Dante's Journey Trailer

Just released is the trailer for J.C. Marino's Dante's Journey a book we here at Speculative Book Review had a great time reading and reviewing:

Dante's Journey News

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INTERVIEW: J. C. Marino

Every once in a while you are lucky encounter a great novel that not only entertains you but allows your imagination to shine. When J. C. Marino contacted SBR and inquired about reviewing his debut novel, Dante's Journey, we all jumped at the chance. Since then J.C. has stayed in contact with many of us and keeps us updated with his future projects. With our Round Table Discussion on his first book completed and posted earlier this week we figured now would be the perfect time to introduce our readers to the man behind Dante's Journey.

Speculative Book Review: Why should Dante's Journey be the next book everyone reads?

J.C. Marino: A previous reviewer of the book pretty much hit the nail on the head… the book spends as much time on Joe’s internal spiritual journey as it does on his outer journey through Hell.

In fact, Joe’s inner journey mirrors his outer one, but in the opposite direction. The deeper he goes into Hell, the worse it gets, yet the more he’s forced to look inward to ultimately question his place in regard to God.

I think it’s a very unique book as it doesn’t rely on swords, sorcery or magic, but rather the human condition within the extraordinary situation of one man finding himself in Hell.

I think the reader will see certain aspects of themselves in Joe (or even some of the other characters) and question their own place in the world, as well as their possible place in this particular afterlife.

A basic belief in most world religions (most certainly Christianity) is that no one is perfect. Joe doesn’t realize this at the beginning of his journey.

I want the reader to look at the inferno and say “Heck, I could end up in THAT ring.”

Plus, it’s a fun book. It’s light enough to keep the reader smiling, yet heavy enough to keep them thinking, guessing, and even philosophizing.

SBR: Dante's Journey is set in Hell, what research did you do to nail down the various concepts of eternal torment and which level is your favorite (if one can have a favorite place in Hell)?

Marino: The research was unending, as I not only had to research Dante’s Inferno (with all the symbolism and translations), but also who knew what in the 1960’s. For example, what the police could and couldn’t do. I could draw on some of my own experiences and memories (like the Red Sox), but that only went so far.

In essence, I had to become like Virgil… a tour guide in Hell.

There are actually a few differences in “Dante’s Journey” Hell and the original Dante’s Inferno. I had to swap two of the Bolgias in the eighth ring to make the whole Dante/McMontey relationship work.

Plus, the Circle of the Gluttons, and Suicides are a little different. But, any change I made, I stayed very close to the original work’s symbolism (which is pretty fantastic).

It took a long time to write Dante’s Journey, but luckily, towards the end, a simple Google search brought up more info than hundreds of hours at the library.

As for my “favorite” place in Hell…

I’m a wimp… I’m going to go with the Virtuous Pagans.

I know, technically, that’s not part of “Hell”, nor is the Vestibule (where the Opportunists were).

So, if I had a gun to my head and had to pick a place in Hell itself… I’d like to work in Minos’s Palace as one of the guards.

SBR: Who is your inspiration for the character of Dante?

Marino: Great question! And there actually is an inspiration for Joe. He’s a combination of Paul Newman (as Rocky Graziano in Somebody Up There Likes Me), Frank Sinatra as Tony Rome, Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade, and my father (a tough Italian Bostonian WWII vet).

I wanted Joe to be smart, but stubborn… not super-educated, but street-wise… and a little too gutsy for his own good. Sometimes he’s his own worst enemy and his stubbornness makes him do really dumb things.

Trust me… I’ve known people like this. Trust me again… I’ve BEEN people like this.

SBR: Which character from Dante's Journey do you most identify with?

Marino: Hmmm, since each character has one particular sin, are you asking me which “sin” I most identify with or what circle I would end up in?

Can I plead the fifth on this question?

I did my time in the military, I worked in security and law enforcement, I was raised in a Boston Italian neighborhood, and I was raised in a Catholic school.

Both Joe and I are very cynical, but I’d probably say I’m more of a cross between Joe, Socrates and the Angel. At least, I’d like to think so.

SBR: Which character was the most difficult/easiest to write and why?

Marino: The Angel was the easiest. He’s a wise guy and a smart ass. The thing about the Angel is that his humor is timeless. He can make jokes that people of any time period will get.

I didn’t have to think, “Okay, what year is this character from and what does he know?” before writing him. He’s an Angel. He knows everything.

Plus, I like him. It’s easier to write a character when you like him.

That’s why Argenti was one of the toughest to write (at least at first). He became easier to write (and like) when I gave him a very sympathetic back-story.

That’s the great thing about these characters… the book is epic-length, so I could write them in layers. You may not understand (or even flat out hate) them, until a much later chapter. Once you see the courage of a “coward” or the brains of an “idiot”, you start thinking, “Hmmmm… I had this guy all wrong.”

SBR: Dante has a real love for the Boston Red Sox in Dante's Journey, do you share his love for the team and what other sports teams do you follow?

Marino: Sadly no… not any more. I stopped being a hardcore fan in 1986, about 3 seconds after the ball rolled between Bill Buckner’s legs. I actually felt personally betrayed. I think a lot of Red Sox fans did. I mean… come on! It was a simple out!!!!!!

I was happy, however, when the Sox broke the curse in 2004, but it was 18 years too late for my tastes.

Plus, baseball going on strike back in the 90s hurt, too.

I don’t really follow any more sports per say, but when the Celtics or the Pats get close to winning the championship, I’ve been known to watch with interest.

And not to leave hockey out of the loop, I still can remember Bobby Orr of the Bruins flying over the ice in 1970 to score the winning goal and win the Stanley Cup.

Damn Bill Buckner!

SBR: What is the most satisfying aspect to writing?

Marino: THE MONEY!

Okay, if it was really for the money, I would have stopped writing over a decade ago, since I’ve yet to make a dime from my writing.

I keep writing because it is, in fact satisfying in other ways.

To me, story-telling always comes back to the theme. What’s the moral of the story?

A novel can have a complex story, but the theme has to be simple. The theme is almost like a message in a bottle… something small, but big enough to get the message across. If you have a message to tell the world and only had one sentence to do it, what would it be?

In Dante’s Hell, there is nothing worse than the sin of betrayal (which is why it is at the bottom of the inferno). In reality, all sins are rooted from some sort of betrayal. Murder, fraud, adultery, even a simple lie… somewhere down the line, someone is being betrayed (a friend, enemy, family member, yourself, or even God).

“Dante’s Journey” has a simple theme… In the end, the betrayer hurts himself more than the betrayed.

If one of my novels makes someone think about him or herself or the world in a different way, then as a writer, I’m doing my job.

But, if they “get” the moral of the story and it makes him or her look at the world or him/herself in a more positive light, then THAT is most satisfying.

SBR: Dante's Journey is your debut novel, are you planning on continuing with Dante in different situations or are you working on something completely different?

Marino: I wanted Dante’s Journey to be self contained enough that, if I didn’t continue, it would be okay. But I wanted to leave it at a point that, if I wanted to continue, it would be at a great point to do so.

The original Divine Comedy is a trilogy.

The second part of the trilogy is Dante climbing up the mountain of Purgatory. And the third story is Dante traveling through the plains of Paradise. As the Inferno, both the mountain and the plains are 9 layers.

I don’t want to give anything away, but there are several set-ups in Dante’s Journey that will be paid-off in the second book (if I choose to go that way).

As for now, I’m not working on any sequel for Dante’s Journey. But, I am working on my third novel now. My second one is titled Everything But The Face and is about a woman who’s attacked and left with a rare condition known as Prosopagnosia (or Face-blindness).

So, who can someone with trust issues trust when everyone looks exactly the same?

It’s being edited now. You can read the first (unedited) chapter on my website, at www.jcmarino.com.

SBR: What authors/works have most influenced you and what type of influence (e.g. good/awful) were they?

Marino: Growing up, I was more of a movie buff than a reader. I would watch anything listed as science fiction. Two movies I loved were “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “The Thing” (the originals – not the remakes).

TV show-wise, “Outer Limits” and “The Twilight Zone” were big with me (again, the originals – not the remakes). It wasn’t until I got hooked on “Combat!” that I realized it wasn’t so much the scifi aspect that I found fascinating, but the human condition.

Outsmarting Nazis in WWII or outsmarting aliens on Mars… there’s really not much of a difference, writing-wise. That’s just setting. It’s the human reactions and interactions where the real writing comes in.

So, as far as literary influences go in story-telling (as opposed to novel-writing), I’d have to list Rod Sterling in the top five.

As for “awful” influences… I’m sure there are a few. We need to know what NOT to do as much as what TO do. But, I wouldn’t want anyone to list ME as an example of what not to do… so I’ll just plead the fifth for real this time.

SBR: What are you currently reading and what is in your to-read pile?

Marino: I wish I was more of a reader than I am.

I really really want to read both the Dexter and the True Blood series. I love both TV shows and I would love to read the books to see how the characters are different and how they’ve evolved.

At the moment, though, if I have time to read, I normally pick up a “writing” book rather than a “reading” book… like “How to Write a Damn Good Thriller” (which is currently on my list).

SBR: Aside from your own novel, Dante's Journey, what series/standalone should people be reading?

Marino: Aside from Dante’s Journey, and I’m not joking here, I would recommend the original Dante’s Inferno. It’s not so much a story as much as it is a symbolic representation on the nature of sin and the human condition.

When I was so young that I actually had time to read, I’ve always enjoyed Piers Anthony and Robert Aspin. They knew how to bring humanistic humor to otherworldly beings and creatures.

_ _ _ _ _ _

Everyone at Speculative Book Review would like to thank J.C. Marino for taking the time to do the interview and wish him luck and success. We look forward to your future endeavors.

About the Author - Originally from Boston, JC has several degrees, including Criminal Justice, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Creative Writing.

He's written several screenplays that were optioned and/or made advanced placement in both the Nicholls and Austin Screenwriting Competitions.

JC's background and experiences include Security Specialist while serving in the USAF/USANG, Knowledge Engineer for Digital Equipment Corporation, 3D Animator for Camber Corp, and Information Security Engineer for FOX.

Round Table Discussion: Dante's Journey by J. C. Marino

Dante's Journey by J.C. Marino
Publishing information: Paperback; 366 pages
Publisher: Star Publishing (22 Feb 2010)
ISBN 10: 1935188097
ISBN 13: 978-1935188094
Copy: Provided by Author

Back of the Book

"A flash of light and Detective Joe Dante steps through. No longer on the cobblestone streets of 1961 Boston, Joe finds himself in a horrifying new world-Hell itself. Joe was in hot pursuit of his family's killer, drug lord Filippo Argenti, when both were killed, and isn't about to let a little thing like death slow him down. So, with a healthy dose of New England stubbornness and the help of a mysterious guide, Virgil DiMini, Joe must evade angry demons, and search ever-lower through the rings of the original Dante's Inferno in hopes of finding justice for his wife and children. However, Joe will soon discover that behind every sin lies a secret and each secret revealed could land Joe in an eternity of hot water... VERY hot."

Plot

Victoria:  While Marino stays fairly true to Dante's Inferno, he adds and tweaks so much that I couldn't complain that he stayed too true to the original, which was a fear of mine.  I was afraid that he'd stay so true to the original text that'd I'd be reading a cardboard replica.  My fears were needless, I am happy to announce.  Yes, the hero is named Joe Dante, yes, he travels through the nine levels of hell, but that's really where the similarities end.  Marino does a good job at creating an Inferno for the modern ages.  He has offered us a funny, fast paced, deliciously wicked romp through hell.

Tyson: I have to agree with Victoria on this as Marino stays fairly close to the original, but gives it an updated feel as we do not see people like Julius Caesar or Cleopatra. The people that Dante encounters on his journey are much closer to him and are also from his own time. While I have only read some of the Divine Comedy, it appears to be a updated version of the story with Marino's own brand of humor and spin.

PeterWilliam: I, too, found Marino's take to be unique. I thought of it more comparable to Pilgrim's Progress, by Bunyan, than the Divine Comedy. The plot, as it unfolded, had me thinking of Dashiell Hammett, which is a good thing.

Yagiz: I was impressed by the plot. I didn't expect a journey through hell to be this satisfying in various levels. The story surprised me more than once with unexpected twists and turns, which was done with skillful realization.

I don't remember much of Divine Comedy from my high school years so I won't be able to comment on it however I greatly appreciated where Marino takes the reader in his book. He manages to keep the story high-paced and action-packed. And this, from the very beginning of the book.

Cara: This is an excellent update of the classic Dante's Inferno, reworked for a modern audience. Some aspects remain true to the original; the nine levels of hell, and the sins that are punished within each level, for example; but it was Joe Dante's personal journey that hooked me in. Why was he in hell? What happened to his family? These questions are finally and satisfyingly answered by the end of the book but for me, added an extra dimension to the plot. I enjoyed that J.C.Marino kept a fast pace throughout without skimping on descriptions of the surroundings. At no point did my concentration drift. The device of intercutting the journey through hell with the events that led to Joe being there was well done and added considerably to the plot.

Characters

Tyson: Joe Dante is your average Joe, a detective with a grudge against a man who murdered his family. When he learns that his family's killer is also in hell Dante enlists the help of a cast of characters. Each has their pros and cons which help Dante come to terms with his situation and show him just what kind of person he truly is. The growth that goes on with all of the characters is exceptional considering how short a book it is. As Victoria pointed out, the fact that there is no concept of time in hell, causes some confusion as people from the future and past confuse Dante and the witty dialogue kept things light. When he meets people from the future the first thing he always asks is how the Red Sox were doing which was a great running gag throughout the novel.

I also enjoyed the portrayal of the demons. We normally think of demons as something similar to a gargoyle. In Dante's Journey we have robots and insects that make up the devils army. While it may seem strange it works in the story. They are also not all-powerful and all-knowing, they are flawed and have human characteristics. These are not your typical demons. The deviation from the norm was a nice change of pace.

Virgil was also an interesting character. He was probably the most complicated individual in the story. We are always keep off balance with him and I really enjoyed him and his motivations (or lack thereof) as the story progressed. While his true identity is revealed late in the novel, I found that it could have been remained a secret and would have added a touch of mystery to the book. A loose end that stays that way and has the reader guessing long after the story is done. I will side with Peter on this character (see below).

Victoria:  There is a fun, strange cast of characters in this novel.  At first, I wondered why my main character was from the late fifties/early sixties, but then I was introduced to the cast of characters, and I began to understand.  Joe Dante is in hell for a long time, which means he'll encounter people from his future.  This gives Marino a selection of interesting time periods to choose from, and the ability to befuddle our hero with modern slang and history.  Some of the most funny moments in this novel came from Joe's misunderstanding of other character's words.

PeterWilliam: It was the character Joe Dante, that made me think a bit about Sam Spade (of the Maltese Falcon). Dante is that stereotypical, hard-boiled detective, which Hammett used to create an entire niche (or sub-genre, if you will). Argenti, an easy mark as your all-around scumbag, later comes back to make the reader face his/her own humanity and wonder about their own worst personal characteristics, traits and aspects. The characters employed by Marino provide the necessary ingredients which grant the redemptive element to this story.

My one real gripe with the story has to do with the who Virgil really is. It wasn't necessarily Virgil's identity that irked me, but his identity as it pertained to his motivation. A tough part of the story for me to buy into.

Victoria: I disagree, Peter. I felt that Virgil's motivations were perfect.  That was, in fact,  my favourite aspect of the book.  I thought Marino created a really modern and tragic figure.

Yagiz: I loved the way Marino portrayed Joe Dante. As Peter mentioned earlier on, he is the stereotypical hard-boiled detective. I greatly enjoyed the aspects of his character pertaining to 50s and 60s. He made me laugh out loud more than once. I wasn't familiar with the slang and the expressions used by Dante but I must say that I loved his humor. On a more serious level, the fight between his conscience and his stubbornness in not believing that he's in Hell reflects some of the major traits of his character.

Me too, I quite enjoyed Marino's being a fan of the Red Sox. I could definitely relate to the importance of supporting a team. If there's a hell (Heaven? I probably won't be going there as I don't believe in all that spiritual fantasy) I hope they transmit football (soccer for our North American friends) on big screen.

The way the author used time (or lack of) in hell creates an interesting situation to meet different types of characters throughout the story. The reflection of these characters on the story is very entertaining. With their attitude and the slang of their era, they feel well chosen and they fit pretty well into the overall story. Even though the reader ends up asking questions about their motives, these characters add so much color to the story that one keeps wondering about the next person Joe Dante is going to meet. Some of these characters are quite humorous too. For instance, I loved it when one of the dead people told Dante about the robot wars in '93 and the destruction of San Francisco in '99.

To be honest, when I first read about the types of demons, I thought I wouldn't like it very much. I couldn't place a mechanical demon in my mind's picture of Hell. However, as I progressed into the story, these demons didn't feel awkward at all. I think this was mostly due to Marino's skill in mixing all his ingredients masterfully.

Cara: I'll be honest here, I loved Joe! His hard-bitten, cynical cop demeanour worked well for me, as did his disillusion with God and religion. Yet this was lightened by the addition of some very clever black humour, something that fitted well with his detective persona. However, there were times when I just wanted to shake him because of his stubbornness to accept the reality of his situation and also because of his obsession with the Red Sox... what is it with Boston writers/film-makers and their baseball team?

Virgil too was an interesting and well-developed character, and when his true identity was eventually revealed  I was left muttering "yes, of course!" I agree with Victoria that Virgil's motivations were spot on and made perfect sense after the reveal. The incidental characters were also well done, especially with the connections with the lead characters that many had in 'real life'.

Style

Victoria:  I really liked the narrative style in this novel.  It had that private dick/noir feeling going on.  Marino has some great imagery, and for the most part, it sounded natural.  There were a few moments where the style took me out of the story because of something being repeated a little too soon, but over all I think it was done really well.  I laughed far more than once at one of Joe's observations.

Marino has action sequences down pat.  There are so many of them in this novel, but not once was I bored.  Not once did I start skimming.  He had me pretty gripped.  In fact, I was kicked out of bed one night because the bedside light was keeping my significant other awake.  Instead of turning in for the night, I moved to the couch and ended up being very, very tired at work the next day.

Tyson: Marino set this book up well. The book has the detective noir feel that continues throughout the book and never gets old. While the book is a retelling of The Divine Comedy, the book is also a mystery set within hell. The combination of the two genres made for great story telling.

PeterWilliam: Marino uses a standard first-person approach with the story. There are plenty of flashbacks, at key moments, to keep the reader on par with the unfolding plot, but never more than a first-person limited (vs. omniscient) approach - a necessity, I would say, when writing a mystery, which, at the heart of things, this story is. The action, mystery, sci-fi and supernatural elements within were tied together better than I thought such a thing could be done.

Personally, I love all of the Red Sox references, probably because I'm a life-long Red Sox fan (as well as any other New England based team). As Dante encounters other souls, who have departed the mortal coil after 1961, he receives news of the Boston Red Sox's exploits. It is a long, sad and tragic list from 1961 to 2003. My favorite part of the entire story is where he encounters another (significant) Bostonian and receives the final Red Sox update in the story. Priceless.

Cara: If Dante's Journey was a film, it would be an all-action blockbuster! Sharp, snappy dialogue; a hero on a mission; a plot that never drags it's heels... these aspects made for a very enjoyable read and made Dante's Journey impossible to put down. I loved the way the descriptions of the different levels of hell gave me enough information to set the scene, yet allowed my imagination to fill in the details. This was well done and added to the fast pace of the novel.

I will return this novel again, mainly because there are so many references to people and events that I fear I may have failed to pick up on some in my first reading. Overall I felt the style suited both the main character of Joe Dante and his quest to find out what happened to his family. His pain and loss was palpable even in his black humour and the blend of comedy, horror and self-exploration was very clever in its execution.

Yagiz: In general I am not a big fan of first-person narrative. I feel that it requires a greater effort from the author to create a captivating story. But I must admit that Marino manages this very well. He gives Joseph Dante such a great character that the protagonist becomes an interesting narrator to follow.

Peter mentioned earlier on something that I think contributes to the success of this book: Flashbacks. In and of themselves, they don't make a story good. However, when they are skillfully synchronized with the progression of the present story then they become a very interesting tool in creating a page-turner. As Dante journeys through Hell, the reader also discovers his past and the events that preceded his arrival in Hell. The reader becomes curious about what's going to happen to him in Hell and she is also curious about his past that's told by regular flashbacks. In Dante's Journey they are very well realized as the reader is never certain of the truth until the very end of the book.

All in all, Marino's style creates a very pleasant read.

Setting

Tyson: The story takes place briefly in 1960's Boston, USA and then quickly moves to Hell. Since the outline is the Divine Comedy, Marino has a helluva (pun intended) great time playing around with the original concept. The fact that it is a modern retelling gives him a lot of leeway to re-imagine Hades. The demons use flying transportation to capture individuals that escape their punishment. The demons need to use a gas station to refill their vehicles. The idea of a gas station in the middle of hell cracks me up. Even though the story has been updated the penalties for a sinful life are all represented and some have been updated to include people you would never have thought of.

Victoria:  Like I said earlier, while the nine layers of hell are familiar, Marino adds his own voice to them.  He tweaks things a bit.  Expect Dante's poetice justice, but do not expect his demons, or at least do not expect them to show up the way he imagined them.

PeterWilliam: The setting is a cross between Hell and Boston of the early 1960's. In manipulating those settings, Marino is able to introduce elements of technology and give it a sci-fiesque feel. Ty mentioned the gas station above, as well as "new" sins, with suitably ironic punishments. It is in the terms of setting, where Marino's work most mirrors Alighieri's. Specifically, the descending rings of Hell, which the protagonist must travel through to reach his objective.

Yagiz: This book has a captivating setting. Dante's goal is to find the guy who killed his family so he decides to travel through various levels of Hell. This not only gives the author an opportunity to show how far he can push his imagination, it also creates a curiosity factor with the reader who wonders what's on the next level. Furthermore, my scientific mind liked very much the way that the author used the concept of time (or lack of) in Hell. Being able to meet people from the future, created situations entertaining to read about.

Cara: Updating the original hell of Dante's Inferno for the modern reader was very well done. The irony of the punishments matching the sins, although closely based on the original work, worked brilliantly in my view. Adding historical and fictional characters that are familiar to the reader enhanced this aspect of the setting, as did the use of more modern technology. It made sense to me that Joe Dante would face demons recognisable to him from his own life experience. I also enjoyed the idea that time has little meaning in hell, thus allowing Joe to find out about such events as the assassination of J.F.Kennedy and 9-11.