(Have I said before that this cover image looks like a demonic SwampThing? See here.)
Evil distorts infernal geometry just as gravity curves space-time. (1, p. 156)
A State Department representative informs two DIA (Department of Infernal Affairs) men that the US has some:
"'...existing alliances with forces in the netherworlds.'" (1, p. 159)
Later, she adds that:
"'...too many of our netherworld alliances with pagan forces are based on rigid honor codes.'" (1, p. 168)
This hellish universe is a comprehensive one because it includes:
"'...a Mayan mythos, sure enough. Close analogue, anyway.'" (3, p. 169)
I have only just noticed, first, that this story has only three numbered sections and, secondly, that they are numbered 1, 3 and 5. Maybe even numbers don't work in Hell?
Just as we compare Anderson's Old Phoenix with Neil Gaiman's Inn of the Worlds' End, we can also compare Anderson's hell universe as elaborated by Eric Flint with Alan Moore's Hell as elaborated first by Neil Gaiman, then by Mike Carey - who tells us something of the nature of infernal alliances. See the demon Lord Arux's remark quoted here.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I'm a bit surprised to see how seldom Dante's INFERNO is mentioned in these discussions about the Hell universe in Anderson's OPERATION CHAOS. I recall, possibly, Virginia Matuchek mentioning Dante.
I'm a fairly hard core Dante fan, having three different translations of the DIVINE COMEDY, by John Ciardi, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Allen Mandelbaum. And some of his lesser known works, such as the DE MONARCHIA, and LA VITA NUOVA.
And I think we have both read Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's INFERNO and ESCAPE FROM HELL, their riffs on Dante's INFERNO. But, alas, no one has to "do" his PURGATORIO and PARADISO.
Your recent blog pieces have gotten me more interested in some of those stories I passed over in MULTIVERSE, such as the items by Tad Williams and Eric Flint.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
I did not get far with ESCAPE FROM HELL.
One of my brothers-in-law has self-published his own translation of Dante's COMEDY.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I'm sorry about that, I thought ESCAPE FROM HELL was interesting. But, at the end of INFERNO, Allen Carpenter sees Benito leaving Hell. I think it might have been more artistically pleasing if Niven/Pournelle had done an SFnal version of the PURGATORIO.
Cool, what your brother in law did. What did you think of it?
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
I agree that what was needed after INFERNO was PURGATORIO.
John translated Dante into straightforward readable verse narrative.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
And I'm sorry Niven/Pournelle did do their own version of Dante's PURGATORIO. I reca Anderson describing, approvingly, his DIVINE COMEDY as "austere cantos" in one of the Old Phoenix stories.
Good, what you said about your b in l's translation. I desire several things in any translation: accuracy, fidelity to the author's text, readability, etc. And if this happens to be poetry, at least an effort to remain true to the verse form used by the poet.
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment