by
Christopher Golden
I've been holding this book back. I bought it right away when it came out in April, but like the last peanut butter M&M, I set it aside for later. I read a couple other books first, and then I just couldn't hold off any longer.
And like that last M&M saved until the end of a long day, this book as the yummy
chocolate and peanut butter treat in a hardened candy shell that I had been hoping it would be.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, second only to Mike mignola (Hellboy creator) Christopher Golden understands Hellboy better than anyone else. The non-Golden Hellboy books are still good. But they focus more on the action.
Smack-punch, big red demon versus some other supernatural creature. Hellboy gets the snot kicked out of him, then gets really mad and pounds the tar out of anything that stands in his way.
And really, that's what all Hellboy stories boil down to. There are some plot twists, some supernatural mysteries, but you know from the very first page that in the end there's going to be some really powerful, really evil bad guy. And Hellboy is going to beat it into a hellish pulp. So if that's all there is to the book.... well it's still fun, but it's just not all that Hellboy can be.
Hellboy is a good guy. Not just a good-guy, but a good guy, you know? He wants to do the right thing, he doesn't like it when people get hurt, and he feels a lot of guilt and responsibility. And there's the whole "I'm an 8 foot tall red demon with a tail" thing. Makes it hard to socialize. He sorta stands out in a crowd.
But for some reason, in the novels, Christopher Golden is the only guy that seems to get this - The novelOn Earth As It Is In Hell by Brian Hodge is good this way too, but he gives us a look into Liz Sherman more than Hellboy.
He still gets the action, there's still one hell of a knock down drag out fight, but you also get a look in to a relationship from Hellboys past that changed him forever.
So ultimately... what can I say, this book was awesome. It was what i've come to expect from Christopher Golden. I wasn't the best one he's donw, but there wasn't anything "bad" about it either.
Now i've got to wait until the next Christopher Golden Hellboy book. I did decide to try some of Christopher Golden's other books (not the Buffy ones though, I think I'll pass on those). I'll let you know how those go.
1 comment:
The book is a combination of some of my favorite things- the Himalayas, a lovelorn protagonist and horror. Though the three blended together may not sound like the most awe-inspiring thing, the book does take you on a whole lot of ups (especially in the high reaches of the mighty Himalayas). Anastasia Bransfield who stumbles on the location of the mythical “Dragon King Pool”- which is the course of the story- is still delightful as the strong female lead. Come to think of it her co-star, so to speak is an 8ft tall giant.
Maybe, its the treatment given by Christopher Golden who managed to spin a tale so grand, combining so many elements, that works. The book is reminiscent of another book Beyond This Point There Be Dragons which also masterfully blends in magic, bravery and dragon fantasy. The Dragon Pool is a good and entertaining read.
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