To Christians and non-Christians who believe in Heaven and Hell; to the living souls who believe in yin yang, reward and punishment, resurrection, ad nauseam, this book is dedicated.
FOREWORD
The author did not dream of writing a story which was not part of his living experience, like visiting heaven or hell, for no ordinary man, except the demigods, had gone to heaven or hell and came back. But his exposure to this traditional belief, or maybe myth, is a great artistic challenge. So why not write about it and add some new flavour?
Since the dawn of time man has entertained the presence of these terminal outposts of the human soul. The good are rewarded in heaven, which the author calls the Perfect City, while the wicked are punished in hell, the City of the Damned. Fine!
Because these outposts do not exist in physical level, the author borrowed some ideas from old writings, especially from the work of Dante which made a detailed description of the architectural design of heaven and hell (including purgatory which was purely a medieval idea), and the Greek-Judeo-Christian traditions on the punishment of the fallen angels and the rewards that await the faithful.
Guided by early catechism, the author took the liberty of placing new characters in the City of the Damned which was a departure from established beliefs. For instance, why did he place Eve, Adam's wife, or just partner for they were not married, in hell? Or Romeo and Juliet, Paris and Helen? The explanation was both ethical and poetic.
Hell is an expanding black hole which welcomes the wayward soul. To enlighten the young hero of the story who preferred earthly life to heavenly life, the damned souls went into narratives of their misfortunes, so that the hero would not find himself in the same pitfall. But what can one learn from the damned spirits?
A new catechism? No, for the author hated religious myth.
Heaven and hell? It's complicated, but Juan the hero had to make a choice.
