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100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife
From New York Times bestselling author, legendary Jeopardy! champion, and host Ken Jennings comes a hilarious travel guide to the afterlife, exploring destinations to die for from literature, mythology, and pop culture ranging from Dante’s Inferno to Hadestown to NBC’s The Good Place.
Ever wonder which circles of Dante’s Inferno have the nicest accommodations? Where’s the best place to grab a bite to eat in the ancient Egyptian underworld? How does one dress like a local in the heavenly palace of Hinduism’s Lord Vishnu, or avoid the flesh-eating river serpents in the Klingon afterlife? What hidden treasures can be found off the beaten path in Hades, Valhalla, or NBC’s The Good Place? Find answers to all those questions and more about the world(s) to come in this eternally entertaining book from Ken Jennings.
100 Places to See After You Die is written in the style of iconic bestselling travel guides—but instead of recommending must-see destinations in Mexico, Thailand, or Rome, Jennings outlines journeys through the afterlife, as dreamed up over 5,000 years of human history by our greatest prophets, poets, mystics, artists, and TV showrunners. This comprehensive index of 100 different afterlife destinations was meticulously researched from sources ranging from the Epic of Gilgamesh to modern-day pop songs, video games, and Simpsons episodes. Get ready for whatever post-mortal destiny awaits you, whether it’s an astral plane, a Hieronymus Bosch hellscape, or the baseball diamond from Field of Dreams.
Fascinating, funny, and irreverent, this light-hearted memento mori will help you create your very own bucket list—for after you’ve kicked the bucket.
Ever wonder which circles of Dante’s Inferno have the nicest accommodations? Where’s the best place to grab a bite to eat in the ancient Egyptian underworld? How does one dress like a local in the heavenly palace of Hinduism’s Lord Vishnu, or avoid the flesh-eating river serpents in the Klingon afterlife? What hidden treasures can be found off the beaten path in Hades, Valhalla, or NBC’s The Good Place? Find answers to all those questions and more about the world(s) to come in this eternally entertaining book from Ken Jennings.
100 Places to See After You Die is written in the style of iconic bestselling travel guides—but instead of recommending must-see destinations in Mexico, Thailand, or Rome, Jennings outlines journeys through the afterlife, as dreamed up over 5,000 years of human history by our greatest prophets, poets, mystics, artists, and TV showrunners. This comprehensive index of 100 different afterlife destinations was meticulously researched from sources ranging from the Epic of Gilgamesh to modern-day pop songs, video games, and Simpsons episodes. Get ready for whatever post-mortal destiny awaits you, whether it’s an astral plane, a Hieronymus Bosch hellscape, or the baseball diamond from Field of Dreams.
Fascinating, funny, and irreverent, this light-hearted memento mori will help you create your very own bucket list—for after you’ve kicked the bucket.
Audiobook
First published June 13, 2023
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About the author
Ken Jennings
30 books577 followersKenneth Wayne Jennings III holds the record for the longest winning streak on the U.S. syndicated game show Jeopardy! Jennings won 74 games before he was defeated by challenger Nancy Zerg on his 75th appearance. His total earnings on Jeopardy! are US$3,022,700 ($2,520,700 in winnings, a $2,000 consolation prize on his 75th appearance, and $500,000 in the Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions). Jennings held the record for most winnings on any game show ever played until the end of the Ultimate Tournament of Champions (first aired on May 25, 2005), when he was displaced by Brad Rutter, who defeated Jennings in that tournament.
After winning, he began working on a book, Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs, which explored American trivia history and culture. Ken also appeared as a member of the mob sitting in podium #13 from the new game show 1 vs. 100 in 2006, and in 2007 Jennings was the champion of the first season of the US version of Grand Slam.
Jennings was selected to co-host Jeopardy after the death of Alex Trebek.
After winning, he began working on a book, Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs, which explored American trivia history and culture. Ken also appeared as a member of the mob sitting in podium #13 from the new game show 1 vs. 100 in 2006, and in 2007 Jennings was the champion of the first season of the US version of Grand Slam.
Jennings was selected to co-host Jeopardy after the death of Alex Trebek.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 508 reviews
February 20, 2023
Does what it says on the tin — Ken Jennings (yes, that Ken Jennings of Jeopardy fame) takes the reader through brief 100 accounts of different versions of afterlife imagined through different major religions, mythology, books, movies, TV, theater and even music. So we get Nirvana and Gehenna, Valhalla and Hades, Dante’s Inferno and Matheson’s What Dreams May Come, Field of Dreams and Beetlejuice, Lost and Miracle Workers, Hieronymus Bosch paintings, Marvel and DC Comics and even Dungeons and Dragons.
It’s a quirky idea which I love, but I wish it went a big further than the light short vignettes. It’s a bit scattered trying to reach that 100 places, with very brief afterlife “visits”. I think focusing on fewer places - maybe 20 instead of a 100 - and going into more detail while developing the travel guide format a bit deeper would have helped, as a few longer entries that stuck more to the promised guide format were certainly more interesting while some shorter ones felt more like filler to reach the number goal.
As is, it’s suited for reading in quick short bursts rather than reading straight through.
I am actually curious though to look for other books by Ken Jennings. He’s clearly very intelligent and has a cheeky sense of humor.
3 stars.
——————
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
It’s a quirky idea which I love, but I wish it went a big further than the light short vignettes. It’s a bit scattered trying to reach that 100 places, with very brief afterlife “visits”. I think focusing on fewer places - maybe 20 instead of a 100 - and going into more detail while developing the travel guide format a bit deeper would have helped, as a few longer entries that stuck more to the promised guide format were certainly more interesting while some shorter ones felt more like filler to reach the number goal.
As is, it’s suited for reading in quick short bursts rather than reading straight through.
I am actually curious though to look for other books by Ken Jennings. He’s clearly very intelligent and has a cheeky sense of humor.
3 stars.
——————
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
April 18, 2023
That was the one thing the world’s oldest civilization had figured out about death: that it was extremely permanent.
from 100 Places to See After You Die by Ken Jennings
Okay, just seeing this book cover made me laugh and I had to get inside it. And, it’s by Jeopardy champ and host Ken Jennings.
It is a book best taken in bites, because, after all, how much time do you really want to spend in places where people are subjected to endless pain and suffering? Like the Inuit’s Adlivun where you meet Sedna’s old man who will pull you under a bearskin rug and torment you for a year. Or the Chinese Diyu, a purgatory where you might be sawed in half. Or worst of all, observe your home town that has happily forgotten you.
Sure, there is the opportunity to get to some really nice places, where you are assured a good hunt at the other end of the Milky Way path to the heavens. Your dog even has his own route there. If you are one of the lucky 144,000, the Jehovah’s Witnesses believe you will govern heaven next to Jesus. Swedenborg had visions of communities for the good and the bad; nice parks and gardens for some, shantytowns and thieves for others.
Jennings has scoured sources of all kind–of course mythology and religion but also literature and art and comic books and video games and D&D and movies and television like The Good Place, which my husband and I absolutely loved.
Humanity has imagined a multitude of possible afterlives, but most seem to involve the same dichotomy: we will be punished for our sins or rewarded for good behavior–or after we atone for our sins.
So, as Pascal posited in his wager, it’s better to err on the safe side, and you’d better be good.
I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
from 100 Places to See After You Die by Ken Jennings
Okay, just seeing this book cover made me laugh and I had to get inside it. And, it’s by Jeopardy champ and host Ken Jennings.
It is a book best taken in bites, because, after all, how much time do you really want to spend in places where people are subjected to endless pain and suffering? Like the Inuit’s Adlivun where you meet Sedna’s old man who will pull you under a bearskin rug and torment you for a year. Or the Chinese Diyu, a purgatory where you might be sawed in half. Or worst of all, observe your home town that has happily forgotten you.
Sure, there is the opportunity to get to some really nice places, where you are assured a good hunt at the other end of the Milky Way path to the heavens. Your dog even has his own route there. If you are one of the lucky 144,000, the Jehovah’s Witnesses believe you will govern heaven next to Jesus. Swedenborg had visions of communities for the good and the bad; nice parks and gardens for some, shantytowns and thieves for others.
Jennings has scoured sources of all kind–of course mythology and religion but also literature and art and comic books and video games and D&D and movies and television like The Good Place, which my husband and I absolutely loved.
Humanity has imagined a multitude of possible afterlives, but most seem to involve the same dichotomy: we will be punished for our sins or rewarded for good behavior–or after we atone for our sins.
So, as Pascal posited in his wager, it’s better to err on the safe side, and you’d better be good.
I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
November 15, 2023
I'm a big Ken Jennings fan and am always interested in things beyond this lifetime, so I was pretty excited when my partner suggested we listen to this audiobook on a long drive.
It gave me a headache.
When we had completed 63% of the book, I finally said: "This book removes everything I like in books. It's just descriptions. There's basically no meaning to be found, and most of the places are similar hells with long, awful details."
Partner: "Yeah, it's a reference book."*
This book transported me to a unique Hell.
I refuse to finish it.
.
.
.
*I like reference books and prefer nonfiction, but reading a reference book that basically says the same thing over and over and over again? No, thanks.
It gave me a headache.
When we had completed 63% of the book, I finally said: "This book removes everything I like in books. It's just descriptions. There's basically no meaning to be found, and most of the places are similar hells with long, awful details."
Partner: "Yeah, it's a reference book."*
This book transported me to a unique Hell.
I refuse to finish it.
.
.
.
*I like reference books and prefer nonfiction, but reading a reference book that basically says the same thing over and over and over again? No, thanks.
March 29, 2025
Ken Jennings, the host of Jeopardy, wrote an interesting and amusing book. It's a tongue in cheek look at the various afterlives awaiting humanity. The gamut runs from Mythology (Valhalla, Hel, Kur, Duat, etc.), to Religion ( Gehenna, The House of Song, Summer Land, etc.), to Books (Adams County, The Cemetary, paradise, etc.), Movies (Bogus Journey, Canine Heaven, The Undying Lands, etc), television (The Black Lodge, oceanside, Robot Hell, etc.), Music and Theater (The Afterlife, Hadestown, Up There, etc), and Miscellaneous (The Eight Underworld, The Land of the Unliving, Hellscapes, etc).
Each entry will show where the story came from and what it is like to be there. Depending on the setting, some have interesting tidbits like "Things to See" or "Places to Visit" that will highlight the strange sights of the Afterlife.
A fun, and enlightening, look at the various interpretations of the Afterlife in popular culture, history, and religion. While not a very scholarly read, it is fun and it does provide a brief look, albeit in a humorous form, at the various Afterlives imagined by humans.
Each entry will show where the story came from and what it is like to be there. Depending on the setting, some have interesting tidbits like "Things to See" or "Places to Visit" that will highlight the strange sights of the Afterlife.
A fun, and enlightening, look at the various interpretations of the Afterlife in popular culture, history, and religion. While not a very scholarly read, it is fun and it does provide a brief look, albeit in a humorous form, at the various Afterlives imagined by humans.
November 29, 2022
(Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley)
The array of afterlives covered by this handy tome are a delightfully rich assortment taken from a wide selection of different faiths, books, films, TV shows, plays, and songs. So no matter how much you may think that you know already, and no matter how much media you’ve consumed in general, you’re still bound to be introduced to several new post-life settings the likes of which you’ve never heard of before. And each afterlife’s individual section hits that sweet spot of informative and clearly well-researched without overstaying its welcome, providing both a good deal to learn but (usually) not so much so that it might spoil a reader’s appetite to learn even more on their own. Plus, Ken Jennings’ writing runs thick with wit, and leaves plenty of opportunity for toothy smiles and hearty chuckles.
To say the least, this is not a title to be overlooked. 100 Places to See After You Die hits that fine balance of educational and just plain fun dead on (pun partially intended). Also who knows - if there is an afterlife that happens to be like any of the many covered in here, you might end up unintentionally doing some helpful prep work!
The array of afterlives covered by this handy tome are a delightfully rich assortment taken from a wide selection of different faiths, books, films, TV shows, plays, and songs. So no matter how much you may think that you know already, and no matter how much media you’ve consumed in general, you’re still bound to be introduced to several new post-life settings the likes of which you’ve never heard of before. And each afterlife’s individual section hits that sweet spot of informative and clearly well-researched without overstaying its welcome, providing both a good deal to learn but (usually) not so much so that it might spoil a reader’s appetite to learn even more on their own. Plus, Ken Jennings’ writing runs thick with wit, and leaves plenty of opportunity for toothy smiles and hearty chuckles.
To say the least, this is not a title to be overlooked. 100 Places to See After You Die hits that fine balance of educational and just plain fun dead on (pun partially intended). Also who knows - if there is an afterlife that happens to be like any of the many covered in here, you might end up unintentionally doing some helpful prep work!
May 14, 2023
Ken Jennings of Jeopardy fame writes a book about the various beliefs regarding the afterlife. It is clever, with dry humor playing on the idea that this is a travel guide. I found some sections very informative. The first to sections are great as brief synopsis for beliefs in mythology and religion. In Mythology areas chapters include Valhalla (Norse), Diyu (China), Hades (Greek) and more. In Religion thoughts from Latter-Day Saints, Hinduism, Kabbalah and others. But the other main sections are more arbitrary with ideas for afterlife based on Books, Movies, Television, Theater and Misc.
This is a book where you can flip to a section or idea that you are interested in and doesn’t need to be read straight through. I learned a lot in the first two sections. But once it moved on to fictional ideas like Heaven based on All Dogs Go to Heaven or a rock and roll song my interest waned. Especially if I wasn’t familiar with the move, book, song etc that the chapter is talking about.
I am glad to have read the book and did like little trivia or tidbits Jennings adds here and there. Thank you to Scribner for the ARC via NetGalley and I am leaving a voluntary review.
(3.5 Stars)
This is a book where you can flip to a section or idea that you are interested in and doesn’t need to be read straight through. I learned a lot in the first two sections. But once it moved on to fictional ideas like Heaven based on All Dogs Go to Heaven or a rock and roll song my interest waned. Especially if I wasn’t familiar with the move, book, song etc that the chapter is talking about.
I am glad to have read the book and did like little trivia or tidbits Jennings adds here and there. Thank you to Scribner for the ARC via NetGalley and I am leaving a voluntary review.
(3.5 Stars)
July 17, 2023
I don't exactly know what I was expecting, but this wasn't it. 100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife was basically just a big summary of afterlife mythology, told in a semi-jaunty manner.
This is a case of the cover being much more fun than the book. I admit I indeed judged, and was quickly reminded what a mistake that was.
And I must confess I was turned off very early on, as Ken Jennings was describing what he'd be covering throughout the book, when he differentiated between lore of "scripture" and that of "mythology". I'm sorry, what?
This is a case of the cover being much more fun than the book. I admit I indeed judged, and was quickly reminded what a mistake that was.
And I must confess I was turned off very early on, as Ken Jennings was describing what he'd be covering throughout the book, when he differentiated between lore of "scripture" and that of "mythology". I'm sorry, what?
January 17, 2024
4 Stars for 100 Places to See After You Die (audiobook) by Ken Jennings read by the author.
This was an amazingly deep dive of all the different takes on the afterlife. The author kind of research this topic to death. I liked his approach of just presenting the facts without a lot of judgement. And Ken’s narration was great.
This was an amazingly deep dive of all the different takes on the afterlife. The author kind of research this topic to death. I liked his approach of just presenting the facts without a lot of judgement. And Ken’s narration was great.
December 28, 2022
This is a humorous take on a travel guide. It is all places in which you coud go to visit after you have died. It takes beliefs from different cultures and religions, along with what authors have created throught their art forms, and discusses what it would be like to visit. The book is divided into sections of Mythology, Religion, Books, Movies, Television, Music and Theater, and Miscellaneous. Each section has multiple places to visit that would fall under that category. For each location is a description of what it looks like and things/people that you may encounter while there.
This book was interesting, but a slow read. It's not "laugh out loud" humor, it's just humorous in concept. A lot of the places I haven't heard of as I haven't seen the movie, read the book, or learned about a particular culture. So, this book can be enjoyable for two types of people: those who have a broad knowledge of history and/or those who are interested in learning more.
While I liked this book, I didn't love it. It's very much geared toward those who appreciate dry humor.
Thank you to #NetGalley for an eARC of #100PlacestoSeeAfterYouDie by #KenJennings
- 3 stars
This book was interesting, but a slow read. It's not "laugh out loud" humor, it's just humorous in concept. A lot of the places I haven't heard of as I haven't seen the movie, read the book, or learned about a particular culture. So, this book can be enjoyable for two types of people: those who have a broad knowledge of history and/or those who are interested in learning more.
While I liked this book, I didn't love it. It's very much geared toward those who appreciate dry humor.
Thank you to #NetGalley for an eARC of #100PlacestoSeeAfterYouDie by #KenJennings
- 3 stars
January 12, 2023
Many thanks to Scribner and Net Galley for the eARC. This book is set to publish in June of 2023.
Wow, what an enjoyable read! This text is both informative and clever, borrowing extensively from research while condensing information from some massive reservoirs of information into manageable chunks. We used to do a short unit in my class on creation myths, but I found this study on the afterlife across cultural mediums much more fascinating. It rang true once more than archetypally across generations, views on the experiences of the soul and the afterlife are not all that different. I found this a wonderful reference source that I'll be borrowing from for my classes. It's a very handy text to have on hand.
Wow, what an enjoyable read! This text is both informative and clever, borrowing extensively from research while condensing information from some massive reservoirs of information into manageable chunks. We used to do a short unit in my class on creation myths, but I found this study on the afterlife across cultural mediums much more fascinating. It rang true once more than archetypally across generations, views on the experiences of the soul and the afterlife are not all that different. I found this a wonderful reference source that I'll be borrowing from for my classes. It's a very handy text to have on hand.
October 1, 2025
If I ever find myself a lover with whom I want to spend afterlife together, then I’m choosing San Junipero, and if not, then I’m going to Hades because I didn’t obsess over Greek mythology for nothing all these years.
October 3, 2023
In the positive, I found Ken Jennings to have a nice and easy to read style to his writing.
That being said, this book is too broad and shallow to work for me. A little over 4 minutes of audiobook for each section if you average it out, quickly blitzing through many afterlife concepts. The ones I was interested in were so hardly touched as to make it frustrating. The others were fictional and felt so unimportant to me and, therefore, uninteresting. (This might be a bit on me, because I'm not sure I read the description before diving in). I expected to see Dante and Milton and those weren't unwelcome. But so many of the 100 places here are from pure pop-fiction. No one actually believes or ever believed in the afterlife of The Good Place, Uploaded, The Twilight Zone, All Dogs Go To Heaven, [insert any major piece of work that has an afterlife element, it's probably here], and the truth is you've either consumed that piece of media and already know the factoids, or you haven't and you couldn't care less.
Maybe a million tiny factoids on a lot of subjects is what I should have expected from the guy who made his fame on Jeopardy. But if he had toned it down to at least half these topics (like the culturally important ones) and actually got into some more detail, it could have been a lot more compelling a read.
That being said, this book is too broad and shallow to work for me. A little over 4 minutes of audiobook for each section if you average it out, quickly blitzing through many afterlife concepts. The ones I was interested in were so hardly touched as to make it frustrating. The others were fictional and felt so unimportant to me and, therefore, uninteresting. (This might be a bit on me, because I'm not sure I read the description before diving in). I expected to see Dante and Milton and those weren't unwelcome. But so many of the 100 places here are from pure pop-fiction. No one actually believes or ever believed in the afterlife of The Good Place, Uploaded, The Twilight Zone, All Dogs Go To Heaven, [insert any major piece of work that has an afterlife element, it's probably here], and the truth is you've either consumed that piece of media and already know the factoids, or you haven't and you couldn't care less.
Maybe a million tiny factoids on a lot of subjects is what I should have expected from the guy who made his fame on Jeopardy. But if he had toned it down to at least half these topics (like the culturally important ones) and actually got into some more detail, it could have been a lot more compelling a read.
November 12, 2023
Jennings has put together a collection of essays describing the various ways humanity has imagined the afterlife. There are religious, mythological, literary and many, many, pop culture takes on the subject. Maybe in the case of myths and religion, imagined isn’t quite the right word. These concepts must have been created and built up over time based on cultures with shared beliefs but this book doesn’t go into how any of this was formed.
Most of them share the commonality of the rules or consequences for what happens to you based on how you behaved in this life.
Jennings has a good sense of humor and he makes some fun connections but the essays are so similar in structure that the book gets very repetitive. You get the point of it well before you are finished and would only be interested in the parts describing some piece of pop culture you actually care about.
Warning: some of these essays involve spoilers.
Perhaps not a great choice for a public library selection. It might be better read in small bits, left on your coffee table when you want to refer to it.
Most of them share the commonality of the rules or consequences for what happens to you based on how you behaved in this life.
Jennings has a good sense of humor and he makes some fun connections but the essays are so similar in structure that the book gets very repetitive. You get the point of it well before you are finished and would only be interested in the parts describing some piece of pop culture you actually care about.
Warning: some of these essays involve spoilers.
Perhaps not a great choice for a public library selection. It might be better read in small bits, left on your coffee table when you want to refer to it.
June 23, 2023
I received an advance copy via NetGalley.
Jennings’s new release is an inventive, diverse tour guide to the afterlife, ranging from world religions to The Good Place to the Marvel Universe. Each chapter is a quick, snappy read, many only three or so pages in length, with a few more prolonged and detailed. To use an irresistible pun, the book is enlightening. There were several faiths and media-based afterlives I knew nothing about, and I appreciated Jennings’s tone. His humor can be dry, but there is never a sense that he is picking on someone.
Jennings’s new release is an inventive, diverse tour guide to the afterlife, ranging from world religions to The Good Place to the Marvel Universe. Each chapter is a quick, snappy read, many only three or so pages in length, with a few more prolonged and detailed. To use an irresistible pun, the book is enlightening. There were several faiths and media-based afterlives I knew nothing about, and I appreciated Jennings’s tone. His humor can be dry, but there is never a sense that he is picking on someone.
February 11, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
100 Places to See After You Die was a book unlike anything I’ve ever read, in the best possible way! Jennings manages the perfect balance between witty and informative. I loved getting to learn about afterlives I was familiar with, and about all the ones I hadn’t heard of. The blend of mythological/religious with the media afterlives kept the book entertaining the whole way through.
100 Places to See After You Die was a book unlike anything I’ve ever read, in the best possible way! Jennings manages the perfect balance between witty and informative. I loved getting to learn about afterlives I was familiar with, and about all the ones I hadn’t heard of. The blend of mythological/religious with the media afterlives kept the book entertaining the whole way through.
January 9, 2023
I received an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.
This book was quite a bit of fun and I definitely recommend it to any fans of humor, satire, or history. The Jeopardy star writes an enjoyable work of satire as he creates his own travel guide through historical events of the past.
This book was quite a bit of fun and I definitely recommend it to any fans of humor, satire, or history. The Jeopardy star writes an enjoyable work of satire as he creates his own travel guide through historical events of the past.
December 9, 2024
Original and fun!
February 23, 2024
a bit scattered, but i did like that it was short
March 13, 2024
2.5 stars.
It is what it says it is. Humor sprinkled throughout, a lot of afterlife scenarios ar described travelguide-style.It's a LOT of little facts to take in quickly, but the author is a trivia game show winner, so that seems right.
Myth and Relious sections were helpful. The others - books, movies, music, etc. - could have been mentioned as examples of expressions of mythical and religious afterlife scenarios.
It is what it says it is. Humor sprinkled throughout, a lot of afterlife scenarios ar described travelguide-style.It's a LOT of little facts to take in quickly, but the author is a trivia game show winner, so that seems right.
Myth and Relious sections were helpful. The others - books, movies, music, etc. - could have been mentioned as examples of expressions of mythical and religious afterlife scenarios.
September 12, 2023
As a huge Ken-head I was excited for the release of this book but I was mostly disappointed. For whatever reason I thought that Ken was going to describe 100 afterlives (or at least variations) from 100 different religions. From the table of contents I realized I was going to be disappointed. Over half of the book is devoted to fictional afterlives. I'm sorry, but I have very little interest in a half-baked afterlife used a plot device in a 20th century musical. One of the more egregious chapters was one detailing the afterlife of ALL the African religions. He mentions how there are over 100 and while they're all different, he just summarizes the common points of all of them. Ken I'd much rather hear the 100 different African afterlives than hearing about the afterlife from the The Simpsons.
The fictional afterlife section that I enjoyed the most was the one from books. The problem with this section though is that he spoils every book that he talks about. I had to start reading them to see if it'd be worth it to read the book and then stop as soon as I sensed he was going to go to far into the plot. So in the end I have a bunch of book in my "to-read" list thanks to this book. But I can't otherwise recommend this book to anyone.
The fictional afterlife section that I enjoyed the most was the one from books. The problem with this section though is that he spoils every book that he talks about. I had to start reading them to see if it'd be worth it to read the book and then stop as soon as I sensed he was going to go to far into the plot. So in the end I have a bunch of book in my "to-read" list thanks to this book. But I can't otherwise recommend this book to anyone.
June 13, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of
100 Places to See After You Die.
This was a hilarious, tongue in cheek book about the various kinds of afterlives found in literature, music, mythology, television and movies.
I liked the author's funny comments and travel tips about what to expect, what to avoid, and how to traverse some of the fascinating, gruesome, and frightening afterlives found in various cultures.
I also learned so much!
I knew about Valhalla and the Tibetan Book of the Dead but there were so much more about afterlives I didn't know about in so many cultures.
It was both intriguing and disturbing to know more about how other cultures understand and approach death and the afterlife.
A big thumbs up to the author and his team of researchers; each afterlife is described in detail in straightforward terms, no flowery language, and I love the sidebars on trivia and fun facts, some which were dark and creepy.
This isn't for everyone but if you're looking for something different to read, something funny and amusing and also learn something, this is for you.
This was a hilarious, tongue in cheek book about the various kinds of afterlives found in literature, music, mythology, television and movies.
I liked the author's funny comments and travel tips about what to expect, what to avoid, and how to traverse some of the fascinating, gruesome, and frightening afterlives found in various cultures.
I also learned so much!
I knew about Valhalla and the Tibetan Book of the Dead but there were so much more about afterlives I didn't know about in so many cultures.
It was both intriguing and disturbing to know more about how other cultures understand and approach death and the afterlife.
A big thumbs up to the author and his team of researchers; each afterlife is described in detail in straightforward terms, no flowery language, and I love the sidebars on trivia and fun facts, some which were dark and creepy.
This isn't for everyone but if you're looking for something different to read, something funny and amusing and also learn something, this is for you.
July 6, 2023
After a full day visiting the British Museum focusing mainly on the ancients, I remember thinking as I left “There have been a lot of Gods”. And yes those Gods all seem to have their own version of Heaven, Hell, and places in-between.
In this book, Ken Jennings provides a lighthearted summary of many of these final destinations in the form of a travel guide. Included are visions from mythology and religions but also from books, movies, TV, popular music, theater and even comics. It’s very funny and irreverent and l actually learned a few things.
The cultural references are the most entertaining. The existence of cartoonist Jimmy Hatlo’s Hell was all new to me, as was the film “Cabin in the Sky”. Both just before my time. Great stuff to follow-up on.
I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by the author. Even though the descriptions are lighthearted I could only hear so many of these before they start to run together. Perhaps it would have worked better in the form of a weekly podcast. A podcast wouldn’t have to stop at one hundred. There’s a lot of material out there and it could go on and on … maybe even into eternity?
In this book, Ken Jennings provides a lighthearted summary of many of these final destinations in the form of a travel guide. Included are visions from mythology and religions but also from books, movies, TV, popular music, theater and even comics. It’s very funny and irreverent and l actually learned a few things.
The cultural references are the most entertaining. The existence of cartoonist Jimmy Hatlo’s Hell was all new to me, as was the film “Cabin in the Sky”. Both just before my time. Great stuff to follow-up on.
I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by the author. Even though the descriptions are lighthearted I could only hear so many of these before they start to run together. Perhaps it would have worked better in the form of a weekly podcast. A podcast wouldn’t have to stop at one hundred. There’s a lot of material out there and it could go on and on … maybe even into eternity?
August 29, 2023
I listened to this on audiobook and liked it but had reservations throughout the first half of it. I thought as Ken went through a checklist of the afterlife details of various religions and philosophies, I thought it might be better as a reference book as it's a lot of information to process tossed out at you. Ken's clever asides do make the journey a lot funner than it could have been in less skilled hands.
The second half of the book really picks up for me. Ken goes through various afterlife journeys of movies (It's a Wonderful Life is there but not Heaven Can Wait), TV series (The Simpsons is there but not Steambath), songs, games and books (Philip K. Dick's Ubik is there but not Julian Barnes's The History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters) Not complaining as you can't list everything. I do have to give Ken props for listing My Mother, the Car.
The second half of the book really picks up for me. Ken goes through various afterlife journeys of movies (It's a Wonderful Life is there but not Heaven Can Wait), TV series (The Simpsons is there but not Steambath), songs, games and books (Philip K. Dick's Ubik is there but not Julian Barnes's The History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters) Not complaining as you can't list everything. I do have to give Ken props for listing My Mother, the Car.
August 3, 2023
This was an awesome concept for a book and Ken Jennings is amazing. Describing the fictional afterlives of movies, books, religions, and mythologies in travel guide form sounds incredible on paper. I especially loved reading about the afterlives in Futurama, The Good Place, and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey as if they were in a guidebook.
But my main issue was that it got to be super repetitive since there were so many works that were outlined. I was always happy to see the title of something I loved, but eventually I just wanted to skip over ones I didn’t. Still pretty fun, but by the end I was definitely ready to move on to something else.
But my main issue was that it got to be super repetitive since there were so many works that were outlined. I was always happy to see the title of something I loved, but eventually I just wanted to skip over ones I didn’t. Still pretty fun, but by the end I was definitely ready to move on to something else.
January 16, 2023
Ken Jennings "100 Places to See After You Die" is a pithy, fast review of the afterlife through multiple lenses. Written in quick snippets, seemingly appealing to the attention-challenged, Jennings provides the reader with brief takes on what might happen after you die from the view of religion, film, TV, etc. There are some interesting takes and reads best when Jennings isn't trying to be funny. It's a harmless read. Thank you to #NetGallley and #Scribner for the change to preview this book.
August 7, 2023
Reads like an encyclopedia
May 25, 2024
In calculus a series is the sum of a sequence of numbers (the series of the sequence 1,2,3,4 would equal 10). The sum of many sequences equals infinity. For example the series 1 to infinity would equal infinity because all the numbers added up equal infinity. Something strange happens when you add up fractions though. If you add up 1/1², 1/2², 1/3²…1/n² as n approaches infinity, the sum does NOT equal infinity. It converges on a value. The value in this instance is π²/6. But if you add up all the fractions with the denominator to the power of 1 (1/1¹,1/2¹,1/3¹…1/n¹ as n approaches infinity) the sum is infinite. In fact, if you put the denominator to ANY power great than 1, the series will converge on a single value. If you do 1/1^1.000000000000000000001, it will still converge and not be infinite.
In humanity’s wide ranging imaginations of the afterlife the line between the finite and the infinite is similarly drawn. In this irreverent book about one of life’s greatest questions (what happens after we die?) the duration of the afterlives described last varying lengths of finite time OR *extremely Madame Zeroni voice* for always and eterrrrrnity. Cassie and I are hedging our bets because she hates the idea of nonbeing and nonexistence while the idea of living forever terrifies me. Only time will tell who of the two of us is right (see what I did there).
Jennings describes as many stories of the afterlife as he could find ranging from serious descriptions in religious and mythological texts, to philosophical musings in literature and to recreational ideations in movies, TV, music and other miscellanea. I did find myself connecting more with stories that I had heard about and knew already like the ending of Lost. But I loved the unconventional layout of the book. Sure, because there wasn’t a central narrative it was a bit hard to stay engaged (which is why the book took me longer to finish than it otherwise might have.) I applaud Jennings for writing something in this style.
Overall, it was a fun read, but many of the afterlives weren’t especially memorable. The book made me feel disproportionately existential for how unserious the tone was. I would recommend it if you like some of Jennings’ other writing.
Words
Thearch: The ruler of a thearchy, a monarch of gods
Greensward: grass-covered ground
Colleen: an Irish term for a girl or young woman.
amuse-bouche: a small savory item of food served as an appetizer before a meal.
Ambergris: a waxy substance that originates as a secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale, found floating in tropical seas and used in perfume manufacture.
Brocade: a rich fabric woven with a raised pattern, typically with gold or silver thread
Kohl: a black powder, usually antimony sulfide or lead sulfide, used as eye makeup especially in Eastern countries.
Venial: denoting a sin that is not regarded as depriving the soul of divine grace
Cheesecloth: thin, loosely woven cloth of cotton, used originally for making and wrapping cheese.
Charnel house: a building or vault in which corpses or bones are piled; a place associated with violent death
Stygian: relating to the Styx River.
Blarney: talk that aims to charm, pleasantly flatter, or persuade
Porphyry: a hard igneous rock containing crystals, usually of feldspar, in a fine-grained, typically reddish groundmass.
Sable: black
Juddering: (especially of something mechanical) shake and vibrate rapidly and with force.
Gamboled: an act of running or jumping about playfully
Aphorize: make a pithy observation that contains a general truth
Cromulent: acceptable or adequate
Psychopomp: (in Greek mythology) a guide of souls to the place of the dead.
Ankh: an object or design resembling a cross but having a loop instead of the top arm, used in ancient Egypt as a symbol of life.
In humanity’s wide ranging imaginations of the afterlife the line between the finite and the infinite is similarly drawn. In this irreverent book about one of life’s greatest questions (what happens after we die?) the duration of the afterlives described last varying lengths of finite time OR *extremely Madame Zeroni voice* for always and eterrrrrnity. Cassie and I are hedging our bets because she hates the idea of nonbeing and nonexistence while the idea of living forever terrifies me. Only time will tell who of the two of us is right (see what I did there).
Jennings describes as many stories of the afterlife as he could find ranging from serious descriptions in religious and mythological texts, to philosophical musings in literature and to recreational ideations in movies, TV, music and other miscellanea. I did find myself connecting more with stories that I had heard about and knew already like the ending of Lost. But I loved the unconventional layout of the book. Sure, because there wasn’t a central narrative it was a bit hard to stay engaged (which is why the book took me longer to finish than it otherwise might have.) I applaud Jennings for writing something in this style.
Overall, it was a fun read, but many of the afterlives weren’t especially memorable. The book made me feel disproportionately existential for how unserious the tone was. I would recommend it if you like some of Jennings’ other writing.
Words
Thearch: The ruler of a thearchy, a monarch of gods
Greensward: grass-covered ground
Colleen: an Irish term for a girl or young woman.
amuse-bouche: a small savory item of food served as an appetizer before a meal.
Ambergris: a waxy substance that originates as a secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale, found floating in tropical seas and used in perfume manufacture.
Brocade: a rich fabric woven with a raised pattern, typically with gold or silver thread
Kohl: a black powder, usually antimony sulfide or lead sulfide, used as eye makeup especially in Eastern countries.
Venial: denoting a sin that is not regarded as depriving the soul of divine grace
Cheesecloth: thin, loosely woven cloth of cotton, used originally for making and wrapping cheese.
Charnel house: a building or vault in which corpses or bones are piled; a place associated with violent death
Stygian: relating to the Styx River.
Blarney: talk that aims to charm, pleasantly flatter, or persuade
Porphyry: a hard igneous rock containing crystals, usually of feldspar, in a fine-grained, typically reddish groundmass.
Sable: black
Juddering: (especially of something mechanical) shake and vibrate rapidly and with force.
Gamboled: an act of running or jumping about playfully
Aphorize: make a pithy observation that contains a general truth
Cromulent: acceptable or adequate
Psychopomp: (in Greek mythology) a guide of souls to the place of the dead.
Ankh: an object or design resembling a cross but having a loop instead of the top arm, used in ancient Egypt as a symbol of life.
November 24, 2024
This book was recommended to me because I have a strange obsession with death-related nonfiction reads. All The Living and The Dead by Campbell is an all-time favorite read of mine. I think what I'm most drawn to in death-related nonfiction is the cross section between being informative but also very intimate and human.
This book was the opposite of all of that.
It was long, convoluted, and somehow sucked all intimacy and humanity out of death. Pages and pages of familiar hells narrated in a quipped and sterile language made this book just awful for me.
I would never recommend.
This book was the opposite of all of that.
It was long, convoluted, and somehow sucked all intimacy and humanity out of death. Pages and pages of familiar hells narrated in a quipped and sterile language made this book just awful for me.
I would never recommend.
August 9, 2023
Lost a star because I was disappointed that it didn’t include “Spooky, Scary Mormon Hell” from the Book of Mormon Musical.
July 8, 2023
This book is a fabulous way to learn a little snippet about various eschatologies and afterlife trivia featured in both global religions and pop culture. For readers who like Ken Jennings, gaining “fun facts” knowledge, or readers in general who just like reading fun things ✔️
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