Customer Reviews

The Lost Army (Hellboy (Pocket Star Books))

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mike Mignola's Hellboy character and the universe he inhabits is one of the most engaging and interesting comic creation. Mignola took a large helping of H.P. Lovecraft, added in a healthy dose of James Bond and finished it off with a good dash of European folklore and mythologies and he comes up with Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.

Hellboy was originally just in comics and graphic novels, but Christopher Golden was given a chance by Mike Mignola to try and come up with a novel-lenght story to give Hellboy a new medium to appear in. Golden succeeds with this first Hellboy novel titled The Lost Army. It helped that Mignola drew some illustrations for the book and these illustrations help explain some of the words Golden has wrought.

There really is no need to explain the plot since Amazon has conveniently copied the back cover summary to explain the book. The story is very Lovecraftian in its tone as most of Hellboy's comic book exploits have a tendency to be. Unlike the comics, Golden's novel allows more of Hellboy's inner personality and feelings to come through. It has only been hinted in the comics, but in Golden's story Hellboy's past history and his current unfolding situation are allowed for some romance.

The Lost Army is very much more adult than the comics, but the overall theme and story fits well with the canon that Mignola has created for Hellboy and his universe. I have to admit that the ending has abit of Deus ex Machina to it that lets off Hellboy and crew too easily, but it is really just a small quibble on the overall satisfying read The Lost Army turned out to be.

More monsters than you can shake a giant stone hand at! I loved this adventure - especially the constant tension provoked by Hellboy's recurring realization that he's a monster fighting monsters. It was also a treat to discover that Hellboy has a sex life. Who woulda guessed?

I'm going to have to read the Hellboy comics. I've seen the film and loved it, now I've a Chris Golden novel and loved it, it's really time to jump into to world of the next closest thing to Indiana Jones since, well... since Indiana Jones. Assuming the Indiana Jones had red skin, a tail, weighed a quarter ton, and shave his horns. And lived in Fairfield, Connecticut, of course. Yes, ladies and gents, this irascible romantic and charming human wannabee is the foremost occult investigator on the planet - the poster child for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Development. When a team of British archeologist vanishes into the desert sands where 2500 years before Cambyses the Persian lost an army of 50,000, there's only one guy to call.

Fresh from crashing a Bentley, Hellboy is parachuted into the Egyptian desert to find himself with his old flame Anastasia Bransfield, a team of archeologists, and a hardnosed egomaniac MI5 team. In no time, the missing archeologists aren't missing any longer, they are dead, their pieces decorating trees in the oasis. And Hellboy finds himself going mano a mano with some very skilled, very dead Persian soldiers. Never has the phrase "it doesn't get any better than this," been more true. The soldiers are pushovers compared to the seam monsters, spiders, and diabolical wizards that are next on the agenda.

As you can probably tell this isn't a loving adventure story told with infinite detail and character building. Hellboy's basic strategy is to find the badness, get an arm free, and punch it into the next solar system. When you are that big and strong this works most of the time. And when it doesn't, well, that's what this story is about, because Hazred the magician has what it takes to stand off the US Army, slam Hellboy down on an altar and call Mar Ti Ku (another, even bigger, bad guy) back to life. Does our red-skinned hero find a way out? Find that out for yourselves (hint: this is a series).

I'm not going to quibble over whether this is a true presentation of the comic Hellboy. Suffice it to say that Mike Mignola, Hellboy's creator, drew some 75 illustrations for this story, so it can't be all that bad. Chris Golden certainly manages to put capture the spirit of crazy adventure and sarcastic, in your face dialog that is Hellboy's signature style. So open the book, grab some popcorn and get read to root for the hero and boo the villains. This is just plain fun.

Well, I was told to read this by a friend who is also a fan of Christopher Golden's work and, frankly, I went in convinced that I wouldn't like it. Boy, was I wrong! Golden's amusing and fast-paced prose are a perfect complement to Mignola's starkly mesmerizing illustrations; the whole package is a must-read! I hope these two collaborate again in the near future!

As a huge Hellboy fan, I put off reading this book because I loved the comics so much and did not think a prose writer could capture the dark but wry tone so easily set by Mignola with his fantastic graphic artwork and minimal use of word balloons. I feel my hesitation was justified. "Lost Army" did not feel like a Hellboy story at all - from the fairly unoriginal and frankly boring lost army in the desert premise to the superfluous lake monster to the weak anticlimatic ending (the mysterious glow is...? ). It was like a simplistic Hardy Boys mystery. But just when you are feeling like you are in PG action horror territory complete with zombie warriors and Krull-like giant spider web scenes, Golden throws in a disturbing and out-of-nowhere attempted rape just to make things more "adult" (or something). This uneven tone is fairly consistent and although the relationship between Hellboy and his ex-flame is fun to read - the best thing about this book are the illustrations.

The movie of the similar name does a disservice to the novel. I've read all the Hellboy novels, graphic novels, and comics and the imagery, narrative, and dramatic structure of "The Lost Army" is unsurpassed. I only wish they had made Hellboy 2 from this book instead. Buy it.

A bit on the flat side. A lot of short, stilted, sentences at times, that read like it has been dumbed down for 5 year olds to read. Perhaps it had been butchered down to size by editor and/or writer to fit in plenty of Mignola artwork, and for a novel, there is plenty.

Avoid anyone in the Middle East area called Hazred, and don't go on away team missions with Hellboy.

Evil sorcerers, giant spiders, jackal-men amulets, and 50,000 desert zombies. Even if you are a super-competent MI5 field agent, or allied soldier you are in for a world of hurt in this sort of scenario.

If you are a Hellboy Efficienado, you'll adore this book. Otherwise you should probably just borrow it from the library.

Until now, Hellboy has been a visual experience. Mike Mignola's artwork has been, and still is, 90% of what defines Hellboy. Understandably then, I was sceptical of the written Hellboy. Luckily, my scepticism was unwarrented. This is a fine book. The characterzation is right on the mark, the supporting cast is great, and the locale and mythology are intriguing. And Mignola's occasional illustrations are just enough to remind us that Hellboy will always be a graphic character. I could've done without the water serpent and the giant spiders, but regradless, bring on more of the same