Vanish by Tom Pawlik: a Hellfire Comparison

Tom Pawlik's book Vanish, the subject of this month's blog tour, features, shockingly, the notion that some people who die end up in hell. Scary, no? But the hell concept is also to be found in other fiction even from the non-christian point of view.

A case in point is the BBC TV series Torchwood. The series, a spin-off from the long-running Doctor Who series, often deals with the topic of death. They intend to do so from a 100% secularist viewpoint. But something gets lost in translation.

Two characters, Suzie and Owen, are brought back from the dead using an alien glove, and describe what it's like after death. They ought to say something along the line of 'when you are dead, you're gone, and so there is no darkness, no light, because there is no you to experience it.' Instead, what is said is more along the line that when you are dead, you are in darkness. In nothingness. With strong hints that there are some mighty scary things in that darkness.

In other words, after you die, there is hell. They don't call it hell, they would get very mad if you mention that it is, essentially, hell, but that is what they have come up with. I suppose it is more atheistically correct to believe in hell so long as you believe we ALL go there. Nothing ruins an atheist's day more than a Blessed Hope, I guess.

The Torchwood notion of hell-for-all is actually somewhat similar to Pagan beliefs about Hades or Helheim--- places of the dead which were full of nothingness and rather unpleasant. That's why a sick Viking used to cut himself with a spear when he lay dying, so that he would have a shot at Valhalla rather than Helheim.

But the one type of ancient and traditional afterlife belief that is utterly offensive to many is the Christian one. In a novel in the Blood Ties series by Tanya Huff, (the second one, I can't remember the name or find the darn book), the heroine is investigating the shooting deaths of two werewolves from a werewolf sheep-farming family. She goes to a neighbor of the werewolves. The old man mentions *gasp* God. The heroine, a tough ex-cop, nearly swoons from shock. When the old man asks her if she is saved, she really freaks out. Evidently she lacks the minimal social skills to respond to this not-uncommon query.

Later she discovers that the werewolf family hate this neighbor because he came over and talked religion with the werewolf kids, and scared them by mentioning hell. Of course, this virtually proves that the old neighbor is the killer.

The one thing that isn't mentioned by the secular world, as they condemn Christian (but not non-Christian) mention of hellfire: is this--- is hell possible? Is there some possibility that Christianity might be right about this, in which case warning folk about hellfire (and suggesting the appropriate Biblical prevention) is the only kind and decent thing to do.

Now, the best evidence I can find that hell, and the rest of the Christian worldview, might in fact exist is the fact that historically there have been a number of intelligent, educated atheists who have changed their viewpoint and become Christians. Examples include C. S. Lewis and Alphonse Ratisbonne. If some intelligent and educated people happen to believe in a worldview--- whether that be Christian or Buddhist or agnostic--- it's hard to dismiss it as illogical and primitive and definitively wrong.

So--- hellfire is a possibility. Author Tom Pawlik uses this possibility very powerfully in 'Vanish'. It makes for strong fiction--- but is the horror of a possibly real hell too much to use in fiction, just as the Holocaust cannot be casually fictionally used? It's up to you, the reader, to decide.


The Blog Tour Links:
Featured book, Vanish - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1414318936
New release, Valley of the Shadow - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1414326793
Tom Pawlik’s Web site - http://www.tompawlik.com/
Tom Pawlik’s blog - http://www.tompawlik.com/blog.htm

Participants’ Links:
Brandon Barr
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Grace Bridges
Karri Compton
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Alex Field
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Ryan Heart
Christopher Hopper
Joleen Howell
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Margaret
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Donita K. Paul
Epic Rat
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler

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