Terra Whiteman takes the ideas, and ideals, of Heaven and Hell, good and evil, love and hate and turns them inside out. To fully appreciate the story the reader must throw their own notions of these polarizing ideals away, the author explores a Heaven and Hell where in which Angels and Demons are not clearly defined by good and evil. As with everything else in life, good and evil is based on one's perceptions, Mrs. Whiteman explores the gray areas of these extreme ends where one's perceptions have a much greater impact on the definitions of good and evil, love and hate and right and wrong.
This book is difficult to review as I don't want to reveal anything that would take away from your reading enjoyment. With that said I will attempt to expound slightly on generalities that are easily found on the cover. The story explores the relationship between Heaven and Hell with a Jury assigned to mediate and rule on complaints and conflicts. At the same time there is a relationship that is explored between the narrator, Alezair Czynri, a judge in The Celestial Court and Leid Koseling, the Justice Commander of The Celestial Court. These characters interact with the Angels of Heaven and the Demons of Hell on a daily basis and through Alezair's discoveries of the their natures, the reader is challenged to go beyond the stereotypes and actions of each. God and Satan, referred to in the story as Yahweh Telei and Lucifer Raith are presented as characters, not necessarily Supreme Beings that epitomize the definitions of Good and Evil. Because of this, some readers may take exception to their portrayals however, if you stay with the story and set aside any preconceived ideas, the actions of both characters and their portrayals make sense within this story.
Terra Whiteman's writing style flows very easily from one scene to the next, quoting in Latin and peppering the story with philosophy, alcohol and chemical substances. She also is not afraid to drop the F-bomb, although she does it as an advancement of character and story development, it is not gratuitous. While the entire story is available on her website for free, this printed version contains editing that fills out the characters and story that makes it more complete. I gladly recommend this book to anyone with an open mind willing to step beyond the accepted definitions of extreme viewpoints. The Antithesis is the most impressive book I've read in a very long time.
