Hell Holes Books in Order

Hell Holes starts with a science-fiction setup that quickly turns into survival horror. In What Lurks Below, huge holes suddenly appear in the Arctic tundra of Alaska, and petroleum geologist Dr. Jack Oswald is brought in to help assess the danger. What begins as a field investigation tied to the North Slope and the pipeline becomes something far worse when the craters prove to be gateways for invading demons, or what look very much like demons.

Jack is one of the series' anchors, but he is not alone. His wife, climatologist Dr. Angela Menendez, brings both expertise and blunt common sense. Aileen O'Shannon enters the story as a photojournalist, yet she has older knowledge and deeper experience than anyone around her first realizes. That mix of scientist, skeptic, and seasoned hunter gives the books their rhythm. People argue, test explanations, make bad guesses, and keep moving because standing still is how you die.

Alaska matters here.

Firesmith uses the North Slope, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, remote camps, military bases, and the Dalton Highway as more than scenery. The cold, the distance, and the lack of easy escape shape every decision. In Demons on the Dalton, the series leans hard into chase-thriller mode as the surviving team tries to outrun an advancing horde on a long road south toward Fairbanks. The wilderness is beautiful, but it is also brutally indifferent, which makes every small victory feel earned.

This is not a cozy series.

Across the books, the larger arc keeps widening. The first question is what these holes are and why they have opened. The next is how Earth can possibly answer an invasion that mixes claws, fire, strange powers, and real military force. Secret history, organized resistance, and bigger truths about the enemy gradually push the story from isolated disaster toward open war. Even when the scope grows, though, the tension stays personal. The characters are tired, frightened, injured, and forced to make fast choices with almost no margin for error.

If you are wondering what the reading experience feels like, think apocalyptic science fiction crossed with paranormal horror and a road-survival thriller. There are monsters, but there is also a lot of practical problem-solving, field detail, and arguing over what the facts mean. That grounded approach is a big part of the appeal. Hell Holes is a good fit for readers who like scientists at the center of the action, a strong sense of place, and an end-of-the-world story that keeps its boots firmly on the ground.