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Valley of the Dead: The Truth Behind Dante's Inferno
Using Dante’s Inferno to draw out the reality behind the fantasy, author Kim Paffenroth tells the true events...
During his lost wanderings, Dante came upon an infestation of the living dead. The unspeakable acts he witnessed —cannibalism, live burnings, evisceration, crucifixion, and dozens more—became the basis of all the horrors described in Inferno.
At last, the real story can be told.
During his lost wanderings, Dante came upon an infestation of the living dead. The unspeakable acts he witnessed —cannibalism, live burnings, evisceration, crucifixion, and dozens more—became the basis of all the horrors described in Inferno.
At last, the real story can be told.
258 pages, ebook
First published August 1, 2009
8 people are currently reading
411 people want to read
About the author
Kim Paffenroth
63 books139 followersI am a professor of religious studies, and the author of several books on the Bible and theology. I grew up in New York, Virginia, and New Mexico. I attended St. John's College, Annapolis, MD (BA, 1988), Harvard Divinity School (MTS, 1990), and the University of Notre Dame (PhD, 1995). I live in upstate New York with my wife and two wonderful kids. In the horror genre, I have written Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero's Visions of Hell on Earth (Baylor, 2006) - WINNER, 2006 Bram Stoker Award; Dying to Live: A Novel of Life among the Undead (Permuted Press, 2007); Orpheus and the Pearl(Magus Press, 2008); and Dying to Live: Life Sentence(Permuted Press, 2008).
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 9, 2011
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 stemmed from my having read a number of Dante/Inferno related or inspired books, including Inferno by Larry Niven and Dante's Journey by JC Marino. So maybe I was just, you know...BURNED OUT…by the subject matter of…
[We, the Management, interrupt this review to apologize for that horrible joke. That preposterously poor pun purposely perpetrated by the person pontificating personal preferences pertaining to Paffenroth’s prose]...
[We, the NEW Management, would like to apologize for the above apology’s appalling use of alliteration and assure all of you that the persons responsible for the first apology have been sacked. We now continue with the review without further puns, jokes, gags, “bon mots,” witticisms, quips, wise-cracks, banter, farce, mockery, limericks, parodies...
[We, the NEW, NEW Management would like to apologize unreservedly for the above segue and assure you, the readers, that the persons responsible have been sacked…and shot, stabbed, hung, flayed, beheaded, drawn and quartered, disemboweled, boiled, minced, diced, fried, sauteed, buttered and buggered...]
...Dante or his famous journey through Hell.
PLOT SUMMARY
Anyway, this historical fantasy/mash-up recounts the “missing” 17 years of Dante Alighieri’s life and posits that, during this time, Dante encounters real life horrors that inspired him to create Inferno. Dante, while in exile from Italy is traveling Eastern Europe through Moldavia and areas that would later become Romania. While journeying, he discovers a large, strange valley where the inhabitants, unknown to the rest of the world, are battling a “plague” of zombies. The valley includes many different villages and towns where the residents’ various methods of responding to and dealing with the infected would later be drawn on and re-imagined by Dante as the various “circles of hell” described in Inferno.
I thought that the idea was interesting and, much to the author’s credit, the inclusion of the zombies was fairly well done in so far as it did not come off as either camp of parody. However, I just did not….
[We, the NEWEST NEW Management (which used to be the old management), would like to apologize for our earlier behavior as we’ve been feeling a bit off lately. It’s not really our fault as we’ve been having some troubles at home, what with the wife leaving us during Wimbledon fortnight for an alien blancmange and our son being dismissed from his post at the Ministry of Silly Walks because some asshat didn’t think his walk was particularly silly. Granted, his right leg wasn’t silly at all, but his left leg did a forward aerial turn every alternate step. That’s silly, isn’t it…I mean bollocks, isn’t it…
…find the book engaging at all. I thought the writing was good and the book is not poorly constructed or sloppy. I was just bored most of the time. There was just nothing to pull me into the narrative and I was constantly “aware” that I was reading rather than being immersed. Thus…MEH. Not a horrible book, but certainly one that I can not recommend or say that I liked. Now, it might have worked better for me if….
[We, the NEW, NEW Management which used to be the old NEW Management but was demoted for misplacing a shrubbery and losing the sacred words NI, PENG and NEEE-WOM would just like to once again apologize for all of the interruptions and introduce our self…
…
…
...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 stemmed from my having read a number of Dante/Inferno related or inspired books, including Inferno by Larry Niven and Dante's Journey by JC Marino. So maybe I was just, you know...BURNED OUT…by the subject matter of…
[We, the Management, interrupt this review to apologize for that horrible joke. That preposterously poor pun purposely perpetrated by the person pontificating personal preferences pertaining to Paffenroth’s prose]...
[We, the NEW Management, would like to apologize for the above apology’s appalling use of alliteration and assure all of you that the persons responsible for the first apology have been sacked. We now continue with the review without further puns, jokes, gags, “bon mots,” witticisms, quips, wise-cracks, banter, farce, mockery, limericks, parodies...
[We, the NEW, NEW Management would like to apologize unreservedly for the above segue and assure you, the readers, that the persons responsible have been sacked…and shot, stabbed, hung, flayed, beheaded, drawn and quartered, disemboweled, boiled, minced, diced, fried, sauteed, buttered and buggered...]
...Dante or his famous journey through Hell.
PLOT SUMMARY
Anyway, this historical fantasy/mash-up recounts the “missing” 17 years of Dante Alighieri’s life and posits that, during this time, Dante encounters real life horrors that inspired him to create Inferno. Dante, while in exile from Italy is traveling Eastern Europe through Moldavia and areas that would later become Romania. While journeying, he discovers a large, strange valley where the inhabitants, unknown to the rest of the world, are battling a “plague” of zombies. The valley includes many different villages and towns where the residents’ various methods of responding to and dealing with the infected would later be drawn on and re-imagined by Dante as the various “circles of hell” described in Inferno.
I thought that the idea was interesting and, much to the author’s credit, the inclusion of the zombies was fairly well done in so far as it did not come off as either camp of parody. However, I just did not….
[We, the NEWEST NEW Management (which used to be the old management), would like to apologize for our earlier behavior as we’ve been feeling a bit off lately. It’s not really our fault as we’ve been having some troubles at home, what with the wife leaving us during Wimbledon fortnight for an alien blancmange and our son being dismissed from his post at the Ministry of Silly Walks because some asshat didn’t think his walk was particularly silly. Granted, his right leg wasn’t silly at all, but his left leg did a forward aerial turn every alternate step. That’s silly, isn’t it…I mean bollocks, isn’t it…
…find the book engaging at all. I thought the writing was good and the book is not poorly constructed or sloppy. I was just bored most of the time. There was just nothing to pull me into the narrative and I was constantly “aware” that I was reading rather than being immersed. Thus…MEH. Not a horrible book, but certainly one that I can not recommend or say that I liked. Now, it might have worked better for me if….
[We, the NEW, NEW Management which used to be the old NEW Management but was demoted for misplacing a shrubbery and losing the sacred words NI, PENG and NEEE-WOM would just like to once again apologize for all of the interruptions and introduce our self…
…
…
September 12, 2016
Like some famous author of the days of yore, Dante has had a blackout on his timeline. Paffenroth posits in this book that during that time Dante had some...shall we say adventures, very disturbing, morbid, gory adventures that have inspired his Inferno. And so the author goes on to render a vivid and eerie detail the late Middle Ages with zombies and Dante and his acquired companions must travel through the eponymous valley of the dead to safety. Certainly a journey like that might inspire something like Inferno and in fact not much is known historically as to when or why it was conceived, so Paffenroth might be on to something and yet...as clever as the initial idea is, this mash up didn't really work for me and I'm not quite sure why. The writing was solid, it just wasn't particularly exciting, maybe trying too much for a classic style and classics, while good and great, are not always exciting per se. It was nice to see someone trying to do something original with an ever so overdone zombie genre and, though it mostly left me indifferent, it entertained enough and was a very quick read. Much too serious for proper fun, but then again consider the source.
September 6, 2016
Many of my friends look down on my taste for horror fiction as being rather low brow, especially when it comes to zombie fiction. What they don't understand is that horror is great vehicle for exploring a wide range of themes, whether it be social, spiritual or philosophical. If ever a book was the perfect antidote for such views, this is it.
Dr Paffenroth's book, Valley of the Dead, starts off based on a clever idea, that Dante's Inferno was inspired by his real life experiences and asks us the question, "What could have happened to Dante that was so terrible that he needed to express it in terms of Hell and all its torments?" In the pages you will find a very convincing answer.
As Inferno is considered one of *the* classics of Western Literature, it was a very daring move to try a work this ambitious, and it could have gone terribly wrong. It would be a bit of a stretch to claim this is the equal of Inferno, but it certainly is not shamed by association and is worthy of praise in its own right, not merely as a derivative piece.
There is a real spiritual resonance to this book, and it explores the nature of man in a deep and thoughtful manner. However, it does not allow itself to become too bogged down in philosophical introspection, rather they seem a natural outgrowth of the story. There is enough brutality and gore to please zombie fans, but the real horror lies in how it shines a spotlight on man's inhumanity. In the original Inferno terrible acts can be understood a bit better, due them being in Hell or carried out by demons, but in Valley of the Dead it is living men inflicting it on each other and on the dead, and the truly terrifying thing is that there is no action, however depraved, that stretches the bounds of what we can imagine people actually doing under those circumstances. There are images in this book that you will find haunting your dreams, or replaying in your mind's eye as you seek to sleep.
As a fan of Dante I really loved this take on the Inferno, because I could see what section he was referring to with each chapter of the book. But, I don't think that you need a familiarity with the original to enjoy this book. I do hope, though, that those who haven't read Inferno might be inspired to try it after reading Valley of the Dead.
This book probably isn't for those who just want another zombie splatterfest where you don't have to think about what you are reading. But if you want something that will make you think, as well deliver some gut wrenching zombie horror, I would encourage you to give it a read. Permuted Press seem to have a knack of publishing only the best in zombie fiction, and this book continues that trend.
Dr Paffenroth's book, Valley of the Dead, starts off based on a clever idea, that Dante's Inferno was inspired by his real life experiences and asks us the question, "What could have happened to Dante that was so terrible that he needed to express it in terms of Hell and all its torments?" In the pages you will find a very convincing answer.
As Inferno is considered one of *the* classics of Western Literature, it was a very daring move to try a work this ambitious, and it could have gone terribly wrong. It would be a bit of a stretch to claim this is the equal of Inferno, but it certainly is not shamed by association and is worthy of praise in its own right, not merely as a derivative piece.
There is a real spiritual resonance to this book, and it explores the nature of man in a deep and thoughtful manner. However, it does not allow itself to become too bogged down in philosophical introspection, rather they seem a natural outgrowth of the story. There is enough brutality and gore to please zombie fans, but the real horror lies in how it shines a spotlight on man's inhumanity. In the original Inferno terrible acts can be understood a bit better, due them being in Hell or carried out by demons, but in Valley of the Dead it is living men inflicting it on each other and on the dead, and the truly terrifying thing is that there is no action, however depraved, that stretches the bounds of what we can imagine people actually doing under those circumstances. There are images in this book that you will find haunting your dreams, or replaying in your mind's eye as you seek to sleep.
As a fan of Dante I really loved this take on the Inferno, because I could see what section he was referring to with each chapter of the book. But, I don't think that you need a familiarity with the original to enjoy this book. I do hope, though, that those who haven't read Inferno might be inspired to try it after reading Valley of the Dead.
This book probably isn't for those who just want another zombie splatterfest where you don't have to think about what you are reading. But if you want something that will make you think, as well deliver some gut wrenching zombie horror, I would encourage you to give it a read. Permuted Press seem to have a knack of publishing only the best in zombie fiction, and this book continues that trend.
June 3, 2010
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, Dante eluded and battled the living dead. He was so horrified by what he witnessed and experienced that he turned it into a fantastic fictional account after his escape from the valley.
First off, you do not have to have read The Inferno to read VALLEY OF THE DEAD. Now, to say I liked this novel would be an understatement. I loved it! Kim Paffenroth has done an amazing job translating the events of The Inferno into a novel speculating on the whereabouts of Dante. The main characters, Dante, Bogdana, Radovan, and Adam are very real without too much time having to be spent on development. The secondary characters we meet along the way are much like people you’d find in any crisis taking place. You will either be able to relate to, or at least recognize them. There is definitely a theological question here….aren’t zombies also creatures of God? At times you will feel sorry for them, wonder if they feel pain or not and almost come to understand the zombies and their actions while being repulsed at the actions of the people throughout the story. The zombies have no choice but to succumb to their appetites, but what about man? I highly recommend VALLEY OF THE DEAD and I guarantee you it will pique your interest in reading or re-reading Dante’s Inferno; I myself will be re-reading it.
First off, you do not have to have read The Inferno to read VALLEY OF THE DEAD. Now, to say I liked this novel would be an understatement. I loved it! Kim Paffenroth has done an amazing job translating the events of The Inferno into a novel speculating on the whereabouts of Dante. The main characters, Dante, Bogdana, Radovan, and Adam are very real without too much time having to be spent on development. The secondary characters we meet along the way are much like people you’d find in any crisis taking place. You will either be able to relate to, or at least recognize them. There is definitely a theological question here….aren’t zombies also creatures of God? At times you will feel sorry for them, wonder if they feel pain or not and almost come to understand the zombies and their actions while being repulsed at the actions of the people throughout the story. The zombies have no choice but to succumb to their appetites, but what about man? I highly recommend VALLEY OF THE DEAD and I guarantee you it will pique your interest in reading or re-reading Dante’s Inferno; I myself will be re-reading it.
May 22, 2018
Not sure why I hadn't read this sooner. Gruesome in parts, beautiful thought provoking prose in others, thoroughly enjoyed this reimagining of Dante's Inferno. Highly recommended.
November 5, 2010
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, there have been all sorts of "mash ups", where an author will take a classic piece of literature and modify it with the injection of different horror creations, such as zombies, demons, werewolves, and even sea monsters. That is not what we have here, since the author does not attempt to modify Dante's masterwork, but instead provides us, the reader, with a theory as to what journey he actually took when he was banished from his hometown of Florence that inspired Inferno. Given that there is a large gap in Dante's personal history, this story fits into the gap rather effectively.
The result is both a entertaining trip into an undead nightmare as well as an exploration of the deepest depths of human depravity. If Dante were to have taken such a trip, it would not surprise me that it would inspire his masterwork. Each chapter is like its own separate story, often revealing a new foulness that exists in mankind and providing the reader with a new layer in this "hell" on earth. As with most quality zombie stories, the zombies themselves may be horrific and terrifying, but they are not evil. It is those who still live that are to be despised and reviled...but they are also the ones who have the most capacity to do good and be righteous.
For those who do not know of and have not read Dante's Inferno but enjoy zombie fiction, this book can work quite well as an historical adventure tale filled with zombies, though it speaks of God, faith, morality, and sin a great deal more than your typical genre work. For those who have read Dante's Inferno, or are even just familiar with it, this novel does a solid job of making itself into a very plausible companion piece that raises the same questions about what humanity is capable of as Inferno does.
Kim Paffenroth has once again combined what I assume are his two greatest passions in life: religious studies and zombies, and created something highly entertaining and also thought provoking, which is far too rare these days.
Lately, there have been all sorts of "mash ups", where an author will take a classic piece of literature and modify it with the injection of different horror creations, such as zombies, demons, werewolves, and even sea monsters. That is not what we have here, since the author does not attempt to modify Dante's masterwork, but instead provides us, the reader, with a theory as to what journey he actually took when he was banished from his hometown of Florence that inspired Inferno. Given that there is a large gap in Dante's personal history, this story fits into the gap rather effectively.
The result is both a entertaining trip into an undead nightmare as well as an exploration of the deepest depths of human depravity. If Dante were to have taken such a trip, it would not surprise me that it would inspire his masterwork. Each chapter is like its own separate story, often revealing a new foulness that exists in mankind and providing the reader with a new layer in this "hell" on earth. As with most quality zombie stories, the zombies themselves may be horrific and terrifying, but they are not evil. It is those who still live that are to be despised and reviled...but they are also the ones who have the most capacity to do good and be righteous.
For those who do not know of and have not read Dante's Inferno but enjoy zombie fiction, this book can work quite well as an historical adventure tale filled with zombies, though it speaks of God, faith, morality, and sin a great deal more than your typical genre work. For those who have read Dante's Inferno, or are even just familiar with it, this novel does a solid job of making itself into a very plausible companion piece that raises the same questions about what humanity is capable of as Inferno does.
Kim Paffenroth has once again combined what I assume are his two greatest passions in life: religious studies and zombies, and created something highly entertaining and also thought provoking, which is far too rare these days.
November 27, 2016
Veteran zombie scribe Kim Paffenroth (Dying to Live) is back with a new take on the zombie theme. In Valley of the Dead, Paffenroth looks at the poet Dante Aligheri (of Divine Comedy fame) and his time in exile. What if, instead of a fantastic tale of hell and the supernatural, Dante's Inferno was really inspired by Dante's journey through a valley plagued by the undead?
It quickly becomes apparent that this isn't your everyday zombie story. Sure, flesh-eating ghouls are the driving force behind the story, but they're essentially props. The real evil lies in the avaricious hearts of the uninfected humans Dante and his friends encounter as they make their way through the strange and troubled land. It really does feel like they're moving through various circles of a mundane kind of hell.
I have to give Paffenroth credit for coming up with such a novel idea and executing it with far more poetry and humanity than I expected. Besides, any author who prefaces his work with a Judas Priest lyric is more than OK in my book! I did have a problem with the language used by the characters, in that it seemed way too modern for the setting, but that's a minor gripe.
Valley of the Dead probably fails as a straightforward zombie story, but is very effective on other levels. I'd recommend it to fans of dark fiction, as well as open-minded readers of Inferno who might appreciate a new take on that epic work.
It quickly becomes apparent that this isn't your everyday zombie story. Sure, flesh-eating ghouls are the driving force behind the story, but they're essentially props. The real evil lies in the avaricious hearts of the uninfected humans Dante and his friends encounter as they make their way through the strange and troubled land. It really does feel like they're moving through various circles of a mundane kind of hell.
I have to give Paffenroth credit for coming up with such a novel idea and executing it with far more poetry and humanity than I expected. Besides, any author who prefaces his work with a Judas Priest lyric is more than OK in my book! I did have a problem with the language used by the characters, in that it seemed way too modern for the setting, but that's a minor gripe.
Valley of the Dead probably fails as a straightforward zombie story, but is very effective on other levels. I'd recommend it to fans of dark fiction, as well as open-minded readers of Inferno who might appreciate a new take on that epic work.
June 10, 2010
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 with a fierce, often sinful, form of passion. Paffenroth really captures the original feel of horror, beauty and devotion from Dante's Divine Comedy with sweeping strokes that simply should not be missed by true horror fans.
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 not make them dead." Oversensitive, depressed and caught up in hell on earth, Dante sees the worst humanity has to offer, where undeath just seems like a blessed end to a pitiful life.
Highly recommended, no, essential for public collections as an example of the depth and soul horror tales can possess.
Contains: Violence, language, gore
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 not make them dead." Oversensitive, depressed and caught up in hell on earth, Dante sees the worst humanity has to offer, where undeath just seems like a blessed end to a pitiful life.
Highly recommended, no, essential for public collections as an example of the depth and soul horror tales can possess.
Contains: Violence, language, gore
September 30, 2011
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 very preachy. The dialogs of some of the sinners were profound but their characters were slightly one dimensional. Some characters also seemed too closely related to other characters and seemed like they should be combined or omitted. The book was exciting and fast paced for about half of the book than it crawled and finally ended too abruptly and not with the bang and climax one would have wanted.
All in all it was a good book but left me wanting a bit of something more.
I liked the unique and interesting thought that Dante encountered zombie's in his travels and that these sad, hungry, unfulfilled humans were a representation of all of humanity. But I think the story could have and should have been longer, more in depth and should have taken place over a longer period of time.
All in all it was a good book but left me wanting a bit of something more.
I liked the unique and interesting thought that Dante encountered zombie's in his travels and that these sad, hungry, unfulfilled humans were a representation of all of humanity. But I think the story could have and should have been longer, more in depth and should have taken place over a longer period of time.
March 21, 2013
I came across this when looking for my next zombie fix on Audible. As a fan of some Permuted Press authors (most namely the late ZA Recht and his Plague of the Dead: The Morningstar Strain I was stunned and slightly ashamed to have not come across Kim Paffenroth before.
In "Valley of the Dead" Paffenroth takes the theory that to have written what he did in Dante: Inferno (Penguin Classics), Aligheri must have seen the horror of the undead first hand for himself.
However as the other reviewer, what is truly horrifying is the way in this novel, how the living decide to treat one another in the face of the dead. Of course, in most zombie fiction you get your marrauders and raiders, general bad guys looking to profiteer from the chaos. Paffenroth uses the brutality of the fictional world to take this to a whole new level.
This is eminently readable, and in Audible format, the narrator has a pleasing tone and pace, not spoiling the visuals or the atmosphere.
Definitely recommended, and I will certainly be seeking out Paffenroth's Permuted Press works after reading this accomplished piece of fiction.
In "Valley of the Dead" Paffenroth takes the theory that to have written what he did in Dante: Inferno (Penguin Classics), Aligheri must have seen the horror of the undead first hand for himself.
However as the other reviewer, what is truly horrifying is the way in this novel, how the living decide to treat one another in the face of the dead. Of course, in most zombie fiction you get your marrauders and raiders, general bad guys looking to profiteer from the chaos. Paffenroth uses the brutality of the fictional world to take this to a whole new level.
This is eminently readable, and in Audible format, the narrator has a pleasing tone and pace, not spoiling the visuals or the atmosphere.
Definitely recommended, and I will certainly be seeking out Paffenroth's Permuted Press works after reading this accomplished piece of fiction.
December 18, 2011
This audiobook surprised me. It was not what I thought it was going to be. I thought I would get a comparison of specific cantos and a lecture of what we historically thought Dante was doing during that time. Well, each chapter starts with a snippet from a canto, but then it tells a fictional story of Dante's life during a specific section of the inferno. It explains Dante's specific treatment of "canibalism, live burnings, evisceration, crucifixion in Inferno" by his continuous run in with plague zombies and mean, horrid men of a troubled society whom perform the other awful acts. He meets Borgdona (sp?), Rativan and Brother Adam along the way for a well-oiled machine to fight through the zombie hordes and evil men doing evil deeds. The narrator was acceptable, not spectacular. It was enjoyable and interesting in the end. For me, you can't go wrong with zombies.
April 21, 2010
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 mankind, such as anger, greed, sloth and cruelty.
I like the way Paffenroth writes and thinks, and will be seeking out his two Permuted Press novels.
More like 3.5 stars...
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 mankind, such as anger, greed, sloth and cruelty.
I like the way Paffenroth writes and thinks, and will be seeking out his two Permuted Press novels.
More like 3.5 stars...
October 12, 2013
This was a good enough zombie story. I've never read Dante's Inferno or know much about Dante or anything so this story was more or less just a zombie story to me. Maybe it would have had a bigger effect if i had known more about Dante to understand maybe more of the character that was created of him in this story.
January 28, 2013
Well it was a slog to get through this. The biggest issue I have with the book is that I couldn't work out if it's an attempt to provide an explanation for Dante's Inferno or a book along the lines of Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. I've finished the book and am still not sure. I think if the author had made a leap one way or the other it would have been more enjoyable.
March 29, 2017
Pretty clever idea. I liked it, pretty gruesome but a nice escape.
May 17, 2013
Interesting behind-the-story kind of story... with zombies. I haven't ever read Dante's Inferno - maybe if I had it would have resonated more. But a well-written book nonetheless.
January 4, 2025
It was violent at times. Almost like a splatterpunk book but then you realize that it depicts what men do…plunder, deceive, assault, torture, and destroy because of envy, greed, power, and religion. Some quotes that stood out to me include:
“Dante remembered the story of the Good Samaritan, of how a priest and a Levite had left the man to die, because they believed him less clean than
themselves.”
“Adam nodded. “Exactly. They are both more and less human than we are, more and less evil. They cannot kill for pleasure, or honor, or even hate. If only all men were as they are, in this one respect. But they are so full of hunger, so completely
full of emptiness, they cannot think of anything else – not even self-preservation. And their emptiness will never be full. They will never stop on their own.””
“Once people grew used to something, even if it were something harmful and ugly, it would always be what they craved, what they would return to over and over, no matter how much pain it might cause them.”
“Dante remembered the story of the Good Samaritan, of how a priest and a Levite had left the man to die, because they believed him less clean than
themselves.”
“Adam nodded. “Exactly. They are both more and less human than we are, more and less evil. They cannot kill for pleasure, or honor, or even hate. If only all men were as they are, in this one respect. But they are so full of hunger, so completely
full of emptiness, they cannot think of anything else – not even self-preservation. And their emptiness will never be full. They will never stop on their own.””
“Once people grew used to something, even if it were something harmful and ugly, it would always be what they craved, what they would return to over and over, no matter how much pain it might cause them.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2020
A thoroughly enjoyable experience. It rekindled my love for the original work's, which inspired me to reread them. I have loaned my copy out and its been well traveled and not returned. I will be repurchasing a copy as it is a must for my collective book hoard.
August 2, 2010
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 not make them dead." Oversensitive, depressed and caught up in hell on earth Dante sees the worst humanity has to offer where undeath just seems like a blessed end to a pitiful life.
Valley of the Dead is classic Paffenroth, a moody, dark, delicate blend of religion and zombies. It's easy to see why, in this "True Story" version of Dante's Inferno, Paffenroth is drawn to horror and religion simultaneously. Furthermore Paffenroth really captures the original feel of horror, beauty and devotion from Dante's Divine Comedy with sweeping strokes that simply should not be missed by true horror fans. Highly recommended, no, essential for public collections as an example of the depth and soul horror tales can possess.
Contains: Violence, language, gore
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 not make them dead." Oversensitive, depressed and caught up in hell on earth Dante sees the worst humanity has to offer where undeath just seems like a blessed end to a pitiful life.
Valley of the Dead is classic Paffenroth, a moody, dark, delicate blend of religion and zombies. It's easy to see why, in this "True Story" version of Dante's Inferno, Paffenroth is drawn to horror and religion simultaneously. Furthermore Paffenroth really captures the original feel of horror, beauty and devotion from Dante's Divine Comedy with sweeping strokes that simply should not be missed by true horror fans. Highly recommended, no, essential for public collections as an example of the depth and soul horror tales can possess.
Contains: Violence, language, gore
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