The Road to Heaven Passes Through Hell: A Tale From Anywhere, #3

By Richard Hennerley

A tale of Heaven and Hell, truth and consequence.

Two brothers die on the same day. One a gentle and kind soul, the other a wealthy, vicious sociopath.

The brothers find themselves in the Foothills of Hell where they meet a dyspeptic and rather bored Angel (with a flair for the dramatic) who explains to them that they must make a journey to Heaven, but that the road to Heaven passes through Hell - and nothing in Hell is at seems.

Editorial reviews
"Brilliant comic technique, and a glorious sense of moral outrage at the current mess in which our country seems mired, combine here to make a unique reading experience. Often laugh-out-loud funny, the real-life characters behind these innocuous fairy tales and fables hit you by surprise, a series of sharp rocks hidden in those snowballs. Amazingly, with all the faux-naievete and children's book elements gleefully displayed here, the writing never becomes twee or condescending. I don't know where this writer's been all his life, but I intend to catch up with him, and keep an eye on where he's headed next!... Bravo, Mr. Hennerly!"  - VINE VOICE

"This is the most spiritually and intellectually worthwhile and inspiring read I have encountered in a very long time ever since my days as a theological studies student. To me it is a humanist masterpiece on par with my favorite classists such as Faulkner, Lawrence and Bellow. It subverts conventional morals and doctrines while anchoring the plot development and the characters upon what I would call authentic virtues, Intuitive Knowledge and Intuitive Truth. Hennerley speaks Truth in this world of lies that shackle us from birth and asphyxiate us into death, all the while conspiring against our very vitality of the spirit. I cannot wait to read more similar stories from Hennerley! Thank you Hennerley for shining a beacon of light amidst such darkness we live under."  - US REVIEWS

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard Hennerley
• Release date: Mar 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393397083

Book preview

This tale is taken from my book 'A Curious Book (Dark)'

First Published in 2020 Copyright © 2020 Richard Hennerley. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and should not be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For more information e-mail all enquiries to [e-mail]

The Road to Heaven Passes Through Hell

Once upon a time... many, many years ago in a world long since forgotten, there was a country called Anywhere. And in the land of Anywhere there was a fine and prosperous city called Anyplace and in this fine city lived a man who had two children, two boys, brothers born one year apart. For simplicity’s sake, let’s name the younger brother The Good Brother and the older brother, The Bad Brother.

Now this man was a Wise Man. Not wise in the sense of Kindly And Knowledgeable but wise as in the sense of Wise To The Ways Of The World and one of the ways in which he was wise to the ways of the world was that he had come to the understanding, at an early age, that this life (take careful heed of the words ‘this life’ or this Tale may drown you in despair before you reach its end) rewards not the good but rather those who are selfish and greedy and who take what they want when they want it; without regard to the thoughts, feelings or needs of others.

Indeed he had come to the conclusion that Selfishness, Greed and a Lack Of Care for others were the keys to a happy life.

He determined that he would inculcate this philosophy into his two boys.

So again and again throughout the boys’ childhood and adolescence the father told his children not to listen to what they were taught at school or elsewhere about Being Nice To Others, or Being Helpful, or Caring...it was all nonsense and would lead to a life of poverty and misery. Instead, he told them, they should be Greedy, Selfish and put their own needs above those of others. There was no Judgement in this World, no Reward for Being Good. Never, he said, think of anybody before you think of yourself, never offer a Hand In Help to another person, never miss a chance to stab someone in the back or kick a man when he was down, never concern yourself with the Feelings Of Others. Take what you want when you want from who you want. Always seek to gain power over others and use that power to hurt and exploit. Never be reluctant to cause damage. This, he said, is the way to