Hellraisers

September 21, 2015
The road to hell is paved with good intentions in this first book in Smith’s Devil’s Engine series, as 16-year-old Marlow Green is caught up in an epic conflict between good and evil. After accidentally getting involved in a vicious supernatural battle in New York City, Marlow ends up joining the Hellraisers, a secret organization that uses the infernal power of the so-called Devil’s Engine to sell their souls for superhuman abilities and other benefits. They face off against the Circulus Inferni, a rival group that is using a second Engine to try and bring about hell on Earth, leading to visceral, no-holds-barred confrontations. With the war of attrition between the two factions about to reach a critical tipping point, Smith (The Fury) conjures up an absorbing, horror-tinged world full of dark imagery and unsettling descriptions as unstoppable demons face off against superpowered teens. The premise and physicality of the Devil’s Engine lends itself well to Smith’s horror sensibilities, while his sprawling cast invokes a comic book spirit of adventure; the marriage of tropes creates a page-turning adventure. Ages 12–up. Agent: Sophie Hicks, Ed Victor.

Starred review from October 15, 2015
When Marlow Green stumbles into a hellish fight with nightmarish creatures and helps save a girl's life, he is unwittingly dragged into a centuries-old war and must choose between cowardice and courage. From brushes with the law to expulsion from the last school that might take him, 15-year-old asthmatic Marlow is always running from trouble, but this ups the ante considerably. The girl, Pan, is a Hellraiser, a soldier in the battle between evil, and, well, a lesser evil. In exchange for wishes and her service, Pan signs a contract with the Devil's Engine--an infernal, ancient machine thought to have been forged by Satan. And when her contract expires, she'll be dragged down to hell. Even though Pan won't admit it, Marlow has saved her and thereby become involved, and the two inevitably team up with the other Hellraisers to try to stop the Circulus Inferni, an ancient, evil group of monsters, from using the Devil's Engine to unleash hell on Earth. Pan's aggressive, testy, take-charge attitude earns her the enmity of many, including Marlow and her Hellraiser mentor, Herc, who fling such epithets as "bitch" and "cow" around liberally. However, Pan's strong will and heroism win out in the eyes of readers and even her prickly companions. With high-stakes situations, a fast-paced plot, and gruesome, terrifying creatures, this Faustian tale is a hit for horror fans looking for a world of mystery, the macabre, and lots of fire and fighting. (Horror. 13 & up)

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November 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Fifteen-year-old Marlow Green is a Staten Island native and nothing but trouble. While attempting to avoid the police after his latest expulsion from school, Marlow accidentally stumbles into hell on earth. Demons with bodies made of concrete and car parts have appeared in an underground parking garage, and the most beautiful girl Marlow has ever seen is trying to fight them off with what seem to be super powers. The girl, nicknamed Pandora, is part of an army of Hellraisers who receive their powers by making deals with an ancient machine known as the Devil's Engine; the Engine can grant any wish, for just the price of your soul. Marlow is a coward, so his first instinct is to run, but now that he knows too much, that may not be an option. The first in a trilogy, this volume is fast-paced and gritty. Marlow isn't a likable character, but he is relatable and fits perfectly into the setting. Chapters told from the teen's point of view highlight loyalty among friends, the importance of family, and the difficulty that is growing up, while chapters from the view of veteran Pandora-although she is only a couple of years older than Marlow-flesh out the details of life as a Hellraiser. VERDICT A chaotic pace, snarky humor, graphic descriptions, and strong language make this title just right for older horror enthusiasts-Maggie Mason Smith, Clemson University R. M. Cooper Library, South Carolina

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 Fifteen-year-old Marlow is fighting his asthma as he races away from his school expulsion, when he finds (and joins) an unbelievable battle between humans with astonishing powers (Engineers) and inanimate objects that have come to life and are intent on destruction. The Engineers are the products of the Engine, a machine of the devil that transforms and grants powers for the price of one's soul, then comes to claim them with crushingly destructive force when payment is due. Filled with violent clashes between Engineers and devils, and Engineers and rival Engineers, this book packs a punch for teens looking for nonstop actionthough it takes a while to get to the motivation behind the Engineers' constant fighting. Marlow is a likable, flawed underdog of a hero, and his many comrades in arms gradually gain dimension as the plot progresses. First in a planned trilogy, Smith's latest is largely going to appeal to readers in it for the gritty action and horror.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)