Novels

From Hellgatewiki.com

Following the lead of many other computer game designers (including Blizzard, which has ongoing Starcraft, Warcraft, and Diablo novel series), Flagship is publishing a trilogy in their Hellgate: London world. The first word of this came inside the pages of issue zero of the Hellgate: London comic book series, from this ad.

Flagship has not made any announcements about the books yet, but the first book is listed on Amazon.com and other booksellers and is currently for sale. Book one is entitled Exodus and is written by Mel Odom. Books two and three are not yet listed on Amazon.com, but they are on Amazon UK, and while they do not have titles yet, they're also credited to Mel Odom, and are set to be released on January 10, 2008 and September 1, 2008, respectively.

Nothing more is yet known about the sequels, though it's assumed they'll do what most other computer game novels have done, and to the backstory of Hellgate: London by presenting what are basically "further adventures of," with plots and characters set in the world at the time of the game, but not tying directly to the actual plot or characters of the game.

Book One: Exodus

From the back of the novel,

The once-great city lies in ruins. A massive gash in the fabric of our reality roals against the horizon as it blends into a permanently darkened sky. The world as we know it has come to an end. Demons, the visions of our nightmares, walk the Earth. Mankind, driven in retreat to the sanctuary of the Underground, struggles to survive the Hellish apocalypse.

Among the survivors are those who foresaw the coming of the darkness, those who see it as an opportunity to improve the standing of man and those who seek revenge for what was lost. All are now banding together in the shadows, arming themselves with futuristic weapons and arcane spells designed for one purpose--to battle the demonic hordes and take back their world. ¹

The novel begins eighteen years prior to the start of the video game on All Hallows Eve, 2020, London, England. Exodus explores the events just shortly after the initial demon invasion as the various factions (Templar, Cabalist, Hunter) and the rest of humanity struggle to come to terms with what has happened and ensure its survival.

Exodus helps set the stage for the game, showing a glimpse of just how things came to be as they are in the video game and giving insight to the inner workings of the various factions. It delves into the early years of the invasion as the three key factions seek to firmly establish themselves, each with their own purposes, but ultimately the same goal: survival.

Reviews: Amazon.com , Fantasybookspot.com

Mel Odom

Mel Odom is a tremendously prolific writer with over one hundred published novels. In addition to his own original novels, Odom has written quite a few books on contract, contributing titles to fantasy and sci-fi series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, MechWars, and Diablo, and film novelizations including Tomb Raider and Blade.

Mel Odom's home page.

References

1. Odom, Mel. Hellgate London, Exodus. New York: Pocket Star Books, 2007. ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-2579-0.