INFERNAL FALL

After inadvertently plummeting to Hell, a man must pass all nine of its levels to make it back home in Mitchell’s debut fantasy novel.

Daniel Strong’s hike up Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina isn’t just to take in the scenery. The former Army soldier–turned–university student plans to propose to his girlfriend, Kristine Groves, at the summit. But inside a cave, he finds a peculiar stone that somehow opens a hole in the ground into which he falls. Once reoriented, he sees a place that doesn’t quite look like Grandfather Mountain and quickly runs into ghostlike “shadow-man” Beau and soul-harvesting, reptilian-eyed demon Charles. Beau, whose job is to help dying people cross over to their afterlife, thinks it’s his fault Daniel is now down below. He shouldn’t be, since he’s still alive—something that Charles picks up on right away. Rather than take Daniel to a “soul trial,” in which a judge would determine what specific Hell (out of nine) would be his eternal home, Charles opts to take him to Satan, which is the best chance Daniel has of returning to Earth. That means going through all nine Hells that make up the underworld until they reach its ruler. Beau, lending assistance however he can, tags along while ever skeptical Daniel just wants to see Kristine again. The trio drop into pit after pit on their volatile journey, putting them face to face with any number of demons. Unexpectedly, however, the greatest threat is Azrael, the Angel of Death, who may be hunting Daniel simply to kill him.

Mitchell’s tale is a pronounced contemporary take on Dante’s Inferno. The levels here are the same as the circles of Hell, starting with Limbo and passing through Gluttony, Heresy, and others. There are recognizable characters as well, including ferrymen Charon and Phlegyas, along with such demons as Asmodeus and Azazel. This book, which closely follows Daniel, Beau, and Charles on their trip south, moves at a steady beat since the three have no reason to linger in any of the Hells. This affords plenty of room for meticulous character development; Daniel, for example, has serious anger issues and is the first person to swing in confrontations. His link to humanity and his earthly home is the Holy Spirit, which functions essentially as a disease in Hell and which he may lose if he lets his rage completely take over. Although each of the trio battles his own inner turmoil, they also bump heads with one another, especially as Beau insists that demon Charles can’t be trusted. Their dialogue rarely feels like banter; it’s more about keeping Daniel alive until they reach the next pit of Hell. The author concisely depicts the group’s perpetually treacherous path, including the Heretics’ Yard in the Sixth Hell: “Radiation pressed into his flesh like countless invisible knives….stone buildings billowed smoke from windows and cracks.” The novel features a satisfying wrap-up with a hint of perils to come.

A remarkable cast of characters guides readers across a terrifying but compelling landscape.