 Cover of first edition hardcover. | |
| Authors | Brian Herbert Kevin J. Anderson |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Stephen Youll |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
Publication date | March 15, 2011 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 544 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7653-2269-2 |
| OCLC | 651912767 |
| 813.54[1] | |
| Followed by | Hellhole Awakening Hellhole Inferno |
Hellhole is the first book in the Hellhole science fiction trilogy by American authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.[2]
On the dangerous frontier planet Hellhole, defeated and exiled rebel Gen. Tiber Adolphus continues his honorable opposition to the political scheming and selfish machinations of the Crown Jewel worlds and grandmotherly Diadem Michella Duchenet. Adolphus and his companions work in secret to undermine the royal space travel monopoly and form a coalition of Deep Zone planets. Diadem Michella, embroiled in the schemes of the ancient noble families on the decadent capital planet Sonjeera, is too distracted to recognize the danger Adolphus poses.
The Crown Jewels are the twenty core planets in the Constellation. They are the most highly populated and considered to be the most civilized. These planets are ruled by nobles who constantly jockey for increased power. The Deep Zone is made up of the fifty-four frontier worlds of the Constellation recently opened for settlement. They are administered by government-appointed Governors and pay constantly increased tribute to the Crown Jewels.
Publishers Weekly wrote that the "characters are one-dimensional, and the tale has an unsatisfying cliffhanger conclusion",[3] while Booklist found the characters "easy for the reader to believe in, brought to life through not only their own emotions but also the responses and thoughts of the individuals around them ".[4]
Herbert and Anderson have also published Hellhole Awakening (March 19, 2013) and Hellhole Inferno (August 12, 2014), which complete the trilogy.