Yare’ach is an angel who has been injured by the Hellborn, captured, and subsequently trapped in Hell. He is lost, shamed, and terrified at the corporeal changes that his angelic body are undergoing as it acclimatizes to a less than Heavenly environment. He yearns for death, but when he is offered parole by the Fallen lord, Lord Ayve, Yare’ach takes it knowing that he will be trapped in Hell and a “guest” in Ayve’s household forever. Although he doesn’t understand the new yearnings of his body, he offers himself to Lord Ayve as a lover, needing the peace that submission brings him. Ayve understands the angel’s need to be lead and dominated and does not wish for the beautiful creature to feel forsaken.

Although the household that Yare’ach finds himself in is a peaceful one, peace is not the dominant situation in Hell. The wastelands are being over-run by outlier Hellborn, which threatens the tenuous balance of the region. A war of sorts is brewing, and above all, Lord Ayve wishes to keep his lover safe and happy. But how can an angel find happiness when he is relegated forever to Hell, and why should a demon care about the safety of an angel, anyway?

Molly Church’s A Hope in Hell takes a close look at Hell and finds beauty and love in that most desolate of all environments. This is a well-written short story, although somewhat esoteric in nature, and I found myself trying very hard to read between the lines to find a message. There is perhaps not a real message in the story, but rather an underlying feeling of hope and trust that brings the two main characters together.

The angel Yare’ach has a sweetness and an innocence that even a trip to Hell can’t sully, and even though Lord Ayve is a fallen angel, he has an innate goodness that belies his demonic nature. The service of an angel is an act of love in this story. Likewise, there is a wealth of emotion in Ayve’s calling Yare’ach his “beautiful-beloved.” While the Fallen are basically demons, this story attributes to them a certain underlying caring and affection that somehow redeems them from the darkness of Hell. A Hope in Hell is a diverting and entertaining tale that might cause the reader to pause for just a moment or two.

Reviewed by: Whitney