El Infierno es el interior de una esfera yerma, jalonada de ciudades de piedra, cuyas llamas se extinguieron tiempo atrás a causa de la inflación provocada por el influjo de almas. Los demonios, desbordados en número, viven esclavizados o escondidos en las alcantarillas, mientras X aparece esporádicamente y pregona una vida más allá... ¿de qué? ¿Quién es X?¿Cuál es el destino final de las almas?

Humans and demons living together? What’s Hell coming to?

Jack Cull is one of the millions of humans resurrected from the dead only to live on a dry blistering world where the sun never sets. Is this truly Hell or merely Purgatory? Whatever it is, one this is certain, the place isn’t supernatural. The denizens, whether human or “demon” are biological and the planet itself unstable and prone to earthquakes as it expands to accommodate new arrivals.

While on duty at the Information Exchange, Jack receives a call from a contact claiming that a man named Fyodor has evidence that Jesus Christ himself, known as “X” on this world, never left Hell after he was crucified, but is still here working to save souls and help them escape. Jack is given permission to leave his post and meet with Fyodor to confirm the story. On his way out, he encounters an old flame, Phyllis Nilstrom, a gold-digging opportunist who left Jack when someone of higher rank in the Exchange became available. That someone happens to be Jack’s supervisor.

As it turns out, Phyllis is traveling to the same sector where Jack is scheduled to meet with Fyodor. As such, Jack is tasked with ensuring her safety.

Shortly after meeting with Fyodor at an outdoor café, a riot ensues in the street, leaving two men dead. An ambulance arrives, from which steps “X” himself! He assists in loading the victims into the ambulance presumably to take them to a place where they will be resurrected once more. However, the mob attacks the ambulance crew and “X” is decapitated. Fyodor is at first devastated, then enraged when a demon confiscates Christ’s head and disappears into a manhole.

Fyodor and Cull pursue the creature, but not before a second group of rioters arrive, pursuing several members of the Exchange—including Phyllis! She joins Cull and Fyodor in a wild and perilous expedition through the sewers and tunnels of Hell in search of answers about the origins of this world and the true identity of “X.”

With its concept of continuous resurrection of the dead on an alien world, Inside Outside seems to be a precursor to Philip José Farmer’s 1971 masterpiece, To Your Scattered Bodies Go, the first book in his acclaimed Riverworld series.

While there is almost no character development here, Farmer builds his world slowly at first, presenting details as the story unfolds until the trio enters the sewer. After that, the pacing ramps up to breakneck speed in one of the most bizarre and imaginative twists on Judeo-Christian beliefs. ( )

"Hier" is een wereld op de binnenkant van een bol. Naakt komen de mensen er aan, in de veronderstelling dat ze in de Hemel gekomen zijn. Merkwaardige figuren zoals "X", de Zwarte Messias, domineren deze vreemde wereld en we volgen Jack Cull, die zich niet bij de raadsels wil neerleggen...

A strange science fiction look at the afterlife that envisions a world
that might be Hell or something else entirely. Those who die are
brought back within hours, demons work as the slaves to man and a
mysterious entity called X acts as a Christ-like point of hope for
those insane few who are still capable of possessing it. Farmer was one
of those rare writers who managed to turn hackwork into nearly
surrealistic pieces of pop art. Outside of his "Riverworld" series,
this is one of his more mature works, an entertaining and thrilling
look at a world that rises and collapses before your eyes. With an
uncanny ability to take an idea and stretch it to its logical extremes,
Farmer takes a world with limited resources and shows what can be done
within it. While he lacks the intellectual ambition to really pull off
the idea, the book is still a thrilling read and a nice change of pace
from the usual science fiction claptrap.

(This review originally appeared on zombieunderground.net) ( )

shelved in: Interiors Library - at: B11:BLAISSE