Hell's Pawn [Kindle Edition]

I admit I was skeptical. While I enjoyed the heck out of "Language Lessons" and "Something Like Summer," they're both realistic stories, and I had no idea what to expect from something titled "Hell's Pawn." I'm not much of a fantasy guy, perhaps because fantasy can so easily slip into cliche. And a novel about the afterlife -- with talking gods -- would seem especially susceptible to silliness.

Well, not in Jay Bell's hands. He needed less than a chapter to knock me on my butt. Right from the start he piles on the coolness and the fun and the great, original concepts. Again and again I kept thinking, "How does he come up with this stuff?" The different realms of the afterlife -- from Hell to Mt Olympus to ancient Egypt -- are all richly described, and perhaps my biggest surprise was how "afterlifey" each one felt. This isn't the afterlife in name only -- Bell infuses every page with a feeling of otherworldliness that's really impressive. In that sense it's one of the most successful imaginings of the afterlife I've encountered.

The locales are secondary to the fantastic characters, though. From Rimmon the sexy incubus, to Bolo the dog (a refreshing, non-anthropomorphized portrayal), to Yi Yi the tiny and excitable terracotta soldier, to Asmoday the archduke of Hell who bathes in pools of vomit -- these are characters who'll stick in my mind, and I hope to see more of them someday. (We're also treated to a guest appearance by a character from an earlier Bell story that had me beaming with happiness.) Bell should be especially proud of his portrayal of the various gods. They're wise and commanding without ever seeming trite. That's an awesome feat.

All in all this is a fun, captivating novel with big ideas, and it's a great addition to Jay Bell's body of work.

I've often wondered what will happen after I die, where my soul would travel, but the myriad of choices presented in Jay Bell's book 'Hell's Pawn' made me rethink the whole idea. John Grey takes an amazing journey beginning in Purgatory and ending in Heaven. During his traveling, he has the privilege of visiting several versions of the afterlife which he portrays in vivid detail. John has a special sort of energy which allows him to do things on the other side that others can't, and this is his key to success. John has a sense of purpose that others don't possess. John seems to be the only one with a drive to change, unlike his friend Dante who is comfortable being himself, being in the moment, without any desire for redemption. He wants to be productive and if the activity in which he's engaging isn't, he quickly loses interest. John's mission is to help Hell unite the different realms to free Purgatory from the domination it is under, but he's determined not to simply be Hell's pawn. The song 'I Did It My Way' kept filtering through my brain as John puts his special touch on negotiations between the realms, wheeling and dealing for their support. It was gratifying to watch John's confidence grow while he honed his diplomacy skills.

Rimmon is a fascinatingly complex character. With him, as with many other characters along the way, I see the theme 'don't judge a book by its cover', even if it has red skin, horns, and a tail and stereotypically speaking, looks like a demon which we associate with evil. However, it's the heart that counts and as John discovers, regardless of appearances, Rimmon has a good heart. He admires John and wants to love him, but his heart belongs to his estranged lover and he is unable to move on and get it back. Reconciliation with his lover is the only thing that will put his heart to rest.

One of the themes that I appreciate greatly is that animals have souls too, and if not inhibited by external sources, they have free reign and a much keener sense of direction than humans. So does John's traveling companion in spirit. Animals have the ability to travel in whatever realm they wish, which, to me, speaks to the purity of their spirit. Personally, I wouldn't want to be in any kind of afterlife that didn't include animals.

The amount of information Jay fits into two hundred and seventy six pages is amazing and a bit overwhelming; still the story flows so well. I can hardly begin to describe the plethora of ideas put forth in 'Hell's Pawn'. At the same time, Jay's incredible sense of humor shines through along with references to the past such as: Then the music changed, and his ridiculously bloodshot eyes widened. "Hey, who's singing this?"" Nirvana. They're after your time." "Man, they're really good! Music is way better in the future." John thought of the endless boy bands and sophomoric teenage pop stars that had dominated the music scene since the likes of Kurt Cobain had died, but kept his mouth shut. It was kinder to let Dante believe the lie." It's a departure from Jay's usual storytelling, yet it still maintains his comfortable lyrical style, his passion and depth. Even though it's fantasy, it's a book that is best read at a slower, more deliberate pace, and perhaps even more than once, in order to grasp its significance, but in the end, it's worth it. Thanks, Jay for such a thought provoking look into the other side.

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 8/10

PROS:
- Bell is a good descriptive writer. The imagery he uses caught my attention immediately (specifically with this sentence: "Only the two towers of the Golden Gate Bridge jutted out [of the fog], like enormous shark fins stripped down to the cartilage"), and his descriptions throughout the book of a variety of supernatural/mythological settings are spectacular.
- The plot is incredibly engaging: very unusual and full of intriguing elements that I've never seen anywhere else.
- The author has some interesting things to say about the afterlife and how the idea of an afterlife (or multiple afterlives) plays into different religious belief systems. I was also continually amused by Bell's melding of elements from a number of vastly different religions and mythologies.
- I love that the main character goes through so many harrowing experiences that have destroyed other people but which leave him intact. His repeated victories do a great job of establishing him as a modern warrior with abilities and strengths that are uncommon.

CONS:
- There is a romantic/sexual element of the story that I think should have been left out completely. Aside from the fact that I wasn't crazy about the way that part of the book ends up, I didn't feel that it added much to the story; the relationship isn't very well developed, and the sex scenes are brief and for the most part unnecessary.
- The ending seemed a bit patchy to me. I rarely like epilogues when they try to do all of the wrap-up necessary to bring the story to a close within the span of just a few pages.

Overall comments: If you're looking primarily for either romance or sex, this is unlikely to satisfy you. But if you want to read a fantasy adventure, I think this is a great choice. Each new chapter brings with it a new situation that is foreign and extraordinary. This is one fantastically different fantasy journey.