn or athletic ability.
• Firesmith did research out the wazoo on Alaska, geology, military organization, and White House protocol, which pays off in realistic detail.
• The demon homeworld orbits an orange dwarf star (spectral type K), which is a good type of primary for a habitable planet. As a planetary astrophysicist, I really liked that bit.
• The book includes photographs of every major character–that’s right, photos of fictional people. Photoshop, I assume, but it lent rather a cool touch to the book.

Things I disliked:

• This is just me, and petty beyond belief, but although a lot of Latin is used, and I’m no expert on the language, I knew enough to spot some errors. Few readers will care that he got a declension wrong (“Huh? What’s a declension?”), but I noticed it.
• Too many characters are introduced. I just couldn’t keep track. Characterization is good for the major characters but not so much for the minor ones. Oh, well, not everybody can be Stephen King (although I, for one, tried hard for many years).
• The portraits of the various types of demons looked obviously like artwork–very good artwork, don’t get me wrong, but it struck a discordant note with the photo-realistic portraits of the human characters. All the artwork should have been one or the other. The blend doesn’t work for me.
• The ending drags on way too long–I was reminded of the “orgy of hobbit-hugging” at the end of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies.

None of the above dislikes should dissuade you from reading the book. These are just holdovers from my writer’s workshop days. This is an engrossing story, and even the long ending held my interest.

5) Pavel’s Review ★★★★★

By Pavel H. on 5 August 2024 (Goodreads Review)

“Sci-fi, action, and magic. If you miss the mythology and action of Stargate SG-1, the story of Hell Holes is even better. Very well written. I really enjoyed it.”

4) Fantastic Series ★★★★★

By Ann Daniel on 4,9 August 2024 (Amazon UK Review and Goodreads Review)

“I was honoured to be asked by Donald to proofread this new updated trilogy of my favourite series. It’s great to have all ebooks in one book but also the added photos is a brilliant addition since I can see who each character is, which brings a little more life to the story. 😃 The series is brilliantly written and such a fun read full off action, fast moving, and the characters are likeable. It’s all-out war between the demons and humans. The demons are determined to take over the world just like they have done on many other worlds in the past, but this time they have a challenge trying to beat us, and we have the challenge to stop them. If you like this series, you must also I check out A Slave’s Revenge which is a extra story from this series.”

3) Donald Firesmith shares three of his stories in a new perspective and perfection. ★★★★★

By Amy Shannon on 1 August 2024 (Amazon US Review and Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews Review)

“In Hell Holes, the Trilogy, the reader is reintroduced to the first three Hell Holes books, and its characters. This book brings What Lurks below, Demons on the Dalton, and to Hell and Back and its characters, back to the reader. I am a big fan of Donald Firesmith and read whatever this author writes. This author has a grand imagination, and talent for showing the story. I enjoyed the changes that the author made to the story, and the updates that only someone who read the stories before, could see. It’s in its perfection now. The story is complementary blend of horror, science fiction, and supernatural. The alien invasions, erupting through the holes that appear, and the demons that come from below brings us to some magnificent stories, and of course, the characters first-hand witnesses, surviving members. Bringing back Dr. Jack Oswald, Dr. Angela Melendez, and Aileen O’Shannon, who is one of my favorite characters. After reading this book, and re-familiarizing myself with the stories, and also changing some of my earlier opinions of the story. As you read more and more, you get the feelings of the characters, writing styles of the authors, and even changing your mind about previously read books. The characters had a lot of depth, and were very realistic, even the extremely old sorceress, Aileen. It’s survival of the smartest and best, as the hounds of hell (and other magnificently evil creatures) emerge! This author is not just a writer but a great storyteller. If you love a good demonic fighting, evil against more than just the good, but the strength of humanity, this book should be next on your list. Hell Holes: The Complete Trilogy is a definite recommendation by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review.”

2) Original, imaginative, and positively epic! ★★★★★

By Kim on 1 August 2024 (Amazon US Review and Goodreads Review)

“I absolutely loved this book from the first page to the last. It offers amazing characters, an original breathtaking plot and a briskly paced epic adventure that captured my imagination right from the start. Yes, this is a compilation of three previously released books but whether or not you have read the previous versions, this single-volume trilogy is definitely worth your time because the author has significantly re-worked the original stories to have a smoother flow and improved consistency in the details. The illustrations sprinkled throughout the book help cement the picture in your mind for each of the characters (human or not). How will a geologist, a climatologist and a sorceress save Alaska (and the world) from the demons and other terrifying creatures that suddenly some pouring in from the distant planet of Hell? You’ll have to grab a copy of this book to find out. Buckle up, folks, this is one crazy ride you won’t soon forget. I can easily see Donald Firesmith becoming a benchmark name in the speculative fiction genre.”

1) I give this trilogy a five-star review. It’s awesome! ★★★★★

By Dr. Mel on 11 July 2024 (Dr. Mel’s Message Review)

“Donald Firesmith’s Hell Holes: The Complete Trilogy is a masterful blend of science fiction and supernatural horror, set against the stark and haunting beauty of the Alaskan wilderness. With its rich world-building and compelling characters, this series takes readers on an unforgettable journey of survival, courage, and the battle between good and evil. A must-read for fans of gripping, edge-of-your-seat adventures.”

4 Star Reviews

1) Very Entertaining ★★★★★

By Janice D. on 1 December 2024 (Amazon CA Review)

“I adored this series. The first book hooked me…I found it fast paced and entertaining. The characters were great and it was such a different story line then I usually read. I found myself needing to get to the end to see how it all turns out.”

3 Star Reviews

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2 Star Reviews

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1 Star Reviews

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