I need help finding the title of a Sci fi book about psychic aliens on a forsaken planet

Question

I'm having a really hard time remembering the name of a book that I read last summer about aliens that had psychic abilities on this one planet. A crew either crash landed on said planet, or were banished there, or something like that.

The whole basis of the book was that the aliens were persuading the humans to dunk themselves in a pool of muck and they would then be basically possessed by aliens who had passed, recieving psychic powers in the process.

They were trying to do this to gain enough psychic energy to become "risen" or basically become gods, but then the humans realized that it would destroy the universe if they succeeded.

I know the title has the word Hell at the beginning of the word. "Hell*****" (which also happened to be the nickname of the planet).

Hopefully I gave a good enough description for you guys to help me out.

Answer 1

Possibly the Hellhole trilogy by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert?

A description and book cover is below. But, some points that seem similar include:

1. A crew either crash landed on said planet, or were banished there, or something like that.

Only the most desperate colonists dare to make a new home on Hellhole.

2. The whole basis of the book was that the aliens were persuading the humans to dunk themselves in a pool of muck

What no one knows is this: the planet Hellhole, though damaged and volatile, hides an amazing secret.

If you look at the cover it shows a man leaning over what appears to be a lake/body of liquid in which the alien presence exists.

3. and they would then be basically possessed by aliens who had passed,

Deep beneath its surface lies the remnants of an obliterated alien civilization and the buried memories of its unrecorded past

recieving psychic powers in the process.

3. They were trying to do this to gain enough psychic energy to become "risen" or basically become gods, but then the humans realized that it would destroy the universe if they succeeded

....that, when unearthed, could tear the galaxy apart.

4. I know the title has the word Hell at the beginning of the word. "Hell*****" (which also happened to be the nickname of the planet).

Self evident from the title of the trilogy.