After I discovered that The Himalayan Codex was the sequel to this book could I hardly wait to find time to read the first book. Luckily, my audiobook service had this book so I could start listening to this (yes I had an ARC too, but it's so nice to be able to listen to a book and do other things at the same time). However, now I'm glad that I read The Himalayan Codex before this one because I would never have been interested in The Himalayan Codex after finishing Hell's Gate.

This is a typical night and day thing. I have been through it before, one book charms the pants off me, and the next one is meh. This book lacked the thrilling mystery in The Himalayan Codex, and to be perfectly honest couldn't I want for the book to be finished. I did like getting the full background to events mentioned in The Himalayan Codex, but the story in this book was just plain boring. I actually had to turn to my ebook towards the end of the book to read the ending since I kept zoning out while listening to this book.

Would I read the third book in this series if there will be one? Yes, I would, just because this story didn't appeal to me can't I deny that I enjoyed the second book and I would love to see what's next for Mac and the rest. ( )

After I discovered that The Himalayan Codex was the sequel to this book could I hardly wait to find time to read the first book. Luckily, my audiobook service had this book so I could start listening to this (yes I had an ARC too, but it's so nice to be able to listen to a book and do other things at the same time). However, now I'm glad that I read The Himalayan Codex before this one because I would never have been interested in The Himalayan Codex after finishing Hell's Gate.

This is a typical night and day thing. I have been through it before, one book charms the pants off me, and the next one is meh. This book lacked the thrilling mystery in The Himalayan Codex, and to be perfectly honest couldn't I want for the book to be finished. I did like getting the full background to events mentioned in The Himalayan Codex, but the story in this book was just plain boring. I actually had to turn to my ebook towards the end of the book to read the ending since I kept zoning out while listening to this book.

Would I read the third book in this series if there will be one? Yes, I would, just because this story didn't appeal to me can't I deny that I enjoyed the second book and I would love to see what's next for Mac and the rest. ( )

At first the story seemed interesting, (good use of research and historical records) but then it turned into a bad sci fi movie (think Reign of the Gargoyles) with hints of Hogan's Hero. The ending was rushed and less then satisfying. ( )

Fast paced, interesting read. I found the ending a bit abrupt but since this is the first in a series, the next installment has the perfect place to start. I appreciated the section that gives a reality check so you know what's based on fact and where the authors took creative license. ( )

Hell’s Gate
Author: Bill Schutt and J R Finch
Publisher: Bakk Bone LLC
Published In: New York City, NY
Date: 2016
Pgs: 373

REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Summary:
1944. Missing Army unit in the Amazon. A impossibly big Japanese submarine discovered aground in the jungle. An Axis plot arising in the jungle interior of Amazonia. And a darker force is coming as well. Captain R J MacCready is sent to investigate. Will he be enough? Can he make a difference? Will it be too late by the time those questions are answered?

Genre:
Adventure
Fiction
Horror
Military
Monster
Mystery
Paranormal
Pulp
Vampires
War

Why this book:
Jacket reads like a Dirk Pitt novel.
______________________________________________________________________________

Favorite Character:
Maurice Voorhees, reluctant, young, Nazi, rocket scientist, drafted away from Peenemunde to work on a project in the Amazonian hinterland of Brazil.

Character I Most Identified With:
Mama bat creature who is just trying to keep her family fed on the wayward warm blooded creatures who fall into their telempathic embrasure.

The Feel:
Almost put it down after the description of what happened to MacCready’s family. Heavy handed make the reader care about poor him. Cynical of me, yes, but still true.

Feels a bit like the hero is shoehorned into the villainous Nazi plot. The plot pieces are much better than the hero’s journey portion of our program. Uneven, so far.

Favorite Scene / Quote:
The opening with the “gas” attack on the Russian Army in the Ukraine and the two German soldiers in the Brazilian jungle falling victim to whatever those telepathic jungle vampires are are much better scenes than any scene with MacCready so far.

Plot Holes/Out of Character:
MacCready and Hendry’s talk when the later gives the former his assignment was supposed to be the easy repartee of acquaintances with a shared history, but it doesn’t ring that way. Feels forced. Tried to consider the conversation against whatever happened with MacCready’s family, but it still doesn’t deliver the character touchstone that, I feel , this was supposed to be.

Hmm Moments:
Giant intelligent vampire bats with 10 foot wingspans and a hunger for blood. Okay...that’s awesome. And Nazi rocket sleds throwing manned missiles suborbital to rain something down on American cities out of the Amazonian interior of Brazil. ...yeah...that’s cool.

Is MacCready going to end up teaming up with telempathic bat people to fight rocket Nazis in the rain forest? With the differences in the MacCready character scenes and the Nazis in the jungle and the bat creature scenes, I wonder if this was originally conceived as Nazis vs bat people and some editor or self-editing lead to needing to include a hero’s journey as part of the story.

WTF Moments:
MacCready carrying the corpse of the scarlet ibis that got caught in his propeller around with him is gross.
______________________________________________________________________________

Last Page Sound:
Kinda wandered around in the denouement positioning characters.

Author Assessment:
I would read the jacket of more by these authors, not sure if I would pick up the book though.

Knee Jerk Reaction:
meh!

Disposition of Book:
Irving Public Library
South Campus
Irving, TX

Dewey Decimal System:
F
SCH

Would recommend to:
no one
______________________________________________________________________________ ( )

In 1944, the discovery of an empty Japanese submarine large enough to transport three bombers marooned by the Germans deep in the Brazilian jungle near the mysterious Hell’s Gate region shocks Army Intelligence. After the disappearance of a team of Army Rangers, Army Captain R.J. MacCready parachutes into the area to investigate and learns of a diabolical Axis plot to destroy the United States and its allies. But there’s another danger lurking in the jungle paradise; MacCready must find the source of the biological crisis and foil the enemy’s plans be fore it’s too late.

Well-developed characters, an amazing sense of place, a tad of the nightmarish, and a twisting plot with non-stop action all combine to create a first-rate suspenseful mystery. And a “Reality Check” provided by the authors serves to ground the story with the background and historical basis for the events in this well-spun tale.

Readers will find much to enjoy in this exciting narrative but will be hard-pressed to set the book aside before reaching the final page.

Highly recommended. ( )

Hell’s Gate is a great new historical action (I could add about 20 more adjectives) thriller from Bill Schutt and J. R. Finch. Think Indiana Jones meets Michael Crichton. Set in 1944 as World War II is winding down in Europe, Hell’s Gate features Axis soldiers, rocket scientists, and the jungles of Brazil that swallow up Japanese submarines and Army Rangers with equal appetite. And then it gets scary. Captain R.J. “Mac” MacCready is a zoologist called in to discover what the Axis powers are up to deep in jungles of Brazil. Discovering his long-presumed dead friend Bob Thorne and his indigenous wife Yanni, Mac makes plans for Bob and Yanni to get the word out about what the Nazi’s are up to while Mac tries to get closer to the Axis base and disrupt their plans.

While Mac tries to halt the Nazi plans, something in the jungle is stalking them all. Something that the natives both fear and respect. Whether this new threat will stop the enemy or turn out to be the key in their devastating plan to destroy the United States is a terrifying question.

The authors bring a wealth of knowledge to this novel, from history to botany to zoology. This level of realism heightens the thrills. While reading, I found myself swatting at imaginary insects and listening for sounds in the night, so convincingly did I feel like I was in the jungle. The three main characters, Mac, Bob and Yanni shared an easy camaraderie and were fun to root for. The Nazi and Japanese military and scientists ran the gamut from short-sighted to chillingly evil. There were some bumps typical to a first book in a series, namely rough edges on the characters and a plot that was a little choppy moving forward from time to time. On the whole this is an exciting thriller and adventure story. It’s also going to give you a wonderful case of the creeps as you lose yourself in the jungles of Brazil, with Nazi’s on one side of you and something that goes “click click” in the night and whispers in your ear not to worry on the other side.

This is a wonderful new book with characters that set up nicely for more adventures. Sign me up! Fans of James Rollins, Matthew Reilly, Michael Crichton, and Alistair MacLean will all find something to love here. Highly recommended!

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book. ( )