“Hell Divers V: Captives” by Nicholas Sansbury Smith – Paradise in Abaddon

 

Short Summary

Nicholas Sansbury Smith has taken us on a rather original and captivating adventure with The Hell Divers series, telling the story of a humanity stuck living in the skies on giant airships following World War III. In the fifth book, titled Hell Divers V: Captives, we follow our heroes as they try and reclaim a paradise on Earth, unaffected by radiation, but populated exclusively by cannibals.

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Finds the Metal Islands

The idea that the Third World War might very well put an end to humanity isn't as much of a fantasy anymore considering the types of armaments countries have access to. Nicholas Sansbury Smith has imagined the potential consequences of such an affair with The Hell Divers series, where the remnants of humanity are forced to live in the skies. In Hell Divers V: Captives, he continues the adventure as a ray of hope finally shines after over 250 years of darkness.

Before having a look at the actual plot, I think it obvious but still necessary to say that I strongly recommend you read the previous novel before diving into this one, unless you take a special joy in being lost. This is the type of series one really needs to start reading from the beginning, telling one continuous story from start to finish.

In any case, in their previous time out Xavier and Magnolia had set out to discover the fabled Metal Islands, the last habitable zone on Earth, completely unaffected by the radiation polluting every other square inch of the surface. It represents a chance for humanity to truly start anew, to reclaim what was once theirs to begin with.

Naturally, the expedition doesn't exactly go as planned, and they find the islands already have some native inhabitants of their own. This coveted paradise happens to be ruled by a violent warrior society, calling themselves the Cazadors, with alarming cannibal tendencies. Their main occupations are farming and scouring the Earth for small groups of other humans to either be enslaved or served as meals.

Meanwhile, the Hell Divers are preparing a raid on Red Sphere, a military installation off the coast of Cuba, in hopes of finding the weapons and supplies they need to conduct an assault on the Cazadors and claim the Metal Islands as their own. Though they might be heavily outnumbered and outgunned, the Divers are indeed humanity's last hope at a relatively normal existence, and they still have a few little tricks up their sleeves.

The Great Path Forward in Hell Divers V: Captives

For a good amount of time now, I've been enjoying everything the series has had to offer, from the characters and the complex dynamics between them, to the powerfully-depicted world and the seemingly incessant action which took place in it. However, I couldn't help but wonder where exactly it was all going, and whether it would turn into one of those endless episodic series as humanity just keeps on living in the skies.

In the previous book, Nicholas Sansbury Smith began to move towards something more concrete with the Metal Islands, and I was quite happy to see it didn't take him five more books to get us there. Once again, I did enjoy everything which came before this novel, and I think the author chose just the right moment to start moving towards bigger and better things.

Now that we're deep into the series and well-acquainted with the world before us, I think we're in the perfect position to see the stakes raised and a truly important milestone accomplished. Despite being a veritable living hell none of us would approach in our current lives, given the context of the story, the cannibal-infested islands do seem like a veritable paradise, and a rather interesting one in its own right.

As you might have guessed, it has the added benefit of providing us with a new environment and social system to study, one which feels like a needed breath of fresh air from the toxic and radioactive wasteland we've spent the last four books in. While I honestly can't tell how realistic of a scenario the author has depicted in Hell Divers V: Captives, I can say he justifies it quite well within the context of his own novel.

Additionally, with the stakes being raised, we are also led to worry a little more about our characters, being made to understand more than once just how crucial of a mission they're on and how easily they could fail at every turn. Success never feels guaranteed, and the doomed nature of the world our protagonists are in only reinforces that feeling, lending every eventful scene a weighty and impactful quality.

The Sky People Descend

Some of the books in the series were slower than others so far, but in my opinion, Hell Divers V: Captives has definitely felt like the more action-packed of them all. To begin with, there is a true conflict brewing which feels like it's happening on a relatively large scale, and as always, the villains have some true depth to them despite their outwardly evil appearance.

Though their actions are doubtlessly wrong and bring suffering where it isn't necessary, they have their own philosophies to justify their way of living, which to be fair, is a little easier in a world where no other societies exist to contradict them. Additionally, the Metal Islands are theirs to begin with, and the Hell Divers to them are just Sky People coming to conquer them.

Once again, I want to reiterate that they didn't draw any real sympathy from me, but I do think they offer an interesting depiction of a post-apocalyptic society which hinges on violence and domination. In my opinion, they have the makings of perfect villains: easy to root against and dislike, but nevertheless carrying some elements which beg for our fascination.

As usual, there are plenty of action scenes to go along with the slower and more thoughtful moments of the adventure, and while this time we're focused on humans much more than monsters, they provide their own interesting challenges for our heroes to overcome. As a matter of fact, they support the ages-old argument that humans are the only real monsters around.

The people living on the airships do take a bit of a back-seat this time around for good portions of the book, but I didn't really see it as a problem considering how much time we've spent on them already. Not to mention, they're always in the background, being the ultimate beneficiaries of the Hell Divers' efforts, the last bastion for humanity to thrive again.

The Final Verdict

Hell Divers V: Captives by Nicholas Sansbury Smith is an other positively-thrilling entry in this science-fiction horror series, moving the series along right when it needed some fresh air, and pitting the Divers on a truly high-stakes battle on which everything hinges.

If you've enjoyed what the series has had to offer thus far, then you'll doubtlessly love everything the fifth entry has to offer, and I recommend you get your hands on it as soon as you can.

---

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Personal site Nicholas Sansbury Smith is an American author of science-fiction and fantasy novels and former worker for the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management branch in disaster mitigation. He has written a few bestselling series so far, including The Hell Divers and The Extinction Cycle, with prominent works such as Extinction Horizon, Hell Divers and Trackers.