Hell's Super (Circles In Hell Book 1)

Slyly humorous view of the true meaning of personal Hell. Thomas Edison doing pick-and-shovel work. Florence Nightingale -- what's she doing here? Lots of clever references. You have to pay attention. Very enjoyable read.

Despite the ramblings on in the book and the reader mispronouncing of some of the Greeks in the book. Also the set up for hell was all wrong. At first you tell us hell was created when Satin was Cast out of heaven into hell THEN later on you tell us he baught it from Hadies lord of the underworld in Greek mathology. Still a VERY good book but these are the reasons why I only gave it 3 stars insted of 4 or 5

Despite the ramblings on in the book and the reader mispronouncing of some of the Greeks in the book. Also the set up for hell was all wrong. At first you tell us hell was created when Satin was Cast out of heaven into hell THEN later on you tell us he baught it from Hadies lord of the underworld in Greek mathology. Still a VERY good book but these are the reasons why I only gave it 3 stars insted of 4 or 5

I've just been dragging myself through urban fantasy after urban fantasy (all inexpensive Kindle Unlimited books) and all a variation on the theme of Harry Dresden (which is honestly what I was looking for, hence the tiresome quest....) and finding most of the authors mediocre at best (with the delightful exception of Craig Schaefer's Daniel Faust series), I was just about to give up and head back to the library for more established writers (and waiting impatiently for more of Charles Stross' Laundry Files books to become available). But darn it, I paid for Kindle Unlimited for 2 years, and I want to get my money's worth! But so far, it's been a mostly failed experiment. (I won't mention the authors because we're all trying to make a living here, and all they really cost me was some time I can't get back.) Then this book appeared in my recommendations list for some reason, and because I love the TV series "Lucifer" which has absolutely nothing to do with this book in any way shape or form, I downloaded it on a whim. And it's been a blast! I'm really not that hard to please---when I want serious literature I'll go to the library. But all I want from my "guilty pleasure" urban fantasy independent authors is enough character development for me to actually care about what happens to these people (or demons, or....whatever....) and that's been ridiculously hard to find. But FINALLY I've found a series I'm really enjoying. Thank God (or maybe the Devil, in this case) that there are 3 more books in this series. And Mark Cain, keep on writing please....I've still got another year on my Kindle Unlimited subscription......

Hell’s Super follows Steve Minion, the only non-famous person in hell as far as I can tell, as he tries to fix all the problems that come up in hell. Whether it be replacing a broken light bulb on the sign leading into hell (Abandon all hope ye who enter here), or stopping a civil uprising, Steve is tasked with fixing the problem because he sucks at fixing things: it’s hell, it’s his punishment. His sidekick is Orson Welles and he is dating Florence Nightingale: enough said.

I picked up Mark Cain’s Hell’s Super as it promised to be a novel in the vein of Terry Pratchett or Good Omens: some satire, some straight laughs, some silly fun. It had those elements but for me it rarely rose above mildly entertaining. Having recently re-read Good Omens, a book Hell’s Super is compared to in the back cover blurb, I can safely say that the Pratchett and Gaiman novel is not being knocked off the Best Novel of All Time podium any time soon. Too much of the humour and plot relies on utilising famous people and irony (especially in the punishments) to be classed as Pratchett-esque satire and humour. It also didn’t help that the plot twists were obvious given the setting.

That said, this is an entertaining novel with enough humour to amuse. I think the comparisons drawn to Good Omens, Terry Pratchett, and Douglas Adams in the blurb set up too-high an expectation for me. Knowing that, you may enjoy it more as a result.

So many fascinating characters, drawn from past and modern day well known personages, all mixed together in absurdity! This is not the Hell you'd expect, but possibly closer to some people's vision of Dante's Circles might look and function. If you enjoy a great slightly off colour comedic romp, then this is the book for you. An absolute gem of surprising, refreshing originality - and some unexpected mystery style twists to be solved! Don't let the "mystery" label throw you off... I found it has more laughter and the puzzle solving was the framework to keep people rushing around and the story flowed like fine wine!
Fans of Carl Hiassen and Christopher Moore will find Mark Cain a good addition to their reading list. Looking forward to book two!!!

Language: PG-13 (some bad language, but not an excessive amount)
Sex: PG (there is a sex scene, but details are not given graphically)
Religious Offensiveness: PG (I usually only find it offensive if they start talking about God or Jesus, which they didn't really do, except to refer to him)
Subject Matter: Appropriate for young adult and up
This is a satire, and if you appreciate satire, you will find it really funny. I listened to the Audible audio version of this book narrated by Michael Gilboe. This is my first book I've listened to narrated by Michael Gilboe, and I think he is excellent. He has great voices for his characters, and even sound effects. I think he is going to become one of my favorite narrators, and I can't wait to hear more books he's done.
Overall, this is a really great book with great narration. If you like satire, I highly recommend this one. I can't wait to read more in this series.

An interesting take on Hell and the damned afterlife. As much as I liked the concept, I didn't really like the writing all that much. It was funny, but not hilarious. The humor reminded me of John Dies at the End. Not sure why. I think some people will object to the "good" people in Hell, but I was more concerned about the lack of "regular" people. Everyone we meet, except Steve, is famous in some way. Are non-famous people not good enough to hold important positions in Hell? My guess is it was an easy way to build characters without doing much/any work.

I listened to the audio version and I thought Michael Gilboe did a pretty good job narrating. His comedic timing felt a little off, but that could be because I would have read it in a drier tone. I liked his voice and I think he would do well narrating comedic noir stories.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Whoever compared this author to Moore or Pratchett should be flogged. Unlike those two excellent authors' books, this story is smirky, self-amused, snide and grating. The humor is sophomoric at best. Example: "There'll be hell to pay!" Get it? 'Cause they're in HELL. And "Damn!" Which is hilarious because they're damned. In HELL. Argh. The huge paragraphs describing in detail things EVEN THE PROTAGONIST ADMITS HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT were extremely aggravating. Honestly I could not even make it through the sample. It was just too painful.

I strongly advise reading the sample before buying. If you find it hilarious, go for it. I didn't.

Two stars for the premise, which could have been fun in the right author's hands.

At least that is Mark Cain's interpretation of Hell in his short, humorous novel, Hell's Super. I confess that at first glance, Hell's Super sounded like a book that might be singing the praises of the netherworld. It turns out that the first of four books in the Circle's of Hell series provides a slightly less dark vision of Dante's 9 circles of damnation.

Steve Minion, whose parents actually saddled him at birth with the first name of Minion, was a prideful and unsympathetic Economics professor until a graduate student decided he needed a bullet in the head. The whole Pride thing got Steve damned for eternity. In addition, pre-dead Steve had been notorious for looking down on the 'minions' he paid to do his own handyman work. So, the resident powers of Hell felt a suitable punishment would be to put him in charge of maintenance. Despite an odd knack for lassoing things with duct tape, Steve sucks at fixing things.

For Steve, never ending torment boiled down to boredom and incompetence as the indistinguishable days, months and years slogged by. That is, until a major crisis, the sabotage of Hell's escalator, forced Steve to accomplish something that was important to his boss, the demon Beelzebub, and top dog Satan. With relevance came privilege and meaning in the super's otherwise worthless existence. Perhaps even love ... or NOT. This is after all, Hell.

This book is written from the first person point of view of Steve, which allows the reader to effectively follow the super's evolution of thought as he tries to tolerate, understand and even affect the damned environment he must endure. The story's time frame is short, only a few days, and takes place less than a hundred years after the earthly Steve met his end.
Though the snapshot into the super's hell-bound travails is small, this does not stop author Cain from introducing and doing a surprisingly good job of developing a number of other major characters. The setting allows him to introduce famous and infamous personalities. The metaphysical characters like Satan, Beelzebub and St. Peter are of course omni-present. The filmmaker, Orson Welles, is Steve's assistant. While bossy and controlling in life, in Hell Orson is never allowed to 'do' anything himself, only assist an incompetent boss. Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Nicholas Tesla are forced to help solve mechanical issues, while Alan Pinkerton reprises his detective skills in assisting Steve in solving the big crime. Florence Nightingale, not one of the damned mind you, is voluntarily spending time in the netherworld to ease the suffering of the dead, just as she eased the suffering of the living while alive. While not exactly a history lesson, all of these notable figures have their known traits fully displayed in a glaring and humorous way.

For the most part Cain's style can be described as subdued. Steve and his fellow damned are caught up in solving a mystery and fixing problems. There are more than a few hell-fire beat downs when the denizens of hell do not toe the line, and Steve does suffer in a back alley confrontation with a group of wannabe hoodlums. Yet, all of the real conflicts in Hell's Super are internal to Steve. Even the eventual confrontation with the rebellious and mysterious group of saboteurs is treated as an afterthought while Steve is preoccupied with personal issues. His vision of damnation is both vivid and dynamic as his routine is upset and he broadens his circle of acquaintances and experiences. Is it about boredom? Is it about punishment fitting the crime in life? Are the sufferings of so many of the damned unjust given that they seem to be nice folks? Are the evil demons and devils all that bad? His final conclusion, after his brief affair with a love life culminates in complete humiliation for he and the people he cares about the most, is that true misery boils down to lonlieness.

The humor is Hell's Super is not laugh out loud stuff, but it does stay silly enough to generate more than a few smiles and a chuckle. I think Steve's character and the thought evolution he undergoes will appeal to anyone who is not offended by an irreverent and humorous take on religion and the afterlife. Cain is respectful, but does not take his story, the setting or the characters too seriously.

Cain does a good job creating a plausible, if silly setting and does well with his characters. The world he builds is consistent. The ending might be anti-climatic to a reader searching for a good fight scene but this works in the book. From the start Hell is hell because the suffering and torment are eternal and for lack of a better word, mundane. The dead are all well aware that what they are suffering today will be what they are suffering tomorrow and a thousand tomorrows to come. Steve and his peers should be less concerned about a momentary elevation of excitement, resolving the escalator issue and the accompanying comedic rebellion, than they are about coming to grips with their everlasting ordeal.

One of the few issues I had with Hell's Super was in fact the well-developed world Cain introduces. On a few occasions Cain uses multiple pages to explain constructs and concepts that, while they may be deemed important to the universe Hell's Super lives in, could be taken care of in fewer words and at times, as a more inline part of the story.

Another minor issue I had was the very few times Cain used severe language. These slips, and they were very few in number, were totally unnecessary to the story and I wish he had left them out. This is not a desire on my part to be prude. There is a somewhat revealing sex scene that was handled fairly well. It was detailed, and this scene was in fact important to the core of Steve's story.

Besides these lesser critiques I found Hell's Super to be a thoroughly enjoyable read that I will recommend to audiences of all ages, from high school to old people.

I went into this expecting a quick, (hopefully funny) light sort of book.
And it is. But it is also more than that. This one actually got quite deep at parts andthis surprised me.
Still, the characters were well fleshed out and interesting, while the plot kept me engaged.
Enough so that I'm definitely picking up the next one!

I really enjoyed this book. It's light and funny, and presents an interesting concept: a superintendent responsible for keeping everything in Hell running like it's supposed to. This is a great book to read on vacation when you're looking for something amusing to help you relax. I found it amusing that people get hit in the face with cream pies whenever they say "thank you" in Hell. Can't wait to read the rest of the books in this series!

For the most part, this series works because the setting is played entirely for laughs. Sure, there is the occasional reminder that these characters are, in fact, trapped in Hell for eternity, but nobody dwells on it. For the most part, the main character's day-to-day existence, thankless job, and toxic personal interactions are interchangeable with those of countless sitcom characters. The light-hearted atmosphere is enhanced by the fact that about 90% of Hell's population seems to consist of campy charities of celebrities from history, mythology, and the entertainment industry.

Take a moment to envision Hell. Odds are, if you're the product of a Judeo-Christian upbringing, you're picturing a nasty subterranean scene with lots of reeking brimstone, plenty of fire, and an assortment of demons wielding pokey instruments, grinning as they prod the helpless damned.

This is different. Sure, there's a little brimstone and a demon or two, but it's a more subtle take on Hell. What if Hell were a Monday...just the worst Monday you've ever had, going on ad infinitum? It's a Hell in which the eternal torture is just that nothing goes well for you. Ever. And the coffee sucks.

While that sounds like it might make for dreary reading, nothing could be further from the pleasure of reading Hell's Super. It's funny right from the get-go, and the story progresses so briskly that you'll find you don't want to stop at the end of a chapter. Steve Minion (yes, he's really a Minion) and the other characters are believable, and likable - you'll find yourself growing quite fond of a giant demonic bat. Hell is populated with quite a few folks you wouldn't expect to see there: Orson Welles, Thomas Edison, and Florence Nightingale, to name a few. The author resists the temptation to write people into Hell that you'd rather like to see there (say, Hitler or bin Laden), and I think that's an excellent choice, as that would have added too much darkness to the light and breezy comedy.

Cain's writing style and sense of humor will appeal to fans of Terry Pratchett and Christopher Moore, and there's a hint of Douglas Adams-like irony as well, but the overall story is fresh and original, and the ending will leave you looking forward to the sequel, and to more stories from this talented author.

I found this story very amusing and the characters fun. Loved Booh! I will continue on to book 2 next because I enjoyed this read so much. I needed a book that was interesting and made me laugh. I read a lot of serious books and needed a break from them!

Many a Kindle book, especially available on Kindle Unlimited, will make you wish you never purchased it.

This book--and the entire series--makes up for the rest.

Hysterical and intriguing, with a bit of mystery and unique afterlife mythology thrown in, there are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, clues to make the end make perfect sense, and the entire journey is both well-written and amusing enough to make the trip worthwhile for that alone.

You'll regret it if you don't pick up.

I enjoyed greatly! Very entertaining with multiple personalities popping up. I found this to be a great stress reliever and very entertaining. Made Hell seem not that bad. Helped to divert my attention away from the news. I listened to the audible and found the performer exceptional. I know that pronunciation is different for everyone but whatever. It makes me want to mispronounce words on purpose - centimeter.

This was a funny read with lots of sarcasm, cheesy one liners and cream pies. It's a story of guy with a crappy job and the worst boss imaginable. The narration was excellent. I enjoyed the book so much that I am starting on the next in the series to see what in Hell, Steve gets up to next.
"This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

OK, not Pratchett or Moore, but good, solid concept and very entertaining. This book begins a four-book series, and is consistently readable and often very amusing. It can be hard to find a new take on a story that takes place in Hell, but Mr. Cain has done it with a main character that is flawed but likeable and subsidiary characters that are all memorable and well-described. If you like this genre of fantasy/comedy, you will like this book.

I had been reading some gruesome thrillers and wanted a lighthearted read for a change. This book was just what I needed. Good characters. Off the wall humor. I really enjoyed it. I have recommended it to friends. I actually felt sorry for Steve an Orson. I will be reading more books in the series when my thrillers begin to overwhelm me. You simply must give this a try.

I just happened to come across this book while testing out kindle unlimited. Fans of Christopher Moore may enjoy this comic romp in hell, however I cannot say it is of the same caliber as Moore's books. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series, mainly due to the author's skill at making me truly care about the characters he has created. Thanks for that.

Funny and sinfully delightful. Hell's Super introduces us to Steven Minion as he works to keep things running in Hell itself, a Herculean task for sure as nothing ever stays mended. For anyone who loves a bit of dark humor mixed with a healthy dose of philosophy then this is the read for you!

Freakin' hilarious. I checked this book out, because it came up under a recommendation "if you like Christopher Moore, you'll like this" kind of thing. I totally loved it. I immediately bought the other 3 books in the series and binge read all of them in like a week. My hubby, who doesn't read very often, just binge read all 4 of them in a couple of weeks, too!

An entertaining journey with Hell's head Minion, Minion. Things were just another day full of work orders until Hell's entrance began malfunctioning and a woman suddenly entered Minions life. His life in hell will never be the same.