Valley of the Dead by Kim Paffenroth
Reviewed for MonsterLibrarian.com
Valley of the Dead by Kim Paffenroth
Trade Paperback: Permuted Press, 2010
Limited: Cargo Cult Press, 2009
ISBN: (Trade) 978-1934861318
Available: New
Valley of the Dead is classic Paffenroth, a moody, dark, delicate blend of religion and zombies. In this “True Story” version of Dante’s Inferno, it’s easy to see why Paffenroth is drawn to horror and religion simultaneously. Valley of the Dead is a deceptively straightforward tale. Dante, author and narrator of the classic fourteenth century epic poem The Inferno, finds himself wandering in a strange valley filled with people besieged by a plague of the undead, who live their lives with a fierce, often sinful, form of passion. Paffenroth really captures the original feel of horror, beauty and devotion from Dante’s Divine Comedy with sweeping strokes that simply should not be missed by true horror fans.
The zombies themselves are also metaphors, filled with “rage at [the living], with seething jealousy that they were alive, and overwhelming frustration that [the zombie] could not make them dead.” Oversensitive, depressed and caught up in hell on earth, Dante sees the worst humanity has to offer, where undeath just seems like a blessed end to a pitiful life.
Highly recommended, no, essential for public collections as an example of the depth and soul horror tales can possess.
Contains: Violence, language, gore