Inferno

Great idea, but it did not come together.

Great idea of looking at today's sins in Dante's Infirno, but felt flat. Good gift for a Dante lover or for sparking conversation about modern sins, but Niven and Pournelle have much better books.

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Inferno, Book 1

Niven and Pournelle recreate Dante's Inferno for the 20th century. When science fiction author Allen Carpentier falls to his death, he doesn't believe in Heaven or Hell. He acts as Infernoland is an amusement park, made by the Builders. But, he tries to discover the purpose of Hell, with his guide, Benito. The duo meets some interesting people on their journey through Hell discovering the sins and its punishments for eternity.

A Great Book But ...

I loved this book and read it in one sitting. I really enjoyed the journey through hell and how the main character struggled between believing it was hell and the theme park Infernoland. The only problem I had however was the ending. I'm not going to give anything away but the ending kept me wanting more.

I read this book before when it first came out.

I read this book when it first came out and really enjoyed it. I had read Dante's Inferno first and this book peaked my interest. It is a fun book to read and the different level of Hell makes it interesting. This book includes some people in hell who are not dead yet, but other than that I highly recommend it.

Niven & Pournelle turn Divine Comedy into the Greatest Action & Adventure Novel I've ever read!

How come Hollywood hasn't discovered this book yet, especially after 30 plus years? Seems to me that if the project were turned over to a top notch filmaker (George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard come to mind) and if the filmaker were to put as much love and craftsmanship into the film as Niven and Pournell did when re-writing Dante's Inferno, and if they were as faithfull to the story line as Niven and Pournell were to the original by Dante Alighieri, they'd have a summer blockbuster on their hands that people would be talking about for decades! I keep envisioning Harrison Ford as Allen Carpentier, and the late Allen King would have been perfect as Benito Mussolini if only the film had been made while he was still alive and working. I just found out through this website about the sequel to "inferno", and I can't wait to read it!

A longtime bibliophile

I first read this book thirty years ago. I was fourteen years old at the time, and once I finished reading it I rushed to my school library to read the three books of Dante's 'Divine Comedy'. 'Inferno' did not seem to catch on like many other Niven/Pournelle novels, but it made a lasting impression on me and I think this book is probably in a 'cult' status with other readers. After re-reading it again recently, even though it has some flaws that I did not notice thirty years ago (such as being based on a work of literature that views Hell from a strictly Catholic point of view--what other religion considers 'simony' to be an official sin? And in a Hell that probably houses billions of souls, how does one individual run across so many people he knew in life?), it is still a good read, and I found some of the 'updated' punishments, such as the ones reserved for those who destroy the environment, even more relevant today. I am looking forward to the coming sequel. My only hope is that the authors make this Hell a little more ecumenical.

INFERNO is a modern day faster and hipper version

Renowned popular science-fiction writer Allen Carpentier makes a bet with his fans at a Los Angeles convention. Right out of War and Peace, he sits on the windowsill of a room on the hotel¿s eighth floor drinking a bottle of rum. About half way through he gags and falls out the window to his death.-------------- When Allen lands after what seems like eternity to him, he is shocked that he can think though somehow he finds himself in some sort of brass bottle that he wonders if it is his coffin. Some big Italian who says to call him Benito frees him from his bottle prison and agrees to be his guide as Allen treks through the concentric circles of Hell.----------- This is more than a reprint of the 1976 homage to Dante as Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle apparently revised some of the journey to ¿set the stage¿ for a sequel next year. Accompanying Allen and Benito on the trek is fun as they meet an assortment of sinners through the circles. Obviously still filled with adulation of Dante, INFERNO is a modern day faster and hipper version.------------- Harriet Klausner

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