A modern horror novel that gives off a reverent retro vibe.
Taking a not-so-prestigious teaching position at an inconsequential university in rural New England isn’t the best career choice, but it should be a good opportunity for Max Heller to clear his head. Max has already spent a lifetime travelling, exploring and learning, and small town life in Massachusetts has never quite made it to his bucket list. But a job is a job, so he makes the best of things. After a monotonous start, spring break is finally around the corner and Max turns to the affable school janitor, Dud Jewel, for suggestions on how to fill the time. Knowledgeable Dud casually alludes to the storied haunted woods just outside of town, warning of strange happenings, odd lights, and even prehistorically large turtles. More than tempting, Heller packs a cooler and takes Dud up on the offer to tour the so-called haunted woods. A casual afternoon hike turns into a grisly battle for survival, leaving Heller scared and confused, but entirely focused on uncovering what lurks in the forest. For this scholar, the truth will alter his world views. That is, if he lives long enough.
Hell Fighters is an electrifying fright-fest that jumps into the thrills faster than you can say trick-or-treat! Readers are treated to parasitic, man-eating ticks, interdimensional invaders, vivid otherworldly locations and a nightmarish assortment of monsters, all with unnerving proximity to an unaware civilian population. Max Heller is the perfect unlikely hero, whose thirst for knowledge borders on obsession. He is advised, “You should listen to your fear. It is the only thing you can trust.” However, heedless of this ominous warning, Heller presses on with a weary group of like-minded fighters, offering readers plenty of plot twists and well-timed jump scenes. On the scale of campy to horrific, Bil Richardson’s writing splashes down someplace toward the scary side of the murky waters. Astonishing absurdities abound in Hell fighters, a modern horror novel that gives off a reverent retro vibe.
