Hell In a Handbasket By: Lucien Soulban Star Rating: Sensuality Rating:

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Synopsis

When the denizens of Hell discover a baby in a basket left at their gates, they aren't sure who she is, but all of them want a chance to sample a taste of the little creature. Only Vassago, Demon of Prophesy and the Kool Kat of Hell, knows her true identity, so he smoothly convinces the others to allow him to take the child. He has his own plan in mind for her, but several of the other Underworld residents keep stealing her away, only to have the babe wreak havoc on them using her sweetness and light with increasingly humorous results.

Review

"Hell In a Handbasket" is a comedic fantasy short story in which a baby is found at the gates of hell. None of the denizens of the Underworld know exactly what she is or how she got there. All they care about is vying for the right to have a taste of this new creature. Only Vassago, Demon of Prophesy and the Kool Kat of Hell, knows who the babe is, so he takes her to his living quarters, only to have several other demons try to steal her away with increasingly amusing results.

I've never read anything by Lucien Soulban before, so I didn't know what to expect. Also, after reading the previous short story -- which was a total bust for me -- in the Blood Lite anthology where "Hell In a Handbasket" is found, my expectations were set very low. However, I was quite pleasantly surprised by this little story, which kept a smile on my face throughout. Waiting to discover who the baby is, while reading about the havoc she keeps wreaking on the Underworld was entertaining fun, as was Vassago turning the tables on the entity who delivered the child in the first place. I don't want to say too much more or I'll give it all away, but suffice it to say that I appreciated the author's imaginative creativity and humor. I very much enjoyed this story and found it to be a delightful little tale that was a chuckle-inducing diversion.

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Lucien Soulban