Hellfire and Damnation The Book - By Connie Corcoran Wilson

From Windy City Reviews

Reviewed by Jessica Cage.

Hellfire & Damnation III is a collection of short stories that take the reader through nine scenarios reflecting the nine circles of hell. Each story is set in a different time and place with different characters and backgrounds. These stories offer more than just entertainment; they offer a glimpse into the human psyche. In just a few pages, you come closer to understanding what drives people to do the things that will ultimately lead to their demise. Each stage of hell is represented: Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Avarice (one of my favorites), Wrath, the Violent, the Fraudulent, and, finally, Treachery. Each one is represented well in stories that play out like short films. There are only a few points where I feel the story could go further or delve a little deeper, but with the storytelling style that Connie has, it would have gone against the grain. All in all, I think this is a quick read that you will enjoy and will leave you thinking about the choices we make in our lives.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys thrills and maybe a few moments that will leave your skin crawling.

From What You Talking About Willis?

Disclosure: I was given a copy of Hellfire and Damnation III in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

When I heard the title of the book, I just knew I had to read it. I have always been intrigued with the 9 circles of Hell. This book, the third in its series is compiled of 9 different short stories. Each story deals with one of the circles of Hell. After reading the first short story, I didn’t want to put it down. Seven of the nine stories in this book are based on true stories; which made it even more interesting.

Some of the stories left me feeling unsettled, while others kept me wanting to move forward to the next story. I can’t really say I had a favorite; I just know after each story I wanted to see what the next one was about.

If you enjoy reading about a new species of spider or a crazed Satanist urging a mentally challenged young man to commit murder. Each of the stories has its own circle of hell which consists of Limbo, lust, gluttony, avarice and prodigality, wrath and sullenness, heresy, the violent, the fraudulent and treachery.

Dante’s nine circles of hell are revisited with Connie Corcoran Wilson’s excellent, hair-on-the-back of your neck writing style. This is the first book of Connie’s I have read; and after reading I will continue to read her mesmerizing books.

From Spring Reads

I'm going to keep this review short and sweet, as there's already alot of info in this post. Here goes... I read this novel within about three days- it was only 90 intense pages!The pace was perfect- I was never lost. It's written in third person and is generally an interestingly terrifying book. Apologises for being vague but this is definitely worth a read. I don't want to ruin anything so I'll leave you with this: I give it 3.5-4 stars ✮.✮.✮.

"All of the stories were good, but I love spider stories, and they really give me the creeps. So, my favorite was definitely 'The Cave Robber.'" I'm sure there could be more written about awards won, etc., but this is what was on Lisa's page for "about the author."

Connie Corcoran Wilson Delivers Again!
By C. C. Hill III on March 17, 2015
This is simply a great book and if there's any one story that stands out to me, it's Circle 5: Wrath and Sullenness. I don't want to spoil that tale or any of the others but that one stands out to me and by itself represents what made this a great book. When a writer like C.C. Wilson taps into something that is so resonant and powerful as the material covered in Circle 5, you can never tell where you will end up. In just a few pages, Wilson is able to craft and spin a yarn that pulls you in and takes you to some of the darker recesses of the human spirit, the darker side of our very nature. Sometimes an author can tell you a story about a monster stalking you and it will be spooky and creepy. Wilson, though, she tells you that the monster isn't lurking in the shadows and dogging your every step, it's inside of you, trying to get out and that the worst aspects of human nature are where the real monsters come from and that sometimes . . . it's not all going to be okay. Spectacular work!

This 3rd installment in the award-winning series organized around the 9 Circles of Hell in Dante’s “Inferno” takes you on adventures that will keep you awake at night long after you’ve finished the book. A Satanic minister incites a mentally-challenged youth to murder; teenagers find themselves trapped in a cave with a dangerous secret; New Zealand warriors face the British in The Battle of Gate Pa; the death of a young college student from hypothermia under mysterious circumstances is investigated: they’re all here. Illustrations for each story and cover art, once again is by Vincent Chong, five-time recipient of the British Fantasy Award and Winner of the World Fantasy Award for Best Artist of 2013.

“Connie (Corcoran) Wilson’s Hellfire & Damnation is a remarkable collection of somber, noirish, flat-out scary and altogether satisfying stories that seek to find hope in a dark world that defies it. Her subtle irony and penchant for finding terror in the least expected places will generate comparisons to Stephen King and Dean Koontz , with just a hint of Philip K. Dick thrown in. But don’t be fooled; Wilson has a wondrous voice in her own right, and her tight, twisty tales establish her as a force to be reckoned with.”
(New York Times Best-selling author of the Caitlin Strong series, Jon Land.)

“Let me start right off by saying that Connie Wilson presents what I call ‘matter-of-fact’ horror. She writes solid, declarative sentences rife with dark undertones. No fancy description for Connie. No sentimental musings. No soft emotionalism. Just hard-edged documentary style storytelling. Jolting objective sentences made all the more disturbing by their cool directness. Frankly—and I consider myself well-read in the shock genre—I have never encountered a style such as she displays here, in story after story. Connie Wilson’s dark talent is unique, and readers will stagger away from her icy tales, stunned and groggy.

Her frame for this collection is also unique: stories built around Dante’s nine Circles of Hell. A unifying concept that is classically fresh…Once you read this remarkable collection, you’ll emerge with some twisted new thoughts…
Believe me, Dear Reader, you’ve never encountered anything like “Hellfire & Damnation,” the series. I have a final word for it: WOW!
(William F. Nolan, Living Legend in Dark Fantasy, author of “Logan’s Run” and “Nightworlds.”)

“Hellfire & Damnation is all the things any good compilation of short stories of a chilling nature should be. It’s scary, holds one’s interest enough not to want to put it down, and, at times, it is a little disturbing. Wilson has written a book of short stories that will not only keep you up late nights reading, but might also keep you up long after you have stopped reading.”
( Evelyn Smith, author of “City of the Undead” and “Transylvania, Louisiana.”)

From The Big Thrill