My son likes this book very much, it is fun, interesting and has philosophy meanings in it.

What does one say about Dante's Divine Comedy that hasn't already been said? After all, it is probably the greatest piece of poetry ever written...well who cares this is my review anyway. Completed in the fourteenth century, this was originally written in Italian so the English translation can be a bit jolting sometimes. It is also in a different poetic format to the original. An untranslated version would be interesting but alas I don't read Dante's language. This epic takes the reader on a fantastic journey from Hell to Purgatory and finally, to Heaven. The basis for this powerful, prodigious poem is the belief in the afterlife. Namely, the Christian belief in Heaven and Hell.

Hell is probably the most famous of the three books and indeed it is the only one I really knew a little of beforehand. It is a place of endless, creative torment and I would definitely not want Dante in charge of coming up with a punishment for me. Even my beloved Greek philosophers were humourously in Hell for the crime of living before Christ. Later on there is an unsettling canto where the reader is urged not to question the voracity of God and scripture, but it does appear that the poet doubted his own faith. Dante is simultaneously concerned with more worldly matters as well, such as politics in Florence or the credibility of recent popes. Along the way he also meets many prominent Italians of the day but I had no idea who most of them were.

The Divine Comedy's classical status is clearly well deserved and I would urge everyone to read this at some point in their life. I normally wouldn't recommend something just because of reputation or to appear cultured, but the sheer brilliance of this work has stood the test of time and it should be appreciated. I'll admit it took me a long time to get through, and the poetry doesn't flow quite as well as the glowing reviews would have one believe. This by no means detracts from the quality of the work, however, and Dante's ability to make the abstract and fanciful come alive is incredible. And Beatrice sounds really hot.