ROAD TO HELL [Paperback]

Gerard Daniel Houarner (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Necro Publications (1998)
• ASIN: B000P0XLTM
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Road to Hell is an exciting trip, April 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Road To Hell (Paperback)

I couldn't put this book down. Angel is a wonderful character who gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "growth spurts". The use of mythology really pulls this book together. And I think the development of Max/Beast in this book surpasses that of their first appearance (I believe it was anyway) in The Beast That Was Max. Seeing this killer caring for his child, and knowing what he's done and what he will do -- it's hard to humanize a character of this nature, yet Houarner does it beautifully. Hard to imagine, but I rooted for Max--the murderer-rapist--and this is quite an achievement for the writer.

I was also impressed with how the author handled the backstory from Beast That Was Max, in a letter to his son. Unique approach that worked very well.

Exciting, fast-paced. Marvelous book!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Max deals with the trials and tribulations of (shudder) parenthood, May 1, 2007

By 

Henry W. Wagner (Rockaway, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Road To Hell (Paperback)

For those of you who came in late, ROAD TO HELL is the fifth installment in Houarner's "Max the Assassin" saga. Progeny of the Indian death goddess Kali, Max is a killer supreme, an assassin powered by an inner "Beast," an entity that enables him to kill with efficiency and impunity.

Max made his first appearance in Houarner's 1996 collection, PAINFREAK, which contained three short stories that provide much of his backstory. The first, "The Beast That Was Max", dealt with Max's changing relationship with the mystical twins, Keuer and Alioune, and his sacrifice of the Beast; the second, "Angel of Death," chronicled his struggle to regain the Beast; the third, "Demons of Blood and Passion," focused on the twins, establishing them as the daughters of a Vietnamese dragon goddess and an African god.

Houarner followed these pieces with a novella entitled "Truth and Consequences in the Heart of Destruction", which appeared in the 1997 collection INSIDE THE WORKS. Here, the ghosts of Max's myriad victims conspire to kill him by literally impregnating him with a soulless life form. The balance of the story relates Max's efforts to save both his child and himself while fending off the attacks of his former employers, who have come to perceive him as a liability. The novella concludes with a bloodbath involving both Max's friends and enemies, during which his child is born.

ROAD TO HELL finds Max and the twins dealing with the trials and tribulations of parenthood. The child, whom Max names Angel, presents quite a quandary: not only does he never sleep, he also never stops eating, a fact which is painfully obvious to his "aunts", Keuer and Alioune, who are breast feeding him. The trio soon discovers the reason for his hunger--it turns out Angel is growing at a fantastic rate, many times faster than normal (he reaches adulthood in a matter of weeks). Adding to the discord produced by the new "baby," Max discovers his ex-employers are still gunning for him, a discovery that prompts the strange family to flee the US for Africa. There, they engage in yet another apocalyptic conflict, a battle so furious it may require Max to make the ultimate sacrifice to save his family and friends.

On the surface, ROAD TO HELL is a horror novel, steeped in violence, gore, and the supernatural--Death follows Max like an acolyte, feasting on the carnage he creates. But, to my mind the book is also grappling with the issues of fatherhood and parental responsibility--at its heart, it is a book about family ties and obligations. Like many new fathers, Max struggles with his inner demons while trying to understand the emotions, both positive and negative, his child arouses in him. Add to the mix his (admittedly unique) job pressures and personal issues, and ROAD TO HELL can be read as a metaphor for sacrifices and rewards of fatherhood, and for the pain of letting your children grow away from you. This subtext grounds the more fantastic action, lending credibility to some of Houarner's more outrageous scenes.

There's much to like about this book--Houarner's prose shines, and he displays a truly wild imagination (in his introduction, Brian Hodge refers to it as Houarner's tendency to "color outside the lines")--but readers should be warned that ROAD TO HELL isn't a "stand alone" novel. As intriguing as it is, the book is bound to confuse newcomers, who won't understand the references to past adventures. Not to worry though--I'm told that Max's previous adventures are being gathered together in a single volume, tentatively titled THE BEAST THAT WAS MAX. I also understand the new novel will include a prequel of sorts, a 40,000-word novella which will further explain Max's relationship with the twins. I don't know if it's feasible, but it seems logical to make the new book even more of an omnibus edition by also including THE ROAD TO HELL--although its final scene screams sequel, it seems a more natural ending point for a novel than the one contained in "Truth and Consequences in the Heart of Destruction". Of course, there's nothing to prevent you from searching out the other stories in their previous incarnations, an effort that I promise you'll find worthwhile.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not taking the easy path, July 25, 2004

By 

L. Addison "Night Bird" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Road to Hell (Mass Market Paperback)

It was a pleasure to read a book with the depth of characters and story that Road To Hell gives. Having read the first book (The Beast That Was Max) I couldn't wait to see what other trouble Max and the girls would get in and what it would cost for them to get out. Houarner delivers in a book full of action and tension that doesn't take the easy path--everything has a cost in real life and in his fiction. Really enjoyed the journey through Max's hell and the redemption he seeks for himself and his son.