As the sails swollen with the wind fall in a heap when the mast snaps, so fell the cruel beast to the ground. Through me the way into the woeful city, Through me the way to the eternal pain, Through me the way among the lost people. Abandon every hope, ye that enter. Canto III Inferno tends to be people's favourite, which I suppose says something about people. But that's the next book.
Inferno is a brilliant combination of Ancient and Christian theology woven into a cohesive whole.
Which makes it sound rather dull doesn't it. But it isn't. Dante meets demons and centaurs and furies and all the kinds of the damned. He faces adventure, damnation, and flying demons with savage hooks and knives. And through it all he learns to face fear and how to deal with evil.