
Valley of the Dead
The Truth Behind Dante's Inferno
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Narrated by:
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Victor Bevine
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Kim Paffenroth (author's note)
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By:
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Kim Paffenroth
About this listen
Working from Dante's Inferno to draw out the reality behind the fantasy, author Kim Paffenroth unfolds the horrifying true events that led Dante to fictionalize the account of his lost years.
For 17 years of his life, the exact whereabouts of the medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri are unknown to modern scholars. It is known that during this time he traveled as an exile across Europe, working on his epic poem, The Divine Comedy. In his masterpiece he describes a journey through the three realms of the afterlife. The most famous of its three volumes, Inferno describes hell.
During his lost wanderings, Dante stumbled upon an infestation of the living dead. The unspeakable acts he witnessed - cannibalism, live burnings, evisceration, crucifixion, and dozens more - became the basis of all the horrors described in Inferno. Afraid to be labeled a madman, Dante made the terrors he experienced into a more "believable" account of an otherworldly adventure filled with demons and mythological monsters. But at last, the real story can finally be told.
BONUS AUDIO: Incudes a note from the author.
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What listeners say about Valley of the Dead
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Nik
- 07-21-12
Surprised.
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Yes. If you like Dante and ZOMBIES!
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
Not really.
Which scene was your favorite?
My favorite scene is when they "realize" the undead are coming for them in the valley.
Did Valley of the Dead inspire you to do anything?
Just to love Dante more.
Any additional comments?
This audiobook surprised me. It was not what I thought it was going to be. It explains Dante's specific treatment of "canibalism, live burnings, evisceration, crucifixion in Inferno" by his continuous run in with plague zombies and mean, horrid men of a troubled society whom perform the other awful acts. The narrator was acceptable, not spectacular. It was enjoyable and interesting in the end. For me, you can't go wrong with zombies.
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