Heaven, Hell, and Other Ultimate Destinations A concise and often humor-filled guide to the afterlife--the interesting, unknown, unusual, apocalyptic, and the downright strange. Jason Boyett (Amarillo, TX) is a former copywriter and creative director in the advertising/marketing industry whose work regularly appears in publications like Relevant magazine, Christian Single, and TrueU.org. He has written for Salon.com, Paste, ChristianityToday.com, Ministries Today, and other national publications. He has been featured on international programs airing on the National Geographic Channel and the History Channel, including its recent broadcast of Mysteries of the Garden of Eden.

Table of Contents

Introduction. Chapter 1: The Cosmic Lexicon (A Glossary of the Hereafter). Chapter 2: Great Moments in Eternity, Part 1 (A Timeline: 2000 B.C.E. to 1563). Chapter 3: Great Moments in Eternity, Part 2 (A Timeline: 1743 to Present Day). Chapter 4: Geography of the Beyond (Where You Might Go). Chapter 5: The Bible on Heaven (A Scriptural Tour of Glory). Chapter 6: The Bible on Hell (A Holy Trek Through the Fiery Pit). Chapter 7: The Afterlists (Cataloging Kingdom Come). Selected Bibliography. The Author.

About the Author

Jason Boyett is not a professional theologian or historian but that hasn't stopped him from writing this book. His work has appeared in a variety of publications as well as on his blog (www.jasonboyett.com). He lives in Texas with his wife and children. The Pocket Guide Series explains complex religious subjects with a lethal dose of educational hilarity, guided by the author's insatiable curiosity, humor, and gentle irreverence. The Pocket Guide series includes Pocket Guide to Sainthood, Pocket Guide to the Bible, and this book. Discover more at www.pocketguidesite.com.

Reviews

Who says death can't be funny? Boyett, the author of two other Pocket Guides (to Sainthood and to the Bible), has a gift for irreverent, humorous prose that is also quite informative. This guide is a hodge-podge mix of factoids, kitsch and jokes about what various religions teach regarding what happens after we die. The author covers a wide swath of material, from Mayan and Aztec religions to the invention of the defibrillator and its connection to increased near-death experiences. Boyett also takes a walk through the Bible to highlight what it states about heaven and hell and who is likely to end up in each. The Lettermanesque "Afterlists" are quite amusing-such as "18 symbols of death throughout the ages" and "11 highly attractive synonyms for heaven." The author should be commended for the user-friendly layout and for laboring to explicate non-Western religious traditions to a largely Western audience. Here's hoping this pocket guide series does not die off anytime soon. (Aug.) (Publishers Weekly, June 8, 2009)