Heaven and Hell, Angels and Demons, these things were once considered opposites, but what happens when they become neighbors, allies…friends?
Marcus, Becky, Richard, Helen, Sammy, and Graham. All complete strangers, different ages, backgrounds and even countries, but they all have one major thing in common…they all must DIE. Sentenced to offer their penance in the many chambers of Hell, their lives are nothing but a torturous experience. They are brought face to face with their past, their mistakes and the implications that had for others. Until one by one they are rescued and thrown together. Walking in a dying world, they are introduced to their rescuers who do anything but conform to their angelic stereotype. Together, bonded by an unknown destiny the group is set on their quest; to find one individual buried deep within the many Hell worlds. Not only does the fate of their world rest on their shoulders, but that of existence itself. Heaven and Hell, Angels and Demons, these things were once considered opposites, but what happens when they become neighbors, allies…friends?
Excerpt
“Think of this as Purgatory – I will try to keep to your simple way of categorizing things. There are many places just like this, realms or realities that exist alongside your own, within your own, and a near infinite number which exist in the different pathways of time. This you will see for yourselves, I am sure.
“These worlds exist to house those who had died. To allow them time for contemplation, and to give us time to judge them. Some worlds are filled with those who led a righteous life, one worthy of a happy eternity. Others are fire realms, nothing more than holding pens for the cattle that will be marched below to where out fallen brother leads his hedonistic life.
“Then there are many filled with lost souls; empty, lonely places void of all feeling; ghost worlds filled with those that were forgotten, left behind when it was their time to rise... or fall. These worlds all exist separate from each other. Those who dwell or wait in one know nothing about the others. Although memory of your own world remains, given time it fades. Those in the fire realms seem to remember the longest. They are the ones who grasp onto their human memories as if it could somehow help them find redemption. While those who are righteous are given a mere taste of what awaits them and realize that there was no point to their lives.
“They are merely a short test which will determine your place in eternity. Pass and you will be rewarded, fail and punishment is a certainty, do neither and you will be destined to carry on living your mediocre existence in a world fitting to the task; a place such as this, for instance.
“This community, if you would like to call it that, is long abandoned. The souls simply fell from existence. In these outer worlds the boundaries that keep them sustained are weakened, bending all the time. It is not unheard of for these dimensions to disappear along with everybody in them. This was where we needed to bring you, for it is here that the boundaries are weakest.
“There is a war coming, a fight that has been brewing beneath the surface of all worlds since before time, and it is here that the first tears will appear. Once they start they cannot be stopped, and given time the barriers will break and all worlds will collide. Your earth, your mortal life, the kingdom of God will come crashing down from the heavens while the fiery underbelly of Hell will rise up and Lucifer, our fallen brother, will try once more to take control. This will not happen; it must not. Do you understand me?” Raguel’s eyes seemed to focus on all of them individually, yet simultaneously. It held them captive and allowed them all to see that this angel was far from the stereotype.
The group stood in silence. The words they had just heard were heavy to digest, and their brains had been sluggish before Raguel started, and so it took a while for everything to sink in. When it finally did they all had to fight back the urge to laugh, especially Graham who, despite his age, or possibly as a result of his age, was the most skeptical and cynical of them all. Once the laughter was contained without even so much as a nose snort, they all returned their attentions to Raguel, but instead of continuing with his explanation, he simple stared at them. There was a flash of light and a loud rustle of feathers. The wind created as the angel took flight brought tears to their eyes. Raguel was gone before any of them could register anything, the wind and sound apparently coming after the fact. All five of them had been looking straight at him, or so they would swear in later conversations, but yet none of them saw him leave. Like the greatest magician in the world, he was there one second and vanished like the victim of a David Copperfield illusion the next.
“Forgive Raguel. He does not deal with mortals well. He is a warrior through and through. Maintaining the balance is his purpose, keeping a watchful eye on us is his responsibility. The troubles of our father’s favorite creation are of little and no concern to him,” the angel who had been introduced as Nemamiah said. His words were noticeably more cordial than Raguel’s had been
Professional Reviews
A horrifically horror, a must read for fans on the genre,
At the start of the book the reader is introduced to a few characters that all seem to die a brutal and untimely death.
Here I started to fear that this might be a confusing book to follow with so many characters introduces in such a short span of time.
My fears were unfounded.
The reader is taken into hell with some of these characters, literally. Their stomach turning torture is devised and each individual goes through torture that no living person would survive, good thing they are dead. This part of the book is really dark and deeply disturbing and I really liked the dark edge to the story even if it got to be a bit drawn out for me at times. Here is the first really funny irony. Every time I got to the point where it got to be a bit much for me and too drawn out the author managed to bring me back to reality and make me see that these poor protagonists is actually physically suffering through this day after day, night after night for decades at a time. So in this aspect the author did a brilliant job in getting some of the true tribulation through to the reader.
Then the torture is over, at least the type the protagonists and the reader have come accustomed to. A new set of torture is introduced. We find two of our protagonists caught up in a maze with no idea of where they are heading or why. But go, they must, as they navigate the maze to a destination unknown they meet up with others and by the end of this section the reader is left with six main protagonists! The second irony, 6 people are saved from Hell, see where I am going with this?
These types of hidden ironies can be find everywhere in the book and really adds substance to the story.
Then enters the Angels. The beings of hope and love and promise of light, but they are not all they seem to be and they saved our six protagonist to go on a quest for the lines between good and evil is no longer clear, enemies once were brothers and little is as it seems.
The cliff hanger ending to this book ensured that I will definitely read the next book, I need to know who they need to find and why....
Hellish in a good way
"Highway to Hell" is a great achievement, very ambitious and fortunately successful in its complex structure that had me guessing and wondering from the beginning.
At first there is a sequence of short stories during which several characters die. There is some great horror in the way some of them go but there is no connection between these victims at all, which made me read impatiently to find out the missing link.
In the next part these characters wake up in hell or purgatory or whatever you feel comfortable naming it. They are shown their sins and made to suffer for it, although there remains some debate about whether or not all of the 'sins' are strictly 'sins', which is why our characters, some of whom have now met and teamed up, find an escape from hell with the help of Archangels, who explain to them the story of God and Lucifer and God's fixation with humans.
There is some very explicit language, gruesome violence and great horror action to make this a fast paced read; once all of the stories come together it virtually does not stop. The role of the Archangels and the explanation of the after life given here may divide some of the readership, depending on their personal belief systems, but if you can put that to one side then this is a well put together piece of horror writing presented in an original and captivating manner. I enjoyed this very much.
Going to Hell for a Heavenly Read!,
When Stephen King was struck by a van, out of the stark realization of his mortality, I started looking for new horror authors. King won't live forever. Long live the King. Alex Laybourne is one of the few authors that I've discovered, who can sate me, when I'm having a King craving.
The premise of Highway to Hell is extremely clever. How does an author convince readers to care about people who are being tortured in Hell? If most of us think of Hell, at all, it is with the quiet conviction that we won't be going there. Hitler, certain former bosses, people who commit heinous acts such as abusing, or murdering children--they all belong in Hell and we hope that it's uncomfortable, for a long, long time. Well, Laybourne takes these expectations and he turns them on their ear.
He presents the tortures of Hell (extremely graphic, equal in impact to Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of Christ') but, in a twist, his characters have been sent to Hell by some cosmic error. They didn't earn Hell, but they are unaware of this fact, for the majority of the novel. Laybourne's readers are forced to ponder the characters' assorted transgressions. Most will probably find at least one sin with which they also have in common. For me, it was probably the most innocent of the group, a woman who couldn't quite manage to like her in-laws. Really, I thought, this sends you to Hell? It's a brilliant plot devise and Laybourne milks it well.
I warn you to strap on your seatbelt because Highway to Hell is bumpy ride, and whatever you do, don't stick your hand out the window, or God forbid, your head. Hell is not for sissies, but this novel kept me totally engrossed for a full week. It provided well developed characters, compelling situations, and the type of horror that will leave you metaphorically weaving from lane to lane, hoping for a nearby exit. You're going to get car-sick reading this sincerely frightening masterpiece. I can't wait for part two of the series!
Did you ever wonder what happened after the Archangel Michael through the demons out of heaven? Let one of them guide you through the origin of evil in the world.
