Hit and miss. As I continue the series, I find myself interested in following the exploits of specific characters and when the anthology stories veer onto others...I find myself skimming. Still caught up enough to go on to the next one. ( )

With faster-moving stories that at times move the larger plot along and at other times are interesting explorations into Hell in general, this fifth volume of the Heroes in Hell series was probably the most enjoyable for me so far. (Caveat: I skipped the Bill Kerby story; I simply cannot get into his writing style and the stories do not appear to be required reading for the core storyline of the series.) Michael Armstrong's "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" was especially good as a non-core story, and Chris Morris' "Snowballs in Hell" wrapped up a lot of loose ends while also propelling the story forward again.

Next up: Legions of Hell, the first in the series by one author only, C.J. Cherryh. ( )