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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Modern Vision of Traditional Hell,
By John Gough "John Gough - Deakin University" (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Chariot of fire (Hardcover)
C.S. Lewis's "The Great Divorce" is a modern (mid-Twentieth century) fantasy-allegory novel in which a modern human goes to a version of Hell, and, meeting the spirit of George Macdonald (one of Lewis's own spiritual gurus, with his own vision of the journey from Hell to Paradise, in "Lilith"), is shown a moral progress towards Heaven, as well as the dooms and redemptions of several others.
Milton's "Paradise Lost" is another description of Hell. Dante's "Divine Comedy" is an earlier account. E.E.Y. Hales in "Chariot of Fire" is one of the most recent variants on this story -- and a rollicking good yarn, to boot. (It is several years since I read a borrowed library copy of this scarce book: I was alerted to it by an excellent brief review in Time magazine, which might also be good to check, if Google can find it.) The central character finds himself suddenly killed, and waiting in something unnervingly like an airport departure lounge. The bookstall in this strange departure lounge has copies of Dante's "Divine Comedy", and Milton's "Paradise Lost". But these appear to be available for purchase as if they were Lonely Planet Guides to the real place. (Actually, my comparison is ananchronistic --Lonely Planet Guides, famous and excellent now, had not been invented when Hales' book was published -- think, maybe "Europe [or Hell] on $5 a Day".) Boarding the next available infernal flight (the character is NOT allowed on the flight to HEAVEN!), Mr X (I do not recall his name) travels (hellishly, and rather like cattle-class on a long-haul passenger jet) to Hell. What he finds is indeed very similar to the fire and brimstone of Dante and Milton. To his surprise he begins encountering historical figures who have been confined to the hellfires and torment of damnation. (There are few actual demons in Hales' hell, as I recall: or is the arch-demon Satan, or Milton's Lucifer, behind it all? I apologise for being vague on this point. I think, now, Satan is at large, and as nasty as ever -- naturally!) Mr X learns that (as I recall) Julius Caesar and several other major historical bad-guys, are plotting (with Satan?) to attack and overthrow Heaven. All that stops them is a safe way of travelling across hellish countryside (rather like the interstellar nightmare world of Placet, in Fred Brown's classic Sci-Fi short-story, "Placet is a Crazy Place" -- well worth looking for, especially if you like hallucinations and narrow-guage railways). As it happens, Mr X is (or was, when he was alive) a railway engineer. He is quickly dragooned into the Army of Hell, charged with the task of using modern technology (steam trains -- a "chariot of fire" -- an apt description, but actually drawn from William Blake's apocalyptic poem "Jerusalem", and not to be confused with the later, famous film about the inter-war Olympic runners, with the famous theme music by Vangelis for slow-motion running along a beach) to carry the Army to the gates of Heaven. The question is whether Mr X will see the task through, or will he be persuaded to resist this army of hate and evil? The resolution is surprising and extremely satisfying -- C.S. Lewis would surely have approved. Very highly recommended. (Has Hales ever written anything else?) John Gough -- Deakin University -- jugh@deakin.edu.au
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