his depictions of both the grandeur and the horror of Hell even surpass his original paintings and drawings. Sargatanas – (from Barlowe’ Inferno, acrylic on ragboard) – A former seraph and now a Brigadier General and Demon Major of enormous power, Sargatanas was a hero in Lucifer’s War with Heaven. Aware that their era is coming to a close, their heightened bitterness compels them to acts of wanton aggression against any intruders who stray into their territories. Demolishers are among the largest soul-constructs found in Hell, each massive creation composed of hundreds of compressed souls.

Wayne Barlowe shows once again that he is a master world architect, fusing an almost alien creative vision with unparalleled technical artistic skills to grant us a glimpse of the helpless horror and crushing majesty of the Inferno. Even though he worked roughly two hundred years ago there is yet a transcendent majesty to William Blake’s vivid, mystical painting’s and etchings. Equipped with two massive bone-hammers and a heavy chin-blade these greatly enlarged souls are the once-cruel rulers of Asian empires transformed by the Demon Major Yen Wang to suit his needs. Not since John Milton’s Paradise Lost have we seen such a vivid and well-informed account of infernal doings. Wayne Barlowe’s prose Hell is every bit as strange, terrifying and bizarrely beautiful as his painting, and that’s saying something.

At its center rears Prince Beelzebub’s Dome, the largest domed structure in Hell, beneath which is its feared Rotunda, the Prince’s audience chamber.

Nonetheless, demons like Sargatanas are capable of sprouting great fan-like wings that bear some resemblance to their former seraphic or cherubic wings for just such journeys. And what more poignant, precious reminder of its former existence could it possess after its Fall than one of its own charred feathers? A collection of art and narrative that brings Barlowe's detailed world-building of Expedition to Hell. In that painting, the demon is seated upon a mount that is entirely composed of mashed-together souls, their multiple legs providing the locomotion. His idiosyncratic style is still fresh and captivating and this painting is something of an homage to him.

Leaving Adamantinarx – (unpublished – acrylic on Gessoboard) – Caravans of all description cross the hostile Wastes, braving Abyssals, Salamandrine Men and marauding demons from enemy realms. This understanding doesn’t inhibit the native creatures one bit if the opportunity arises to waylay a group of demons that might have lost their way in the wild Wastes. Beelzebub’s Keep – (unpublished – acrylic on Gessoboard) – There is no single construct in Hell that typifies the monolithic evil of its rulers more than this enormous edifice. While Lee was working as an assistant librarian, she wrote a children's story that was accepted for publication.

By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Sargatanas Descending – (from Barlowe’s Inferno – acrylic on ragboard) – Like all Demons Major, Sargatanas is a metamorphic being. Abaddon of the Pit – (unpublished – Painter IX) – My book God’s Demon is, in theory, the first of three novels addressing Hell. Barlowe's visions of hell are unique and beautiful, and his intent to make them timeless and cross-cultural is fully successful.I wanted to enjoy the act of creating these inquisitive demons and felt that being too slavish to a sketch might make them less lively. After spending months completing very complex, detailed paintings I tend to gravitate towards simpler, more iconic compositions. Only the thickest-built archiorganic structures can withstand the Demolishers which is why each is commanded by a powerful Demon Minor wise in the invocations necessary to further weaken them.