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davidwright's review against another edition
3.0
If you look at most of what I enjoy reading, you’ll understand that every now and then I need a dose of comedy, and this ingenious satiric three ring circus fit the bill well. As with Dante’s Inferno, there’s precious little plot: this one’s mostly about the sightseeing, and much of the entertainment of this book actually stems from the seemingly endless variety and ingenuity of such special punishments, which make Dante look like an amateur. William Randolph Hearst blogs without recourse to the CAPS LOCK, while Shakespeare’s hard drive crashes; Martha Stewart demonstrates how to cook one’s own organs; Dick Cheney grouses Beelzabub over their incompetent bosses, and J. Edgar Hoover goes on TV in drag. Yes, you meet people who haven’t died yet here. George W. Bush is here, perplexed and convinced that he’s actually in Heaven. Who else is in Hell? Hell, who isn’t? So many people show up, some who aren’t even quite dead yet above ground, and one of the book’s main pastimes is celebrity spotting. Was that Christopher Hitchens in a clinch with Mother Theresa? Is that Robert Redford? Are those the Bee Gees? Our hero is Hatcher McCord, an anchorman in life and now one in Hell, all devised as a part of his own special punishment. Other aspects of it include bruising his hip every day in the same place on the same table, and sex that ranges from unsatisfying to ghastly with his girlfriend, the occasionally re-capitated Anne Boleyn. Hatcher’s biggest hit is the “Why Do You Think You’re Here?” show, but his secret talent is a mind that Satan can’t quite control, all of which leads him to enlist Judas Iscariot in a escape attempt. But as I said, plot is beside the point. Hey, was that Christopher Hitchens necking with Mother Theresa, as Celine Dion sings that Titanic song over, and over, and over…? One joke, but he does tell it pretty darned well. I'm thinking this title will be pretty much meaningless in about 10 or 15 years, though.
bei_02's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Body horror, Death, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
princessfabulous's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
stduke's review against another edition
4.0
At first, the passive tone of voice really threw me off and I couldn't get into it. As this book was advertised as a comedy, I kept waiting for it to be funny but it never really was. Regardless, I enjoyed the book. It was really insightful and had a really different perception of Hell then the one I was accustomed to reading and knowing about.
The ending was wonderfully flawless.
The ending was wonderfully flawless.
toryhallelujah's review against another edition
3.0
This is a satirical book built on a surrealistic framework, veering into obnoxious intellect at times (some serious verbosity and yes, we get it, you think Bush Jr. is a moron), but an interesting read with some memorable quotes. It wasn't riveting and I could have set it aside, but it's short enough that I stuck it out, and I'm not unhappy that I did.
----
I'm still pondering the idea of Heaven as being a place where one is completely alone. Initially, I was appalled, and got all self-righteous and demanded an explanation, but the explanation is THERE and it holds up:
"He's forgetting the ones in Hell. In Heaven, there's no place for the memories of the damned. They have been judged. They have been placed where they belong in their own torment. The sharp shards of them that still stick in you are things that need to be plucked out. They would only fester. They are the sins of the world. They are the pain and the suffering and the imperfections and they are fading away, happily so, happily happily happily. Hatcher is forgetting everyone."
It all does make sense, which is ...kind of weirdly reassuring? But it's then followed directly afterward by a confusing encounter with his dad, which I felt like I totally didn't understand (did I miss something?) and then the end of the book seems like it's supposed to inform the rest of the book, which begs a reread, but I don't WANT to reread the whole thing -- so I'm not a fan of that storytelling strategy in this case.
---
Other favorite lines:
"And in the thoroughfares, stretches of mugger darkness are broken by rotten-orange oases of sodium vapor lamps that fill all the twenty-first-century dead with the sadness of interstate rest stops." p.14
"Anne is silent for a moment, and then she says, 'Well, January is the kindest month. The world outside you fits what's inside. It's a grim place, the world, but it's the world. At least you're not a freak, at least you're part of it.'" p. 212
----
I'm still pondering the idea of Heaven as being a place where one is completely alone. Initially, I was appalled, and got all self-righteous and demanded an explanation, but the explanation is THERE and it holds up:
"He's forgetting the ones in Hell. In Heaven, there's no place for the memories of the damned. They have been judged. They have been placed where they belong in their own torment. The sharp shards of them that still stick in you are things that need to be plucked out. They would only fester. They are the sins of the world. They are the pain and the suffering and the imperfections and they are fading away, happily so, happily happily happily. Hatcher is forgetting everyone."
It all does make sense, which is ...kind of weirdly reassuring? But it's then followed directly afterward by a confusing encounter with his dad, which I felt like I totally didn't understand (did I miss something?) and then the end of the book seems like it's supposed to inform the rest of the book, which begs a reread, but I don't WANT to reread the whole thing -- so I'm not a fan of that storytelling strategy in this case.
---
Other favorite lines:
"And in the thoroughfares, stretches of mugger darkness are broken by rotten-orange oases of sodium vapor lamps that fill all the twenty-first-century dead with the sadness of interstate rest stops." p.14
"Anne is silent for a moment, and then she says, 'Well, January is the kindest month. The world outside you fits what's inside. It's a grim place, the world, but it's the world. At least you're not a freak, at least you're part of it.'" p. 212
2books1story's review
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts
theartolater's review
3.0
A literary attempt at Hell satire. Whether it worked or not, I can't really say. It only did so much for me
kowwie's review
2.0
It's weird.
There's a lot I disliked about this book. I sometimes felt like sections were disconnected or random. I thought inner dialogue went on way longer than it should. I skimmed pages at a time.
But I did really like the premise and the imagination behind this story. It was fun to picture this weird, quirky hell.
There's a lot I disliked about this book. I sometimes felt like sections were disconnected or random. I thought inner dialogue went on way longer than it should. I skimmed pages at a time.
But I did really like the premise and the imagination behind this story. It was fun to picture this weird, quirky hell.
voya_k's review
2.0
An ok book by a literary writer who could do better. Kind of dated and tired with excess Bush and Nixon hate. The world building was interesting for about 50 pages. And a goofy 'twist' ending. Total meh.