Reviewed for MonsterLibrarian.com

A deceptively straight forward tale, in Valley of the Dead, classic literary hero Dante finds himself wandering in a strange valley, filled with strange people who, besieged by a strange plague of undead, live their lives with a fierce, often sinful, form of passion. The zombies themselves are also metaphors, filled with "rage at [the living], with seething jealousy that they were alive, and overwhelming frustration that [the zombie] could not make them dead." Oversensitive, depressed and caught up in hell on earth Dante sees the worst humanity has to offer where undeath just seems like a blessed end to a pitiful life.
Valley of the Dead is classic Paffenroth, a moody, dark, delicate blend of religion and zombies. It's easy to see why, in this "True Story" version of Dante's Inferno, Paffenroth is drawn to horror and religion simultaneously. Furthermore Paffenroth really captures the original feel of horror, beauty and devotion from Dante's Divine Comedy with sweeping strokes that simply should not be missed by true horror fans. Highly recommended, no, essential for public collections as an example of the depth and soul horror tales can possess.
Contains: Violence, language, gore ( )