Inferno - Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle

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1976 Inferno by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.
Plot line.. A noted science fiction writer dies in an accident during a convention and much to his surprise awakes confined in a metal container. After some time he is released and finds himself in the company of one, Benito. He is told he is in Hell and that there is a way out but you have to travel all the way through Hell to get there. They start on an odyssey through hell ...
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The novel Inferno is entertainment and it’s about belief. What is the function of Hell to an all merciful God? Do we still believe in the old biblical Heaven and Hell? Do we even still believe in God? Many people do not seem to believe in God but do believe in Satan. I must be honest and express my wonderment at that. Over the years what we have believed in has changed as we have learned some things. At one time we saw Gods and Demons ... more

"All hope abandon, you that go in by me".

These are the words that are supposed to be on the gate to Hell. Perhaps it is the abandonment of hope that is the ultimate sin. If we give in to despair, what have we left?

Possible universal timeline.

Universe created. Current interpretations of astronomical observations indicate that the age of the universe is 13.73 (± 0.12) billion years

Earth, The planet formed 4.54 billion years ago.

???? Fall of Lucifer and Fall of Man. (Exact times unknown)

Death of Christ, 1st half 1st century AD (Christian Era)

Dante Alighieri, Exact date of birth not known. Believed either May or June 1265 in Florence. Date of Death. 14th Sept 1321. Statesman, poet, language theorist.
The Divine Comedy describes Dante's journey through Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio), and Paradise (Paradiso), guided first by the Roman poet Virgil and then by Beatrice. The Devine Comedy has 100 cantos, 33 per book and one for introduction.

1976 Inferno by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.
Plot line.. A noted science fiction writer dies in an accident during a convention and much to his surprise awakes confined in a metal container. After some time he is released and finds himself in the company of one, Benito. He is told he is in Hell and that there is a way out but you have to travel all the way through Hell to get there. They start on an odyssey through hell to the very centre to find a rather surprising truth.

Carpenter the writer is a rationalist. He doesn't believe in the classic hell. He believes that it is some sort of Alien amusement park and sets out to prove this as his written characters would. Gradually his attitude changes.

This is classic hell. All pain and suffering. You cannot die here as you are already dead. If damaged then the 'body' heals itself, not without pain. This is after all hell. There is no sun to be seen. The landscape is dreadful. All dismal with added stench and demons (1).Burning rain. Freezing rain, Boiling lakes of blood. A slasher movie maker’s wet dream including a giant three headed dog called Cerberus(2).

Many of us would not recognise Dante's characters in hell if we met them. But for the 1976 book the authors have come with a more up to date version of Hell with all its levels and torments and with some new sins from the time of Dante. Dante met Italians from his history. As this is an American book most of the characters are American and British readers wouldn't recognise them either. There are some international figures included that we should know. Some people you might not be familiar with but perhaps we can recognise type. We may agree with the place where each has been placed and even think of some we could assign there or worse.

I was engaging in one of my usual pastimes, i.e. browsing the lesser known bookshops rather than committing outrages against landscape or peoples when I found a used copy of Inferno. I was buying and reading a lot and anything by both authors. I can say that I didn’t even look at what the book was about, I just got it.

Many will have heard of Dante and his Commedia, (later christened Divina by Giovanni Boccaccio) but how many have actually read his Devine Comedy. This is a book that was written between 1308 and his death in 1321 approximately some 800 years ago. And it’s still reprinted now. The book I am reviewing is only 33 years old and I have no idea if it will still be read after 8 centuries. Probably not but you can never tell.

Dante's hell may be a place of justice but not of mercy. The main idea is that nobody deserves to be there forever. You have to realise what you have done and truly repent and earn forgiveness. Some people seem to want everything given to them with no effort on their part in this life. If the premise of this story is true that attitude will not work 'down there'. For Dante the punishments meted out to the sinners were a case of poetic justice and that theme has been kept here.

Hell is a strange place. There are various levels or circles where the various sinners are kept. Though, classically, Hell has the shape of an inverted cone it would appear from the literature that it gets bigger the deeper you go. Now from our watching Dr Who we can accept that something can be larger inside than its outside apparent shape. This may be true here also but it has been suggested that in fact its you that are getting smaller the deeper you go and the apparent size increases.

Perhaps it’s a function of age but I find that the more I read science fiction the more I question my world and ideas. I seem to find books that make me think, I still get
enjoyment from reading a good story. Crime novels and thrillers are just that. They do not make me ask questions about the state of society and where we may be going. I may wonder though.

The novel Inferno is entertainment and it’s about belief. What is the function of Hell to an all merciful God? Do we still believe in the old biblical Heaven and Hell? Do we even still believe in God? Many people do not seem to believe in God but do believe in Satan. I must be honest and express my wonderment at that. Over the years what we have believed in has changed as we have learned some things. At one time we saw Gods and Demons in everything in the natural world. Every disaster was as a result of some demonic action and we hadn’t given enough credit to God. Over the years our belief has changed. We no longer think of ourselves as the centre of the universe. The sun and planets do not revolve around us. But there are still many people who do believe that they are the centre of the universe. Some people believe that they know the mind of God. Any who dare to disagree deserve death or worse.

As a young child I believed without question that my religion was the way to salvation.But as I grew older I questioned. I grew to know many people who did not share my beliefs. Were these good people condemned to eternal Hell? According to some they are. But they were good people, doing what I could see as God's work. I grew to believe that my original faith did not have all the answers. Neither did I. I had far more questions than answers, I still do but I do have a firm belief in Go(o)d and (D)evil. I have no idea if there is some form of afterlife, a heaven where we will be united with God. Sometimes late into the night and the quiet of my own mind I do worry that I don't know the answer. Will I see loved ones again? or will it even matter? This is for each person to find an answer. Sometimes I have to believe that if there is a merciful God, he cannot condemn people to everlasting suffering. That is not merciful. So, like the protagonist of the story, Hell is a last chance for God to get you to notice Him. That makes a lot of sense to me.

Remember, though, that this is a book of entertainment and not theology.

Why am I reviewing it now? Well the authors have written a sequel.

Finally, do I recommend it? Yes I most certainly do. Get yourself a copy.(3) Even get a copy of one of the excellent translations of Dante's original and settle down for a good read and a good think.

1 Actually not that many Demons. Humans have taken over many of the traditional roles. Demons are not creative which is something humans are. The 'Management' may not be too happy with this arrangement as depending on what treatise you read humans had something to do with the original fall of Lucifer.

2. Poor fellow was never the same after biting Orpheus on the leg. That is not told in
legend.

3. August 2008 paperback reprint priced £9.50 from Amazon.co.uk
 

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