A Universe Where Never-ending Discoveries Are Being Made

The search for extra-detestable life just got more interesting.

And what's more, you don't need the Hubble Space Telescope to find it!

If you'd like to avail yourselves of a universe with ever expanding horizons and an interstellar cast, look no further than

Heroes in Hell

Everyone who was ever anyone probably had secrets that got them to the top. 

And if they did, His Infernal Majesty would have found out and ensured they had an eternity to reflect and suffer on their...misdemeanors.

And we're not just talking about history's foulest fiends and despicable despots, but other misbehaving misfits who thought they'd get through life by stabbing everyone in the back.

Doctors, poets, lawyers...all are welcome
And none ever escape.
(Don't forget - for those that try, he's got just the guy to cut them down to size)

Want to find out more about this Hugo Award winning and Nebula nominated series?

Just go to

An active link is in the sidebar

Hell Bound Reviews.

Now we're well into February, I thought it might be a good idea to include some clips from recent 2016 reviews for Hell Bound to let you see how readers are taking to Daemon Grim.

Here's a few headliners:
*******************

Unique and Sassy

The latest installment in the HEROES IN HELL series is outstanding! Chock full of action and suspense, it delivers hours of reading enjoyment.

The attention to detail in this book was something else. It kept me enthralled from beginning to end with a unique storyline and a wealth of interesting characters

Weston has not only expanded the scope of the Heroes in Hell series, he has introduced new themes and concepts, and new characters. He creates a fresh vision of Hell and presents to us a seedy underworld uniquely his own.

The style is both irreverent and intelligent, and at times had me laughing out loud.

Hell Bound is an epic and fast-paced adventure.

A riveting novel that grabbed me from its first page and didn't let me go.

 I found this novel to be a real treat. I didn't want it to end, most definitely!

******************

I think you'll agree, that's a pleasing start to the year, and one I think Daemon Grim will appreciate. Especially as I've saved a recent one from Netgalley for last:

Here it is in full:
*************

Having read a lot of books lately that were full of romance and made for a somewhat lighter reading, I was totally in the mood for this bad boy!

Meet Daemon Grim, Grim Reaper and loyal servant of His Satanic Majesty, Lucifer/Satan. Just back from a trip upside to collect souls for his liege and master, he is enjoying some downtime when he gets a  phonecall informing thin that his most important soul is not among his recent catch. Say what? Knowing how important this particuar soul is to Lucifer, he is eager to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Armed with this scythe and his infernal powers, he sets out to find Creamer, legendary psychopath and thorn in his side only to discover that the situation is even more complicated that he he could ever have imagined.

But he is the Grim Reader and he is not about to let a litle thing like ‘complication’ get in the way of him reaping this soul and any others who gets in his way!

Wow! Just wow! I loved Hell Bound so much I can’t even begin to describe how much. The characters are flawed, dark, well developed and interesting and the world building is insanely awesome. I liked the author’s attention to detail and while in some books it could have come off as info dumping, it totaly worked here.

I liked that Daemon Grim is unapologetically bad ass and dark, he is no hero and is proud to be the Grim Reaper. I liked the hints at something devious concerning how he became the Grim Reaper that I hope to read more of in a next book. I liked the ‘magical’ elements, the way he gets and uses his infernal powers. As dark and delicious as this book was, I felt it was nicely balanced with a bit of a grim humour and I’m sincerly hoping there is at least  a sequel becaue there is no way the Grim Reapers’s work is done!

Loved, Loved it! I highly recommend this to lovers of dark fantasy and those who are fans on anti-heroes.

http://www.chocomeiske.com/author/vanrochellelive-be/

So there you go.
Daemon Grim seems to be proving popular among the discerning readers of macabre tastes.

If YOU feel like getting to know him better
You know what to do

How the Devil Did You Do That? - Part 2

Last time around, I explained a little bit about the Heroes in Hell universe in which Daemon Grim exists. As you can imagine, Heroes in Hell gives me an excellent playground in which to set my characters free. But, how did I come up with the character of Grim specifically? 

Ah, that was quite easy.

First of all, I did my homework. 

Hell is a wondrous place, where all sorts of dastardly deeds and fiendish fun is allowed to spiral out of control. However, the HIH concept has certain rules – certain limits and boundaries. In devising a character, I didn’t want to create ‘just another someone’ – you know – another unhinged psychopath who creates mayhem wherever he or she goes. (Well I did, but I wanted them to bring a certain order and pedigree to the universe).

So I thought…what if my main character was someone close to Satan himself? Someone powerful and fiercely loyal? Someone who was the worst of them all and who stood out because he leads by the purity of his service and example he sets? And to add a certain fear factor, what if that character was cursed with the bane of never being able to lie? Someone who turns such a trait to his advantage to create a dread and chilling reputation. He’s bold, brash and confident, because he's perfectly capable of carrying out whatever assignment he’s given.

When I checked the lists, nobody had thought of using a character deeply interwoven into mythologies and fabric of multiple cultures around the world …The Grim Reaper.

THE Grim Reaper. Ding Dong!

I relished playing with a character like that because not only is he the ultimate killer, but such a persona would be great fun to build a personality profile around. The scope he presented would weave through all the storylines as if he’d always been part of it. 

This is the kind of guy who – if you appear on his list – you’re dead. Simple as that. You can’t buy, bribe, or wheedle your way out of it. And to make it even more unsettling, I’d give him one of the most outrageous sense of humors anyone could ever wish for, and a degree of loyalty toward his team that is almost paradoxical. But for all that, if Satan’s decrees it, he’d still snuff anyone out of existence without the slightest remorse.

This guy can go everywhere and anywhere. As such, not only will you be seeing him in his own adventures, but in subsequent Heroes in Hell anthologies too. After consultation with Janet Morris - the creator of the Heroes in Hell series - we thought it would be a great idea to have a character whose adventure leapfrogged from novel to anthology, anthology to novel, and so on and so forth..

Stay sharp…you’ll never know when he’s coming to a nightmare near you!

http://www.amazon.com/Hell-Bound-Heroes-Andrew-Weston-ebook/dp/B015G2AI0I/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454255365&sr=8-1&keywords=hell+bound

How The Devil Did You Do That?

Fans of Daemon Grim might have wondered…

How did you devise the Reaper’s character and the world in which he was set?

The answer to that is twofold.

As many will know by now, Daemon Grim is Satan’s go-to guy in times of trouble, and the leader of two very special teams: The Hell Hounds, (Fiendish bounty hunters) and the Inquisitors, (A very select bunch of diabolical characters who form Satan’s elite interrogators).

The world in which they are set is perhaps easiest to answer first, because all stories take place within the Heroes in Hell Universe.

Heroes in Hell is a series of shared world fantasy books, within the genre Bangsian fantasy/horror, created and edited by Janet Morris and written by her, Chris Morris, C. J. Cherryh and others. The first 12 books in the series were published by Baen Books between 1986 and 1989, and stories from the series include both Hugo Award winners and Nebula nominees.
Janet continued the series through her own publishing company – Perseid Press – from 2011 onward with, Lawyers in Hell, followed by five more anthologies and a novel since then.

http://www.theperseidpress.com/

Basically, the shared world premise of Heroes in Hell (also called The Damned Saga) is that all the dead wind up together in Hell, where they can pick up where they left off when still alive, except that now, it’s a no-holds-barred, rollercoaster ride of violent, stab you in the back adventure. Anything goes – and often does...

So, there’s the answer to the second part of the question. I answered that part now, so you better understand the foundations I needed to lay out for the main character.

Next time, I’ll let you know how the character I devised became Daemon Grim. It’s more complex than you think.

See you then J

A Trip Round Hell - Part 3

Hi there.

Last time we took a look around the Reaper's hometown in the Juxtapose Level of Hell.

Today, we'll take a dip into some of the other circles mentioned in Hell Bound.

See if you can recognize them from the book:

Hades:

Nowhere in hell offers the warm unwelcome of Hades. Thermo-fountains - rivers of molten lava - pyro-winds. And of course, nonstop seismic instability. You never know what's going to happen...other than its always toasty. Champ and Yamato also discovered other creatures like to play here...to their cost.

Perish:

Dark, brooding and gothic - the Perishian way of life is full of gall with absolutely no charm in sight. A mysterious and wondrous place where crime lords rule, and hellegal activities are rife under the auspices of the white market.

Pont Snuff:

One of the oldest bridges in Perish - this ethereal bridge spans the River Inseine where damned souls rot in its inky depths, eternally chained to their sins, and forever ready to lure unsuspecting denizens to share their doom...But other events transpire beneath its mirrored sheen. Dare you dip your toe into Hell Bound to find out?

The Spouting Pyramids of Geyser:

Dark Cairo, where the pyramids regularly erupt and fill the streets in molten lava, and where we find the secret repository - The Sphincter. (Only entrance at the rear - of course). A foul, repulsive and disruptive place, and scene of an infamous run-in between Grim and the Sibitti.

Bailey to the Black Tower:

The Isle of Cogs maximum security prison. An isolated dot in the middle of a storm enraged sea. Surrounded on all sides by impenetrable cliffs and cog beach (A ticking time bomb of a trap for any who dare to approach uninvited) Think about it...could you imagine having to negotiate a beach comprised upon millions upon millions of cogs, tines and gears - some big enough to crush a truck - and all just waiting to grind you to a pulp?

 Ha! THAT's what hell is all about. It'll either keep you on your toes, or rip them right off.

The prison sits atop the only bluff that overlooks the sea, and is home to a rather unusual guest. Who? Ah, for that you'll have to delve between the pages...

******

So there you go. This is just a little dip into some of the other places Daemon Grim has visited...But stay tuned. There's more...much more to come.

A Trip Round Hell - Part 2

 

Welcome to Juxtapose - Olde London Town

 

 

Entrance to Jekyll & Hyde Park

For those of you who have read Hell Bound, you'll know the Juxtapose level of hell - centred around Olde London Town - is a topsy-turvy world of intermingled 'time bubbles'. You can be walking along the street in a modern-day setting one moment, only to cross the road and have to jump out of the way of a horse-drawn-carriage from the Victorian era the next. It really is that unstable; and keeps Daemon Grim on his toes.

Here are some scenes from around the Reaper's hometown.

 

Modern-day Era.

 

As you can appreciate - the upheaval caused by the loosening of the cosmic chains anchoring each circle in place can cause quite a lot of damage and disruption.

 

River Tombs Embankment

Here's a glimpse of what that area looked like before the upheaval.

 

Victorian Era

 

And of course, a little peek at where Dr. Thomas Cream - The Lambeth Poisoner - likes to hang out. You can just imagine him prowling the cobbled streets, eh?

 

Medieval Era

 

Some of the Hounds like it here. They love the opportunity to get down and dirty with the dross of the underworld where they'll literally hang offenders against injustice out to dry.

 

St Thomas' Hospital

The Grand entrance Grim and Nimrod passed through on their way to meet the Dread-Locks.

 

The Cloisters of Scourging

 

And here we have the home of the Grey Friars - guardians of the Key of Sighs - safe behind warded towers and the warping mists of the Knights Bridge - a temporal construct that draws on your deepest fears before testing you with them.

 

Do you feel like you're getting to know the underworld of the Reaper that little bit better?
Excellent.

 

Next time, we'll take a trip around the other circles of hell. See you then.





 

 

 

 

 

A Trip Around Hell - part 1

 

 

Welcome to the Den of Iniquity - Juxtapose level of hell - the place from which Daemon Grim, his Hell Hounds and Inquisitors operate.

 

A good place to start our trip around the underworld would be with the Reaper himself.

These are various shots of what his own private apartment would probably look like:

**********************************************

 The Study

 

The Drawing/Dining Room

 

The Office

 

And yes - he does play

 

 

Bedroom

 

As you can see, Grim enjoys a lavish, if somewhat baroque preference and fills his home with the very best in gothic chic. You could say...dark tastes for darker deeds.

 ******

Stay tuned. Next time we'll take a glimpse around the other parts of Juxtapose itself. Then you'll begin to appreciate why things are so naturally macabre here.