Review – The Devil’s Apprentice by Kenneth B. Andersen is a fantastic start to a multi-book series. It will grab you on page one and leave you begging for more. This post has been updated to become part of The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour for The Devil’s Apprentice. I’ve added new material and a preview of the next book in the series can be found further down in this post.
Title: The Devil’s Apprentice: The Great Devil War, Book 1
Author: Kenneth B. Andersen
Genre: Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery
Publisher: Høst & Søn
Page length: 320 pages
Audible length: 7 Hours, 11 Minutes
Synopsis:
Philip is a good boy, a really good boy, who accidentally gets sent to Hell to become the Devil’s heir. The Devil, Lucifer, is dying and desperately in need of a successor, but there’s been a mistake and Philip is the wrong boy. Philip is terrible at being bad, but Lucifer has no other choice than to begin the difficult task of training him in the ways of evil. Philip gets both friends and enemies in this odd, gloomy underworld—but who can he trust, when he discovers an evil-minded plot against the dark throne?
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Review: The Devil’s Apprentice by Kenneth B. Andersen
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My Review – The Devil’s Apprentice
Oh Phillip, can you possibly be that good?
Will the devil be able to find a spark of evil in your soul?
The Devil’s Apprentice is a gripping, page-turner for the storyline alone. But, add in the moral dilemmas, fights between good and evil, and appearances from some of our most well-known biblical people, and you have a fantastic book. Andersen’s descriptions of Hell are so imaginative and well-written it gave me chills.
Phillip is accidentally killed and sent to Hell to become the Devil’s heir. Follow his adventures and dilemmas as he struggles to remain a good person while training to take over for Lucifer. Can he create change in the land of lost souls? You must read to find out.
The Devil’s Apprentice is the first in the series, and I can not wait to read book 2. Whatever your beliefs, this fantasy series is sure to delight. It’s well worth your time and money to read this one.
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Comments are greatly appreciated. Please scroll to the bottom to find the comment section!
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Meet author, Kenneth B. Andersen
Biography:
I was born in Denmark on a dark and stormy night in November 1976. I began writing when I was a teenager. My first book was a really awful horror novel titled Nidhug’s Slaves. It didn’t get published. Luckily.
During the next seven years, I wrote nearly 20 novels–all of which were rejected–while working as a school teacher. The rest of the time I spent writing.
In 2000 I published my debut fantasy book, The Battle of Caïssa, and that’s when things really took off. Since then I’ve published more than thirty-five books for children and young adults in genres ranging from fantasy to horror and science fiction.
Persistence pays dividends!
My books have been translated into more than 15 languages, and my series about the superhero Antboy has been adapted for film, which is available on Netflix. An animated tv series is currently in development, and the movie rights for the series have also been optioned.
I live in Copenhagen with my wife, two boys, a dog named Milo, and spiders in the basement.
About THE GREAT DEVIL WAR
The Great Devil War was published in Denmark from 2005-2016, beginning with The Devil’s Apprentice.
Even though the story (mostly) takes place in Hell and deals with themes like evil, death, and free will, it is also a humoristic tale about good and evil seen from a different perspective. A tale that hopefully will make the reader – young or old, boy or girl – laugh and think.
Welcome to the other side!
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Review – The Devil’s Apprentice
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A short interview with Kenneth B. Andersen:
How long have you been writing?
I began writing when I was 15 years old, and I was terrible at it. But I kept on trying and trying and trying. It took me seven years and fifteen turned-down manuscripts before I finally got my first book published. But I was never close to giving up – on the contrary. It became an obsession for me to write something good enough to get published. Which finally happened in 2000 when I was 22. Since then, I’ve published more than 40 books.
What inspired you to write in this genre?
Books like The Narnia Chronicles, Alice in Wonderland and The Never-ending story had a huge impact on me when I grew up. They are stories with so many layers while at the same time brimming with imagination. They can be read by young and old. That’s what I like about this genre. And it’s a bigger playground.
Do you have a set writing schedule?
When I’m working on something – which I usually am – I write four hours a day. I have an office in my basement and I write from 8 am – 10 am and then again from 1 pm – 3 pm. I don’t aim for a certain amount of words or pages. Sometimes I write half a page in two hours if things go slow, sometimes three pages. It depends.
Do you need silence to write, or can you work in any environment?
Yes, complete silence. I do a lot of book talks in schools, traveling all over the country by train. Is has never worked for me – writing on the train – but now I’ve bought a set of noise-canceling headphones and I’m trying.
Review – The Devil’s Apprentice for The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour
If you could set up your perfect writing scenario, what would it involve?
Oh, every day is the perfect writing scenario for me, just me and a cup of coffee in my basement office. My view is a white wall, which is perfect. Because it’s not the white wall that I see, it’s all the stuff that’s happening inside my mind.
Who has influenced your writing the most?
I’ve always loved to read, but when I was introduced to Stephen King, it blew my mind. My school teacher gave me a copy of ”The Shining,” and I was hooked. King inspired me (as well as many others my age) to start writing about crazy stuff in a realistic way.
Is there anything you would like my readers to know about you and your book?
Years ago I was reading a Danish novel called “Little Lucifer”, where the main character misbehaves and someone yells at him, that he’s the Devil’s apprentice. At the exact moment, I read those two words I thought that would be awesome: To write a story about a boy who literally ends up as that – the Devil’s Apprentice. In Hell where he is to be trained in evil by the Devil himself.
Fantasy stories are usually very black and white, and I find the gray areas much more interesting. I wanted to take a look at evil – and Hell – from a different angle. The point of the story is not that it’s good to be bad, but that we have to acknowledge that we are flawed, because we are humans, not angels. And that that is alright. Since I wanted the story to take place in Hell, it couldn’t just be an inferno of chaos and suffering. I wanted a more small town-feeling. Yes, there is pain and torment – if you are a condemned soul – but for Philip – and the reader (and me) – it’s actually a nice place to visit. I like to think of the story as a sort of Harry Potter meets The Divine Comedy.
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Author’s contact info:
Website www.kennethbandersen.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriterKennethBAndersen/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenneth_b_andersen/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/K_B_Andersen
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kenneth-b-andersen
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A Preview of The Die of Death: The Great Devil War Book 2
Multi-award winning series, published in 10 countries, movie rights optioned!
Continuing the dark and humorous adventure that begins with The Devil’s Apprentice
Philip’s adventures as the Devil’s apprentice have changed him–in a good way. Although he misses his friends in Hell, he has made new friends in life.
But when the future of the underworld is threatened once again, Philip’s help is needed. Death’s Die has been stolen and immortality is spreading across the globe.
Philip throws himself into the search–and discovers a horrible truth about his own life along the way.
The Great Devil War is a gripping and humorous tale about good and evil seen from a different perspective, making the reader laugh and think. It’s filled with biblical and historical characters and set in a world beyond your wildest dreams. Or nightmares …
Please check out the entire Great Devil War series. I certainly plan to!
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