way out

Wow!!! Tracy killing Beth was something I didn’t see, and Amy being reincarnated into Phillip and Carolyn’s daughter was pretty cool too!

I really enjoy John saul books and to me this is one of the better ones, i really enjoyed it, it had a sad but happy ending.

In 'Hellfire', the old mill in town is rumoured to be haunted owing to a series of deaths. Now non-superstitious Phillip Sturgess whose family has owned it for generations is set on tearing it down and building a mall despite his mother's warning. Something is waiting behind those closed doors, hell-bent on exacting revenge..

The mill was the perfect setting for a haunting as its appearance lent it an air of innocuousness - after all, it's merely a decrepit, abandoned, rusty and dusty mill, right? That's what made it (a tad) terrifying. The truth about what happened was well-written with a touch of emotions. It shed light on why certain individuals were targeted while some weren't.

The character dynamics were conveyed brilliantly through their strained interactions and conflicts. Phillip's wife, Carolyn couldn't win no matter what as her mother-in-law Abigail and stepdaughter, Tracy jumped at every opportunity to make life miserable for her and her daughter Beth. More could've been done to give the characters depth as they were easily divided into the 'good' or 'bad' camp.

I expected more rather than just a few deaths that should've been impactful considering the deceased were close to some of the aforementioned characters yet were quickly forgotten. Besides that, the adults were bumbling idiots, either oblivious to the obvious or aware yet failing to take action. I felt sorry for Beth whose gruesome end could've been prevented if only Phillip and / or Carolyn had intervened sooner.

The ending was predictable but the horror was overshadowed by the stupidity of naming the baby after the vengeful dead girl Amy. Overall, 'Hellfire' was an average tale that was low on the scare factor. On the bright side, the characters' relationships, emotions and motivations were believable.

This is a horror fiction novel. I would recommend this book if you enjoy this type of genre.
Synoposis:
The old mill has been silent for 100 years, its dreaded secrets locked from view. Still, the people of Westover remember....and whisper of that terrible day when the horrifying flames claimed 11 young lives. The day the mills doors slammed shut--forever. But now, the last of the once-powerful Sturgess family is about to unlock these doors again. Behind the padlocks, depp within the dark, abandoned building, a terrible vengeance waits to unleash it's elemental fury.

This book was given to me, I have not read that many of John Saul books. John Saul has a very solid plot line dealing with a family business of hiding secrets, driving family members crazy and haunts from the past in the old mill that the Sturgess family owned. It was not the ending that I thought it would be. Hellfire is mixed with old town folklore, family secrets and legends of the town. I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it as a book worth reading.

This is a great horror story; hard to put down. And the ending will strike fear. One of John Saul's earlier books and I think the earlier ones are better.

My favorite John Saul book.

Hellfire is typical John Saul. It has solid writing, easy to follow and digest plot, great character development and his hallmarks being small towns, creepy kids and supernatural elements.

The characters of Abigail and Tracy really got under my skin as the rich snobby upper class snobs. I hated the character of Tracy the most but that just a credit to the skill of Saul and his writing ability.

This is a quick read and engaging enough even if its follows family dramas and history's more than the horror elements for the most part of the plot. Definitely glad I have read it but isnt in the top books of his I have read so far.

3.5 stars down to 3 for Goodreads.

One that I read a while ago, but remember it was pretty good.

I'm not a horror genre reader but this book was given to me by a dear elderly friend so I read it. It's actually good and probably deserves better than my 3-star rating, but again, I'm not a horror fan. The character development was really outstanding, the quiet Massachusetts small town was eerily effective, and there were a few swerves that caught me totally off guard. A horror affeciando would find this thriller very satisfying and even a non-horror fan found it entertaining.

Este John Saul lo hizo de nuevo.
Hace como 10 años conocí a este autor que me produjo el trauma literario más grande de mi vida. Desde ese momento se volvió una apuesta segura y cada vez que encuentro un libro suyo debo comprarlo. Fuego infernal es el cuarto libro que leo del autor hasta el momento y creo que será mi segundo favorito por tener algunas semejanzas a Dejad a los niños.
En Fuego infernal nos topamos con una fábrica abandonada sobre la cual existen numerosas historias y parece albergar algo maligno. Los dueños de la misma son los Sturgess, una de las familias más ricas de Westover. Y aunque la fábrica permaneció cerrada y abandonada durante 100 años, muy pronto revivirá de diferentes maneras.
La historia sigue los pasos de la pequeña Beth, su mamá se casó recientemente con Phillip Sturgess y desde entonces viven en la mansión de la colina. Con la muerte del padre de Phillip comienzan los dramas. Phillip planea reabrir la vieja fábrica y poner una especie de centro comercial en ella para que el edificio empiece a producir dinero. Pero la hija de Phillip ha vuelto a casa durante las vacaciones y detesta a su madrastra y hermanastra siendo su abuela la única que la apoya y la consciente ya que también desdeña a su nueva nuera e ignora completamente a su hija. La vida de Carolyn y Beth con los Sturgess será compleja, pero sobre todo para la niña ya que su hermanastra la insulta, humilla y molesta constantemente.
Cuando empiezan las obras en la fábrica, el padre de Beth será el encargado de las mismas y ella comienza a pasar tiempo en el edificio. Allí conoce a una niña que sufrió una terrible tragedia, Amy. Beth termina entablando cierta amistad con Amy, un entendimiento que nace del dolor que ambas sienten. Pero Amy está furiosa por lo que le sucedió y es la causante de todas las cosas extrañas que suceden en la fábrica. Así empiezan las muertes y accidentes en el edificio, los cuales no tienen otra explicación más que se tratan de accidentes. Pero las obras siguen su curso a pesar de las tragedias y siguen negando la maldad que reina en el edificio. Cuántas vidas debe cobrarse la fábrica para que les caiga la ficha y arrasen con ese lugar? Pues la respuesta es obvia, hasta que no hay vuelta atrás y todo se va al carajo.
En general me pareció una historia muy triste. Por un lado tenemos a Beth que debe lidiar con la nueva situación familiar y lentamente se va quedando sola, lo que la acerca cada vez más a Amy. Y la historia de Amy es sumamente horrible, lloré de bronca y pena por todo lo que vivió esa niña y si bien entiendo su furia son cosas que podrían haberse impedido si la gente rica no fuera tan asquerosa. El final me pareció muy trágico aunque tuviera cierta justicia, lástima que en los libros de Saul las cosas nunca parecen terminarse del todo.
La verdad verdadera es que la villana de esta historia es Tracy, esta pendeja maldita le gana por mucho margen a las niñas malvadas y fantasmales de acá y otros libros del autor. Merecía un final mucho peor del que tuvo.

En fin, una historia de fantasmas vengativos, dramas peliagudos y furias infernales. Saul cumple con creces en sus historias y ojalá fuera más reconocido en el género.