Hell Hound Paperback – March 14, 2017

Before there was Cujo, there was Baxter—Baxter, a bull terrier with a “head like a hatchet. Malevolent blue eyes, too small and misplaced.” Baxter—always watching and observing. Baxter—refusing to live in the past and always looking ahead—looking for what is best for him. Baxter—intelligent, scheming, quick to take advantage of human weaknesses such as love. Baxter—a cold-blooded murderer.Baxter is the central focus of Ken Greenhall’s Hell Hound (1977; re-printed by Valancourt Books in 2017; with an Introduction by Grady Hendrix). The late 1970s and 1980s were the heyday of horror fiction and movies (although it could be argued we are seeing a new Golden Age of horror fiction today with numerous outstanding writers claiming the genre as their own). Many, but not all the movies and fiction of the era pushed the envelope regarding violence, shock, and gore. One of the writers working quietly in the background, however, was Ken Greenhall (1928-2014) who wrote only six novels—five of which were part of the extravagant number of horror releases of the time in original paperback. Greenhall’s writing style and the tone of his fiction was far more subtle than many and even when depicting gruesome events, the pages of a Greenhall novel are filled with shadows and lasting, thought-provoking images of creepiness rather than blood and gore. Hell Hound is a perfect example of such a work. After Greenhall stopped writing in 1998 and the collapse of many horror markets which had become glutted with inferior products, the author’s work fell into neglect and soon were nearly forgotten. Luckily, a number of his novels are back in print thanks to Valancourt Books in Richmond, Virginia.In Hell Hound Greenhall employs two narrators; one is a third-person omniscient narrator, the other is Baxter himself. For dog lovers, Baxter is not an easy character to accept. He is vile and heartless and although there are moments when he is almost forced to admire humans, for the most part he considers them weak, unworthy of love (not that Baxter has any love in him), and creatures to be used in any way possible as stepping stones to a better life. Baxter is truly a creature from hell.After bettering his life through deception, manipulation, and murders to obtain homes he finds increasingly of value to him, Baxter ends up with a thirteen-year-old boy, Carl, and his parents, Jason and Sara Fine. Carl is an outsider—to his peers and family. He is humorless, withdrawn, hateful, a social misfit, and an apt pupil of Nazism who admires, indeed, idolizes Adolph Hitler, especially his last days hunkered down in a bunker, fighting to survive with the resolve that if he must die, it will be under his own terms. Carl and Baxter appear to be a perfect fit and hit it off immediately.Through a series of events it becomes obvious to both the reader and at least to Baxter that all is not well with the cozy relationship between boy and dog—each believing they have the upper hand (paw?) over the other and that a battle to the death is upon the horizon—a battle only one of them can survive.As unlikely as the plot of Hell Hound might be, Greenhall pulls it off with his concise story-telling writing style, occasional glimpses of both sex and black humor, and the even more unlikely use of Baxter as one of the book’s narrators. This is no cartoon-like talking dog. With very little change, readers can easily imagine the character of Baxter as a human sociopath. The conclusion of Hell Hound leaves readers with a cold shiver running down their spine of what might lie ahead. It is a discomforting feeling and evidence of a skillfully wry writer at work. [NOTES: (1) Valancourt Books have also re-printed Greenhall’s Elizabeth and Childgrave (originally published in 1976 and 1982, respectively). (2) Hell Hound was filmed as Baxter in 1989. (3) Grady Hendrix who provides the Introduction to Hell Hound and delivers important information on the all but forgotten Ken Greenhall is the author of the profusely illustrated, award winning Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of ‘70s and ‘80s Horror Fiction (2017). Valancourt Books, in conjunction with Hendrix, are bringing back into print, five titles featured in Paperbacks from Hell, one per month, beginning in March 2019.]

Loved the first half, then wondered where the hell it was going and then in the final sentence won me back over with its brilliance. A great cycle of violence and a quick, engrossing read. Check it out!

This novel was published as Baxter overseas, and I much prefer that title. I wonder if Hell Hound was the author's or the original publisher's choice. It doesn't serve the writer or the reader well. This hound is not from Hell. There is no supernatural element here, and while there certainly is violence, it is never as lurid as the title suggests. This is not a story of "good vs. evil" or even of "man vs. beast". There are several villains and no heroes. As in the novels of Ruth Rendell, the psychology of every character is "abnormal," and one assumes the author sees that as normal.If this sounds like something you might like, please don't let the title or the canine narrator deter you.

I'm pretty sure I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.

I chortled my way through this and loved the twisted story.Great writing! I'm loving that Valancourt Publishing is reprinting these old out-of-print gems..I'm weary of the contemporary cookie-cutter bestsellers and I discovered Mcdowell (Blackwater) from Valancourt as well!!

This book gets more and more disturbing as it goes along. After I finished it I almost forgot about it. But then it came back and was even more disturbing.Well written and very unique.

I'm glad that Valencourt has released some of Greenhall's neglected work. The guy was fabulous and should be much better known.

The creepy part of this book is the voice in the dog’s head. It’s a quiet book that gives you chills to the very end.

Hardly a pleasant read, but engrossing.The story of Baxter and Carl is horrifically mesmerising in a very steady, understated manner.