Dante Redux by Ollie McClung, Jr. Rocky Heights, 2011. Trade paperback, 96 pages. $9.95. The story of a reporter given the opportunity for the scoop of the ages: a visit to hell.

Heaven and Hell, or some form of them, are found in most religions and cultures, past and present. Christianity, based upon the Bible, teaches a literal place for those believers in Jesus Christ, a place called Heaven. Just as literally, Christianity understands Hell to be the eternal abode of the unsaved. The Bible doesn't go into great detail concerning the afterlife, but it does give a fair amount of information on Heaven. Concerning Hell, the Bible says relatively little. For this reason, we can't build a lot of solid theology on the details of what Hell is like. Primarily, we can be assured that it is a place no one will ever want to be.This novella is a fictional account of one man's opportunity to visit Hell and report on his journey.

A short, easy-to-read, story loosely based on the premises of the classic 14th century allegorical poem Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. Certainly not just another English language translation of that volume, however. In Dante Redux, the author uses a modern-day setting and straightforward Biblical teaching to make the story, and more importantly its message, accessible, understandable, and instructional to any reader. No translational issues or difficult symbolism here! The conversational tone, although tending to ramble at times, is a real comfort to the reader as the issue of eternity is addressed. Well worth the short time one invests in reading it. Highly recommended.

The author, Ollie McClung, Jr., is a retired restaurateur from Birmingham, Alabama. Mr. McClung is a graduate, with honors, from Florida State University. He is also a retired Commander in the Coast Guard Reserve. He has been an active member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, having served on various boards at the local, presbyterial, and denominational levels. He has been a Bible teacher for over 40 years. Ollie and his wife, Nancy, are the parents of four adult children and nine grandchildren.