With this chapter about his City Infernal, Lee takes his ideas from a story into an epic. Yes, INFERNAL ANGEL was already a sequel to CITY INFERNAL and continued our view of Mephistopolis. This time though Lee does a much better job. Not only do we get a wider view of the neighborhoods of the city but we also grow the mythology of this world.

The story follows Venetia Barlow as she starts her summer working at St. John's Prior House, her first step on the way to becoming a nun. Little does she know that the Prior House is the mirror location of a ceremony meant to further corrupt some angels trapped and tortured in Hell. What she does know is that weird things are happening and dreams/hallucinations are telling her a story that she would rather not hear. Simultaneously a fallen priest recruits a deceased hooker to help oppose a Grand Duke in Mephistopolis from gaining more power.

It sounds a tad confusing but it's not. Everything makes sense and is very gripping the whole way through. Much more interesting than the second book. And on the plus side, it is very easy to see how this will become a much bigger series of stories with plot lines being picked up between books and characters connecting the actions in each novel. There was supposed to be additional connections between HOUSE INFERNAL and SLITHER but I would never have noticed it if it wasn't pointed out in other reviews. In my mind, it's a dubious connection but not something worth arguing about. ( )

Love the series. Probably my least favorite out of the series. ( )

Sick, grotesque, profoundly religious and strangely brilliant. The man can really write. ( )

not as good as infernal angel, but better than city infernal. very inventive. ( )

Edward Lee paints a very clever portrait of Hell and it's denizens as they attempt to use Earthly vessels for their own diabolical needs. The city itself, is richly detailed with dark and twisted character and places, in a manner akin to the deviant tales of Clive Barker. The characters are varied although somewhat lacking in depth, however the book has strong direction and the character development is clearly second place to the plot. The story itself is interesting enough, although there is a lack of urgency in the writing style and the lack of empathy with the characters derives from the impact the novel could have created. Overall House Infernal is a simple read, with some great creative sparks, however the style of writing means it's not a real page turner. ( )