Escape from Hell

by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle Narrated by Tom Weiner

Overview

After being thrown out of the window of his luxury apartment, science fiction writer*Allen Carpentier*woke to find himself at the gates of Hell. Seeing a great*opportunity*for a book, he attempted to follow Dante's*road map and trekked through the*nine circles of Hell. Led by Benito Mussolini,*he encountered countless mental and*physical*tortures.

Allan Carpentier escaped from Hell once, but he remained haunted by what he saw and endured. He has now returned, on a mission to liberate those souls unfairly tortured and confined.

Partnering with the legendary poet and suicide, Sylvia Plath, Carpentier is a modern-day Christ who intends to harrow Hell and free the damned. But now that he's returned to this Dantesque inferno, can he ever again leave?

Escape from Hell*is the breathtaking follow-up to Niven and Pournelle's classic science fiction reimagining of Dante's*Inferno.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

In the long-awaited sequel to 1976's Hugo and Nebula-nominated Inferno, dead science fiction writer Allen Carpenter returns to the nine circles of Dante's Hell on a quest. After witnessing infamous fascist dictator Benito Mussolini (Carpenter's Virgil-like guide in Inferno) escape from the confines of Hell, Carpenter vows to make the nightmarish journey again and liberate as many tortured souls as possible. Poet Sylvia Plath, recently freed from the Wood of Suicides, accompanies Carpenter, as do a diverse cast of notorious historic figures, including Pontius Pilate, J. Robert Oppenheimer and Anna Nicole Smith. This well-constructed tale will inspire many readers to seek out the original Divine Comedy, but fans of Inferno may find that the landscape and the plot are a little too familiar. (Feb.)

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Library Journal

Having fought his way out of Dante's all too real Hell in Inferno, sf writer Allen Carpenter now returns-to rescue souls who don't deserve to be there. Teaming up with the poet-suicide Sylvia Plath, Carpenter discovers that, while entering Hell is easy, leaving it-especially with a crowd-is hard. Veteran sf writers Niven (Ringworld's Children) and Pournelle (Star Swarm) again build a monumental saga that is part tribute, part satire, and entirely entertaining. Recommended for most sf collections.

—Jackie Cassada

From the Publisher

"Inferno is quite literally a cake walk through hell. I kid you not, Niven and Pournelle have had the chutzpah to rewrite Dante's Inferno as if they were some hybrid of Roger Zelazny, Robert Heinlein, and Phil Jose Farmer. You are right there in the nether-reaches of the ultimate Sam Peckinpah movie with all the matter-of-fact solidity of a Hal Clement novel."—Norman Spinrad, author of Mexica

"A dazzling tour de force."—Poul Anderson, author of For Love and Glory

"A fast, amusing and vivid book, by a writing team noted for intelligence and imagination."— Roger Zelazny

"The somber beauty of Inferno brought up to the twentieth century with care and humor and with some sins Dante didn't even suspect."—Frank Herbert, author of Dune

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169632972
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	02/17/2009
Series:	Inferno , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged

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