About the Book:
In 1707, Jack Bently made a pact with the devil so that he could survive a vampire hunt. Three hundred years later, the devil has come to collect his due. So what is in store for Mr. Bently in Hell? An eternity of working at the Registration Office of the Damned. Now, not only does Jack have to deal with such tedious repetition for an eternity, but there is also a discrimination against supernatural types in Hell (such as werewolves and vampires). So Jack tries to survive Hell as best as he can which causes him to obtain some demonic allies and to become wrapped up in office politics of the Hellish variety.
Review:
I picked up this book, because it seemed like it would be a witty and original tale. Although I did not think it was the best book ever written, it was quite an original piece. It was nice to see vampires that weren't all about sex and Hell wasn't just fire and brimstone. The main reason I didn't give this book more stars was mostly because of the characters. I could not stand most of them, to be honest. I found them to be flat and a bit too generic. Jack especially grated me. I could not believe that he was a centuries old vampire from the way he acted. He just reminded me of some "punk" teenager such as listening to punk music (which is the only good music, according to Jack) and trying to get drunk all the time. Now, I could see why he may put up that type of character for humans, but he acts the same way among other vampires. I also could see him liking some more modern music, but not a single ounce of his habits, customs, or personality hinted at his original era. Also, any of the wit that comes from the characters (mostly Alex and Jack) is idiotic, and the villain is just as stupid. Then, the villain is evil, because he just happens to want to stay on top of the work chain. The author had to make him pathetic, of course, by making him greasy and cheesy and no one likes him. It just seems like the author tried too hard to make you dislike him. However, for what seems to be a first published work, it could have been much much worse.
The other thing I strongly disliked is that Jack got off too easily. Seriously, he ends up in Hell, and he ends up not having to live in the Employment Housing, the shift he works is just like every day life: you get to go home and get weekends off, Jack gets a really rare job for vampires, and then Satan himself ends up going easy on Jack. Even though we are supposed to feel that his life is horrible, Jack has so gotten the large slice of the pie.
I have to admit I did not see the main relationship coming (mainly because Jack was poorly written), and it was sweet and pretty, and the reading was quick paced and made the book fairly enjoyable. All in all, it was a good plot and with some better editing and more defined characters, it could have really been something. This author definitely has some potential.
