Ama is a 2016 supernatural horror novel written by Daniel MacKillican, published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.  Death is not the end for Jason Drake. Because of the murder he committed in life, hell awaits him. But Jason is not concerned about his own soul, he wants a chance to save his daughter, and give her back the life that was taken away too soon. A demon offers him this chance, if he plays her simple game.

The story itself isn’t something new though it does manage to spin a fresh tale. Jason gets sent to hell and struggles to escape not for his benefit but for the benefit of their child. Ama manages take this concept and creates a complex and horrific yet imaginative story. The story is just brutal and Jason’s journey is fast paced or action packed. It’s long, treacherous, and quite brutal. There are more than a few moments of cringe where people are being brutally tortured. The story follows Jason and although there are no subplots or side stories it maintains a high level of engagement. I can also guarantee that readers will come out of the experience with some of the story’s points of the afterlife. The ending is definitely not what you’d expect being both a good and bad ending but it wraps of the story pretty well. (5 out of 5)

The characters are between being likable or being interesting.  The more good natured characters are likable and the more antagonistic ones are interesting but total assholes.  The main protagonist of the story is Jason Drake, a man sent to hell for taking the life of another.  Jason is actually a pretty likable and relatable character.  And despite the many obstacles he faces and some of the things he does he still manages to be a good character despite his flaws and decisions.  These qualities and his temptations do make him a sympathetic character. We do get to see Jason’s life and the events that lead him there giving us more perspective.

The main antagonist of the story is the awesome Lilith and she’s hands down one of the most interesting villains in literature. She’s basically this all-powerful, omnipresent goddess (or demon depending on your perception of her) that gives Jason the challenge of escaping hell. Lilith is brutal, cold, cruel, condescending, values human life like the grains of sand that Jason travels across. I love the moments where we get to see her character taunting Jason and his determination to prove her wrong. (5 out of 5)

Really enjoyed this reading and I like Daniel MacKillican’s writing style.  He’s descriptive in all the best ways, without it feeling contrived or inconsistent. Love the depiction of hell, the rules, the setting, its inhabitants.  Most of the time we envision hell as a land of fire and brimstone or as a dark void.  In this book, hell is an infinite desert where food turns to dust in your mouth, water turns scalding hot when drunk, demons run amok wanting to corrupt souls, and raging sandstorms powerful enough to knock you off your feet. 

The rules surrounding death and rebirth are interesting.  People who sustain injury or damage keep it forever unless they receives head injury or brain damage, in which they’ll be reborn in hell but in good health. There are numerous elements incorporated to the story that is handled really well and is actually pretty thought provoking.  Concepts such as hell dealing with alternate dimensions and time travel are introduced and quite frankly add depth to the setting. I really appreciate how well the dialogue was handled. It made for good, engaging conversations between characters.

There’s a lot of brutality to some of the events. People are being brutally tortured, people get their heads ripped off, some even have their flesh torn apart. Its definitely cringe worthy and it makes the concept of hell even more frightening. The characters are well-written and offer a lot of insight into the setting and our main protagonist. The writing is complex and will definitely have readers thinking. As you can see, I really enjoyed the writing. (5 out of 5)

The Verdict: In the end, Ama is not only a well written story but a thrill ride that can honestly see it being added to such works as George Orwell, Bram Stoker, or even Stephen King. And for such a gem to be this rich in depth shows that the author has imagination and the brilliance to present it. It’s thought provoking, the writing is good, the characters interesting, the concept of hell is original, and it has some pretty disturbing segments that’ll send even the strongest of us into mania. Ama gets 5 out of 5.