Hell gets a lot of bad press. But it can’t be that bad… otherwise why would so many people strive so hard to go there?1? It has several good qualities: It’s inclusive! No one has to worry about not meeting the entry requirements. No one has to worry about heating in the winter (unless you believe Dante). Boredom is not an issue either.
Hell features in numerous novels/stories/prose works, both the Christian versions and their cousins elsewhere. People avoid going there; failing that, they try to escape; they make pacts with the inhabitants of hell; some even work for hell. Clergymen, lawyers, and career counselors would have advised them against such life choices. Readers can enjoy the action-promoting results of such strategies, as the following five books about hell demonstrate…
inferno by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (1976)
Mediocre science fiction writer Allen Carpentier’s brave attempt to endear himself to his fans results in Allen falling out of a window onto a sidewalk waiting many floors below. No more deadlines for Allen! Allen is dead. Allen is therefore quite surprised to discover that he still exists. Unfortunately for Allen, he finds himself in Christian hell.
There is a way out of Hell, but not one that the staunch agnostic Allen is likely to find on his own. Fortunately for Allen, he has a guide who is ready to lead Allen to salvation. The only way out leads deeper into Hell. Allen might be even more hesitant to follow this bold advice if Allen had any idea WHO his leader could be.
inferno is based on Dante’s poem. Curiously, the focus is less on how to achieve salvation and more on who the authors believe is surely destined for the fiery pits of hell. Have you ever wondered which rival authors, politicians and pundits Niven and Pournelle didn’t like? Read this novel and wonder no longer. In their defense, it must be said that the colonization of hell with aesthetic and political enemies has a long history.
Rupert Wong, Cannibal Chef by Cassandra Khaw (2015)
Although the hell that awaits Rupert Wong is not the Christian hell, the difference is inconsequential. Wong is desperate to avoid his almost inevitable fate. To that end, Wong is willing to accept employment opportunities he would otherwise turn down… hence his current profession dealing with the ghouls of Kuala Lumpur.
Dragon King Ao Qin has another task for Rupert: to track down the group or groups that unleashed the Greek Furies on Ao Qin’s now-deceased daughter. Wong is no detective, but turning Ao Qin away would be a death sentence. Since the case involves at least two pantheons of gods, a yes could also be a death sentence.
Dragon King Ao Qin believes that the stick is more useful than the carrot. No wonder Ao Qin is a terrible boss. As it turns out, this is not the only field of activity in which Ao Qin is terrible.
Mystical pop-up barwritten by Ha Yoon-ah and directed by Jeon Chang-geun (2020)
Han Kang-bae is hardworking, kind, conscientious and a pariah. He owes the latter to an unwanted, uncontrollable gift: anyone who touches Kang-bae speaks embarrassingly openly about their inner thoughts. In order to spare people this irresistible openness, Kang-bae avoids them.
Weol-ju, the owner of a pop-up bar, has a use for Kang-bae. Centuries ago, Weol-ju had corrupted her spiritual standing so badly that she was banished to the Hell of Extinction. The rulers of the afterlife offered Weol-ju a chance to avoid total annihilation: to find and solve the problems of 100,000 people.2. With the deadline approaching, and her grumpy demeanor doesn’t fit the task at hand, Kang-bae’s gift offers Weol-ju salvation… if Weol-ju can convince Kang-bae to work for her. And if the couple survives the resulting complications.
This Korean afterlife is full of loopholes. It’s almost as if the supernatural beings don’t quite agree with the rigid legal system they supposedly serve, but don’t have the ability to reform it. The fact that Weol-ju almost squandered the second chance she was offered seems almost petty of her.
The chosen ones and the beautiful ones by Nghi Vo (2021)
Determined to win Daisy Buchanan’s heart, the handsome but impoverished Jay Gatsby did what anyone would do in his position: He sold his soul (and the promise of certain services) to the devil in exchange for enough wealth to win Daisy’s affections.
All Jay has to do is snatch Daisy away from her husband Tom. He has an ingenious plan to do this, which reluctantly involves Jordan Baker. But Jay’s plan has a fundamental flaw. In order for Daisy to love Jay, the self-centered Daisy must be capable of love. As it is, the only question is what form the catastrophic failure will take.
The story is told from the perspective of Daisy’s Vietnamese-American friend, Jordan Baker. Adopted (or possibly kidnapped) as a baby by well-meaning Americans, Jordan is well aware that she will likely be among the droves deported due to the racist Manchester Act currently making its way through Congress. That her wealthy friends don’t realize that the Manchester Act even applies to people they know is just another example of the unquestioned privilege and total lack of empathy that drives the plot.
If found, return to hell by Em X. Liu (2023)
Journeyman Wen Mingyan works for One Wizard, a magic company that specializes in collecting subscription fees from its clients. One Wizard will even provide services for a fee as long as the end result is more profit. Shine Ming Junlei is a client of One Wizard whose problem Wen wants to solve before finding out if the problem can be solved.
Shine Ming Junlei discovered an ominous, mysterious symbol painted on the wall of his quarters. Soon after, Shine found out that the demon Wang Ran was sharing his body. Wang Ran is a refugee from his incarnation in Hell. King Death, the Emperor of the Threshold Domain, the Master of Death, the one who looks over all souls, wants his property back, regardless of the consequences for foolish mortals who stand in his way.
Wen, the One Wizard employee assigned to the case, isn’t particularly diligent, but he’s bored. Wen definitely escapes boredom over the course of this book, but he also gets a powerful lesson about the value of due diligence.
Of course, these books are only a very small selection of the many books about hell. Maybe I missed your favorites… or I left them out on purpose. Whatever. Feel free to share your favorites in the comments below.
