Doctors in Hell

At last a thinking person's entry into the genre of urban fantasy! The supernatural and the mundane mix in a world that also embraced the literary classics, as well, in a way that doesn't seem forced or contrived but utter natural and believable.

Great book. A must read!

Doctors in Hell is the 18th in the long running Heroes in Hell series, each installment being a different theme. “Doctors” has 14 short stories plus an excerpt (a sequel of sorts to one entry, and a prelude to a novel). First-time hell readers can feel comfortable jumping into Doctors, since it works as a stand-alone book as well a series entry. Beware, hell is a seductive force and the book a gateway (this was my first full adventure but now I have committed myself to more since I have now bought five previous installments). Here are basic expectations of the series from my fresh perspective:

(1) Human Behavior persists: The dead do not need sustenance nor drink, and all the food tastes bad (i.e. like vomit), but inhabitants habitually eat/drink anyway despite the displeasure. “Real people” copy their initial lives in hell.

(2) Our gods and hell exist: Various gods from history battle to maintain some ideal flux/condition of souls; in “Doctors” the Akkadian plague god has descended from heaven to ensure hell is sufficiently undesirable, casting additional illnesses upon the dead … and messing with Satan’s control of hell.
Part of hell’s nature ensured that it metamorphosed to suit those it incarcerated. All societies created the hell they deserved, if left to their own devices. And the devil moderated the creation of the New Dead’s societies, so that no one group took power, intent on preserving the balance that made the underverse an equally uneasy resting place for history’s manifold modern damned. – from THE WAGER by J. Morris and C. Morris

(3) Unbounded Time: Time is nonlinear and infinite, so individuals from various centuries are often paired or pitted against one another. Where else can Attila the Hun and Napoleon Bonaparte join forces against armies of rats and Vietcong?

(4) Resurrections: If one dies again in hell, then an entity called the Undertaker will resurrect the individual and “reassign” it to another life – so “death” is not a way out, and the process is painful.
“He’s still there. What’s wrong with Reassignments? He should have disappeared by now.” “Maybe they’re overwhelmed,” Wellington offered. “So many deaths. Even the Undertaker must be up to his malformed eyebrows in bodies.” –from MEMORY by N. Asire

“I do not understand. These men are dead! They should be on the Undertaker’s slab waiting for recycling,” from HELL NOON by P.Freeman
(5) Titular theme: Each book has a theme as per the title that focuses each anthology and makes them stand alone; however story arcs and characters do carry from volume to volume, so the more one reads the more one enjoys.

(6) Varied content: Each author demonstrates freedom to explore the titular theme, with their own style and genre. This collection has classic myths, western shoot outs, zombie apocalypse, comedy, a military sortie, and police drama… and somehow all the mix feels very consistent.

Highlights: I enjoyed the whole set, but in particular five resonated with me, seemed more stand alone or tailored to a new-HIH reader, demonstrated hell’s operation explicitly, and fully embraced the “doctors” theme.

The Wager by Janet E. Morris and Christopher Morris (heroic myth): The initial story sets the stage for the book, economically capturing the tone of previous stories, the purpose of this tome, and the delivering an entertaining tale of Satan and the angel Altos. The Morris’s have a knack for writing heroic fantasy, and true to form, they deliver again. This made me feel guilty about being an armchair, video-game general.

What Price Oblivion by Rob Hinkle (horror) : Con-man Charles Braggs (known as Doc in life since he had a skill of ‘skinning suckers’ was as sharp as any surgeon’s) gets his murderous due. Without spoiling, I’ll highlight a line that I cannot get out of my head: “Why do you keep doing this to me?” This story showed the Undertaker’s role vividly.

Pavlovian Slip by Bill Snider (comedy): Utterly hilarious depiction of psychologists Ivan Pavlov and Sigmund Freud, struggling to reason why humans have habitual behavior and the consequences for that in hell. The philosophical undertones strengthen the commentary greatly. Saturated with dark humor.

Hell on a technicality by Joe Bonadonna (comedy): Ah, another hilarious blend: this time a death panel (inducing Aristotle and Da Vinci) convenes to discuss the nature of the soul and body in the preposterous case of Doctor Victor Frankenstein, who has had his brain switched with his creature Adam’s. So now Victor’s mind finds itself in his creation’s body… and vice versa. How else better to discuss the nature of a soul in hell then to work out this mess. The death panel erupts into an outrageous furor.

Convalescence by Michael H. Hanson (zombie horror) : This reads as a homage to Edgar Allen Poe’s Masque of the Red Death, one of my favorites. Here we have Calamity Jane as a nurse in one of hell’s retirement homes. A zombie horde surrounds the home while a “Strawberry Ball” masquerade event is held. The colored rooms, impending doom, and costumes are very Red Death-like; of course, Poe’s Mask of the Red Death involved a cureless plague and the inevitability of death to good measure, so echoing in “Doctors” is perfect.

Other Grim Stories: The other stories are all worthy in their own right, some catering to readers of previous books like Poets in Hell and Lawyers in Hell (Memory, In The Shadowlands, The Cure & Writer’s Block, and Let Us Kill The Spirit of Gravity), there are two western motifs (The Right Man for the Job, and Hell Noon), and a 1920’s pairing of Elliot Ness versus lobotomist Walter Jackson Freeman II (The Judas Book). Last of note, there is Grim who’s character is a genuine reaper allowed to leave hell on a sortie to retrieve an escapee early in the collection; the last entry A Moment of Clarity is an excerpt from the forthcoming Heroes in Hell novel called “Hell Bound” – this excerpt extends the initial story and prepares the reader for more in a dedicated novel.

Highly recommended for readers of dark, historic, or heroic fantasy.

Contents:
THE WAGER - Janet E. Morris and Christopher Morris THE CURE - Christopher Morris GRIM - Andrew P Weston THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB - Deborah Koren MEMORY - Nancy Asire WHAT PRICE OBLIVION? Rob Hinkle IN THE SHADOWLANDS - Richard Groller LET US KILL THE SPIRIT OF GRAVITY - Matthew Kirshenblatt PAVLOVIAN SLIP - Bill Snider HELL ON A TECHNICALITY - Joe Bonadonna CONVALESCENCE - Michael H. Hanson HELL NOON - Paul Freeman THE JUDAS BOOK -Jack William Finley WRITER’S BLOCK - Janet E. Morris and Christopher Morris A MOMENT OF CLARITY Excerpt - Andrew P Weston

In this, the latest in the long running "Hell" series from Janet Morris, you are treated to a variety of wonderful tales of torment featuring some of history's most nefarious characters. However, this novel isn't just a gore fest (although of that there is plenty), but a meditation on torment and the human condition. All of the contributing authors take the time to provide nuggets of wisdom as well as social commentary in their efforts. It's also entertaining how this series of stories created by separate individuals also seems to have a arcing theme which provides a serendipitous level of meaning to the whole collection. This is a book that you'll be reading again and again.

The Wager by Janet and Chris Morris--This is a delightfully scathing criticism of modern warfare written in a Homeric style that only underscores the lack of honor and softness of the modern battle monger. The image of privileged, arrogant souls willfully driving themselves to ruin as a result of their own hubris and blindness is almost as heartbreaking as it is mildly amusing. The tone of this story is especially artful as it could have drifted easily into satire and become a mockery of the very point it was trying to make. Too heavy handed and the audience would drift away, but too light and the message is lost. Janet and Chris Morris do a wonderful job of navigating these opposing forces and the result is entertainment that packs a thoughtful punch.

The Cure by Chris Morris is so wide sweeping and boldly lyrical that it must be read aloud to be truly appreciated. I enjoyed the images of the struggling poets Milton, Shakespeare and Marlowe as they wrestled with the prospect of oblivion, all under the ominous, ever present shadow of Satan spreading his demonic wings. Satan offers nothing more than the illusion of salvation, delighting as the hungry souls lurch for the false reward even while fundamentally understanding they're doomed to suffer another trick. Satan is again set at a perfect note in this tale, declarative of how the human weakness will manifest, confident and secure, yet mysterious, at least, until the whole tale is completed.

Grim by Andrew P. Weston--With a story like Grim it's easy to see why Andrew P. Weston is one of the fastest rising authors in the Perseid stable. A first person account of an errand of the grim reaper himself, Grim is a fast paced noir effort that reminded me of the Clyde section in "Sin City." Weston does an excellent job maintaining the forward action while filling in the back story. This is a very satisfying tale that leaves you wanting more.

The Right Man for the Job by Deborah Koren is a story about the continuing adventures of Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp in Hell. A new plague in hell sets the stage for a thoughtful meditation on the concept of torment. In this case, that torment is felt by a doctor who kills everyone he attempts to cure. The Bat Masterson/Wyatt Earp tale felt like a continuation from the story within the last Hell volume, and it's nice to see these chapters line up as a kind of book within a series.

In Memory by Nancy Asire a host of rodents has brought plague to Hellview estates, home of Napoleon, the Duke of Wellington, Atilla the Hun, and others. When plague threatens to take the life of Napoleons consort Marie, only the unexpected arrival of field medic Dominique-Jean Larrey can provide a spark of hope.

What Price Oblivion? by R. E. Hinkle begins with a brutal murder and continues to escalate in pace and tension. When Charles Baggs suffers a fleeting moment of pity, he can expect to be dealt with harshly in Hell. There is quite a bit of nuance in this well-crafted tale that ends on a cruel punishment that comes in the form of an unexpected regeneration by the infamous Undertaker.

In the Shadowlands by Dr. Richard Groller. This is a complex tale that finds Zeno and Edison working on a time-perterbation detection network to probe the nature of infinity in Hell. Houdini also makes an appearance, even taking the time to perform a bit of slight of hand with the ferryman of Charon himself.

Let Us Kill the Spirit of Gravity by Matthew Kirshenblatt. Nietsche works up enough courage to go and visit Lilith for some carnal reprieve, but gets more than he bargains for when he utters a name that penetrates to a soft spot on the queen of the demonesses. Before the story is over, a hydra will be called upon and Nietsche will be tamed.

Pavlovian Slip by Bill Snider. Pavlov and Freud have a series of dialogues while intermittently pausing to watch Pavlov's trained house zombie devour unwanted guests. This tale is especially satisfying, and Pavlov is gifted a great closing line.

Hell on a Technicality by Joe Bonadonna shows Victor Frankenstein's brain residing in the body of the monster he created. Likewise the brain of the monster, Adam, resides in Victor's human body. As Frankenstein lances boils on the face of Chicago gangster Johnny Fortune, the two damned souls muse on whether or not the man-made monster, Adam, is in hell by mistake. Other historical figures get involved in the question such as Quasimodo and Aristotle who debate whether the soul resides in the head or the heart.

Convalescence by Michael H. Hanson features Calamity Jane in a retirement home populated by damned souls that tormented the elderly. Plague abounds, and catches up with Jane in the end.

Hell Noon by Paul Freeman features Doc Holiday and once again Calamity Jane. They are stuck in a gambler's hell at a table that also features Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Doc is cursed by the fact that he always wins, which steals the danger of gambling and the joy of victory. However, in Doc's final gambit of the tale, the odds come crashing down.

The Judas Book by Jack William Finley features Frank Nitti and Elliot Ness. The two of them go to visit Dr. Walter Freeman, a lobotomist with spikes protruding from his eyes. Freeman has a plan for escaping Hell based on the belief that damned souls only endure torment because they themselves believe they deserve it. The escape plan, however, turns out to be the greatest of deceptions, with Judas himself as an overseer.

Writer's Block by Janet and Chris Morris features Shakespeare and Marlowe sharing a moment of clarity in the eternal battle against Satan. Shakespeare's power is such that he is afforded a certain relative comfort in damnation, and this story ends on a hopeful note that is a fitting finale to this collection.

Also included is an excerpt from Andrew P. Weston's upcoming novel.

Doctor's in Hell is a tremendous collection of tales that will horrify, delight, and make you pause and reflect. You might even discover some writers whose other works you will wish to explore. Highly recommended.

Great read! Thrills and chills galore. It's not my normal type of read. Only because I simply am not interested in reading shorts, anthologies, or novella's. This book caught my eye with the cover and title. And reading the description... I went for it. It didn't let me down. *Note: I was given the cop for an honest review. Thank you!!! 👍😀