Donny's Inferno #1 by P.W. Catanese

My name is Donny, and I've been sent to Hell. That's the price I paid for being saved by a demon named Angela from the top of a burning building. Things have changed a lot in Sulfur, the new name for Hell, but trouble's brewing. Lucifer has left, and Angela stopped the practice of eternally burning souls in the Pit of Fire. However, many of the creatures down here don't like that change, and they fear Lucifer's wrath when he returns. Now, Destruction Fire has been stolen, mysterious black clouds have formed, and Sooth was murdered after predicting "After the light comes the fall." Angela is mad at me, and I deserve it, but I still need to warn her and other members of the council about the terrific danger they're in. I suspect Havoc is behind all of this, but how can we prove it?


The whole idea of this book is very creative and possibly controversial. I mean, the setting is in Hell, and endearing characters exist to punish evil souls. A central part of the conflict concerns how to punish the souls. Burn them eternally or torment them until it's time for the souls to move on? Donny and Angela even have a brief discussion about the existence of heaven, but the book doesn't preach religion. Angela is an interesting, dynamic character. She believes it's necessary to punish evil souls, but not forever. She enjoys terrorizing nasty people, but her one wish is to hug or pet an animal. Strange, but it humanizes her character. I'm still not totally sure why she needs Donny's help, but they make an entertaining team. Zig Zag is a symbolic, two-headed creature. Zig believes in the new changes, while Zag believes in the old ways. The heads constantly argue, as they help Angela and Donny unravel the mysteries. This book is the first in a new series, and I can't wait for the sequel.