Heroes in Hell
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 Heroes in Hell (1986), the first book in the series |
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| Released | 1986 – 1989 | |
| Publisher | Baen Books (US) | |
| Genre | Shared world fantasy | |
| Pages | 3,682 (paperback editions) | |
| Edited by | Janet Morris (anthologies) | |
Heroes in Hell is a series of shared world fantasy books by Janet Morris, C. J. Cherryh, and others set in a fictional afterlife. The 12 books in the series were published by Baen Books between 1986 and 1989.
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[edit] Background
Despite the title, the fictional world of the setting bears little resemblance to the traditional Western concept of Hell. As depicted in these works, Hell is actually quite like the land of the living, but with a significantly more chaotic political environment.
Partly this is due to the underworld being populated by many great military leaders and statesmen from history such as Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte and Sargon of Akkad. These leaders vie for power, sometimes relying on diplomacy but often resorting to subterfuge and military action to achieve their goals. When war does break out, the faction leaders employ military technology from throughout history. Caesar, for example, may address his sword-bearing Roman legions from the back of a World War II era Jeep equipped with a machine gun.
The power structure in the Hell of these books is fairly decentralized, although the "Father of Lies" (Satan) can exert his will when he chooses to do so. For example, rather than allowing Marilyn Monroe to reside with any of the individual factions in his underworld, he has installed her as his executive assistant.
Additional color is provided by the presence of historical legends of literature and philosophy such as Ernest Hemingway, Niccolò Machiavelli, and (of course) Dante Alighieri. Some of these characters serve as advisors to the various faction leaders and live in their households.
Because of the interactions between historical figures of similar eras in some of these stories -- Augustus (Octavian), Mark Antony, and Cleopatra for example -- the works borrow elements from the subgenre of Historical Fantasy. But because they are set in the afterlife, they are more properly classified as Bangsian Fantasy.
[edit] Books in the series
There are five novels in the series and seven anthologies of short fiction. Janet Morris edited all seven anthologies. Portions of Legions of Hell first appeared in stories published in Heroes in Hell, The Gates of Hell, Rebels in Hell, Kings in Hell and Crusaders in Hell.
- Heroes in Hell (1986), anthology
- The Gates of Hell (1986), novel by C. J. Cherryh and Janet Morris
- Rebels in Hell (1986), anthology
- Kings in Hell (1987), novel by C. J. Cherryh and Janet Morris
- Crusaders in Hell (1987), anthology
- Legions of Hell (1987), novel by C. J. Cherryh
- Angels in Hell (1987), anthology
- Masters in Hell (1987), anthology
- The Little Helliad (1988), novel by Janet Morris and Chris Morris
- War in Hell (1988), anthology
- Prophets in Hell (1989), anthology
- Explorers in Hell (1989), novel by David Drake and Janet Morris
[edit] Contributing authors
Authors who have contributed to this series include:
- Lynn Abbey
- Michael Armstrong
- Nancy Asire
- Robert Lynn Asprin
- Gregory Benford
- Martin Caidin
- C. J. Cherryh
- David Drake
- George Alec Effinger
- George Foy
- Richard Groller
- Bill Kerby
- Brad Miner
- Chris Morris
- Janet Morris
- Diana L. Paxson
- Robert Sheckley
- Robert Silverberg
- Alexandra Sokolov
[edit] Gallery of book covers
All cover art in the series was done by David Mattingly, except for Prophets in Hell, cover art by Peter Scanlon
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[edit] References
- ed. Morris, Janet, Heroes in Hell, Baen Books, 1986.
- Cherryh, C. J. and Morris, Janet, The Gates of Hell, Baen Books, 1986.
- ed. Morris, Janet, Rebels in Hell, Baen Books, 1986.
- Cherryh, C. J. and Morris, Janet, Kings in Hell, Baen Books, 1987.
- ed. Morris, Janet, Crusaders in Hell, Baen Books, 1987.
- Cherryh, C. J., Legions of Hell, Baen Books, 1987.
- ed. Morris, Janet, Angels in Hell, Baen Books, 1987.
- ed. Morris, Janet, Masters in Hell, Baen Books, 1987.
- Morris, Janet and Morris, Chris, The Little Helliad, Baen Books, 1988.
- ed. Morris, Janet, War in Hell, Baen Books, 1988.
- ed. Morris, Janet, Prophets in Hell, Baen Books, 1989.
- Drake, David and Morris, Janet, Explorers in Hell, Baen Books, 1989.
[edit] External links
- Heroes in Hell at Fantastic Fiction.
- Heroes in Hell at SciFan.
