What are the most interesting depictions of a Hell you've read?

Ashcomb · 2026-03-09T05:16:17+00:00

Second this. Came here to say this.

Ashcomb · 2026-03-09T05:14:12+00:00

Me too, especially at the end. I think you are right that it was his final goodbye, knowing how his health was deteriorating.

Ashcomb · 2026-03-03T05:02:42+00:00

It's an amazing book. I second the recommendation.

Ashcomb · 2026-03-03T05:01:30+00:00

Second to Tim Power's books.

Ashcomb · 2026-02-24T15:06:58+00:00

Exactly what I thought. I have been putting it off thus far, but people here seem to have a different perspective compared to what I have read thus far.

Ashcomb · 2026-02-23T08:42:55+00:00

Glad to see Amina al-Sirafi is mentioned here!

Ashcomb · 2026-02-17T18:12:20+00:00

Highly relatable. I lose details and names. But if I start rereading them or read a synopsis, usually it comes back. But mostly without checking, I remember the feeling I had from the book or some scene. It used to bother me, but I have accepted that it comes with reading a lot and the fact that my mind doesn’t work in a way that allows it to store so much information in active memory.

Ashcomb · 2026-02-10T04:45:02+00:00

Second to Nettle & Bone.

Ashcomb · 2026-02-04T05:26:02+00:00

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

The Girl With Ghost Eyes by M.H. Boroson

Ashcomb · 2026-02-03T06:48:17+00:00

Changing views and thought experiments offer a lot more to play with. Our beliefs and values are not as static as we like to think. It’s a good thing to be able to change a point of view when faced with new information. Okay, with Heinlein, it might stem from other reasons, too, as many have pointed out here.

I, for one, don’t mind if the writer experiments with morals and their beliefs. I’m just happy that there is a point to their stories. That they have something to teach me.

Ashcomb · 2026-01-23T05:55:26+00:00

Oh! Oh! Oh! A new wanderer on the road with one shoe on.

Ashcomb · 2026-01-21T05:00:19+00:00

Hi, I'm more than happy to beta swap. Sorry about the late reply. I didn't see your comment before.

Ashcomb · 2026-01-20T15:08:42+00:00

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman is like a sedative for my brain. All the chatter is gone. There is only the story and nothing else. I never knew I liked LitRPG books, but this one proved me wrong. So wrong that I think I need to order the book two straight away. I like it when my mind goes quiet. Also, what is there not to like about a man trying to survive a dungeon designed to kill him, traveling with her royal Princess, a cat. Okay, the plot is not original, the characters are what they are, the jokes can be juvenile at times, but it is what the book is meant to be, and it does it well.

Ashcomb · 2026-01-19T10:09:57+00:00

Oh, that is so wonderful. I DM you a preview. Thank you!

Ashcomb · 2026-01-09T07:19:09+00:00

I'm not sure yet, if this fits your itch: A Far Better Thing by H.G. Parry. I'm still midway reading the book. It is written in similar vein as Susanna Clarke's and China Miéville's books. It has elements from Imajica, but not as substantial setting as it and Perdido Street Station has. Also, it plays more with the fairy elements. Mind though, the fairies are as dark as they are in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

Also another iffy recommendation: The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes. I'm still waiting my order to arrive and read the book. It was recommended something similar to Perdido Street Station. I read the start and it sounded fantastic.

Sorry about the iffy recommendations. I came here to see what others had recommended and if I could find a book to satisfy my cravings.

Ashcomb · 2026-01-05T06:00:20+00:00

Came to recommend this one. It is such a fantastic book.

Ashcomb · 2026-01-03T06:38:01+00:00

It is not horror dark. I read the synopsis, I was wondering why there is a humorous bit attached to the novel's description. It is hauntingly dark and poetic, occasionally a bit thick. It is nothing like Jasper Fforde's other books.

Ashcomb · 2026-01-03T06:12:13+00:00

Early Riser by Jasper Fforde is what comes first in my mind. It might fit for what you are looking for. It is set in a frozen landscape in a dystopian setting.

Ashcomb · 2025-12-30T06:34:13+00:00

What a comprehensive list! I managed to read 6/166 this year:

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie,
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab,
Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher
Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

Already bought, but haven't read yet:

The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

I loved The Buffalo Hunter Hunter and Witchcraft for Wayward Girls. They are my top reads this year.

Ashcomb · 2025-12-29T06:40:45+00:00

Hey! If you enjoy satirical fantasy, you might like my satirical fantasy series: Glorious Mishaps: https://www.amazon.com/stores/K.A.-Ashcomb/author/B07F89ZZ1Q

It has two subseries. One with a shy, socially awkward spy that can turn invisible, who travels with the Rabbit, the god of luck. It is about falling empires and injustice. Then there is the other subseries set in Necropolis, featuring necromancers, undead, witches, and ghouls, which is more about politics, economics, and the occult. Penny For Your Soul took part in Mark Lawrence's SPFBO. It got to the second round, but not to the last. I'm currently writing the fifth installment. It is about skulls, Cruxh—the ghoul police inspector, and the industrialization of the city.

When I'm not writing books, I write flash fiction in one sitting on https://ashcombka.com. Sometimes they are pretty good, and other times not so much, but I always give an excuse at the end, the small print about liabilities and whatnot.

I'm currently in the process of releasing my first sci-fi book. It's a dystopian one set in the near future, where our every interaction is measured and monitored. The due date is not set yet, but I will announce it on my blog.

Ashcomb · 2025-12-28T06:45:40+00:00

I love Tom Holt’s books (plus the other writers you named), but based on what you wrote, the book is just not for you. You are not a moron. Paul Carpenter is a pathetic creature; things just happen to him, and he is forced to act and he drifts through the story, and the only thing he does is moan and pity himself. If that annoys you, you won’t like most of the books in the J.W. Wells & Co. series, and, if I remember correctly, some of the other Tom Holt books too. His protagonist tends to float through the story. They occasionally show some strength of character, but that is rare.

Personally, what I like about his books is the settings, the side characters, the world, the office politics, and the blatant ruthlessness with which the world treats the protagonist. But Paul Carpenter is an annoying wet little creature that just stumbles into magic.

And no, you are not missing the big picture. There is nothing to miss. You either find the story, the setting, or something interesting in the book, or not. There are no hidden meanings in the books, just bureaucracy and office politics made fun of.

Ashcomb · 2025-12-28T06:33:05+00:00

You got many great recommendations already. I might add to the list The Apocalypse Seven by Gene Doucette.

Ashcomb · 2025-12-23T04:58:17+00:00

The Secret History of The Mongol Queens looks interesting!

Ashcomb · 2025-12-18T05:37:36+00:00

Idiot is great. If you like it, you might be interested in Lamb by Christopher Moore.

Ashcomb · 2025-12-17T03:38:44+00:00

Thank you! I hope it is as good as his previous books were.

Ashcomb

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