Customer Reviews

Go to Hell: A Heated History of the Underworld

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There you are, sitting on the bus, the train, or on a park bench, quietly reading. When all of a sudden, someone, obviously a non-reader, interrupts your solitude and asks "What are you reading?" To which you reply, Go To Hell. And you'd be right!

Go to Hell, A Heated History of the Underworld, is an engaging book written by Chuck Crisafulli and Kyra Thompson. Hell, as you will read in the book, is quite an interesting subject, with a complex history covering many religions and mythologies throughout time.

You'll read about the view of Hell that comes from the Book of Revelations that will be familiar to Christians, with its "gnashing of teeth" and lake of fire; the Japanese Buddhist Hell that is called Jigoku and consists of eight fiery hells and eight icy hells, all ruled by the Great Judge of Hell, Emma-O who weighs your soul to measure your wickedness; and the Viking Hell, an inhospitable and cold place called Niflheim, and is run by the goddess of death and the underworld, Hel.

The book delves into all aspects of Hell: what it is, where it is, what goes on there, who's in charge, and what artists, writers and philosophers have had to say about Hell over the centuries. Each chapter is separated into many sections with creative headings such as I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up, Book-of-the-Dead Club, and It's a Small World After Hell.

An additional fun feature in the book is called My Hell and features quotes by various celebrities who describe what Hell means to them. These celebrities include Bob Newhart, William Shatner, and Matt Stone (of South Park fame). My personal favorite My Hell segment is described by John Kricfalusi (the creator of Ren and Stimpy) because I believe I have already been there (think movie theater).

Lastly, the book has a comprehensive bibliography, should you wish to continue your study of Hell.

The authors take what has to be one of the most serious subjects around and make it easy-reading, entertaining, and yes, educational. This makes it a book for all ages, from teens to seniors -- as long as they keep an open mind and don't take it all too seriously!

So pick up this book, and enjoy telling anyone who wants to know what you are reading to Go To Hell!

I read this book several years ago and it has always stuck with me. It is a quick history lesson that is told in a very interesting way and with a lot of humor along the way. Unlike many other books on the subject, this is NOT preaching one religion or another; it is simply telling you about how different cultures/religions felt/thought about hell and the devil over different times. I consider myself an athiest (or agnostic depending on who you ask) and I think the fact that it wasn't preaching one way or another was why I enjoyed it so much. Highly recommend.

Way back in the 20th Century, my favorite humorist by far was the redoubtable Bob Benchley. Along with much of America, I mourned the passing of his dry wit and hilarious offbeat observances. Now, with the publication of Chuck Crisafulli and Kyra Thompson's "Go To Hell", I feel a Benchley reincarnation may be afoot. They have gone where Benchley might have dared to tread, embracing with humorous strokes a topic about which everyone seems to have a view. In almost every sentence, I seemed to hear the old master's engaging, warm voice.

This is the kind of book that smart aleck teenagers should read in order to better annoy their missionary peers. It's full of just enough information about the ways that people view hell, where these views came from and what kind of images such a place invokes to provide a counterpoint to sermons. There's material about the hellfire club of the 18th century and Origen and the Greek ideas of the afterlife. There's also stuff about Hindu beliefs and early Christian beliefs. There's definitely a lot of information.

Unfortunately, it feels like a rather long term paper written by a college freshman who thinks that if he can make his professor laugh that he will be able to coast over the lack of deep analysis. In other words, it's the kind of term paper that I would have written in college. Comparing Socrates' trial to improv night at a comedy club, using the "Ra Ra Ra" joke in relation to Egyptian views and throwing pop culture references in willynilly - yeah this is totally something I would write. Sadly, I find it a little annoying when someone else does it. Well someone else who isn't Robert Anton Wilson. I guess I've read enough interesting and penetrating religious histories like A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam or The History of Hell that make me think about this stuff in greater depth.

That's not to say that I don't enjoy this book. I just find it a little ridiculous and a bit cloying in its need to be funny all the time. I know that I would have LOVED this book in college, but I also loved Tom Robbins and Jonathan Livingston Seagull in college so you can't trust my college self to give you any recommendations.

In the world of good vs. evil, we've all hoped for heaven, but wondered what the alternative is like. In this amusing but informative collection of trivia, history and stories, the authors have gathered together, as the subtitle notes, a history of the underworld. Starting off with a history of the concept of the underworld, and how pieces were added and visions molded into our present day idea of Hell, with the lakes of fire and eternal torment. They then tackle the various ideas of where Hell is, and what really goes on there. The development of the concept of Satan is explored in one chapter and then the host of demons is visited. All this is told through short parts inside each chapter looking at a specific aspect, story or participant in the ideas of hell, keeping the information lively. Interspersed with these stories are small bits of trivia, including places with Hell in the name, humorous stories, and random musings, such as how the castaways of Gilligan's Island could represent the seven deadly sins. Interspersed with the text are short paragraphs from an eclectic group of "famous" people musing as to what they would consider Hell. This part, I believe, loses something unless you know the person opining on Hell. And if theses visions are the best that came back from going to celebrities, then maybe the whole idea should have been rethought.

Overall the book is witty, informative and fun. Not deep theology, just an interesting gathering of data on a subject we would rather not think too much about.