Hellogon, by John Booth

Peter was raised in an unusual environment, to say the least, so his move to Hellport with his mother does not seem that eventful.  That is, until Peter meets Sal, Solly, Han No, and all the other wicked and wonderful beings from Hellogon.  Turns out Peter is half of this world, and half of another much different world.  He now has to try to fix things in Hellogon, and balance the repercussions on Earth.  Will the races of Hellogon be preserved?

I had no idea what I was in for when I started this book.  Seemed calm enough, a story about a boy and his mom exiled from a highly secret organization, and trying to assimilate to mainstream life.  Then WHAM, out of no where, I am dealing with vampires and warlocks, and not like any you have met in the past.

The character of Peter is so incredibly well developed, and I really loved seeing him struggle with the dichotomy of his being.  It is the typical struggle of man against himself, but in an entirely new and fresh way.  I also greatly enjoyed reading Sal and Peter's interactions.  Something about it really seemed genuine, yet fantastic at the same time.

The world of Hellogon is really brought to life on the page, and I never found myself confused by the action, or the differences between Hellogon and Hellport.  It is amazing how much of the intrigue in the book resembles the events in today's world.

It seems the book is intended to appeal to a young adult reader, particularly those who enjoy fantasy novels.  However, it is really appealing to adults s well.  The book really kept me on the edge of my seat, so much so that when I got to the end, I felt like I had been punched in the stomach.  I am really itching to see what happens next, so I can only hope there is a sequel.


A review copy of the book was provided courtesy of the publisher.