What an ambitious subject and plot! Medieval, plague-ridden Italy, featuring an impossible adventure for a quartet of unlikely heroes (two famous, two not) into the very footsteps of Dante and Virgil. Mr. Wisehart is up on his history and poetry, and the story, particularly in the first half, is seamless and completely convincing. He has a deep understanding of conditions during this time and place, and as historical fiction this has to rank as a first-rate adventure.