Review of The Third Heaven: The Rise of Fallen Stars by Donovan M. Neal

[Barbara Ann RS]

The Third Heaven is an imaginative tale that blends biblical scripture from the King James version of the Holy Bible with a fictitious account of the events leading up to the War in Heaven led by an archangel known as Lucifer, the “Son of the Morning Star,” who tries to usurp God’s power, and as a result is cast out of Heaven along with the rogue angels who have chosen to serve him instead of God.

The story is narrated in third person and provides not only Lucifer’s perspective but those of the other archangels, especially Michael who seemed to be the closest to Lucifer. The story is set during the first six days of God’s creation until the drama escalates into an intense, bloody civil war that takes place on the seventh day, when God rests. I am impressed by the vivid description in the world building that Neal has painstakingly incorporated into his storytelling. His expressive prose paints a beautiful and compelling verbal picture of God’s creations and reflects his obvious passion and enthusiasm for this subject.

During the entire reading experience, I was completely enthralled by the series of events that occur in this well-thought-out, complex, richly developed plot that, although speculative in nature, could certainly be a conceivable account of Lucifer’s rebellion.  Neal is thorough in his depiction of the bloody battle that ensues among the angels as their loyalties to whom they will serve become divided.

In his storytelling, Neal uses terminology to describe the world and characters that may be unfamiliar to some readers. For example, angels are called “Elohim” and they refer to God as “El.”Although Neal does provide a glossary of the major terms, unfortunately I didn’t find it until after I finished the book. I would have preferred that it be placed at the beginning and perhaps expanded to include more definitions of terms used less often but still referenced, such as “manna” and God’s alternative name, “Jehovah.” I did find minor proofreading errors but they were infrequent, and didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.

I think anyone who has ever wondered about the emergence of Satan as God’s chief antagonist will enjoy the spellbinding tale that Neal has woven.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Link to Review

http://sunmountainreviews.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/blog-tour-review...