Giles KristianHistorical Fiction · Fiction·b. 1975
Hellmouth
Synopsis
Bohemia, 1370. Galien leads a band of hardened mercenaries on a mission for Mother Church into the dark forests of Central Europe — where a horror far worse than any battlefield waits. Rumours swirl of a cult, of monsters in the hills, and of a gateway to Hell said to lie beneath a remote castle built not to keep enemies out, but to keep something in.
When a run of ill fortune forces Galien's marauders down into the pit, they find themselves trapped in a supernatural nightmare that turns their own lifetimes of sin and violence against them. Inspired by the legend of Bohemia's Houska Castle, Hellmouth is a short, visceral descent into medieval dread from acclaimed historical novelist Giles Kristian.
At novella length it trades sweeping saga for claustrophobic terror — a bleak, unforgettable vision of hell and the men who earn their way to it.
How it reads
- Writing4.5
- Impact4.0
- Characters4.0
- Plot5.0
- Atmosphere5.0
Prose complexity 4/10
Content warnings (3)
ViolenceGraphic ViolenceGore
- The things I hate about this book is that it's so short and the ending so abrupt. Otherwise it was a most entertaining read!
- 4/5 (6,86/10) Okey, this is a very short story, but gives you the chills. I liked the characters and the atmosphere, but the story is too short to linger and love the characters. The story was interesting and the terror and tension were well done. The problem is that, by the end of the story, the terror seems to disappear to get a more direct path of what's causing the problem, and that breaks that illusion of terror and fear, since those are done for the descriptions and tension of the moments. Another problem is how short it is. The story is very interesting; I want to know more, but because is so short are things that aren't explained, and will never be. But well, that's a short story for ya. Still... I liked it and I recommend it.
- Someone tell Ari Aster about this!