To Reign in Hell, by Steven Brust

I find myself approaching and appreciating this book from a perspective that seems to jar with that of the other reviewers. Myself, I've never been able to finish any other Brust book, which is less a testimony to his ability to write than my ability to enjoy his style. (An author can be an excellent writer and still lose readers because they don't like his or her style. Dickens is a good example of this, or Dumas pere.)

Having said that, Hell has shot to the top of my favorite books list. I'm not sure that I can accurately convey what exactly it was about this book that interested me so much. I'll do my best, though.

I major part of it is Brust's humor, which shines through at the most unexpected times. Beelzebub's warning to his companion, "Get thee behind me, Satan!" for example. Or Brust's opening sentence itself. Or Ariel's rhymes that irritate and amuse everyone around him.

Another part of its appeal is the sources it so obviously draws from. Milton's Paradise Lost, Goethe's (and probably Marlowe's) Faust, and, quite obviously, the Bible, to name a few. For a student who has studied the classics, or enjoys mythology as I do, this book would be right up your alley. An example would be how sympathetic the author is to the character of Satan, a 'flaw' Milton was guilty of as well.

That irony was another reason to enjoy the book. Another instance of irony, that of Satan's fall taking place because of God's pride, also tickled my fancy.

To name a few flaws:
The pacing seems off a little. It was struggle to make it through the first part of the book, even with the unusual premise of the story itself. It seemed to pick up after that, however. Also, a lot of the time spent with the characters was spent with them traveling. That can get irritating.

Another reviewer mentioned the childishness of the characters. This was done intentionally, I think, to prove how very silly the whole argument was and how it could have been prevented with a little more circumspection and talk. It's interesting to note that the characters who showed the most self reflection were also the ones the most deeply troubled by the goings-on in the story. Satan, for example, was deeply bothered by Yahweh's suggestion and constantly questioned himself as to why. Lucifer, who had more of a scientific knowledge of the world around him, but less self knowledge, was more easily able to make up his mind about things.

There were sections I could have done without. The exchanges between Sith and Kyriel, for example. I understand that they were necessary to show the general state of feeling amongst the inhabitants of heaven, but I still could see the author making a better go of it in a different fashion. To each their own, however.

So to recap, good premise, good inclusion of 'historical' figures from other sources, maybe a lacking sense of pacing, some confusing dialogue, but overall an excellent read. Five stars and recommended to any student of mythology or the classics.