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Chronicles of Brothers #1
The Fall of Lucifer
Three Archangels...
Three Brothers...
One turned renegade
A sweeping epic of origins and mysteries, the fall of Lucifer tells a tale older than the universe itself. Set in opulent palaces and frightening hell worlds, this is a timeless saga of doubt, of demons and angelic warriors, of obsessive love and treason, and of an ancient evil that knows no bounds.
Soon the universe itself will be rocked by war...
A war between three angelic brothers...
A war fought for the greatest prize in the universe...
That war for the race of men.
Three Brothers...
One turned renegade
A sweeping epic of origins and mysteries, the fall of Lucifer tells a tale older than the universe itself. Set in opulent palaces and frightening hell worlds, this is a timeless saga of doubt, of demons and angelic warriors, of obsessive love and treason, and of an ancient evil that knows no bounds.
Soon the universe itself will be rocked by war...
A war between three angelic brothers...
A war fought for the greatest prize in the universe...
That war for the race of men.
292 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Wendy Alec
34 books177 followersWriter, TV producer, and film maker, the head of GOD TV and a director of WarBoys Entertainment. She has written several books, including the epic fantasy series, Chronicles of Brothers. She co-founded GOD TV in 1995 [1] and is the network's President and CEO.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 298 reviews
January 28, 2022
-Despropósito de alto presupuesto.-
Género. Narrativa fantástica.
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro La caída de Lucifer (publicación original: The Fall of Lucifer, 2005) nos permite tener acceso a las Escrituras Angélicas, los Anales Secretos del Primer Cielo escritos por Gabriel, el Revelador, que nos cuentan como la amistad entre él, Miguel y Lucifer se va quebrando mientras la fe y obediencia del último frente a Jehová se hace pedazos. Primer libro de la serie Crónicas de Hermanos.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
Género. Narrativa fantástica.
Lo que nos cuenta. El libro La caída de Lucifer (publicación original: The Fall of Lucifer, 2005) nos permite tener acceso a las Escrituras Angélicas, los Anales Secretos del Primer Cielo escritos por Gabriel, el Revelador, que nos cuentan como la amistad entre él, Miguel y Lucifer se va quebrando mientras la fe y obediencia del último frente a Jehová se hace pedazos. Primer libro de la serie Crónicas de Hermanos.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
https://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com...
June 4, 2013
From this book I learned that:
- Heaven is encrusted with diamonds. And sapphires. And gold. And whatever other precious material comes to your mind. There are so many diamonds and sapphires and precious stones that the author needs a third of the book to enlist them. Over and over again.
- Heaven is strangely "human" in its structure. There are kings, princes, ambassadors, advisers, servants (yes, also in Heaven there are servants...) and most of all generals and soldiers, all organized in dozens and dozens of armies. Hierarchy and nobility titles are vital. So much that every time a new character is introduced the author spends half a page enlisting his (and only "his", no women in Heaven as we all know)appellatives.
- All conversations in Heaven are based on very long and very formal greetings with no substance at all.
- Despite of this "medieval" scenario, the author imagines that man was created in an highly advanced lab where nerdy angels-scientists manipulate human DNA according to God's instructions.
- It is bad for humans to have scientific and technological knowledge because they will exploit this knowledge creating means of death and destruction such as guns and bombs but it's ok that angels are organized in armies and carry swords.
- Women who have been raped by demons in human form and become pregnant in the process must be killed because they and their offspring are contaminated.
- Lucifer and his fallen angels have introduced many evils on earth, the majority of which is unspeakable but if we must mention one it is surely sodomy.
What I did not learn from this book is how it was possible that Lucifer, the most beloved angel, the light bearer, perfect, loving and wise could become the personification of evil in the space of a fortnight. One day Lucifer is the epitome of goodness and a loyal servant to Jehovah than after Jehovah creates man he starts to behave as a capricious spoiled teenager who doesn't want to share his favorite toy. So much for a thousand years old angel. More strikingly is that no one, not even his beloved brothers really try to talk with him and reason with him. There are a couple of conversation which include a lot of "beloved brother" and no much else. There isn't a real analysis of the origin of evil, no in depth exploration of the complexity of Lucifer's betrayal which would have made this book an interesting read, only official formulas and dogma.
If you are a devout christian I don't know why you should read this sort of "Bible for dummies"... better stick with the original book and spare yourself this boring read. If you are not a religious person there is nothing here which could really interest you.
- Heaven is encrusted with diamonds. And sapphires. And gold. And whatever other precious material comes to your mind. There are so many diamonds and sapphires and precious stones that the author needs a third of the book to enlist them. Over and over again.
- Heaven is strangely "human" in its structure. There are kings, princes, ambassadors, advisers, servants (yes, also in Heaven there are servants...) and most of all generals and soldiers, all organized in dozens and dozens of armies. Hierarchy and nobility titles are vital. So much that every time a new character is introduced the author spends half a page enlisting his (and only "his", no women in Heaven as we all know)appellatives.
- All conversations in Heaven are based on very long and very formal greetings with no substance at all.
- Despite of this "medieval" scenario, the author imagines that man was created in an highly advanced lab where nerdy angels-scientists manipulate human DNA according to God's instructions.
- It is bad for humans to have scientific and technological knowledge because they will exploit this knowledge creating means of death and destruction such as guns and bombs but it's ok that angels are organized in armies and carry swords.
- Women who have been raped by demons in human form and become pregnant in the process must be killed because they and their offspring are contaminated.
- Lucifer and his fallen angels have introduced many evils on earth, the majority of which is unspeakable but if we must mention one it is surely sodomy.
What I did not learn from this book is how it was possible that Lucifer, the most beloved angel, the light bearer, perfect, loving and wise could become the personification of evil in the space of a fortnight. One day Lucifer is the epitome of goodness and a loyal servant to Jehovah than after Jehovah creates man he starts to behave as a capricious spoiled teenager who doesn't want to share his favorite toy. So much for a thousand years old angel. More strikingly is that no one, not even his beloved brothers really try to talk with him and reason with him. There are a couple of conversation which include a lot of "beloved brother" and no much else. There isn't a real analysis of the origin of evil, no in depth exploration of the complexity of Lucifer's betrayal which would have made this book an interesting read, only official formulas and dogma.
If you are a devout christian I don't know why you should read this sort of "Bible for dummies"... better stick with the original book and spare yourself this boring read. If you are not a religious person there is nothing here which could really interest you.
March 1, 2010
This book was chosen for my book club, so I will try my best to finish, but so far it has been a true disappointment. I don't like the author's style of writing; too many "translucents" and "sapphires." She also spent a great deal of time describing what was happening instead of telling the story. Painful.
January 14, 2016
Not sure what I thought about this... I was given it by a friend to read, and it was interesting. It does a good job at conveying the astonishing grace of Christ in coming to earth for sinful man, but at not much else... there were lots of things that I didn't like AT ALL as they weren't Biblical or brought to mind unhelpful ways of thinking about heaven/God. A few would be:
1. The angels call God "Father" - wrong, according to Hebrews 1:5.
2. Christos (Jesus Christ) offers the fallen angels repentance, and they return with Him to heaven... in the Bible, angels CAN'T be redeemed (Heb. 2:16, 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6) - that's what's so AMAZING about God's grace towards mankind!! It’s blasphemous to say that God "just forgave the angels” - there’s no justice there, since Christ didn’t die for the angels.
3. God seems very absent in heaven, leaving his minions to do all the scientific prototyping and coding for man. It’s more like an ultra-scientific lab with grumpy and irritable supervisors who’ve been left to find a way to make things work out on their own (enter stress!), rather than a place where the Lord is continually worshipped, adored and directs everything that happens in an astonishingly intimate way. It's man-centred, not God-centred.
4 . (Partly continuous with point 3). God is sometimes portrayed as a dissatisfied, emotionally unstable character, who refuses to be comforted by His wise elders. He’s spoken about in a similar way as you would talk about an absent toddler who needed a good talking to. Yes, there’s lots of awesomeness and translucence and rumblings and flashings, but that seems to emphasise God as a tyrant inside the emotional toddler… It doesn’t help you to develop your thinking in the wonderful truth that God is a glorious, loving, infinite God who is completely satisfied in Himself, yet His glory overflows into the earth, and through His amazing grace He enables His people to delight themselves in that glory!!
5. God is bound by "eternal law". His minions have got to find a way of stopping Satan's various schemes (which rely on eternal law) before it's too late, as eternal law cannot be broken. The book seems to have made eternal law into God...
6. I think it can be dangerous to try and hypothesise what happened before the fall. God has decided not to tell us in His Book, so maybe we shouldn’t go prodding around trying to make up exciting adventures of our own that may well harm our way of thinking about the sovereignty of God/the nature of Satan/etc. A little bit of lie mixed in with a lot of truth is far more dangerous than an obvious bucket-load of lies. It’s far harder to notice.
I’m wondering what Satan thinks of this book… is he annoyed that it exposes him for the horrible evil he is? Or delighted that lots of people are looking to books like this series for their worldview/picture of what happened throughout history, rather than the Bible? The rest of the series is tempting. It looks like an exciting adventure. But I don’t think I’ll be reading it. I’ll stick with the Word of God to tell me what has happened in history, is happening now and will happen in the future - that Book is the greatest story of all, from the greatest Storyteller of all. What more could I want?!
1. The angels call God "Father" - wrong, according to Hebrews 1:5.
2. Christos (Jesus Christ) offers the fallen angels repentance, and they return with Him to heaven... in the Bible, angels CAN'T be redeemed (Heb. 2:16, 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6) - that's what's so AMAZING about God's grace towards mankind!! It’s blasphemous to say that God "just forgave the angels” - there’s no justice there, since Christ didn’t die for the angels.
3. God seems very absent in heaven, leaving his minions to do all the scientific prototyping and coding for man. It’s more like an ultra-scientific lab with grumpy and irritable supervisors who’ve been left to find a way to make things work out on their own (enter stress!), rather than a place where the Lord is continually worshipped, adored and directs everything that happens in an astonishingly intimate way. It's man-centred, not God-centred.
4 . (Partly continuous with point 3). God is sometimes portrayed as a dissatisfied, emotionally unstable character, who refuses to be comforted by His wise elders. He’s spoken about in a similar way as you would talk about an absent toddler who needed a good talking to. Yes, there’s lots of awesomeness and translucence and rumblings and flashings, but that seems to emphasise God as a tyrant inside the emotional toddler… It doesn’t help you to develop your thinking in the wonderful truth that God is a glorious, loving, infinite God who is completely satisfied in Himself, yet His glory overflows into the earth, and through His amazing grace He enables His people to delight themselves in that glory!!
5. God is bound by "eternal law". His minions have got to find a way of stopping Satan's various schemes (which rely on eternal law) before it's too late, as eternal law cannot be broken. The book seems to have made eternal law into God...
6. I think it can be dangerous to try and hypothesise what happened before the fall. God has decided not to tell us in His Book, so maybe we shouldn’t go prodding around trying to make up exciting adventures of our own that may well harm our way of thinking about the sovereignty of God/the nature of Satan/etc. A little bit of lie mixed in with a lot of truth is far more dangerous than an obvious bucket-load of lies. It’s far harder to notice.
I’m wondering what Satan thinks of this book… is he annoyed that it exposes him for the horrible evil he is? Or delighted that lots of people are looking to books like this series for their worldview/picture of what happened throughout history, rather than the Bible? The rest of the series is tempting. It looks like an exciting adventure. But I don’t think I’ll be reading it. I’ll stick with the Word of God to tell me what has happened in history, is happening now and will happen in the future - that Book is the greatest story of all, from the greatest Storyteller of all. What more could I want?!
August 23, 2013
Oh dear. With such an interesting premise I believed that the book would be a gripping read with an intense story line, after all the fall of Lucifer and his subsequent crowning as Satan is an interesting story. However this is not the case with this book. The story was repetitive to an almost childlike degree. The constant repetition of phrases such as 'a million million' and 'ten thousand, ten thousands' made the book almost impossible to read. Further to this the parts which I believed would create tension and drama, such as the battle between Lucifer's legions and those still loyal to Heaven, was condensed down to less than a few pages. There seemed to be a minor scuffle between the major players before God intervened, and that was the end of it. Though there were some redeeming features such as making Lucifer jealous of the race of man, and portraying Heaven as an advanced scientific society, features which added a new twist to the tale, overall the book was very disappointing and I wouldn't recommend it. I am certainly not going to be reading the rest of the series.
October 5, 2015
Este libro es el inicio de mi saga favorita (Crónicas de hermanos). La verdad es el menos bueno, lo cual está bien porque significa que la saga va en aumento. Es la historia Cristiana que ya conocemos, pero desde otro ángulo y un tanto más entretenida.
October 11, 2012
It's been about 3 yrs now since I read this book & I read all 288pgs of it in 3 days...followed by book 2 of the series over the next 4 days. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! BREATHTAKING! I found it nearly impossible to put down..I would get mad when I was just so sleepy. That I simply could no longer hold my eyes open. The extreme detail with which the author describes various places...like Eden, u feel like u r actually standing there in that Perfect Garden of Paradise created by the Creator of all, God Jehovah! Words fail me to try to explain how incredible & intense r wendy's descriptions ..not only of the beauty of Eden but she just intensely with words transports u to the dwelling place of the fallen lucifer, aka Satan & his demon spirits & other fallen angels...I can't remember right off the name used in the book (not hell or Hades) but it may be the Netherlands?? Anywho ...you just must MUST read this book & well this series..u owe it to yourself to do so! I think there are to be a total of 7 books all together..
August 1, 2016
Oh my god did this book divide my opinion. I wasn't entirely convinced by it given that it is a religious fantasy and they can be a bit preachy, thankfully that doesn't seem to be a problem so far. But, instead it was the descriptions of heaven, the angels, eden etc. that rather tried my patience as they were so sickly-sweet that they were annoying. They kind of gave the sense that they were trying to say 'look how lovely and shiney everything is, why would anyone ever want to leave?', so when Lucifer did I was cheering somewhat. On the flip side though, Alec does use this ability to over describe to show the thought process behind Lucifer's fall and how it was a gradual process rather than an instaneous switch from 'good' to 'evil', which gave a whole new aspect to the story. And once he did fall the story and Alec's writing really took off and I found myself racing through the rest of the book, despite knowing what was coming next. So it was a slow and shakey start but it's looking like a series that's worth cotninuing.
March 4, 2014
Yeah, it's me rating this book...I know that it is not the genre I usually read but I thought maybe it would be fun to expand my reading into more genres than romance or guide books.
I am that kind of person that if I try something and like it I would never change it with anything else (this limits me to try new things). So, I decided to "explore" different & new genres lastly.
Of course, it is hard but I am reading 1 book (new genre) from 5 (of my favorites genres).
This month I decided to read a fiction/fantasy novel...
I enjoyed very much, "The Fall of Lucifer", even though there was a lot of mysteries.
The main idea is about three angelic brothers...one of them turned RENEGADE. (Lucifer)
The author engaged me with the way she had written it...Oh man! While I was reading I was as much deeply on it as I couldn't realize when my roommate came and left the room...
~"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!"
I am that kind of person that if I try something and like it I would never change it with anything else (this limits me to try new things). So, I decided to "explore" different & new genres lastly.
Of course, it is hard but I am reading 1 book (new genre) from 5 (of my favorites genres).
This month I decided to read a fiction/fantasy novel...
I enjoyed very much, "The Fall of Lucifer", even though there was a lot of mysteries.
The main idea is about three angelic brothers...one of them turned RENEGADE. (Lucifer)
The author engaged me with the way she had written it...Oh man! While I was reading I was as much deeply on it as I couldn't realize when my roommate came and left the room...
~"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!"
January 29, 2010
This is the worst book I have ever read. This is worse than most fic I have read. It is unbelievably awful. And she plans on writing six more. Lucifer has a laser mouth. And there’s science in heaven. Seriously, read it for the LOLs and the homoeroticism between Gabriel (The REVELATOR) and Lucifer. Hilarity.
July 11, 2013
Absolute rubbish. I mean it. If you are not ridiculously blinded by your religion's views and have no brain you might be able to enjoy this book. Maybe, if you're utterly, and completely, idiotically dimwitted and deficit.
And that's an insult to dimwitted people.
I picked up this book because I am an obsessive supernatural fan and hey look! Stories about archangels. Season nine is a long way away, may find myself some other way to get my daily dose of angel.
My first impression of the novel is that the writing is hilariously bad. I swear... is there no other way to describe "one hundred enormous white owls". Or the honestly ridiculous and endless descriptions of jeweled everything. Every description seemed to be filled with endless lists of various jewels.
Bad writing I can forgive. Not everyone who has an imagination is gifted with the ability to convey it with words. Totally understandable. And I understand how difficult it can be when you have a good plot in your head, and you dream up these amazing worlds, but words fail you. THAT IS OK.
I was very disappointed (at first) there was no mention of everybody's favourite angel Castiel (or Cassiel). But then the novel delved from ridiculous into horrendous and I was glad my baby escaped
But there are some things I cannot forgive. Page 200 of my copy, when the good angels are reporting what Lucifer (or Satan) has done to the human race.
"The forbidden angelic illuminations of the scientific arts... knowledge of the clouds, the celestial bodies, the signs of the earth astrophysics, earth sciences, electricity"
So basically you know, established facts about our universe, obviously Wendy Alec missed the fact that humans made these discoveries themselves.
But then it's made out like God set rules against these things being known to humans. Um... WHAT THEY ACTUAL FUCK. She likens scientific discovery to teaching humans how to kill each other. Basically to spell it out for you
"OMG SCIENCE IS SIN".
I'm not trying to make statements about religion and what is correct and all that.
But to say that this human construct, this complicated, wonderful thing we do were we give things names, we explore and look at this universe around us, and try to make some sense of something we barely understand, is a sin? That is offensive to me firstly as a human being and secondly a scientist.
When I got to do a study on something, I;m not sitting in a lab laughing like a maniac and saying "WITH THIS DISCOVERY I SHALL DRAW MAN AWAY FROM GOD AND CONDEMN THEIR SOULS TO HELL". No. I do it because I want to understand.
And there are some religious people who don't want to understand the world they live in. They are happy just believing that a god made everything and gave them these rules and that's their life. i think it's silly and stupid to silence curiosity, but they do have a right to chose how they live their life! And I am no worse, for being curious, and wanting to understand and learn about things.
I'm not a Christian, but I do know many who see their science as an exploration of the world they believe they were given by God. And I think, according to a lot of Christian belief, that if our amazing world is a gift, I highly doubt a loving, benevolent creator would refuse us the right to seek to explain it in ways we understand! To suggest otherwise is completely stupid.
I do know there are religious people who blame science for the loss of faith in their institutions. But honestly science is not the cause of the problem. I didn't leave church because science led me astray, I left church and do not go to church because it is not in line with my personal beliefs! Maybe one day, I might! And if that is the case, I will not renounce science for blind faith, I will continue to love science and study and seek out knowledge.
I feel that to demonize something that is so beautiful displays a profound lack of understanding of what science is. To say that evolution is an ungodly science I can to some extent understand, but astronomy? Meteorology? Biology? Physics? Chemistry? Electricity? All of these things impact your life Wendy Alec. If they are gifts not from your God but from your Satan, than I expect you live in the wild, live some sort of caveman, completely removed from all the wonderful scientific discoveries and fields that make your nice, easy, 21st century life a breeze, an enable you to write inane novels full of mindless dribble.
And this book is not going to help you with your faith AT ALL. In fact, Supernatural does a far better job of portraying Lucifer's fall and struggle, and his complex relationship with Michael and Gabriel.
And that's an insult to dimwitted people.
I picked up this book because I am an obsessive supernatural fan and hey look! Stories about archangels. Season nine is a long way away, may find myself some other way to get my daily dose of angel.
My first impression of the novel is that the writing is hilariously bad. I swear... is there no other way to describe "one hundred enormous white owls". Or the honestly ridiculous and endless descriptions of jeweled everything. Every description seemed to be filled with endless lists of various jewels.
Bad writing I can forgive. Not everyone who has an imagination is gifted with the ability to convey it with words. Totally understandable. And I understand how difficult it can be when you have a good plot in your head, and you dream up these amazing worlds, but words fail you. THAT IS OK.
I was very disappointed (at first) there was no mention of everybody's favourite angel Castiel (or Cassiel). But then the novel delved from ridiculous into horrendous and I was glad my baby escaped
But there are some things I cannot forgive. Page 200 of my copy, when the good angels are reporting what Lucifer (or Satan) has done to the human race.
"The forbidden angelic illuminations of the scientific arts... knowledge of the clouds, the celestial bodies, the signs of the earth astrophysics, earth sciences, electricity"
So basically you know, established facts about our universe, obviously Wendy Alec missed the fact that humans made these discoveries themselves.
But then it's made out like God set rules against these things being known to humans. Um... WHAT THEY ACTUAL FUCK. She likens scientific discovery to teaching humans how to kill each other. Basically to spell it out for you
"OMG SCIENCE IS SIN".
I'm not trying to make statements about religion and what is correct and all that.
But to say that this human construct, this complicated, wonderful thing we do were we give things names, we explore and look at this universe around us, and try to make some sense of something we barely understand, is a sin? That is offensive to me firstly as a human being and secondly a scientist.
When I got to do a study on something, I;m not sitting in a lab laughing like a maniac and saying "WITH THIS DISCOVERY I SHALL DRAW MAN AWAY FROM GOD AND CONDEMN THEIR SOULS TO HELL". No. I do it because I want to understand.
And there are some religious people who don't want to understand the world they live in. They are happy just believing that a god made everything and gave them these rules and that's their life. i think it's silly and stupid to silence curiosity, but they do have a right to chose how they live their life! And I am no worse, for being curious, and wanting to understand and learn about things.
I'm not a Christian, but I do know many who see their science as an exploration of the world they believe they were given by God. And I think, according to a lot of Christian belief, that if our amazing world is a gift, I highly doubt a loving, benevolent creator would refuse us the right to seek to explain it in ways we understand! To suggest otherwise is completely stupid.
I do know there are religious people who blame science for the loss of faith in their institutions. But honestly science is not the cause of the problem. I didn't leave church because science led me astray, I left church and do not go to church because it is not in line with my personal beliefs! Maybe one day, I might! And if that is the case, I will not renounce science for blind faith, I will continue to love science and study and seek out knowledge.
I feel that to demonize something that is so beautiful displays a profound lack of understanding of what science is. To say that evolution is an ungodly science I can to some extent understand, but astronomy? Meteorology? Biology? Physics? Chemistry? Electricity? All of these things impact your life Wendy Alec. If they are gifts not from your God but from your Satan, than I expect you live in the wild, live some sort of caveman, completely removed from all the wonderful scientific discoveries and fields that make your nice, easy, 21st century life a breeze, an enable you to write inane novels full of mindless dribble.
And this book is not going to help you with your faith AT ALL. In fact, Supernatural does a far better job of portraying Lucifer's fall and struggle, and his complex relationship with Michael and Gabriel.
June 19, 2023
There’s something endlessly fascinating about our origins. The origin of man. The origin of story. Or in this case, the origin of sin. Specifically, the origin of the first fall, the fall which in turn led to the fall of man. Little is said about the fall of Lucifer in Scripture. Most of what we think we know of Satan comes not from the Bible, but from Milton’s Paradise Lost. Thus The Fall of Lucifer, while inspired by Scripture, understandably draws much of its inspiration from Paradise Lost. In fact, it reads a bit like if Tolkien had penned Paradise Lost in place of Milton.
While there is a framework of modern archaeology supporting the story, the main narrative begins with Lucifer yet unfallen, in heaven with Michael and Gabriel. The three are presented as brothers, high princes of Yehovah, Heaven’s King of Kings. It is here where I draw the comparison to Tolkien’s work. Heaven before Lucifer falls, taking a third of the angelic hosts down with him, feels much like the elven courts of Middle Earth. There is an emphasis on beauty and elegance and physical grace that the two settings share. It’s these physical descriptions of Heaven that so enchanted me the first time I read this book, and I still find them captivating.
I also love that Heaven is presented as being so scientific in its approach to creation. There are laboratories full of angels, preforming tests and experiments so that they can find how to best carry out Yehovah’s divine will. I find this fascinating, and it rings of truth to me. God is endlessly creative, but He’s also the inventor of everything that led to the birth of the various sciences. There’s no divorce between science and art. Not when it comes to God.
While I adore the descriptions in this book, and the science, and the concept behind the story, I do have a few issues with it. First and foremost, there are some details that I think are slight theological fallacies when followed all the way down. For instance, I don’t believe there is age or death in Heaven, though both are kind of taken for granted in the narrative. And the presentation of Lucifer as so sympathetic could be difficult for a new Christian to understand.
I thoroughly enjoy this book. I’ve read it four times, and I love the entire series. While I might have a few qualms with it, but the Chronicle of Brothers series is one that I just find myself returning to again and again. I would recommend this most to either secular readers who have a more than passing interest in Christian lore, or mature Christians who know the facts of the Bible and can separate those from the musings of man.
While there is a framework of modern archaeology supporting the story, the main narrative begins with Lucifer yet unfallen, in heaven with Michael and Gabriel. The three are presented as brothers, high princes of Yehovah, Heaven’s King of Kings. It is here where I draw the comparison to Tolkien’s work. Heaven before Lucifer falls, taking a third of the angelic hosts down with him, feels much like the elven courts of Middle Earth. There is an emphasis on beauty and elegance and physical grace that the two settings share. It’s these physical descriptions of Heaven that so enchanted me the first time I read this book, and I still find them captivating.
I also love that Heaven is presented as being so scientific in its approach to creation. There are laboratories full of angels, preforming tests and experiments so that they can find how to best carry out Yehovah’s divine will. I find this fascinating, and it rings of truth to me. God is endlessly creative, but He’s also the inventor of everything that led to the birth of the various sciences. There’s no divorce between science and art. Not when it comes to God.
While I adore the descriptions in this book, and the science, and the concept behind the story, I do have a few issues with it. First and foremost, there are some details that I think are slight theological fallacies when followed all the way down. For instance, I don’t believe there is age or death in Heaven, though both are kind of taken for granted in the narrative. And the presentation of Lucifer as so sympathetic could be difficult for a new Christian to understand.
I thoroughly enjoy this book. I’ve read it four times, and I love the entire series. While I might have a few qualms with it, but the Chronicle of Brothers series is one that I just find myself returning to again and again. I would recommend this most to either secular readers who have a more than passing interest in Christian lore, or mature Christians who know the facts of the Bible and can separate those from the musings of man.
April 27, 2019
Just couldn't get into it. Found the descriptions far too fanciful, which may seem like a stupid thing to say about a fantasy novel but a good fantasy novel sucks you in and makes the worlds seem real. This doesn't do that.
September 22, 2014
I'm giving this two stars, but only because I feel loyal to it and want it to be better than it is. That and my mom really wanted me to like it and I wanted to like it because she did, so it's really one star for the book and one star for my mom. Awarded one Mom Star.
Alec's The Fall of Lucifer attempts to dramatize just that-- the fall of Lucifer. She begins with an introduction of the three highest archangels: Lucifer, Michael, and Gabriel. She tries to show them as brothers who are affectionate and competitive. She tries to show their love for and fealty to Yehovah and Christos.* She spends many, many words attempting to describe heaven and, in the end, makes it seem hard (everything is gems) and distant (gates upon gates upon gates). Everything is highly ordered and several chapters in she begins introducing other angels, and things that aren't angels, but also aren't people. But she simply shotguns the information-- here's a bunch of names, all of them end in -el (as you'd guess they would) and here are a few titles. Next!
And that's really how the whole book works. There are twenty paragraphs of description and everything is purple, both literally and figuratively. Then Alec tells you what everyone is thinking, feeling and doing. This goes on for quite a while, so that when Lucifer finally rejects Yehovah and is banished from Heaven, I actually had to reread. I just cannot get over the idea that I had to go "Wait. What?" for the title of the book.
And it doesn't end there. There's the fall and the Garden. Lucifer tempts Eve. The not-angels, not-people use science to develop the Ark so that Yehovah can reboot the world. There was a section on the tower of Babel and Nebuchadnezzar, but I don't think anything happened except, you know, the mention thereof on Alec's High Points of the Old Testament. The book ends with the birth of Jesus, only after a great deal of debate about the legal ramifications thereof. And a number of asides about the Three Wise Men, who get their own points of view for a chapter.
There is such potential here. And I suppose this is a trend in indie Christian fiction, but it's the first of a series. There are at least four books, and I think I've read there are supposed to be twelve. I can't imagine how she's going to carry any kind of narrative for that long, just telling, telling, telling and listing, listing, listing. All the angels, all the gems, all the flowers, all the names. But I can't stand it. A book needs to have its own self-contained story regardless of whether or not it's part of a series. C.S. Lewis didn't half-ass it in Prince Caspian because he knew he'd eventually write The Silver Chair. It's infuriating.
Bless you, Wendy Alec, for trying. And for entertaining my mom. Here's your mom star.
*Christos? This bothered me the whole book. Why Hebrew for everybody else but suddenly Greek for Jesus?
Alec's The Fall of Lucifer attempts to dramatize just that-- the fall of Lucifer. She begins with an introduction of the three highest archangels: Lucifer, Michael, and Gabriel. She tries to show them as brothers who are affectionate and competitive. She tries to show their love for and fealty to Yehovah and Christos.* She spends many, many words attempting to describe heaven and, in the end, makes it seem hard (everything is gems) and distant (gates upon gates upon gates). Everything is highly ordered and several chapters in she begins introducing other angels, and things that aren't angels, but also aren't people. But she simply shotguns the information-- here's a bunch of names, all of them end in -el (as you'd guess they would) and here are a few titles. Next!
And that's really how the whole book works. There are twenty paragraphs of description and everything is purple, both literally and figuratively. Then Alec tells you what everyone is thinking, feeling and doing. This goes on for quite a while, so that when Lucifer finally rejects Yehovah and is banished from Heaven, I actually had to reread. I just cannot get over the idea that I had to go "Wait. What?" for the title of the book.
And it doesn't end there. There's the fall and the Garden. Lucifer tempts Eve. The not-angels, not-people use science to develop the Ark so that Yehovah can reboot the world. There was a section on the tower of Babel and Nebuchadnezzar, but I don't think anything happened except, you know, the mention thereof on Alec's High Points of the Old Testament. The book ends with the birth of Jesus, only after a great deal of debate about the legal ramifications thereof. And a number of asides about the Three Wise Men, who get their own points of view for a chapter.
There is such potential here. And I suppose this is a trend in indie Christian fiction, but it's the first of a series. There are at least four books, and I think I've read there are supposed to be twelve. I can't imagine how she's going to carry any kind of narrative for that long, just telling, telling, telling and listing, listing, listing. All the angels, all the gems, all the flowers, all the names. But I can't stand it. A book needs to have its own self-contained story regardless of whether or not it's part of a series. C.S. Lewis didn't half-ass it in Prince Caspian because he knew he'd eventually write The Silver Chair. It's infuriating.
Bless you, Wendy Alec, for trying. And for entertaining my mom. Here's your mom star.
*Christos? This bothered me the whole book. Why Hebrew for everybody else but suddenly Greek for Jesus?
February 16, 2016
Wendy Alec took on a formidable task in writing this book. It reads like epic fantasy. Lucifer, Michael and Gabriel could easily be Welsh princes or Elvish lords. But they are archangels. Alec takes seriously the biblical narrative so she isnt free to write what really happened as Mary Stewart, Rosemary Sutcliff and others have done with the Arthurian saga and tales of early Britain.
Alecs vivid characters certainly give the reader a lot to think about. Lucifers motivation is jealousy over the creation of man. Were we angels not enough? he asks. If this were epic fantasy that would certainly be compelling motive that would garner sympathy for the rebellious protagonist at odds with his ruling Father. But in the Bible Lucifers sin was pride and wanting to put himself in Gods place. He certainly grows into that in Alecs account, but his sin begins with perfectly understandable emotions. But then perhaps that is a lesson for usunchecked, our legitimate emotions can take us where we never intended to go.
I liked the way Alec integrates modern science. She has the angels working on prototypes of DNA and animals. They test models for the ark to determine a structure that will withstand the pressures of the Deluge. They have personalities and complicated relationships.
Like Darth Vader, Lucifer is downright evil by the end (although with that spark that could lead to redemption.) But the beginning of his fall feels more like mental illness than sin to me. That raises two questions in my mind: 1) How could mental illness exist in heaven? and 2) Does Alec believe God will damn the mentally ill for bad choices made when they were not in their right minds? As the friend and relative of a number of people who suffer from depression and other mental illnesses, I would hate to think so.
As a writer I am well aware that creating a consistent world is difficult, but why was Michael a warrior and why do they engaged in swordplay before Lucifer fell? Who was the enemy?
It also sounds like the decision for Christos to be the perfect sacrifice was made well into human history rather than before the foundation of the world. That makes for high drama, but isnt biblical.
The Fall of Lucifer began very slowly with long, over-written descriptions, but I have found the deep, love relationships that the characters have with Yehovah and Christos to be a powerful stimulus to my own worship. Even Lucifer after his fall longs for the fellowship he once had.
This book could provoke some interesting discussion in a Christian book group, but prepare to be shocked.
Alecs vivid characters certainly give the reader a lot to think about. Lucifers motivation is jealousy over the creation of man. Were we angels not enough? he asks. If this were epic fantasy that would certainly be compelling motive that would garner sympathy for the rebellious protagonist at odds with his ruling Father. But in the Bible Lucifers sin was pride and wanting to put himself in Gods place. He certainly grows into that in Alecs account, but his sin begins with perfectly understandable emotions. But then perhaps that is a lesson for usunchecked, our legitimate emotions can take us where we never intended to go.
I liked the way Alec integrates modern science. She has the angels working on prototypes of DNA and animals. They test models for the ark to determine a structure that will withstand the pressures of the Deluge. They have personalities and complicated relationships.
Like Darth Vader, Lucifer is downright evil by the end (although with that spark that could lead to redemption.) But the beginning of his fall feels more like mental illness than sin to me. That raises two questions in my mind: 1) How could mental illness exist in heaven? and 2) Does Alec believe God will damn the mentally ill for bad choices made when they were not in their right minds? As the friend and relative of a number of people who suffer from depression and other mental illnesses, I would hate to think so.
As a writer I am well aware that creating a consistent world is difficult, but why was Michael a warrior and why do they engaged in swordplay before Lucifer fell? Who was the enemy?
It also sounds like the decision for Christos to be the perfect sacrifice was made well into human history rather than before the foundation of the world. That makes for high drama, but isnt biblical.
The Fall of Lucifer began very slowly with long, over-written descriptions, but I have found the deep, love relationships that the characters have with Yehovah and Christos to be a powerful stimulus to my own worship. Even Lucifer after his fall longs for the fellowship he once had.
This book could provoke some interesting discussion in a Christian book group, but prepare to be shocked.
December 9, 2017
The Fall of Lucifer is an intriguing fictional account of Lucifer's fall from heaven and the early history of mankind, filled with vibrant descriptions of heaven and the angels. Recommended to fans of Christian fiction who don't mind a bit of a sci-fi flavor.
Like Christian speculative fiction? Check out the bookhoundchristianspecfic.blogspot.com for full-length reviews, author interviews, and more.
Like Christian speculative fiction? Check out the bookhoundchristianspecfic.blogspot.com for full-length reviews, author interviews, and more.
September 17, 2009
Amazing book! Absolutely fantastic! The author takes a great many liberties with the angelic world through the advent of Christ but necessary liberties. There are so many things we don't know and Ms. Alec's vision of Lucifer's fall is compelling. I loved this book and am diving into Book II right now!
January 17, 2012
Hard to put down once started,I'v read them all and the only criticism I have is that the next installment is taking so long. Why???????
January 6, 2023
As a believer, an ordained minister and an avid fantasy reader I must say I enjoyed this novel. Having read and studied the Word I enjoyed the way Wendy Alec crafted a story of the three Archangels, Christ and God.
The story showed a different look at the fall of man in a way that was not disrespectful at all. My only grip is that there was no mention of scripture in the copyright, but I knew where certain lines came from within the Bible.
This is not for those who are "holier than thou" nor is it for the ones who do not like pretty writing. I was hooked by the plot and characters. I truly enjoyed the story from beginning to end and I plan to continue on with the series.
Hopefully Wendy stays true to the Bible as I continue reading the series.
The story showed a different look at the fall of man in a way that was not disrespectful at all. My only grip is that there was no mention of scripture in the copyright, but I knew where certain lines came from within the Bible.
This is not for those who are "holier than thou" nor is it for the ones who do not like pretty writing. I was hooked by the plot and characters. I truly enjoyed the story from beginning to end and I plan to continue on with the series.
Hopefully Wendy stays true to the Bible as I continue reading the series.
January 6, 2023
As a believer, an ordained minister and an avid fantasy reader I must say I enjoyed this novel. Having read and studied the Word I enjoyed the way Wendy Alec crafted a story of the three Archangels, Christ and God.
The story showed a different look at the fall of man in a way that was not disrespectful at all. My only grip is that there was no mention of scripture in the copyright, but I knew where certain lines came from within the Bible.
This is not for those who are "holier than thou" nor is it for the ones who do not like pretty writing. I was hooked by the plot and characters. I truly enjoyed the story from beginning to end and I plan to continue on with the series.
Hopefully Wendy stays true to the Bible as I continue reading the series.
The story showed a different look at the fall of man in a way that was not disrespectful at all. My only grip is that there was no mention of scripture in the copyright, but I knew where certain lines came from within the Bible.
This is not for those who are "holier than thou" nor is it for the ones who do not like pretty writing. I was hooked by the plot and characters. I truly enjoyed the story from beginning to end and I plan to continue on with the series.
Hopefully Wendy stays true to the Bible as I continue reading the series.
June 4, 2023
A Biblical Epic
Wendy Alec has created a vision of angelic brotherhood and painful separation in heavenly places that one would not expect. Good vs. evil are tactile senses, not ideology, as witnessed by the relationships between the former angelic brethren, Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer. Sin is introduced and the resultant separation manifests as unbridled evil. Alec's vision of the love and peace and, eventual, hate and chaos that ensues, is pure magic. It is why we read.
Wendy Alec has created a vision of angelic brotherhood and painful separation in heavenly places that one would not expect. Good vs. evil are tactile senses, not ideology, as witnessed by the relationships between the former angelic brethren, Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer. Sin is introduced and the resultant separation manifests as unbridled evil. Alec's vision of the love and peace and, eventual, hate and chaos that ensues, is pure magic. It is why we read.
July 3, 2012
I grew up in a radical Christian environment, filled with the Holy Spirit, but still there was a separation in my mind between everyday living and spiritual experiences. This book opened up my perspective of the dynamics of the heavenly realm and brought it to my heart. I've heard it called Faction- fictitious accounts based around fact. I know the Word and have heard of many, many miraculous accounts that line up with much of the descriptiveness in this novel. It brought the spiritual realm out of story book mode and into reality, changing the way I view everything. It doesn't get a full 5 stars because I had a difficult time focusing through the insane setting discriptions Wendy Alec used, but definitely worth pushing through.
June 2, 2020
I originally picked this up at a bargain bookstore because I had been watching the TV series Lucifer and was missing it. I am so glad I did. This is the first of the series the Chronicles of Brothers. It hooked me. I read the whole series and still wanted more. Wendy Alec's writing was fluid and descriptive. Her take on famous characters was the perfect amount of familiar and new.
July 19, 2020
This book caused me to think on pre-creation angelic activity in ways I never have. I loved the ending. My only complaint is the incessant use of grandiose, descriptive language throughout the book. It became tiring. Yes, we know that the heavenly realm is beyond our wildest imaginations. We get it. Just tell the story!
May 18, 2020
I was very intrigued in the first chapter. Lucifer was a very interesting character and all events that conspired to his demise were compelling. However, after the fall, Lucifer no longer feels like the protagonist in this story. In fact, it feels like no one is a protagonist at this point, and all characters that were once interesting become bland. The story becomes kind of aimless, with no discerning goal. I felt the need for character arcs and character development in this story. I also felt the great need for a climax. If the fall is the climax, then the second half of the book is one long and drawn out conclusion. There was great imagery which was captivating at times, but at other times, it felt overwhelming or unnecessary. I guess that’s not completely Wendy’s fault since trying to describe something so unfathomable as the First Heaven is difficult. If you’re a Christian, give it a read, it will enlighten you and it is very interesting in the fist half. However, if you’re not a Christian, you may find it difficult to understand some references, especially towards the end. Anyways, I liked it but I was a bit disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 18, 2021Hard Pass. Valeta puts it best when she calls this a "Bibles for Dummies" type book.
February 4, 2022
Truño hasta la náusea. 🤢🤮
March 27, 2020
I'm a Christian- became one at 17 and my faith is still going strong- let's just put that out there.
I'm also passionate about reading, and about good writing.
The problem with Christian fiction, I find, is that too many people focus on the 'gist' of it- the basic message and rave about that ("Hey, if it's telling us about God's love and about salvation, it HAS to be good!"). There's a basic truth that gets ignored: just because someone writes a Christian piece about a basic truth- it doesn't mean that it's automatically 'given' by the Holy Spirit, or is directly dictated by God....or is even good.
Not all Christians can write well.
To be honest, half the time I reckon God gave it to someone because he jolly well didn't want it!
So- yay for the God's love and salvation aspect.
But this is a NOVEL. It shouldn't get an automatic pass into the realm of 'Great Literary Works' just because it features The Almighty as a character.
I first read the first three in this series several years ago. I was optimistic and hoped it'd improved. I never bought any more- and that's almost unheard of for me. I almost never abandon a book.
I recently found this copy in a pile of stuff shoved in a box and thought I'd give it a second chance. Maybe I expected too much of it? Perhaps it wasn't as bad as I'd thought.
Nope.
It was worse.
This is excruciating and I can only assume that people who love it have never read decent fiction and are enthusing over the subject matter rather than the techniques and quality of the writing.
The entire thing is littered with purple (amethyst, magenta, periwinkle, lilac, heliotrope) prose. The description of heaven sounds utterly ghastly- as if someone equipped a toddler with a lorry load of stick-on gems, bright felt-tipped pens, rainbow stickers and stuffed unicorns and told them to go nuts decorating the place. (She has actually put unicorns in there. Was she working from notes that she made when she was 6????)
If any single items has a colour- then Alec carpe-diems the heck out of the chance to employ her Super-Giant-Real Writers' Thesaurus and give the reader every imaginable shade of any given hue.
Over and over and over and over............
I cringed every time I saw Lucifer's name appear because I knew it'd be only a sentence or so before his flowing raven locks were brought into it. (Ms Alec- you CAN just say 'his hair' y'know? Or even better- don't bring his coiffure into every encounter we have with him. We're ok with not hearing about it).
The only place that doesn't sound like a rainbow vomited all over it, is the science lab where all good (and naughty) angels go to get their info from the microfiche.
It's not just the flowery (floral, bombastic, aureate, embellished) writing that's terrible. I wish it was.
In the interests of not losing my marbles by listing in detail the reasons this book deserved to be buried in a box all these years (and that box put in the ground), I'll just sum up some of the other excrutiating features.
Naughty little angels- 'younglings' (I half expected Yoda to appear at any moment) playing their teachers up and getting up to all sorts of mischievous japes like irritating elves; grumpy, feuding old men angels; the mish-mash of whatever sci-fi /fantasy book/ film has been popular during the earlier part of this century, without being 'unchristian' enough to actually go all Harry Potter- (eg, the ridiculous broomstick riding sorcerers); the clumsy attempts to mix mythology and Bible accounts; the appalling pseudo-medieval speech of the angels (when they aren't tucked up in their beds); abysmal characterisation (watch and tremble as Lucifer behaves like a petulant teenager and duck as his mood swing comes right at ya!); lasers (not gonna add to that); HUGE discrepancies with Biblical teaching.
In fact- I'm going to end on that one. Many of the positive reviews I've read here seem to laud the Biblical truths that Alec entwines. I'm sorry but the basic idea of 'God loves you' and 'Jesus came to save you' isn't proof that the text stays close to Bible teaching.
If anyone thinks that Alec doesn't twist and blatantly contradict the Bible (even in small ways- it's still twisting it) in oh so many places, then I'm calling them out on their biblical knowledge and suggest they actually read it. (Have I read it? Yes. Several times over 30+ years. I had to study it in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic to pass my exams too- so I'm pretty confident that there are glaring contradictions).
There are some incredibly well written Christian works out there. Go and read one of those. This is NOT one of them.
I'm also passionate about reading, and about good writing.
The problem with Christian fiction, I find, is that too many people focus on the 'gist' of it- the basic message and rave about that ("Hey, if it's telling us about God's love and about salvation, it HAS to be good!"). There's a basic truth that gets ignored: just because someone writes a Christian piece about a basic truth- it doesn't mean that it's automatically 'given' by the Holy Spirit, or is directly dictated by God....or is even good.
Not all Christians can write well.
To be honest, half the time I reckon God gave it to someone because he jolly well didn't want it!
So- yay for the God's love and salvation aspect.
But this is a NOVEL. It shouldn't get an automatic pass into the realm of 'Great Literary Works' just because it features The Almighty as a character.
I first read the first three in this series several years ago. I was optimistic and hoped it'd improved. I never bought any more- and that's almost unheard of for me. I almost never abandon a book.
I recently found this copy in a pile of stuff shoved in a box and thought I'd give it a second chance. Maybe I expected too much of it? Perhaps it wasn't as bad as I'd thought.
Nope.
It was worse.
This is excruciating and I can only assume that people who love it have never read decent fiction and are enthusing over the subject matter rather than the techniques and quality of the writing.
The entire thing is littered with purple (amethyst, magenta, periwinkle, lilac, heliotrope) prose. The description of heaven sounds utterly ghastly- as if someone equipped a toddler with a lorry load of stick-on gems, bright felt-tipped pens, rainbow stickers and stuffed unicorns and told them to go nuts decorating the place. (She has actually put unicorns in there. Was she working from notes that she made when she was 6????)
If any single items has a colour- then Alec carpe-diems the heck out of the chance to employ her Super-Giant-Real Writers' Thesaurus and give the reader every imaginable shade of any given hue.
Over and over and over and over............
I cringed every time I saw Lucifer's name appear because I knew it'd be only a sentence or so before his flowing raven locks were brought into it. (Ms Alec- you CAN just say 'his hair' y'know? Or even better- don't bring his coiffure into every encounter we have with him. We're ok with not hearing about it).
The only place that doesn't sound like a rainbow vomited all over it, is the science lab where all good (and naughty) angels go to get their info from the microfiche.
It's not just the flowery (floral, bombastic, aureate, embellished) writing that's terrible. I wish it was.
In the interests of not losing my marbles by listing in detail the reasons this book deserved to be buried in a box all these years (and that box put in the ground), I'll just sum up some of the other excrutiating features.
Naughty little angels- 'younglings' (I half expected Yoda to appear at any moment) playing their teachers up and getting up to all sorts of mischievous japes like irritating elves; grumpy, feuding old men angels; the mish-mash of whatever sci-fi /fantasy book/ film has been popular during the earlier part of this century, without being 'unchristian' enough to actually go all Harry Potter- (eg, the ridiculous broomstick riding sorcerers); the clumsy attempts to mix mythology and Bible accounts; the appalling pseudo-medieval speech of the angels (when they aren't tucked up in their beds); abysmal characterisation (watch and tremble as Lucifer behaves like a petulant teenager and duck as his mood swing comes right at ya!); lasers (not gonna add to that); HUGE discrepancies with Biblical teaching.
In fact- I'm going to end on that one. Many of the positive reviews I've read here seem to laud the Biblical truths that Alec entwines. I'm sorry but the basic idea of 'God loves you' and 'Jesus came to save you' isn't proof that the text stays close to Bible teaching.
If anyone thinks that Alec doesn't twist and blatantly contradict the Bible (even in small ways- it's still twisting it) in oh so many places, then I'm calling them out on their biblical knowledge and suggest they actually read it. (Have I read it? Yes. Several times over 30+ years. I had to study it in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic to pass my exams too- so I'm pretty confident that there are glaring contradictions).
There are some incredibly well written Christian works out there. Go and read one of those. This is NOT one of them.
January 27, 2016
No book on the Fall could have such poor pacing, lack of plot, and underdeveloped characters unless it was a religious text; and so I have to ruefully accept that I was suckered into reading propaganda. Unfortunately, this book suffered from the same flaw as Paradise Lost: instead of making Lucifer out to be a monster, it made him the most (if not the only) interesting character, and sympathetic to boot.
God basically breaks up with Lucifer for a new love, mankind. And when Lucifer is like Wasn’t I good enough? Aren’t your angels good enough? God ignores his calls until Lucifer decides he could do better on his own. Good for you, Lucifer.
The biggest problem I have is that as soon as Lucifer decides this, he goes crazy. He kills his own pet, he lapses in and out of awareness, insists his pet is alive, forgets that he betrayed God, professes his love for everyone, and basically falls into a spiraling depression. This is not how you build an evil villain. This is how you build a book for How Not To Deal With Mental Health Issues. He is not compelling, scary, or all that powerful – he is pitiable.
I did enjoy all the homosexual undertones from the all-male angel race, though I assume that was unintentional.
God basically breaks up with Lucifer for a new love, mankind. And when Lucifer is like Wasn’t I good enough? Aren’t your angels good enough? God ignores his calls until Lucifer decides he could do better on his own. Good for you, Lucifer.
The biggest problem I have is that as soon as Lucifer decides this, he goes crazy. He kills his own pet, he lapses in and out of awareness, insists his pet is alive, forgets that he betrayed God, professes his love for everyone, and basically falls into a spiraling depression. This is not how you build an evil villain. This is how you build a book for How Not To Deal With Mental Health Issues. He is not compelling, scary, or all that powerful – he is pitiable.
I did enjoy all the homosexual undertones from the all-male angel race, though I assume that was unintentional.
April 24, 2021
I really wanted to like this book. The concept is fantastic and glimpses of the angelic precursor to the biblical story are fascinating, but unfortunately the writing let it down badly. This book suffers from a surfeit of adjectives and awkward syntax throughout. Barely a sentence goes by without mention of several precious stones ('jacinth' may well be the most common word in the book), the archangels are described far too often as either 'imperial' or 'strapping' and the younglings reduce several heavenly scenes to absurdity. If 'show, don't tell' is the generally given advice, unfortunately this book does the opposite. If the characters had been at all developed, or the dialogue ever anything but stilted, it might have made a good read. As it was, it was interesting but a real struggle to finish.
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