Working from Dante's "Inferno" to draw out the reality behind the fantasy, author Kim Paffenroth unfolds the horrifying true events that led Dante ...
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Aug 08, 2011
Stephen
rated it: 
A "MASHED" review with some assistance from Monty Python, the World's funniest cross-dressers:
...with apologies to Dame Edna, Eddie Izzard and J.Edgar Hoover.
This was not an enjoyable experience. A sloggy, down-letting journey that left me HoHumming all the way to MEHville. After seeing some very positive reviews about this story, I was irked to find myself as indifferent to the book as I turned out to be. It’s possible my “lack of interest” may have partially More...
...with apologies to Dame Edna, Eddie Izzard and J.Edgar Hoover.
This was not an enjoyable experience. A sloggy, down-letting journey that left me HoHumming all the way to MEHville. After seeing some very positive reviews about this story, I was irked to find myself as indifferent to the book as I turned out to be. It’s possible my “lack of interest” may have partially More...
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Nov 05, 2010
Patrick
rated it: 
After hearing about this book coming out last year and then seeing an ad during the Superbowl for a new video game based on Dante's Inferno (and an animated movie to go along with the game), I was kind of curious if Dante was getting some sort of revival. The video game, from my understanding, took some tremendous liberties with the original story, but Kim Paffenroth was far more subtle with the adjustments he made to create this wonderfully dark journey into hell on earth.
Lately, the More...
Lately, the More...
Jun 10, 2010
Monster
rated it:
Valley of the Dead is classic Paffenroth, a moody, dark, delicate blend of religion and zombies. In this "True Story" version of Dante's Inferno, it's easy to see why Paffenroth is drawn to horror and religion simultaneously. Valley of the Dead is a deceptively straightforward tale. Dante, author and narrator of the classic fourteenth century epic poem The Inferno, finds himself wandering in a strange valley filled with people besieged by a plague of the undead, who live their lives wi
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Aug 03, 2009
Nick
rated it:
Despite talks (within the genre) of zombies being just about "as played out" as vampires, there seems to be a fresh take on them nearly every month . . . but few have been as interesting (or intelligent) as Kim Paffenroth's VALLEY OF THE DEAD, which takes its cue from visions seen in Dante's INFERNO and imagines what he went through during his 17-year exile from Italy (a timeline of his life is provided for us mere mortals!).
The author's prologue itself is worth the cover p More...
The author's prologue itself is worth the cover p More...
Sep 30, 2011
Carlee
rated it: 
After reviewing just a few of its pages I was instantly hooked and knew I had to read it. Beautifully brilliantly, and vividly written, it was a joy to read. I have never read Dante's Inferno but from the small amount I know about it it seemed to be written in its spirit and was definitely not just another zombie book. The zombies and their attack seemed only a small part of the novel, more important was the depravity of the living. It was very philosophical and thought provoking but at times ve
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Apr 20, 2010
G.N.
rated it:
Very nice quality binding, and great writing so far...
UPDATE: Finished this, and enjoyed it thoroughly.
Not your usual zombie novel, more of a social and religious commentary using the missing years of Dante as a platform to analyse humanity's strengths and weaknesses. The characters were vaguely archetypal representations of the virtuous maiden, the hero, the intellectual and the wise and pious man. These characters encountered others that may have represented the sins of manki More...
UPDATE: Finished this, and enjoyed it thoroughly.
Not your usual zombie novel, more of a social and religious commentary using the missing years of Dante as a platform to analyse humanity's strengths and weaknesses. The characters were vaguely archetypal representations of the virtuous maiden, the hero, the intellectual and the wise and pious man. These characters encountered others that may have represented the sins of manki More...
Aug 02, 2010
Michele
rated it:
Reviewed for MonsterLibrarian.com
A deceptively straight forward tale, in Valley of the Dead, classic literary hero Dante finds himself wandering in a strange valley, filled with strange people who, besieged by a strange plague of undead, live their lives with a fierce, often sinful, form of passion. The zombies themselves are also metaphors, filled with "rage at [the living:], with seething jealousy that they were alive, and overwhelming frustration that [the zombie:] could no More...
A deceptively straight forward tale, in Valley of the Dead, classic literary hero Dante finds himself wandering in a strange valley, filled with strange people who, besieged by a strange plague of undead, live their lives with a fierce, often sinful, form of passion. The zombies themselves are also metaphors, filled with "rage at [the living:], with seething jealousy that they were alive, and overwhelming frustration that [the zombie:] could no More...
Jun 02, 2010
Colleen
rated it:
Dante Alighieri spent seventeen years of his life in exile from his home in Italy. Scholars do not know where he was or what he did, other than spend that time writing his masterpiece THE DIVINE COMEDY. His most famous part of that epic poem is The Inferno in which Dante paints a truly frightening vision of Hell. VALLEY OF THE DEAD is the account of what Dante experienced that brought him to write Inferno. Travelling through an Eastern European valley with a woman, a soldier, and a monk, Dan
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Aug 03, 2011
Kevin
rated it:
Great concept. Cheers to Paffenroth for the concept! The execution, however, did not pan out. He does write some good gore.
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