Dante's Disciples

by Peter Crowther (Editor), Edward E. Kramer (Editor), James O'Barr (Contributor)

Original anthology of 26 stories inspired by Dante's Inferno.ContentsScholarly Marauders · James O'BarrBed & Breakfast · Gene WolfeChatting with Anubis · Harlan EllisonThe Ripening Sweetness of Late Afternoon · Douglas CleggA Wreath for Marley [Richard Stone] · Max Allan CollinsSmart Guy · Darrell SchweitzerThe Great Escape · Ian WatsonHell Is for Children · Nancy HolderDropoff · Brian Herbert & Marie LandisCanto (Evocare!) · James S. Dorr"Tunnels" · Rick HautalaHell Is a Personal Place · Brian LumleyThe Kingsbury Technique · Wayne Allen Sallee & Sean DoolittleThe Bridge Over the River Styx · Jody Lynn NyeIslington · Ian McDonaldGet on Board the D Train · Gary GygaxEpiphany · Rick R. ReedScreams at the Gateway to Fame · Ray GartonElegy for a Maestro · Alexandra Elizabeth HonigsbergAbove It All · Robert J. SawyerThe Burdens · Steve Rasnic TemA Taste of Heaven · James LovegroveFerryman · Doug MurrayReturn to Gehenna · Storm ConstantineDark Society · Brian AldissOffice Space · Richard Lee Byers

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies

400 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 1991

About the author

Peter Crowther, born in 1949, is a journalist, anthologist, and the author of many short stories and novels. He is the co-founder of PS Publishing and the editor of Postscripts.

Reviews

[Scribe Light · Rating 4 out of 5]

An obscure read, if you can find it, but a really neat collection of horror and comedy, Having bought and read it around the time of its publication, many of the tales an images conjured in these stories still stick with me today, from taking a permanent vacation in hell, to having a dead lover continue coming to visit you after their murder. Great anthology.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are several great stories in this anthology. I'm particularly fond of the Gene Wolfe and Jody Lynn Nye stories.

[Bryan Whitehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, yet another anthology that might have been a much better book had its contributors only stuck a little closer to the theme. I guess I didn’t need slavish adherence to the landscapes and verse structure of The Divine Comedy, but at the very least the authors might have agreed to write stories about Hell. Many of the writers did indeed conform to this simple standard, and there are a couple of pieces in here that were genuinely noteworthy (as well as a mediocre entry from Harlan Ellison, who at least managed to craft something that was marginally about the nether regions). But for my taste the set included far too many tales that were only marginally about the land of eternal punishment. Indeed, one or two were only connected to perpetual suffering inasmuch as they were too long and made for unpleasant reading. Perhaps it’s just that I love the Inferno so much that I found this an unworthy tribute to it.

[Sara]

Gd collection
A taste of heaven
homless
sad scream mad
we find carrot
that light of road
the music scoal
homless
thee cant find the road even thee ree
that was my home those day
that meating important to me
cross time made a star
still homeless
its not hopy
its strang dream
that road made music
read koaran
y will be fine
but with another day
the road vanshid
but that home to us
to homeless one
to the best
to us
the light road
scare the opining eyes

[Inkling · Rating 2 out of 5]

As with most short story collections, this is a mixed bag. For me, though, this one was like unexciting trail mix that I had to pick through to get to the good bits. It's going to take a while to get through comments on all the stories, but I'll update it in pieces.

"Bed & Breakfast" Gene Wolfe I kept getting bored with this story. The language was stilted, the main female character was bland, and the story didn't offer anything interesting enough to pull me into it.

"Chatting with Anubis" Harlan Ellison This one was certainly intriguing. It's written as a letter to document a significant event, which works well. Making the narrator Chinese felt like an arbitrary choice to add a touch of something ancient and exotic--a costume rather than a fundamental part of the character. Also, I have no doubt many people will like the clever surprise ending, but it left me rolling my eyes.

"The Ripening Sweetness of Late Afternoon" Douglas Clegg Despite the beautiful title of this one, it just couldn't hold my attention. I flipped back and forth through it, and toward the end it got a little more interesting, but for all the talk of atonement for the murder of two gay boys, there was nothing to indicate that anyone had given up their bigotry or were sorry for the murders, apart from the fact that the town was being punished.

"A Wreath for Marley" Max Allan Collins

"Smart Guy" Darrell Schweitzer

"The Great Escape" Ian Watson

"Hell is for Children" Nancy Holder

"Dropoff" Brian Herbert & Marie Landis

"Canto (Evocare!)" James S. Dorr

"Tunnels" Rick Hautala

"Hell is a Personal Place" Brian Lumley

"The Kingsbury Technique" Sean Doolittle & Wayne Allen Sallee

"The Bridge on the River Styx" Jody Lynn Nye

"Islington" Ian McDonald

"Get on Board the D Train" Gary Gygax

"Epiphany" Rick R. Reed

"Screams at the Gateway to Fame" Ray Garton

"Elegy for a Maestro" Alexandra Elizabeth Honigsberg

"Above It All" Robert J. Sawyer

"The Burdens" Steve Rasnic Tem

"A Taste of Heaven" James Lovegrove

"Ferryman" Doug Murray

"Return to Gehenna" Storm Constantine

"Dark Society" Brian Aldiss

"Office Space" Richard Lee Byers

"Among the Handlers" Michael Bishop

[Jean-Pierre Vidrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely one of the best themed anthologies I've read in a long time. Some writer take the premise (entrances to Hell in various places around the world) very literally. Others stray a bit from it. Others give us something entirely unexpected. I've recently moved to Chicago, and I find it amusing that more than a few of the stories take place here.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book, had some great stories, but fell far from the Dante basis.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

some hits and misses here, more hits than misses