| Holy Hell Author Michael Jodoin |
Take a little bit of Holy Blood/Holy Grail (Authors: Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh,
and Henry Lincoln) and mix it up with fantasy, add humor, an irreverent Messiah
who drives a jeep, scatter miniature philosophical tidbits throughout this book, and
you have the most unique e-book NEVER written. Except, believe it or not, it WAS
written and Holy Hell is it! An instant classic by Michael Jodoin!
Perhaps there comes a time in every great civilization to put their gods in stories
much like the Greek Dramas. This is exactly what Jodoin does with a host of
heavenly—and not too heavenly—cast of characters. The results are of Biblical
proportions, and it all involves a new assistant pastor and the truth he gleams from
Scripture:
We’ve been lied to. We’ve lied to ourselves.
This is just one of the messages within this unique book, constantly feeding the
reader’s mind through plot and conversations between characters. And who are
these characters? They are: Jackson, an up-and-coming evangelist with a special
gift for reaching people; Melissa, Jackson’s fiancé; a demon named Quake; Lucas
and Lilith; Lucifer and God Himself; and a Jesus who isn’t afraid to say it like it is.
All books have a theme, a message or moral. Holy Hell by Michael Jodoin is no
different. One of many messages within the e-book is about life itself, symbolized
by a breeze. Let me explain with Michael’s own words:
Excerpt from Holy Hell:
“It has happened countless times. A beautiful summer afternoon. A birthday
barbecue in the backyard. Everyone is having the time of their lives when, the
gentle breeze that has been keeping the flies off the potato salad on their paper
plates, picks up and tosses a plate across the table into Aunt Edna’s lap. Before
you can say we ain’t in Kansas anymore the clouds roll in, releasing a torrential
downpour that melts the frosting from the cake, which is then sucked up by a
tornado.
“Gone as quickly as it arrived, everyone stares at the devastation in utter
disbelief. People stumble around in shock—screaming, crying, searching for Aunt
Edna, who apparently was holding on to the cake.”
Later Michael writes:
“A gentle breeze blew through the window in front of his desk as he flipped the
bible open and began reading.”
This is Holy Hell: it begins as a gentle breeze, and ends up with hurricane gales
and tornadoes of literary devastation. One is almost unaware of the subtle
symbolism of the breeze until it’s too late: “Suddenly a thought began to form in
Quake’s mind. Quake whispered in Jackson’s ear and the gentle breeze blew.”
There are so many storms and tornados within the plot that your head will spin (in
a good way). One such tornado is when God Himself passes judgment over the
main character, Jackson, a righteous preacher, saying, “We can’t have him running
around upsetting the order of things. Take him to hell and keep him there.”
This is where the reader finds the gentle breeze from the beginning of the tale
strengthening into gale-force winds, carrying the reader along until one simply
MUST find out what happens next. By the end of page 34, you will NOT want to put
the book down!
Will Jackson remain in hell? Will he escape? Who is his unlikely benefactor? How
does Jackson’s life affect the rest of the world? These questions lead one to
consider one’s own life and its affect upon the world and one’s community.
The reader will continue to be shocked as the winds and words continue to whip
imagination into a frenzy of surprising subplots and twists. Besides the plots, one
finds idioms, adages and familiar quotes from a narrator’s voice. And while adages
and clichés are frowned upon by editors in fiction, Jodoin takes clichés and time-
treasured adages, incorporating them into portions of the story, making the tale
MORE interesting!
If you’re into heavy description, this isn’t the book for you. Even the demons aren’
t described with much candor. No, this is a book of political intrigue (on a cosmic
scale). A book like this isn’t designed to make you envision landscapes and
appearances; it’s designed to make you see thing introspectively, make you think
and question, “What if?” All the while Holy Hell entertains you. It isn’t about fancy
descriptions of hell. It doesn’t torment the mind with vast detail of the flesh
melting off the damned. Let’s get to the meat of the matter: the evaluation of
truth as we know it, but not from the boring pulpit, but from the most creative
mind of Michael Jodoin as told through the colorful characters of Holy Hell.
Demons, angels, preachers, Jesus, Lucifer and God Himself square off in a pivotal
plot designed to usurp the balance carefully orchestrated into the universe.
As the plot unfolds, only one person can get things pointed in the right direction
just like before: Jesus Christ. Using the shattered faith of a young preacher,
Jackson (the main character), Jesus sets out to make things right and force the
issue of the eternal-standstill between God and Lucifer. In one way it’s about what’
s wrong with traditional truths cherished through the ages, but in another way it’s
about the individual’s spiritual truth and finding one’s own path.
Is it funny? Yes! Is it irreverent? Yes (but with a measure of respect, too). Is the
plot good? Yes! Is it interesting? Yes! Do you want to keep reading? Yes!
Just as one universal question is answered, Jodoin hooks you with still yet another
question you’re dying to have answered. Such as what Jesus wrote in the dirt
when the scribes and Pharisees brought the adulterous woman to him. Of course,
Michael Jodoin wasn’t there when THAT happened in the Bible, nor is he a prophet.
But THAT doesn’t stop him from asking, What if? And he does it by tapping into
pure creativity. While there is some passive voice in the writing, it is in no way
worse than the mass-produced publications of the major publishers, and the book
definitely makes you think while entertaining at the same time.
Three In/Three Out
What would want to make a reader want to read this book?
1) The powerful host of characters. Who is more powerful than God?
2) The shocking twists such as who gets thrown into hell and who escapes, and
the other plots and resulting suspense from the subplots. I found myself
exclaiming, “That DIDN’T just happen!” Yes, there are MORE surprises and shocks
in store for the reader than what I mentioned.
3) The irreverent and almost whimsical nature of the book as it leads the
reader into places never gone before (and doesn’t wish to). Because of this, Holy
Hell is a most unique book, entertaining and delighting in a whimsical and
introspective journey into the unknown. And when the truth is made known in the
tale, the very universe trembles and threatens to collapse.
What would make a reader NOT want to read this book?
1) The very reason many readers will WANT to read the book is the same
reason some readers may NOT wish to read the book: it involves sacred characters
of faith with a certain amount of irreverence.
2) There is enough going on in this book that it could fill volumes. Instead of
elaborating with nauseating detail, Holy Hell skims over description. Those
relishing description won’t receive it well.
3) It begins with the classic theme of “higher powers” getting involved in the
affairs of mundane mortals. Why would celestial creatures care about a gifted
preacher who hasn’t yet proven himself? Why would Satan get personally involved
in ANY individual’s life? This lends to the credence held throughout the ages that
the individual is of such vast importance that celestial powers feel obligated to
make a stop in their lives. Although dictators, presidents and politicians don’t even
know the characters’ names, for some reason Lucifer and God do, which is either
illogical or points to the fact that spiritual intrigues are vastly different from
worldwide and political intrigues.
Did I enjoy the book?
Hell, yes! On page 34 I wrote: “By this page you will NOT want to put it down.”
After reading “Three in/Three Out” you’ll probably find yourself intrigued and want
to buy Jodoin’s book at Sonar4 Publications.
and Henry Lincoln) and mix it up with fantasy, add humor, an irreverent Messiah
who drives a jeep, scatter miniature philosophical tidbits throughout this book, and
you have the most unique e-book NEVER written. Except, believe it or not, it WAS
written and Holy Hell is it! An instant classic by Michael Jodoin!
Perhaps there comes a time in every great civilization to put their gods in stories
much like the Greek Dramas. This is exactly what Jodoin does with a host of
heavenly—and not too heavenly—cast of characters. The results are of Biblical
proportions, and it all involves a new assistant pastor and the truth he gleams from
Scripture:
We’ve been lied to. We’ve lied to ourselves.
This is just one of the messages within this unique book, constantly feeding the
reader’s mind through plot and conversations between characters. And who are
these characters? They are: Jackson, an up-and-coming evangelist with a special
gift for reaching people; Melissa, Jackson’s fiancé; a demon named Quake; Lucas
and Lilith; Lucifer and God Himself; and a Jesus who isn’t afraid to say it like it is.
All books have a theme, a message or moral. Holy Hell by Michael Jodoin is no
different. One of many messages within the e-book is about life itself, symbolized
by a breeze. Let me explain with Michael’s own words:
Excerpt from Holy Hell:
“It has happened countless times. A beautiful summer afternoon. A birthday
barbecue in the backyard. Everyone is having the time of their lives when, the
gentle breeze that has been keeping the flies off the potato salad on their paper
plates, picks up and tosses a plate across the table into Aunt Edna’s lap. Before
you can say we ain’t in Kansas anymore the clouds roll in, releasing a torrential
downpour that melts the frosting from the cake, which is then sucked up by a
tornado.
“Gone as quickly as it arrived, everyone stares at the devastation in utter
disbelief. People stumble around in shock—screaming, crying, searching for Aunt
Edna, who apparently was holding on to the cake.”
Later Michael writes:
“A gentle breeze blew through the window in front of his desk as he flipped the
bible open and began reading.”
This is Holy Hell: it begins as a gentle breeze, and ends up with hurricane gales
and tornadoes of literary devastation. One is almost unaware of the subtle
symbolism of the breeze until it’s too late: “Suddenly a thought began to form in
Quake’s mind. Quake whispered in Jackson’s ear and the gentle breeze blew.”
There are so many storms and tornados within the plot that your head will spin (in
a good way). One such tornado is when God Himself passes judgment over the
main character, Jackson, a righteous preacher, saying, “We can’t have him running
around upsetting the order of things. Take him to hell and keep him there.”
This is where the reader finds the gentle breeze from the beginning of the tale
strengthening into gale-force winds, carrying the reader along until one simply
MUST find out what happens next. By the end of page 34, you will NOT want to put
the book down!
Will Jackson remain in hell? Will he escape? Who is his unlikely benefactor? How
does Jackson’s life affect the rest of the world? These questions lead one to
consider one’s own life and its affect upon the world and one’s community.
The reader will continue to be shocked as the winds and words continue to whip
imagination into a frenzy of surprising subplots and twists. Besides the plots, one
finds idioms, adages and familiar quotes from a narrator’s voice. And while adages
and clichés are frowned upon by editors in fiction, Jodoin takes clichés and time-
treasured adages, incorporating them into portions of the story, making the tale
MORE interesting!
If you’re into heavy description, this isn’t the book for you. Even the demons aren’
t described with much candor. No, this is a book of political intrigue (on a cosmic
scale). A book like this isn’t designed to make you envision landscapes and
appearances; it’s designed to make you see thing introspectively, make you think
and question, “What if?” All the while Holy Hell entertains you. It isn’t about fancy
descriptions of hell. It doesn’t torment the mind with vast detail of the flesh
melting off the damned. Let’s get to the meat of the matter: the evaluation of
truth as we know it, but not from the boring pulpit, but from the most creative
mind of Michael Jodoin as told through the colorful characters of Holy Hell.
Demons, angels, preachers, Jesus, Lucifer and God Himself square off in a pivotal
plot designed to usurp the balance carefully orchestrated into the universe.
As the plot unfolds, only one person can get things pointed in the right direction
just like before: Jesus Christ. Using the shattered faith of a young preacher,
Jackson (the main character), Jesus sets out to make things right and force the
issue of the eternal-standstill between God and Lucifer. In one way it’s about what’
s wrong with traditional truths cherished through the ages, but in another way it’s
about the individual’s spiritual truth and finding one’s own path.
Is it funny? Yes! Is it irreverent? Yes (but with a measure of respect, too). Is the
plot good? Yes! Is it interesting? Yes! Do you want to keep reading? Yes!
Just as one universal question is answered, Jodoin hooks you with still yet another
question you’re dying to have answered. Such as what Jesus wrote in the dirt
when the scribes and Pharisees brought the adulterous woman to him. Of course,
Michael Jodoin wasn’t there when THAT happened in the Bible, nor is he a prophet.
But THAT doesn’t stop him from asking, What if? And he does it by tapping into
pure creativity. While there is some passive voice in the writing, it is in no way
worse than the mass-produced publications of the major publishers, and the book
definitely makes you think while entertaining at the same time.
Three In/Three Out
What would want to make a reader want to read this book?
1) The powerful host of characters. Who is more powerful than God?
2) The shocking twists such as who gets thrown into hell and who escapes, and
the other plots and resulting suspense from the subplots. I found myself
exclaiming, “That DIDN’T just happen!” Yes, there are MORE surprises and shocks
in store for the reader than what I mentioned.
3) The irreverent and almost whimsical nature of the book as it leads the
reader into places never gone before (and doesn’t wish to). Because of this, Holy
Hell is a most unique book, entertaining and delighting in a whimsical and
introspective journey into the unknown. And when the truth is made known in the
tale, the very universe trembles and threatens to collapse.
What would make a reader NOT want to read this book?
1) The very reason many readers will WANT to read the book is the same
reason some readers may NOT wish to read the book: it involves sacred characters
of faith with a certain amount of irreverence.
2) There is enough going on in this book that it could fill volumes. Instead of
elaborating with nauseating detail, Holy Hell skims over description. Those
relishing description won’t receive it well.
3) It begins with the classic theme of “higher powers” getting involved in the
affairs of mundane mortals. Why would celestial creatures care about a gifted
preacher who hasn’t yet proven himself? Why would Satan get personally involved
in ANY individual’s life? This lends to the credence held throughout the ages that
the individual is of such vast importance that celestial powers feel obligated to
make a stop in their lives. Although dictators, presidents and politicians don’t even
know the characters’ names, for some reason Lucifer and God do, which is either
illogical or points to the fact that spiritual intrigues are vastly different from
worldwide and political intrigues.
Did I enjoy the book?
Hell, yes! On page 34 I wrote: “By this page you will NOT want to put it down.”
After reading “Three in/Three Out” you’ll probably find yourself intrigued and want
to buy Jodoin’s book at Sonar4 Publications.