Escape from Hell!

Last updated
Escape from Hell!
EscFromHell.jpg
Escape from Hell! first edition cover.
Author Hal Duncan
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Genre Speculative fiction, comedy, adventure
Publisher MonkeyBrain Books
Publication date
2008
Media typePrint
Pages128
ISBN 978-1-932265-25-5

Escape from Hell! is a speculative fiction novella by Scottish writer Hal Duncan, strongly inspired by the movies Jacob's Ladder and Escape from New York but also by the works of William Blake and John Milton.

Contents

It was first published in the United States by MonkeyBrain Books in 2008. [1] [2]

Introduction

The prologue of the book introduces the reader to four characters, who in it meet their death in different ways. Eli (a clear reference to the biblical prophet of the same name) is a beggar sometimes defined a hobo, who commits suicide; Seven (probably referring to the seven deadly sins or to the David Fincher film Seven ) is a hitman who ends up killed by his paymaster; Matthew (clearly Matthew Shepard, already referred to by the author in his previous novels Vellum and Ink ) is a young homosexual man who was beaten to death; Belle is a prostitute and a drug addict who is killed by her pimp for having tried to leave "the profession". [3]

The four characters see each other (but do not interact) on the ferry that takes them across the Styx and into Hell. [4]

After having been walked through gates bearing the Dante Alighieri words "Abandon Hope", gates that are described as very similar to those of Auschwitz concentration camp, they are assigned to four different sections. Eli is let loose in the streets of a dystopian version of Manhattan, where he struggles to hide from police-like vigilantes; Seven is locked in a structure resembling a prison where he is constantly tortured; Belle is kept in a room where she is regularly raped; Matthew is in an institution similar to a psychiatric hospital where doctors try to "cure" him from his homosexual tendencies.

In different ways, they all manage to escape from their situation and join forces; they rescue Lucifer from Gabriel the archangel, who is running Hell in his stead, and try to get him back into Heaven too.

Conception

Hal Duncan admitted in an interview that the idea for this book came to him while drunk, and that initially he had written it as the script for a possible gonzo-style movie. [5]

Reception

Escape from Hell! has been praised for his mix of adventure and irony. [6] [7]

Sequels

Hal Duncan announced that he is working on two sequels to this novel, Assault! On Heaven! and Battle! For the Planet! Of the Dead!. [8]

Related Research Articles

Heaven Supernatural place where gods, angels, or ancestors reside

Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as gods, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the beliefs of some religions, heavenly beings can descend to Earth or incarnate and earthly beings can ascend to Heaven in the afterlife or, in exceptional cases, enter Heaven alive.

Monkey King Character in Chinese mythology

The Monkey King, known as Sun Wukong in Mandarin Chinese, is a legendary mythical figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West and many later stories and adaptations. In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices. After rebelling against heaven, he is imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha. After five hundred years, he accompanies the monk Tang Sanzang (唐三藏) and two other disciples on a journey to get back Buddhist sutras from the West (India), where Buddha and his followers dwell.

LucasArts adventure games Adventure games produced by LucasArts

From the late 1980s to the early 2000s, LucasArts was well known for their point-and-click graphic adventure games, nearly all of which received high scoring reviews at the time of their release. Their style tended towards the humorous, often irreverent or slapstick humor, with the exceptions of Loom and The Dig. Their game design philosophy was that the player should never die or reach a complete dead-end, although there were exceptions.

Neron (DC Comics) Fictional demon, a comic book character published by DC Comics

Neron is a fictional supervillain appearing in various American comic book stories published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Underworld Unleashed #1 and was created by Mark Waid and Howard Porter.

Monkey Gone to Heaven Song by Pixies

"Monkey Gone to Heaven" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pixies. Recorded in November 1988 during the sessions for the band's 1989 album Doolittle, it was released as a single in March, and included as the seventh track on the album when it was released a month later in April. The song was written and sung by frontman Black Francis and was produced by Gil Norton. Referencing environmentalism and biblical numerology, the song's lyrics mirrored themes that were explored in Doolittle. "Monkey Gone to Heaven" was the first Pixies song to feature guest musicians: two cellists, Arthur Fiacco and Ann Rorich, and two violinists, Karen Karlsrud and Corine Metter.

Geoff Stults American actor

Geoffrey Manton Stults is an American actor. He is known for his regular roles on 7th Heaven, October Road and Happy Town. He also starred as Major Walter Sherman in The Finder and as Sgt. Pete Hill in Enlisted. He played the recurring role of Mitch in seasons 1-3 of the Netflix series Grace and Frankie. His film roles include Wedding Crashers, The Break-Up, She's Out of My League, Only the Brave, and 12 Strong.

<i>Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror</i> Science-fiction horror novel by Steve Alten

Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror is a techno-thriller novel by Steve Alten, and was first published in July 1997. Along with its sequels, the novel follows the underwater adventures of a Navy deep-sea diver named Jonas Taylor. In 2018, a film adaptation titled The Meg, was released. A revised and expanded version of the novel was also released to coincide with the film's debut. A graphic novel adaptation was also released in 2019 by Steve Alten, J.S. Earls, and Mike Miller.

Hal Duncan Scottish writer

Hal Duncan is a Scottish science fiction and fantasy writer.

David Vickers American fictional character

David Vickers is a fictional character from the American soap opera One Life to Live portrayed by Tuc Watkins.

<i>Grimm Fairy Tales</i> (comics) Comic book series published by Zenescope Entertainment

Grimm Fairy Tales is a dark fantasy comic book series by Zenescope Entertainment that presents classic fairy tales, albeit with modern twists or expanded plots. It began publication in June 2005.

The Dark Carnival is described by hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse in much of their discography. This concept, similar to the "heaven and hell" language of most major monotheistic religions, is the primary source of inspiration for Insane Clown Posse's two series of albums called Joker's Cards, each containing six albums.

MonkeyBrain Books American publishing house

MonkeyBrain Books is an independent American publishing house based in Austin, Texas, specialising in books comprising both new content and reprinting online, international, or out-of-print content, which show "an academic interest," but which "reach a popular audience as well."

<i>Blackest Night</i> Limited DC comics crossover series

Blackest Night is a 2009–2010 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in issues. Blackest Night involves Nekron, a personified force of death who reanimates deceased superheroes and seeks to eliminate all life and emotion from the universe. Geoff Johns has identified the series' central theme as emotion. The crossover was published for eight months as a limited series and in both the Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps comic titles. Various other limited series and tie-ins, including an audio drama from Darker Projects, were published.

<i>The Flash: Rebirth</i> American comic book limited series

The Flash: Rebirth is a six-issue monthly American comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver. The series was published by DC Comics, and features characters from throughout the nearly seventy-year-long history of Flash comics.

Danielle Manning Soap opera character

Danielle Manning is a fictional character from the American daytime drama One Life to Live. Created by writer Ron Carlivati, the role was originated on October 23, 2009 by Kelley Missal, who remained in the role through the ABC Daytime finale on January 12, 2012. Missal reprised the role when new daily episodes of One Life to Live debuted on Hulu, iTunes, and FX Canada via The Online Network April 29, 2013.

<i>I Spit on Your Grave</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Steven R. Monroe

I Spit on Your Grave is a 2010 American rape and revenge horror film and a remake of the controversial 1978 cult film I Spit on Your Grave. It was directed by Steven R. Monroe and written by Stuart Morse, based on the original film's director/writer Meir Zarchi's screenplay, and stars Sarah Butler, Jeff Branson, Daniel Franzese, Rodney Eastman, Chad Lindberg, Tracey Walter, and Andrew Howard.

<i>Vellum</i> (novel)

Vellum: The Book of All Hours is a speculative fiction novel by Hal Duncan.

<i>Ink</i> (novel) 2007 speculative fiction novel by Hal Duncan

Ink: The Book of All Hours 2 is a speculative fiction novel by Hal Duncan.

Non-reproductive sexual behavior in animals Non-reproductive behavior in animals

Non-reproductive sexual behavior consists of sexual activities animals participate in that do not lead to the reproduction of the species. Although procreation continues to be the primary explanation for sexual behavior in animals, recent observations on animal behavior have given alternative reasons for the engagement in sexual activities by animals. Animals have been observed to engage in sex for social interaction bonding, exchange for significant materials, affection, mentorship pairings, sexual enjoyment, or as demonstration of social rank. Observed non-procreative sexual activities include non-copulatory mounting, oral sex, genital stimulation, anal stimulation, interspecies mating, and acts of affection. Although it is doubted they have done this since the beginning of existence. There have also been observations of sex with cub participants, same-sex sexual interaction, as well as sex with dead animals.

<i>Adventures of God</i> Comedy webtoon by Matteo Ferrazzi and Corey Jay

Adventures of God is a comedy webtoon created and respectively written and illustrated by Italian Matteo "Teo" Ferrazzi and American Corey Jay. The comic explores the relationship between God and his sons Jesus and Lucy and the angel Gabe and demon Ebag after confirming the existence of the afterlife to humankind. It began publishing weekly on WEBTOON in November 2016. As of August 2019 it had 100 million views, and as of April 2021 WEBTOON reported that it had 1.4 million subscribers. The comic has been nominated for a Ringo Award in the Humor Comic category, ranking second behind I Hate Fairyland. Adventures of God is published in print by Rocketship Entertainment and was Kickstarted in October 2019.

References

  1. Hal Duncan (2008), Escape from Hell!, Monkeybrain, Austin (TX), ISBN   978-1-932265-25-5
  2. "Escape from Hell!". MonkeyBrain Books. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  3. Jay Tomio (2008-11-26). "Hell Cant with Hal Duncan". BSC. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
  4. Jay Tomio, Hal Duncan (2008-11-19). "Exclusive – Escape From Hell! by Hal Duncan (prologue)". BSC. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  5. Bob Millington (2009-05-28). "Guest List #2 – Hal Duncan". A Flight and a Crash. Archived from the original on 2011-08-11. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  6. Keith Brooke (2009-01-17). "Escape From Hell". The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  7. Matthew Kressel (2009-11-04). "Hal Duncan's ESCAPE FROM HELL!". Senses Five Press. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  8. William Victor (2009). "A Conversation with Hal Duncan". Creative Writing Now. Retrieved 2011-02-08.