Loosely based on Dante Alighieri’s "Purgatorio" (the second poem of the three-part Divine Comedy), Deadland’s Harvest covers the continuing journey of Cash and her guide, Clutch, through the zombie apocalypse. When this story begins, Cash (representing Dante) has gained experience and confidence from surviving the “Inferno” in 100 Days in Deadland, and is better prepared to handle the deadly sins, of which she and others are found guilty. Since they are the deadly sins, there is plenty of death to be found in each section and chapter (paralleling the poem’s cantos).
As with the first book in the Deadland Saga, Deadland’s Harvest is a tale of suffering and spiritual growth and a continuation of the story of the human condition. As with “Purgatorio”, each terrace purges a particular sin in an appropriate manner. At its heart, Deadland’s Harvest is about penance. Cash and the Fox survivors cannot move on until the sin is recognized and acknowledged. There are implications to each deadly sin, portrayed by either survivors or zeds and often resulting in the deaths of innocents.
At the macro level, Deadland’s Harvest is focused more inwardly than 100 Days in Deadland and you’ll see the main characters evolve in their own way. Cash, like Dante, begins to take accountability for her own life (and sins). Clutch (representing Virgil and later, Beatrice) continues as her guide, but their roles become more balanced through their journey as Clutch morphs from purely her guide to her love. It takes Clutch awhile to transition from the guise of Virgil to Beatrice. He must overcome his PTSD and injuries and open his heart to Cash. Only once he becomes Beatrice can he finally become the leader he needs to be. Similarly, Jase also morphs from a supporting character to a man in his own right by taking on the role of the great Statius.
While there are plenty of “Purgatorio” Easter eggs in this novel, I also intentionally broke from Dante Alighieri’s storyline to stay true to the Deadland Saga. For example, this story does not start on Easter but instead starts exactly six months after Easter. For ease, I labeled the name of the first section “Purgatory” rather than the various levels of ante-purgatory.
I kept true to the themes and symbols in “Purgatorio” as much as possible. Here are just a few images you’ll find similar between the two stories:
In Purgatory, Clutch, Wes, and Cash hide from a herd of zeds (representing the penitent) traveling slowly, “like a flock of sheep.” Later in Purgatory, Cash needs two keys to unlock their path to continue. In this case, one key opens the hangar, and the other starts the airplane.
In Pride, Cash, like Dante, is guilty of the first deadly sin, which others have suffered for.
In Wrath, black smoke erupts on the Aurora when the Lady Amore shoots flares at the barge.
In Greed, the earth trembles as the herds arrive.
In Gluttony, the starving zeds (again representing the penitent) surround the Aurora, which represents the fruit tree forever out of reach and surrounded by a river.
In Lust, the Fox survivors are so desperately eager to be free from zeds, they set a fire that burns out of control and leads to their punishment. The survivors, representing the penitent, walk through flames as they struggle to escape the fire, the punishment for lack of self-restraint.
For the full list of Easter eggs, visit my website at www.rachelaukes.com.
I hope you enjoyed this story. Stay tuned for Deadland Rising, where Cash, Clutch, and Jase journey through “Paradiso,” the final poem of Dante’s Divine Comedy.
About the Author
Rachel Aukes is the bestselling author of 100 Days in Deadland, which was named one of the best books of 2013 by Suspense Magazine and one of the best zombie books by the Huffington Post. She also writes romance under the pen name Berinn Rae, including Stealing Fate, a USA Today recommended read. Rachel lives in Iowa with her husband and an incredibly spoiled sixty-pound lap dog. When not writing, she can be found flying old airplanes and trying (not so successfully) to prepare for the zombie apocalypse.
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Acknowledgements
With many thanks:
To my editor, Stephanie Riva, for taking a decent story and making it so much better.
To Glenda Moleski for working miracles. I couldn’t have done it without you.
To my husband for hanging in there through all the crazy times.