Roland Hesmondhalgh releases Dante-inspired fantasy novel Tracing Inferno

Roland Hesmondhalgh has published Tracing Inferno: A Myrmecoleon Novel, a 635-page fantasy adventure available worldwide in Kindle and paperback on Amazon. The book sends a young military corporal through the nine circles of Hell in a story that mixes classical literature, mythology and questions about faith, sin and authority.

Why it matters: - Tracing Inferno expands Roland Hesmondhalgh’s Myrmecoleon universe with a standalone fantasy novel built around Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. - The book aims at readers who want a large-scale adventure that combines action, symbolism and classical reference points. - The novel’s setting and structure are designed to turn an afterlife journey into a broader story about judgment, belief and human responsibility.

What happened: - Roland Hesmondhalgh released Tracing Inferno: A Myrmecoleon Novel for readers worldwide through Amazon. - The book is available in Kindle and paperback editions. - The novel follows Corporal Zambrano, a young agnostic military serviceman assigned to carry a locked, protected box through the nine circles of Hell. - The mission begins after the death of the Myrmecoleon, a figure whose influence still shapes the story world. - Heaven and Hell both need proof of the Myrmecoleon’s death, and the contents of the box serve as confirmation. - The novel is set in an afterlife closely modeled on Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. - More information

The details: - The book runs more than 181,000 words and 635 pages in a standard 5-by-8-inch format. - Hesmondhalgh drew on a background in mythological studies to shape the novel’s geography of Hell. - Selected excerpts were reviewed before publication by a Harvard scholar who teaches courses on Dante Alighieri. - The scholar assessed the material for accuracy and endorsed the novel. - Original sketches appear for every circle of Hell, including the three rings of the Seventh Circle. - The illustrations are meant to help readers follow the journey and visualize key locations. - The story includes shades, mythic demons and beings responsible for governing the afterlife. - The novel asks what sin means in the eyes of God. - The word “Myrmecoleon” comes from a medieval bestiary and means “ant-lion” in Greek. - The series draws on the creature’s traditional early Christian symbolism and its theme of opposing extremes.

Between the lines: - The alternating structure gives the book two timelines: Zambrano’s descent into Hell and the interrogation that follows it. - Odd-numbered chapters show Zambrano being questioned after the journey. - Even-numbered chapters present his firsthand account of what he saw in Hell. - That structure slows the pacing enough to let major events land while the consequences unfold. - Hesmondhalgh frames the novel as both an adventure story and a work that leaves room for personal interpretation. - The book also fits into the same literary universe as The Myrmecoleon series, which links fantasy with science fiction elements. - The classical framework may broaden the book’s appeal beyond standard genre readers.

What's next: - Tracing Inferno can be read as a standalone novel. - The book also positions itself inside Hesmondhalgh’s larger Myrmecoleon universe, which suggests more stories may continue in that world. - Readers interested in the release can buy the Kindle or paperback editions on Amazon.

The bottom line: - Tracing Inferno pairs a Dante-inspired hellscape with mythic fantasy, dense worldbuilding and a central moral question about what counts as sin.