Jerry Pournelle, an engineer and essayist by training, established himself as a prominent American science fiction author. His narratives frequently explored robust military themes, particularly focusing on mercenary forces and their operations, adopting a more grounded approach to technology compared to some contemporaries. Drawing from his background in the aerospace industry, he expertly integrated projections of military tactics and probabilities into his speculative fiction. Pournelle consistently advised aspiring writers that the fundamental path to authorship was through prolific writing and the crucial act of finishing their work.
A new generation is growing up on the island paradise of Camelot, ignorant of the Great Grendel Wars fought when their parents and grandparents first arrived from Earth. Setting out for the mainland, this group of young rebels feels ready to fight any grendels that get in their way. On Avalon, however, there are monsters which dwarf the ones their parents fought, and as the group will soon learn, monsters also dwell in the human heart.
"Welcome to Infernoland," an unearthly voice hisses. And the late, great Allen Carpentier plunges into ht efantastic abyss of an ingenious, living hell. His is a one-way journey through dim nether-regions where flame-colored demons wield diabolically sharp pitchforks . . . where tormented vixens reign forever in a pond of sheer ice. There, in this land of torment and terror, he discovers the amazing truth of the ultimate adventure that lies beyond the grave.
"The two hundred colonists on board the Geographic have spent a century in cold sleep to arrive here: Avalon, a lush, verdant planet lightyears from Earth. They hope to establish a permanent colony, and Avalon seems the perfect place. And so they set about planting and building. But their very presence has upset the ecology of Avalon. Soon an implacable predator stalks them, picking them off one by one. In order to defeat this alien enemy, they must reevaluate everything they think they know about Avalon, and uncover the planet's dark secrets"-- Provided by publisher