Hell Cometh

 Dear 8Publishing,

I have to say, I think that Hell Cometh’s was the very first PROLOGUE to which I have ever actually paid any attention.  Not only did Mr. Card’s attention to detail successfully paint darkened visualizations for the PROLOGUE to immediately emanate an eerily somber vibe before the first chapter ever began, it also created a really interesting back story from which the story would naturally evolve.  Of course, having finished the story, I now find myself morbidly curious to learn of not only how the artifact originally came to be; but also what actually happened on the ship which carried the evil rock.

The initial first third of the book carried us through some of the daily lives, relationships and ways and means of the town called Wisdom.  The stage for Armageddon was being set as the author gave detailed counts of the story’s characters, their interactions (however dysfunctional they may have been!), and some of the locale where they lived and worked.  Some were lovable, some were loath-able, and some were tolerable.  In the end though…most were definitely devoid of a practical “zombie plan.” 

This soon became an unyielding realization following the birth of “Adam” in Sanctuary.  From the moment of human skin’s first touch upon the artifact, the book followed an unrelenting, hellish, spiral as dark and black as Sanctuary itself.  “We’re not in Kansas anymore,” was the feeling formed by the utter creepiness being held within the unlit, unknown chasm.  Looking back, it’s difficult to discern which was scarier…the vague blackness of Sanctuary, filled only with an unfamiliar voice and muffled laughter; or the fiery, demonic filth writhing about with the eternally damned souls within the pits of Hell itself.

The dilemma of that choice ceased to be once the gnashing teeth and unforgiving claws of the undead were unleashed upon the living souls of Wisdom, Virginia.  The fear of being eaten alive, as it is so gorily and dreadfully described by the author, has now engulfed the forefront of my shaken imagination.  The unsuspecting victims throughout this book suffered unspeakable horrors as the cannibals ripped the soft flesh from their bones, feasted upon their inner organs, and greedily stole the final, blood-bubbling gurgles of their last desperate gasps of life. 

Of course, if I go down by way of the ravenous and relentless host of undead soldiers...I'm not sure if I want it to just be a hail of bullets and blood (with a few haymakers and atomic elbows once I've been overrun); or am I one who would have saved the last round for myself to ensure that my red-blooded heart “ticks” its last “tock” before the first zombie ever sinks its teeth into me, thereby depriving the horde of the pleasure of dining upon my "living" tissue??  And during such an apocalypse, which would be more satisfying...remaining human, waiting for some of society’s more “undesirables” to turn, and effectively dispatching my enemies after they've become zombies; or succumbing to the infection myself, and greedily hunting those same enemies to feast upon their flesh and have the pleasure of turning them myself???

Undoubtedly, those particular questions will never need to be answered in this world.  So, I will have to rely on Todd Card to supply me with more memorable characters, through whom I may live vicariously as I struggle to survive among the madness, making allies out of enemies, while wrestling with the realization that I could ultimately be fighting for something bigger than myself.

Thanks for giving me the best read that I’ve had since The Lord of the Rings…

Aaron Hoover
(Review written by reader from Indiana, pictured on the right)