By Donovan Neal
Publisher: Torn Veil
Published: Jan. 5, 2014
ASIN: B00FD09LE8
Amazon Synopsis:
The prequel to the Bible is here!
We have always thought Hell was created for man...we were so
wrong.
The Third Heaven: The Rise of Fallen Stars is book one of a five
part series that explores the fascinating story of the Fall of Lucifer.
Lucifer was God's perfect creation. Yet he rose up to betray the
Lord and bring Heaven itself to civil war.
Many tales have referenced this great angelic war but few have
sought to explore the behind the scene relationships between God and the
angelic hosts. Why did a third of Heaven seek to overthrow their creator?
See Lucifer and his actions in a light never before seen. Journey
back to the beginning, and see the drama unfold before your eyes: as
allegiances are broken; choices made, and why all of creation waits for the
manifestation of the sons of God!
˃˃˃ Man's was NOT the first sin
See the back-story to mankind's own story, in this powerful,
gripping tale of angels at war.
Book Links
My Thoughts:
The Third Heaven: The
Rise of Fallen Stars gives us the answers to the question most readers
of the Bible have ever asked: How did Satan come to be? This novel is
speculative fiction about how this angel fell from grace and became God’s worst
enemy. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about how it happened, so it is in a
sense, a pre-quel to the Bible.
The Third Heaven
starts out interestingly enough. We are given beautifully detailed descriptions
of heaven and of the different angels. Lucifer (the angel who eventually
becomes Satan) is described several times as shining like living diamonds and
his body also made beautiful music. We learn about the work that the angels do
in heaven during the seven days of creation.
The book is flawlessly edited. That made the reading easy.
What made the reading not so easy was the switching back and forth from old
English (King James Bible English) to modern day English.
I followed along well enough through to about the halfway point
in the book. What I found interesting were the parallels that the author drew
among the scenes in his story and the stories in the Bible. An example would be
where they are having a meal just before El (God) goes for his day of rest and
he tells his angels that there is a betrayer among them. They ask who it is and
El says it is the one he shares the sop in the cup with. Then he hands the cup
to Lucifer. This is a parallel to Judas and Christ at the Last Supper. There
were several of these types of parallels in the book. Unfortunately that aspect
of the story will be lost on those who are not familiar with the Bible.
Once past the halfway point in the story, I found that the
book just bogged right down for me and got decidedly boring. I was kind of
struggling up until this point anyway because I really had a hard time being
invested in any of the characters. I didn’t really like any of them and I didn’t
really hate any of them. I did find El to be rather cold and distant, not the
kind of loving and just sort of God that I know Him to be.
The scenes in the second half of the book just dragged on
and on. I even skimmed part of the book just to get through it. I think the
battles could have been shortened. I admit I was disappointed. I was so looking
forward to reading an exciting book about how Lucifer thought himself better
than God.
For me, this book was a 1 star out of 5, but that’s just my
personal opinion.
I bought this book on Amazon for the purposes of reviewing
it.
About the Author:
He is an Adjunct Professor at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is also a freelance writer for Examiner.com. Donovan has spent his entire 23-year career, helping underprivileged and disempowered populations ranging from abused and neglected children, adults with disabilities, to survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault. He currently works to end hunger in his community.
He has been an experienced trainer in such areas as nonviolent crisis prevention intervention to adult CPR and First Aid with the Red Cross, Working with Different Personalities, and many more. Donovan brings a wealth of experience and interests that has allowed him to write on a host of subjects ranging from gaming, internet/technology, Christian themes, to nonprofit management and leadership.
Donovan is currently working on the sequel to the The Third Heaven the Rise of Fallen Stars.
Contact Donovan at donovanmneal@yahoo.com
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