- Hellboy: On Earth as it is in Hell by Brian Hodges
- Available from Pocket Star Books
- 359 Pages, Paperback
- Originally published 2005
- ISBN 978-1-4165-0782-5
The Storyline
According to the book's blurb:
"Fifty years ago, a blood-red, cloven-hoofed demon was conjured up by Axis powers at the end of World War II, but adopted by the United States government, which gave him the name Hellboy and raised him in secrecy. Today, Hellboy is a top field agent for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. He questions the unknown--then beats it into submission.
His latest case: angels have attacked the Vatican, destroying an entire floor of the building's precious library. That's a new one, even for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. The BPRD dispatches Hellboy and his amphibious colleague, Abe Sapien, to investigate.
When they arrive on the scene, they discover that thousands of documents from all eras of history have been destroyed--except for one, saved from the holy fire by an obsessive scholar. His prize? An ancient scroll allegedly written by Jesus the Nazarene--decades after the crucifixion. Hellboy's first thought is that the scroll was the focus of the seraphim's attack--but why would heavenly creatures undertake such violence and ruin?
The answer to this puzzle will lead Hellboy down a terrifying trail to ancient gods, vengeful demons, and a hidden world made of purest evil...
Strong in Places, Weak in Others, On Earth as it is in Hell is Smart, but Sometimes Confusing
On Earth as it is in Hell is, at its base, very well written. Brian Hodge has an excellent grasp of the characters and writes them in such a way that you sometimes wonder if Hellboy's creator, Mike Mignola, isn't behind the curtain, pulling the strings. There are several passages that will make you laugh out loud, while keeping a balance of scary seriousness that can still make you shiver on command.
Yet, the book has its failings. While the already established members of the Hellboy comic book universe are vibrant and leap off the page with life, the peripheral characters created solely for the novel are somewhat flat. It's quite possible you may forget which is which along the course of your reading. The one exception to this is Campbell Holt, a psychic and new recruit to the BPRD, who's easy to empathize with and even easier to like.
The story itself is reminiscent of books like Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons in that it introduces the idea of the church hiding something from the public that could completely destroy the foundations of the Christian faith. True, it feels a little bit derivative, but not enough to take away from the novel as a whole.
On Earth as it is in Hell serves as a good introduction to the Hellboy universe for those only vaguely familiar with it, and an equally good yarn for those who already love the character, and though it may offend those with delicate sensibilities where religion is concerned, this novel is, overall, very engaging.
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