Three Purgatory Poems

Three Purgatory Poems: The Gast of Gy, Sir Owain, The Vision of Tundale, edited by Edward E Foster, 254 pages

This book collects three fourteenth century poems involving Purgatory and the bonds of love which connect the living and the dead.  In "The Gast of Gy" the titular gast (ghost) haunts his wife until she seeks help from the local Dominicans, who interrogate the spirit about his place in the afterlife and provide him with their prayers of assistance.  "Sir Owain" is a romance about a 12th century English knight who travels through a mystical Irish cave to Purgatory.  "The Vision of Tundale" tells the story of a crooked merchant who has what moderns would call a near-death experience in which his guardian angel gives him a tour of the afterlife, a tale the Latin original of which may have helped inspire Dante.

The texts are presented in Middle English (although some are themselves translations of older poems), with marginal notes when the language is sufficiently different from Modern English that such help is likely to be necessary and longer notes at the end of each work to more fully explain difficult passages.  The result is a text which maximizes both readability and clarity, making the original works accessible without burying them in commentary or rewriting them entirely.

Undead And Done

UndeadAnd Done by MaryJanice Davidson, 285 pages

“Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor continues her rule in Hell in the scorchingly funny finale to the Undead series from New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson.  It had been a well-kept secret for centuries, but now the existence of vampires is all over the news, thanks to Betsy Taylor's half sister (and the frustrated former Antichrist), Laura. Life for the undead will never be the same, and it's up to Betsy to do some damage control. But her interview on the local news doesn't exactly put out the fire. It more or less pours kerosene on it. With all the added attention on supernatural beings, the werewolves are more than a little agitated (never a good thing) and demand that Betsy gets her interview skills, and her family, in order. And while things go from bad to worse in the world, Hell continues to be hell--especially when Betsy's new parole program becomes about as complicated as you'd expect.  With a PR team launching a vampire-friendly campaign, the devil at large and out to make trouble, and mermaids on hand to see who falls--and how hard--the end isn't just near. It's here. And if anyone knows how to go out with a bang, it's the queen of Hell.” I really enjoyed this book.  I think it was one of the funniest in the series and I thought it did a great job of wrapping up the story.  I feel like this storyline really was done so I can’t even say that I’m going to miss the series.  I’m sure the author isn’t done writing and these characters may pop up from time to time so I probably won’t even miss them much either.  Anyone who likes supernatural humorous adventure and romance is going to love this author.

Hell and the Mercy of God

Hell and the Mercy of God by Adrian J Reimers, 243 pages

Universalism, the belief that, in the end, everyone is saved, is remarkably popular in contemporary Christianity, given that it is rejected as heretical by virtually every major denomination and tradition.  According to Adrian Reimers, this is the result of a sentimentality that obscures the truth about God, man, heaven, hell, Satan, this world, and the world to come.  These are truths proclaimed most convincingly not by shadowy religious authorities supposedly concocting myths about eternal punishment as an instrument of control, but by the hells men - ordinary men - build in this world, of which the empire of Satan is both inspiration and consummation.  For every action involves a choice of values, and a sin is an action by which a man sets himself up as a rival against God, rejecting truth, goodness, and beauty in favor of pride, power, and subjugation.

Although he is plumbing deep theological waters, Reimers' writing is accessible to everyone.  Refreshingly, he does not attempt to explain away Scripture and Tradition, but embraces their teachings on the existence of fallen angels and the fate of the human soul as presenting the most compelling account of human freedom and the nature of the intellect.

Undead And Unforgiven

Undead And Unforgiven by MaryJanice Davidson, 286 pages

“If Betsy Taylor has learned anything about ruling Hell it's: 1) She can't do it alone, and 2) She doesn't have to. She's got the help of a devoted vampire king, a dateless zombie, an exhausted new mom, an unshowered cop, a bitchy ghost, a kindly dead priest, and her late stepmother ("Go Team Satan 2.0!"). But the latest major hurdle in her afterlife is so big she can't even see it until it's on YouTube. Betsy's father and half sister Laura (a former Antichrist with a grudge) have teamed up, for what sinister purpose Betsy can't imagine. The former Antichrist didn't take kindly to getting what she wished for, and has decided that's entirely the fault of the vampire queen. What that means for Betsy is trouble (more than usual, even) and possible exposure to an unsuspecting world. Meanwhile Hell is having a deleterious effect on Betsy's friends ("I didn't think it was possible, but the damned are getting meaner."), the newly dead are confused about Hell's new rules ("A buddy system? Really?"), and the vampire king is trying to poach on Betsy's territory. Betsy loves her husband, but that's not the same as trusting him. Before long the king and queen of the vampires aren't speaking to each other, the mansion on Summit Avenue is a war zone, and Betsy's getting calls from a werewolf, a mermaid, and worst of all, her mother ("What do you mean you can't babysit?"). No one said life after death would be easy, but c'mon: this is ridiculous.”  These books are still pretty funny.  The storylines are getting a little crazy but I’m still enjoying them.  These are for people who like supernatural romantic comedy.

Disagreeable Tales

Disagreeable Tales by Leon Bloy, translated by Erik Butler, 177 pages

Disagreeable Tales consists of thirty dark vignettes by the "ungrateful beggar" Leon Bloy, author of The Woman Who Was Poor.  With each story being only a few pages long, there is very little plot, only a peek into an individual well of sin, exposing shameful vices, base depravity, and cruel injustice, but most of all Bloy's favorite target, respectable hypocrisy. 

At the heart of the collection is the tale of a priest who relates the horrible crime of an anonymous penitent, a man who while walking in the country out of sheer maliciousness and desire to destroy burned down a random cottage, killing the old woman who lived there.  Upon hearing the story several men begin sobbing - each identifying himself as the penitent.  Bloy's work, at its best, has the same effect - an accusatory mirror held up to our souls.

Devil's Detective

Devil's Detective by Simon Kurt Unsworth
289 Pages


"Thomas Fool is an Information Man, an investigator tasked with cataloging and filing reports on the endless stream of violence and brutality that flows through Hell. His job holds no reward or satisfaction, because Hell has rules but no justice. Each new crime is stamped "Do Not Investigate" and dutifully filed away in the depths of the Bureaucracy. But when an important political delegation arrives and a human is found murdered in a horrific manner--extravagant even by Hell's standards--everything changes. The murders escalate, and their severity points to the kind of killer not seen for many generations. Something is challenging the rules and order of Hell, so the Bureaucracy sends Fool to identify and track down the killer. . . . But how do you investigate murder in a place where death is common currency? Or when your main suspect pool is a legion of demons? With no memory of his past and only an irresistible need for justice, Fool will piece together clues and follow a trail that leads directly into the heart of a dark and chaotic conspiracy. A revolution is brewing in Hell . . . and nothing is what it seems."

A wonderful re-imagination of Hell, an okay mystery (fairly easy to figure out).  I enjoyed reading just to see the world created by the author.

Cat Out of Hell

Cat Out of Hell by Lynne Truss
163 Pages

"..the tale of Alec Charlesworth, a librarian who finds himself suddenly alone: he's lost his job, his beloved wife has just died. Overcome by grief, he searches for clues about her disappearance in a file of interviews between a man called "Wiggy" and a cat, Roger. Who speaks to him. It takes a while for Alec to realize he's not gone mad from grief, that the cat is actually speaking to Wiggy . . . and that much of what we fear about cats is true. They do think they're smarter than humans, for one thing. And, well, it seems they are! What's more, they do have nine lives. Or at least this one does - Roger's older than Methuselah, and his unblinking stare comes from the fact that he's seen it all. And he's got a tale to tell, a tale of shocking local history and dark forces that may link not only the death of Alec's wife, but also several other local deaths. But will the cat help Alec, or is he one of the dark forces?"


 Not as funny as the reviewers would have you believe.  Getting through this book was a long ordeal with a disappointing ending.

The Infernals

The Infernals by John Connolly, 309 pages

This is the second book in the Samuel Johnson trilogy, the sequel to The Gates.  After defeating the demons sent from hell to try to take over the world, Samuel and his dog, Boswell, are trying to settle back into a normal life.  Nurd, the demon who helped him, is also trying to settle back into his normal life.  However, that is going to be difficult for both of them.  Mrs. Abernathy, the demon responsible for the near takeover of the earth really wants revenge on Samuel and manages to open a portal that brings through not only Samuel and Boswell but also four lazy drunken dwarves, an ice cream man and two police officers.  Nurd, who has a connection to Samuel, senses that he is in hell and rushes to find him before Mrs. Abernathy does.  A wacky adventure ensues with much comic relief from the dwarves and the footnotes, in which Samuel and Nurd must once again defeat Mrs. Abernathy.  These are funny fantasy adventures that a lot of teens and adults would like.

Good Omens

Good Omens : The Nice and Accurate  Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, 412 pages

Several centuries ago, a witch by the name of Agnes Nutter predicted the future, with events culminating in an apocalypse. The time for said apocalypse has come. It will be heaven versus hell in one fantastic showdown. The Antichrist has been chosen and born. There are a few snags in the plan, though. The representatives for heaven and hell, Aziraphale and Crowley, respectively, who happen to be friends, aren't thrilled about the apocalypse and would like to figure out a way around it. The child they thought was the Antichrist was switched with a human child at birth. The four horsemen of the apocalypse have some groupies that can't decide what to call themselves.

In other words, an already crazy situation becomes even crazier. This book was very entertaining, a sort of scifi/fantasy blend, with lots of sharp wit and many actual laugh out loud portions. I'd not previously read anything by either of these authors, but I will definitely check out some more of their works.

P.S. Crowley, the representative for Hell, was definitely my favorite character in this book, driving around in his vintage Bentley, taking credit for heinous human acts that he actually had nothing to do with. :)