Tag: Damned Busters

The TO HELL AND BACK Trilogy Re-Printed!

Posted on Wednesday, June 30th, 2021

We’re very happy to report that Angry Robot Books are reprinting Matthew Hughes‘s acclaimed To Hell and Back trilogy! First published between 2011-13, the trilogy includes THE DAMNED BUSTERS, COSTUME NOT INCLUDED, and HELL TO PAY. Here’s the synopsis for the first novel in the series…

When mild-mannered Chesney Arnstruther accidentally summons a demon and causes Hell to go on strike, he doesn’t expect to wind up as what he had always dreamed of being: the Actionary, a costumed crimefighter with a weasel-headed fiend for a sidekick.

But that’s just the beginning of a journey that will see the “high-functioning” autistic actuary enmeshed in the schemes of a greedy televangelist, romancing a pepper-spray-wielding manicurist, and sitting down to a poker game with the Devil where the stakes include his immortal soul.

Here are just a few reviews the series has received…

‘This is a funny and surprisingly endearing book with some interesting discussions about the role of sin and our reactions to it.’ — The Guardian on THE DAMNED BUSTERS

‘You’re missing out if you haven’t bought this book yet. Pure and simple.’ — The Founding Fields on THE DAMNED BUSTERS

‘A witty superhero story that’s just plain fun.’ — SFSignal on THE DAMNED BUSTERS

‘Hughes continues to carve out a unique place for himself in the fantasy-mystery realm. A droll narrative voice, dry humor and an alternative universe that’s accessible without exposition make this a winner.’ — Publishers Weekly on COSTUME NOT INCLUDED

‘Part mystery, part comic book, part religious treatise, and part crime drama, Hughes manages to work in entertaining twists and character confrontations on a regular basis without overloading his story.’ — Sacramento & San Francisco Book Review on COSTUME NOT INCLUDED

‘The first book in the series was very good, the second was better. The events of those books were leading up to this final volume in the trilogy and it’s the best yet.’ — The British Fantasy Society on HELL TO PAY

‘A highly enjoyable read, with some interesting philosophical underpinnings and surprising twists. The book makes for a satisfying ending to the To Hell & Back series, which gave us a quirky, off-beat story about an unlikely super hero, with unexpected depths.’ — A Fantastical Librarian on HELL TO PAY

Tomorrow: Matthew Hughes’s TO HELL AND BACK Trilogy is an Amazon Kindle Daily Deal…

Posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2014

Hughes-ToHellAndBack-Blog

Tomorrow, Amazon US and Canada will be offering Matthew Hughes‘s super-hero urban fantasy trilogy To Hell And Back as their Kindle Daily Deal! This is your heads-up to get ready! (We’ll remind you all via our Twitter feed, too.) Published by Angry Robot Books, the series includes THE DAMNED BUSTERS, COSTUME NOT INCLUDED and HELL TO PAY.

Here’s the synopsis for the first book in the series…

After accidentally summoning a demon while playing poker, the normally mild-mannered Chesney Anstruther refuses to sell his soul… which leads through various confusions to, well, Hell going on strike. Which means that nothing bad ever happens in the world – and that actually turns out to be a really bad thing.

There’s only one thing for it. Satan offers Chesney the ultimate deal – sign the damned contract, and he can have his heart’s desire. And thus the strangest superhero duo ever seen – in Hell or on Earth – is born!

And, in case you needed more convincing, here is just a small selection of praise that has been heaped on the series…

‘Hughes continues to carve out a unique place for himself in the fantasy-mystery realm. A droll narrative voice, dry humor and an alternative universe that’s accessible without exposition make this a winner.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘You’re missing out if you haven’t bought this book yet. Pure and simple.’ — Founding Fields

‘A witty superhero story that’s just plain fun.’ — SF Signal

‘Part mystery, part comic book, part religious treatise, and part crime drama, Hughes manages to work in entertaining twists and character confrontations on a regular basis without overloading his story.’ – Sacramento & San Francisco Book Review

‘The first book in the series was very good, the second was better. The events of those books were leading up to this final volume in the trilogy and it’s the best yet.’ — British Fantasy Society on HELL TO PAY

‘A highly enjoyable read, with some interesting philosophical underpinnings and surprising twists. The book makes for a satisfying ending to the To Hell & Back series, which gave us a quirky, off-beat story about an unlikely super hero, with unexpected depths.’ — Fantastical Librarian on HELL TO PAY

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An earlier version of this post erroneously stated that Amazon UK was offering the series as a Kindle Daily Deal. It is, in fact, Amazon US and Canada. Apologies for the mistake.