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==Books in the series==
==Books in the series==
There are five novels in the series and eight anthologies of short fiction. [[Janet Morris]] edited all eight 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''.
There are five novels in the series and eight anthologies of short fiction. Janet Morris edited all eight 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_(book)|Heroes in Hell]]'' (1986), anthology (published by [[Baen Books]], ISBN 978-0671655556, & ISBN 978-0671655558) (1987 ''Locus'' Poll Best Anthology (8th Place)<ref name=isfdb/>)
*''[[Heroes_in_Hell_(book)|Heroes in Hell]]'' (1986), anthology (published by [[Baen Books]], ISBN 978-0671655556, & ISBN 978-0671655558) (1987 ''Locus'' Poll Best Anthology (8th Place)<ref name=isfdb/>)
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**"Theos Khthonios" by [[Scott Oden]]
**"Theos Khthonios" by [[Scott Oden]]
**"Erra and the Seven" by [[Chris Morris (author)|Chris Morris]]
**"Erra and the Seven" by [[Chris Morris (author)|Chris Morris]]

==Controversy==

There should be six novels in the series, but one was published separately from the franchise when the author severed relations with the franchise and published the work independent of it.

In Robert Silverberg's words: "During the heyday of the shared-world science-fiction anthologies, back in the mid-1980's, I was drawn into a project called ''Heroes in Hell'' [...] I seized on [[Gilgamesh]] as my protagonist, since he has always seemed to me to be the archetype of the fantastic hero. [...] It was all so much fun that I went on to write a second Gilgamesh in Hell novella, featuring the likes of [[Pablo Picasso]] and [[Simon Magus]], and then a third. [...] I was enjoying myself and the novellas (which were also being published in ''Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine'') were popular among readers. "Gilgamesh in the Outback", in fact, won a Hugo for Best Novella in 1987, one of the few shared-world stories ever to achieve that." {{sfn|Thomsen|2006|p=205}}

Silverberg admitted, "''To the Land of the Living'' was not primarily an expansion but a compilation: I drew together my three Gilgamesh novellas" ("Gilgamesh in the Outback" from ''Rebels in Hell'', "The Fascination of the Abomination" from ''Angels in Hell'', and "Gilgamesh in Uruk" from ''War in Hell'') "making slight revisions here and there in the interest of consistency, and added a brief epilogue that gave Gilgamesh's seemingly random wanderings in Hell some emotional significance and an ultimate epiphany. The only major change in the original three texts involved deleting all material that referred directly, or directly grew from, the work of the other writers in the ''Heroes in Hell'' series." {{sfn|Thomsen|2006|p=206}}


==Reviews==
==Reviews==
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*{{cite book | last = Stableford | first = Brian | authorlink = Brian Stableford | title = Historical Dictionary of Fantasy Literature | url = | page = 356 | publisher = Scarecrow Press | date = 2005 | isbn = 0810849445}}
*{{cite book | last = Stableford | first = Brian | authorlink = Brian Stableford | title = Historical Dictionary of Fantasy Literature | url = | page = 356 | publisher = Scarecrow Press | date = 2005 | isbn = 0810849445}}
*{{cite book | last = Card | first = Orson Scott | authorlink = Orson Scott Card | title = How to write science fiction & fantasy | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=sV7T1SETQ08C&pg=PA125 | pages = 125–126 | publisher = Writer's Digest Books | date = 1990 | isbn = 9781582971032}}
*{{cite book | last = Card | first = Orson Scott | authorlink = Orson Scott Card | title = How to write science fiction & fantasy | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=sV7T1SETQ08C&pg=PA125 | pages = 125–126 | publisher = Writer's Digest Books | date = 1990 | isbn = 9781582971032}}

*{{cite book | last = Thomsen | first = Brian | authorlink = Brian Thomsen | title = Novel Ideas - Fantasy | url = | pages = 205-206 | publisher = DAW | date = 2006 | isbn = 9780756403096}}
*{{cite book | last = Clute | first = John | authorlink = John Clute | coauthor = Grant, John | title = The Encyclopedia of Fantasy | url = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Encyclopedia_of_Fantasy | page = 461 | publisher = St. Martin's Press | date = 1997 | isbn = 0312198698}}
*{{cite book | last = Clute | first = John | authorlink = John Clute | coauthor = Grant, John | title = The Encyclopedia of Fantasy | url = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Encyclopedia_of_Fantasy | page = 461 | publisher = St. Martin's Press | date = 1997 | isbn = 0312198698}}
{{reflist|refs=
{{reflist|refs=

Revision as of 04:58, 9 September 2011

For the 1973 film starring Klaus Kinski, see Heroes in Hell (film).
Heroes in Hell
Heroes in Hell, the first book in the series
Heroes in Hell
The Gates of Hell
Rebels in Hell
Kings in Hell
Crusaders in Hell
Legions of Hell
Angels in Hell
Masters in Hell
The Little Helliad
War in Hell
Prophets in Hell
Explorers in Hell
Lawyers in Hell
AuthorJanet Morris, series editor
CountryUnited States
GenreNovels and short stories
shared world fantasy
PublisherBaen Books, Kerlak Enterprises/Perseid Publishing
Published1986–1989, 2011

Heroes in Hell is a series of shared world fantasy books created and edited by Janet Morris and written by her, Chris Morris, C. J. Cherryh and others. The first 12 books in the series were published by Baen Books between 1986 and 1989, and the stories commissioned for the series include one Hugo Award winner (Gilgamesh in the Outback by Robert Silverberg from Rebels in Hell) and several Nebula Award nominees. The series was resurrected in 2011 by Janet Morris with the thirteenth book and eighth anthology in the series, Lawyers in Hell.

Background

The shared world premise of Heroes in Hell is that all the dead wind up together in Hell, where they pick up where they left off when still alive.[1] The Encyclopedia of Fantasy states "In the long series of shared world adventures begun with Heroes in Hell, Hell becomes an arena in which all the interesting people in history can come together to continue the relentless pursuit of their various ends."[2] Brian Stableford commented that the series "adapted the backcloth of Dantean fantasy as a stage for violent adventures with ironic echoes of infernal comedy". [3]

Reception

Science fiction and fantasy author Orson Scott Card compared the success of Heroes in Hell with other shared worlds like Thieves' World, Wild Cards and Liavek, and said that this "almost guarantees that shared worlds will be around for many years to come".[4] The webzine SF Site discussed the popularity of shared worlds in the 1980s and listed Heroes in Hell as a "significant example" of one of them.[5]

Books in the series

There are five novels in the series and eight anthologies of short fiction. Janet Morris edited all eight 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.

  • Lawyers in Hell (2011), anthology (published by Perseid Publishing/Kerlak Enterprises, Inc., ISBN 978-1937035020, ISBN 978-1-937035013, & eISBN 978-1-937035860)
    • "Interview with the Devil" by Janet Morris and Chris Morris
    • "Tribe of Hell" by Janet Morris
    • "The Rapture Elevator" by Michael Armstrong
    • "Out of Court Settlement" by C. J. Cherryh
    • "Revolutionary Justice" by Leo Champion
    • "Tale of a Tail" by Nancy Asire
    • "And Injustice For All" by Jason Cordova
    • "Measure of a Man" by Deborah Koren
    • "The Adjudication of Hetty Green" by Allan Gilbreath
    • "Plains of Hell" by Bruce Durham
    • "The Register" by Michael H. Hanson
    • "Island Out of Time" by Richard Groller
    • "Appellate Angel" by Edward McKeown
    • "With Enemies Like These" by David L. Burkhead
    • "The Dark Arts" by Kimberly Richardson
    • "Heads You Lose" by Michael Z. Williamson
    • "Check and Mate" by Bradley H. Sinor
    • "Disclaimer" by John Manning
    • "Orientation Day" by Sarah Hulcy
    • "Remember, Remember, Hell in November" by Larry Atchley, Jr.
    • "Theos Khthonios" by Scott Oden
    • "Erra and the Seven" by Chris Morris

Reviews

  • Heroes in Hell
    • J. Cassada, Library Journal, March 15, 1986, Volume 111, Issue 5, page 80
    • James D. Riemer, Fantasy Review, May 1986, Volume 9, Number 5, page 21-22
    • Don D’Ammassa, Science Fiction Chronicle, June 1986, Volume 7, Number 9, page 45
    • Doug Fratz, Thrust, Winter 1986, Issue 25, page 24
  • Rebels in Hell
    • Don D’Ammassa, Science Fiction Chronicle, March 1986, Volume 8, Number 6, page 43
    • Kliatt Young Adult Paperback Book Guide, October 1986, Volume 20, Number 7, page 5
    • M. Cobley, Paperback Inferno, June/July 1987, Number 66, page 6
  • Kings in Hell
    • S. Lamb, Kliatt Young Adult Paperback Book Guide, May 1987, Volume 21, Number 4, page 3
  • Crusaders in Hell
    • Gloria Wall, Short Form, Issues 3 & 4, 1989, page 31
  • Angels in Hell
    • P.R., Booklist, September 15, 1987, Volume 84, Number 2, page 112
  • Legions of Hell
    • Publisher's Weekly, May 29, 1987, Volume 231, Number 21, page 73
    • Trevin Matlock, Locus, July 1987
    • P.R., Booklist, July 1987, Volume 83, Number 21, page 1655
    • K. E., Kliatt Young Adult Paperback Book Guide, October 1987, Volume 21, Number 7, page 3
  • The Little Helliad
    • Philip J. De Parto, The Starship Express, 1988, Volume 2, Numbers 6 & 7
    • S. Lamb, Kliatt Young Adult Paperback Book Guide, September 1988, Volume 22, Number 6, page 26
  • Prophets in Hell
    • S. Lamb, Kliatt Young Adult Paperback Book Guide, September 1989, Volume 23, Number 6, page 20

References

  • Stableford, Brian (2005). Historical Dictionary of Fantasy Literature. Scarecrow Press. p. 356. ISBN 0810849445.
  • Card, Orson Scott (1990). How to write science fiction & fantasy. Writer's Digest Books. pp. 125–126. ISBN 9781582971032.
  1. ^ Card 1990, p. 125.
  2. ^ Clute and Grant 1997, p. 461.
  3. ^ Stableford 2005, p. 356.
  4. ^ Card 1990, p. 126.
  5. ^ Horton, Rich. "The Original Anthology Series in Science Fiction". SF Site. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
  6. ^ "1987 Locus Poll Award". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  7. ^ "Nebula Final Ballots from the 1980s". SFWA Nebula Awards. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  8. ^ Brian Thomsen (ed.), Novel Ideas -- Fantasy, DAW Books, 2006, copyrights acknowledgments page
  9. ^ "1987 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on May 7, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  10. ^ "Nebula Nominees List". The Locus Index to SF Awards. Locus. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  11. ^ "1988 Chesley Awards". Locus. Retrieved 2011-07-13. David Mattingly received a nomination for a 1988 Chesley Award for his cover artwork of Heroes in Hell

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Heroes_in_Hell&oldid=449273627"