Views of Hell

I like to listen to audio books. I typically listen to books I’ve read more than a decade ago; the Harry Potter books are the main exception (Jim Dale is a fine reader). I listen to them when I drive, or when I do my exercise walks.

When I set up the order of the books in my playlist, I usually try to vary the mix as best I can: different authors, different time periods, different moods.

What I forgot to consider was whether two adjacent books have similar plot devices. I just finished listening to Inferno by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, which is set in Dante’s description of Hell.  I’ve just started listening to Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert Heinlein, which has several chapters set in another type of Hell; it’s reserved for those who didn’t follow the Gospel, but it’s a not a place of punishment.

On top of that, I watched Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey a couple of nights ago, with yet another version of Hell: the moron rocker version.

I’ll survive the experience. But right now, I’m a little deluged on moral instruction. I respectfully request that no one lecture me on Right and Wrong for a week or two.

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