The Infernals
Authors: John Connolly
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The
INFERNALS
THE CHARLIE PARKER STORIES
Every Dead Thing
Dark Hollow
The Killing Kind
The White Road
The Reflecting Eye
(novella in the
Nocturnes
collection)
The Black Angel
The Unquiet
The Reapers
The Lovers
The Whisperers
The Burning Soul
OTHER WORKS
Bad Men
Nocturnes
The Book of Lost Things
THE SAMUEL JOHNSON STORIES
(for young adults)
The Gates
The Infernals
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2011 by John Connolly
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Atria Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
Ceci n’est pas une pipe
, 1929, by René Magritte (1898–1967) page 59, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, USA. © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2011. Photo: Giraudon/The Bridgeman Art Library.
First Atria Books hardcover edition October 2011
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Designed by Rhea Braunstein
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Connolly, John
The infernals : a novel / by John Connolly.
p. cm.
1. Hell—Fiction. 2. Good and evil—Fiction. I. Title.
PR6053.O48645I64 2011
823'.914—dc22
2011021366
ISBN 978-1-4516-4308-4
ISBN 978-1-4516-4310-7 (ebook)
For Cameron and Alistair
Chapter I:
In Which We Find Ourselves in Hell, but Only Temporarily, So It’s Not All Bad News
Chapter II:
In Which We Learn a Little About How Hard It Is to Be in Love
Chapter V:
In Which We Encounter Mr. Merryweather’s Dwarfs—or Elves—and Rather Wish We Hadn’t
Chapter VI:
In Which Samuel Is Reunited with Boswell, and We Learn Why One Should Not Trust a Mirror
Chapter VII:
In Which We Pay a Visit to Mrs. Abernathy’s House. Which Is Nice. Not.
Chapter VIII:
In Which We Wonder Just How Smart Really Smart People Sometimes Are
Chapter IX:
In Which Mr. Merryweather’s Elves Embark on a New Adventure
Chapter X:
In Which Mr. Merryweather’s Dwarfs Make an Unpleasant Discovery
Chapter XI:
In Which Samuel Arrives, and Nurd Departs
Chapter XII:
In Which Dozy Is the Bearer of Bad News
Chapter XIII:
In Which We Meet a Ram, and Some Old Friends Are Reunited
Chapter XIV:
In Which the Forces of Law and Order Assert Themselves
Chapter XV:
In Which Something of the Nature of this World Is Revealed Through Old Ram
Chapter XVI:
In Which Hell Gets Stranger, and the Scientists Grow More Curious
Chapter XVIII:
In Which Those Who Will Be of Help to Samuel Begin to Come Together
Chapter XIX:
In Which We Encounter Some of the Other Unfortunate Residents of Hell
Chapter XX:
In Which We Meet the Blacksmith
Chapter XXI:
In Which Nurd Considers Changing His Name to “Nurd, Unlucky in Numerous Dimensions”
Chapter XXII:
In Which We Learn That There Is Always Hope, as Long as One Chooses Not to Abandon It
Chapter XXIV:
In Which We Speculate on What, If Anything, Might Be Worse Than Evil
Chapter XXV:
In Which a Familiar Odor Sends the Dwarfs’ Spirits Soaring
Chapter XXVII:
In Which We Hear a Surprising Confession
Chapter XXVIII:
In Which Everything Goes Horribly Wrong
Chapter XXIX:
In Which Various August Personages Put Their Plans in Motion