Happy Hour in Hell (Bobby Dollar)

Tad Williams' second novel in his new Bobby Dollar series finds our hard boiled angel friend in a world of trouble. After nearly destroying his home town on his search to discover the truth, letting Sam, his best friend and rogue angel go free, falling in love with a demon woman and lying about all of it to his superiors our hero finds himself in a world of hurt.
But that's the least of his concerns. There are big things afoot in Heaven and Hell than go top of the food chain and the very heart of reality. Are Heaven, Hell or probation in Purgatory really all mankind can hope for? The mysterious followers of the new "Third Way" don't think so. And Bobby's friend Sam is one of their leaders.
But none of that is of primary concern for our intrepid angel advocate. His girlfriend was stolen from him by her master one of the Four Horsemen and a major player in Hell. He took her back to the Pit and there is nothing Bobby can do about it. Or is there?
Bobby's journey into and through Hell is neither easy or pleasant. Surrounded by filth, torment, hate, fear, and a rogue's gallery of Hell's "finest" there is no room for a nosy angel, even one temporarily hiding in a demon body.
Feeling he has nothing left to lose Bobby takes the plunge into Hades to save the woman he loves from someone impossibly stronger than himself and a life of eternal servitude to a monster. Danger lives in the hot suffocating air he breathes and trust is a luxury he cannot afford. But even in Hell it appears things are not entirely as advertised. Perhaps there are allies to be found after all.
He will need to gather all his courage, all the luck, and not a little bit of help from the Almighty to pull this one off, but if anyone can do it, it's this guy.
A great second effort, I am looking forward to as many books as Mr. Williams intends to write. Once again though, I would put these books in older teens and adult hands. Tad's previous works are pretty much all ages, but here you'll find drugs, sex, rock and roll and people who get their kicks eating others alive for all Eternity. I don't blame you for keeping a light on.

Bobby Dollar, Heaven's slightly problematic angel, is having another ill-advised adventure in Happy Hour in Hell. In this book, Bobby decides to go to Hell to rescue his demon girlfriend Caz. Luckily, a higher level angel wants Bobby to do a little errand for him in Hell, so Bobby learns how to get down below. What proceeds is an adventure through Hell that only Bobby Dollar would venture through.

This was a fun second installment in the Bobby Dollar series. I felt that Bobby Dollar's voice was stronger in this installment. Also, the writing in general seemed a bit cleaner. In other words, the first-person narrative didn't grate on me like the first book.

I feel that Hell was described very well, and the place became a three-dimensional world for me. The land was not just fire and brimstone, but came alive with Tad Williams' writing. I must admit that the adventure seemed to drag a bit at times. It seemed that Williams' wanted to describe every facet of Hell, but the descriptions were interesting, so I kept moving forward. I wish that the book had focused a bit more on the Third Way conspiracy; however, I think this is going to be discussed more in the next book.

This was a fun book, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Brief Note: I want to let people know who are sensitive to sexual violence in books that there is a rape scene in the book. It is not a focus to the book and the scene can be skipped without missing any major plot points to the book.

I received this item for free in exchange for an honest review.

When an author does a series the great challenge is for him to step it up for each book. I read and loved book one: The Dirty Streets of Heaven. Did I love this one as much?
MORE TAD, MORE!! I loved this one more! The whole concept of the series to begin with is intriguing. What if death and the afterlife is really like that? So I say excellent plot on book two. There is lots of action going on. Never a dull moment! I love the vivid descriptions of hell. All the characters are well developed and I love how dedicated Bobby is to the woman he loves. Sweet and heartbreaking. Makes one think: What would I do, how far would I go for the one I love?
Something else that I feel need mentioning is that it is written in the first person. Very few authors can write in the first person and do a good job. Tad did this in fine style!

Usually I give a few paragraphs for you to feast your eyes on. I pick something from the book that grabs my attention and put in my review. But the problem is what I really loved, my favorite quote is a whole chapter. Chapter forty-one called 'the pain report' really got to me. So this time I am not going to post a quote and I am just going to say this...GO GET THE BOOK, Once you have read it then get back to me on chapter forty-one!
~Linna Drehmel

There are more than enough plot summaries offered, so to get right to it:
Bobby Dollar is a great hero; the descriptions of Hell, and Heaven, are terrific. So are the many forms of those living in Hell. Williams' creativity is awe-inspiring, and his writing is outstanding.
But the plot seriously stalls, for hundreds of pages. Bobby's in Hell, and he encounters many monsters---and that goes on, and on, and on. Nothing happens that really advances a plot, or makes an interesting story line. It's 200-plus pages of the same thing over and over. There are lots and lots of demons, and fights, but at some point---many points--- you want to skip ahead and find something happens that matters, or changes things, or creates some twists.
I like Bobby a lot, and his associates are also interesting. But I also kinda like to have a developing story line.

Bobby Dollar visits the particularly horrible place during the Happy Hour In Hell (hard from Penguin Group). Even though he is a low level angel, an advocate helping the souls of the dead to go to heaven, his girl friend, Casi¬mira, whom Tad Williams introduced us to in The Dirty Streets of Heaven (paper), is in hell. So Bobby, in a demon body, finds his way across a bridge built for Nero and into a hell so horrible that if it were real, people would do anything to avoid. This is not a visit to talk to famous people, but an immersion is true horror where people can’t die despite impossible torture. It’s hot and smelly and far worse than the worst slum on Earth. This not the end of the tale, so I’m waiting for the next and trying to be good. Printed by the Philadelphia Weekly Press

Happy Hour in Hell (Bobby Dollar book 2)
Bobby Dollar returns and the afterlife just ain't getting any easier for our hero!
I've been a fan of Tad Williams' work since I first picked up The Dragonbone Chair way back in the early 90's but was sceptical when I heard what the subject matter of his new series was. Needless to say the blend of urban fantasy, noirish plotting and sense of humour soon won me over and I devoured The Dirty Streets of Heaven in around 2 days.
Somehow I was lucky to receive any early copy of the second book and sat down to immerse myself in the continuing adventures of the angel Doloriel.
Firstly let me say that Happy Hour in Hell is a relevant term as there is very little happiness for our leading character, starting with an elevator trip straight out of Angel Heart as he's delivered to his starting point on the neronian bridge.
Experiencing Hell from its lower depths to its despicable capital Bobby D has very little to smile about and proves that Dante gave us the PG13 version of what's to come if we don't all behave ourselves.
Picking up where TDSoH left us Bobby is determined to get back his demonic girlfriend from her ex (who just happens to be a Grand Duke of Hell) and forms some unexpected alliances to get to Hell where his troubles really begin.
Tad paints a pretty vivid picture of the underworld and its occupants, presenting us with the idea that Hell is a society that makes you work for everything that you need to survive (and by work I mean the daily 9-5 doesn't end just because you died it just gets worse!) and that unlike Heaven it seems to be solidly based on a familiar capitalist framework. You need money to eat, you need shelter and you need water (of a type) to drink. There are cars, boats and machines but don't expect any environmentally friendly Hybrids or a clean air act.
Making friends and powerful enemies on his journey Bobby (in a snazzy new demon body) makes his way through several of Hells entries in this years Lonley Planet guide.
The pacing of the book is excellent and even when there doesn't seem to be a lot happening you get drawn along by Bobby's constantly running interior monologue. Less Chandleresque than the first book HHiH still retains its noir style and Tad displays a dry sense of humour that I really enjoyed. Bobby is an Angelic hero by accident not choice and his witty come backs at times when he is on the receiving end of some pretty brutal torture reminds me of Robert Mitchum in those old B&W films I used to watch on Sunday afternoons.
I have a couple of gripes but nothing major that will prevent me from counting down the days till the third instalment. After reading MS&T, Otherland etc I found the 400+ pages a little short but then worry that if it had been longer Tad would have spent that time filling pages with even more nightmarish images of Hellbound torture and suffering so maybe it's a good thing. The sex, I've never read anything similar in Tad's other books and it just doesn't seem to sit right. I'm no prude but some of it just didn't seem necessary (saying that Bobby's encounter with the Lady Zinc will give most guys nightmares!).
All in all a good follow up to TDSoH, second books can be notoriously difficult to pull off, but I think that Tad has done well here, the politics of Heaven & Hell make for an interesting storyline and just who is Kephas?
One final point, Bobby, Bobby, Bobby. Scoolboy error pal, what's the saying, "the Devil is in the detail!".

After reading the first book I was genuinely interested and excited for Happy Hour in Hell. Boy what a let down. This book did nothing to further character development and it was quite boring in general. The ending of this book is right where the book started. We know no more, no less and only one thing has changed. Spoiler: Big Bad Demon get's Bobby's angel feather. Ooookay. Neat. If you like to read about disgusting things, torture and agony, this book is for you. If you like lots and lots of descriptive adjectives used to convey smells and sights and sounds then this will be your cup of tea. Another thing this book lacked that the first one had was a sense of humor. The first book had an over-abundance of it but it sorely lacked here. I'm not sure I'm even interested in reading the final book in the series because...well...in all honesty...I think Bobby Dollar is naive idiot and I just don't care about his character anymore.

Tad Williams is a master storyteller and has once again delivered another cult classic. Dark ... disturbing, this tale submerged me into places I wouldn't travel alone but Bobby Dollar is a fascinating character on a mission and I couldn't help going along - it was a helluva ride. Sarcastic angels, heavenly bureaucracy, hellish humour ... I love this author's imagination, he never fails to surprise. Thoroughly entertaining series. Wendy Scott, Fantasy Author, The Witch-Hunt Series.[[...]

Just a delightful novel series. I've enjoyed reading them so far. I can't say that I think the writing is the best of his I have ever read, but at the same time, the writing conveys the personality of the first person narrator fantastically... thus 5 stars. I have truly enjoyed reading the series and look forward to the characters and direction he goes, next.

Enjoyed the first book in this series, so bought the second. This book was unbelievably boring and predictable. Angel falls for demon, goes to Hell to rescue her. One similar misadventure after the other. Angel is captured, tortured, escapes over and over again. Not to spoil the end, but very obvious. Clearly set up for a third book, but who will read it after this poor effort.

Admittedly I am a biased fan of Tad Williams & his work. I've read everything he's written & enjoyed all of it for different reasons. Happy Hour in Hell was sent to me to be reviewed by Tad's lovely wife & I was eager to dive in as soon as it arrived. The story is written as though you were friends with Bobby and he was relating the story to you over a beer. Its a noir, backalley story about an Angel that's a bit different from what you might expect. The adventure takes place mostly in Hell which is wonderfully conceived & the descriptions of Demons and the different level are glorious. The villains are great, the mysteries have me wondering how it will all play out & I can't wait for the third book. Already an avid fan, this book continues to make me think Tad is one of the best writers we have. I am a satisfied reader & I will continue to support him in the coming years.

Tad Williams proves yet again that he is the master of world-building in this fast-paced follow up to "The Dirty Streets of Heaven". His detailed imagining of hell has imprinted on my brain, and it is unlikely I will ever think of it any other way in the future. I feel like Williams enjoyed writing this book as much as I enjoyed reading it - as if he has had a messy drawer labelled 'HELL' for 20 years and has been waiting to put all of these gruesome ideas into a story.
However, it isn't all fire, sludge and undrinkable booze in this version of hell. There are characters who risk themselves to help Bobby on his suicide mission to steal back his demon girlfriend Caz, who make the reader believe that for some tortured souls, eternal damnation really is too long. Bobby is a protagonist that I was rooting for as an underdog, but as the story develops he shows that he is smart and adaptable - capable of taking on the Lords of Hell and winning, or at least making them look stupid.
"Happy Hour in Hell" follows on directly from the first book in the series, but could conceivably be read on its own thanks to snippets of back story that thankfully don't slow down the story. But why would you want to? When I finished the first book I immediately wanted to read this one, and having just finished this one, I can't believe I have to wait another year to read the conclusion.
It's a witty, intelligent read that will have you questioning theology without feeling as if your religion is being mocked. And it contains the most vivid two lines I have read all year: "She leered as she bounced her breasts in her ragged bodice. They looked like plastic bags of pale gravy and blue spaghetti." Reading that made me clutch my bosom in both mirth and shame!"

Happy Hour in Hell
Tad Williams
DAW, Sep 3 2013, $25.95
ISBN 9780756408152

The Heaven equivalent of Internal Affairs has placed the Angel Doloriel on suspension as they investigate whether his activities especially his affair, friendships and advocacy job to save the souls of the recently departed crossed the acceptable line (see The Dirty Streets of Heaven). Known in the Bay Area as Bobby Dollar, he has no time for angelic inspectors as his girlfriend Caz the Countess of the Cold Hands is trapped in Hell by her owner Eligor the Horseman, whom the fallen angel stole a magical feather from the Horseman.

Lacking the patience of a hyperactive human and knowing he must be insane, Bobby dons a demon body to enter Hell to rescue his beloved demon. Making his mission even crazier, Bobby knows that Eligor has a second reason to burn him for eternity as he stole a magical feather from the Horseman. Complicating his trek through hellish layers is decades-dead psychopathic serial killer Smyler who will kill for the hell of it but has a reason with Doloriel: the feather.

The second Bobby Dollar fantasy is a wonderful thriller as the protagonist journeys through a Hell as bureaucratically incompetent as Heaven is. Although at times the pace slows down in Hell, the dark storyline contains plenty of graveyard humor and a horde of mostly sick, though one could argue eccentric, characters from Heaven, Hell and San Judas.

Harriet Klausner

Not for squeamish readers. Wimps need not apply. ;) I haven't read anything else by Tad Williams like "Happy Hour in Hell". The closest writing to this might be some chapters of "Otherland" set in Mr. Jingle's Lounge. This was amazing writing, and the book had me completely hooked from about page 100 to the very end of the story.

This 2nd in the Bobby Dollar series is excellent! Can hardly wait for the 3rd book in the series. Tad Williams has outdone himself with this new genre which is part mystery, part sci-fi, part fantasy, and a whole lot of fun. A must read for everyone!

Bobby Dollar (Doloriel to the heavenly host) is an earthbound angel, an advocate fighting to keep souls out of hell. After the events of the first novel, his life has been shaken up. He found love in the arms of the demon Casmira, Countess of the Cold Hands.

But she's gone, taken back into hell by the Eligor, one of the Dukes of Hell out of jealous possession. Unable to let her go, Bobby embarks on a dangerous journey into hell itself. He will do anything to save Caz, even lose himself to an eternity of torment.

And even if he survives the trip through the layers of hell and finds her, he will have to contend with one of its most powerful ruler.

Williams paints a very bleak and disturbing hell. Like Dante before him, he takes you into the darkest pits. But Bobby, unlike Dante, doesn't just witness the suffering and torment. He lives it. He has to experience the horrors day after day as he treks across its layers and meets its inhabitants. Willaims shows the lives of those damned to suffering, how they survive, how they are tormented, how their dystopic societies work. Everything wears down the spirit and you suffer it with Bobby.

It is powerful writing and a great follow-up to the Noir detective novel of the first book. Williams takes his world into the fantasy quest with seamless effort. The journey through hell is one of the most macabre that I have written, with imagery that will haunt you. It is clear the author put a lot of effort into his imaging of how Hell would function, from its different classes of people, each with their own motivations and dreams, to the vagarious ways they are tormented.

Happy Hour in Hell is a dark, disturbing, and powerful read. Fans of Urban Fantasy need to check out his series and understand why Tad Williams is a huge name in the world of fantasy literature.