Karl wakes up to see people flying up, devoured by the skies. Hallucination? Nope. That’s the end of the world. Karl wanders desolated streets and houses, looking for food, survivors, or an explanation. Instead, he finds alien horrors. Avian screams, clattering noises, and red light seeping from the skies bring lethal danger and explosive violence.

“All The Fiends of Hell” is a slow-burn horror about an alien invasion. The story has an unsettling atmosphere and induces a sense of existential dread. The slow build up allows to create tension, but it also makes sections of the story feel overly drawn out, which may taste the patience of readers who prefer a quicker pace. It’s an alien invasion novel, but it’s not a sci-fi novel. Nevill isn’t interested in explaining the aliens or answering how and why they came to the Earth. It’s a book about survival and remaining human in inhuman circumstances.

Nevill’s prose is descriptive, almost poetic, and this style strengthens the atmosphere, but can feel dense. The detailed descriptions slow down the story’s momentum but make imagery more vivid. I’m not usually a fan of overly descriptive prose, but in this case, it made me feel the isolation, fear, and the ever-present threat lurking in the darkness.

Karl, the single POV character, is a great protagonist: a loser with no job and no agenda. Heroes and competence-porn are great, but reading about a regular man caught in an impossible situation felt refreshing. Karl has no special skills or the right experience to fight alien nightmares. Heck, he didn’t even believe he was a good man. And yet, he rescues children and tries to do his best to make the three of them survive the apocalypse. He often acts desperately and falls victim to moments of self-pity. And it makes him more real.

Speaking of aliens, they’re innovative and terrifying. People can’t see them unless there’s a red light. Unfortunately, alien technology drowns earth in red blackness in which creatures thrive and wreak havoc. Scarlet light seeping through cracked skies is a recurring theme here. 

“All The Fiends of Hell” is an atmospheric alien horror novel that nails the sense of existential dread. While its moderate pace and dense prose might not appeal to everyone, those who appreciate a well-crafted, deeply unsettling horror story will find much to appreciate here.