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He Who Lifts the Skies (Genesis #2)

4.35 of 5 stars 4.35 · rating details · 114 ratings · 17 reviews

Powerful imagery creates a 'you are there' immersion in the story of the post-Flood world. Kacy Barnett-Gramckow fans raved about her extraordinary job of moving the Flood off the Sunday School flannelgraph board and into life in the Heavens Before. Now, she continues to flesh out the Bible's brief account of the rise of Nimrod and the Babel rebellion with scintillating ch...more

Paperback, 416 pages

Published July 1st 2004 by Moody Publishers (first published 2004)

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Biblical Fiction

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Dec 09, 2010 Terri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, christian

Kacy Barnett-Gramckow’s Genesis Trilogy takes place in the days immediately before and after the Great Flood. The first book, The Heavens Before, starts before the Flood and ends after Noakh and his family begin their new life on the cleansed Earth. This book, He Who Lifts the Skies takes place many years after the Flood, where the tribes of the earth have begun to scatter and it’s hard to keep up with who is the son of this son or that cousin.

In He Who Lifts the Skies, our main character is Ker...more Kacy Barnett-Gramckow’s Genesis Trilogy takes place in the days immediately before and after the Great Flood. The first book, The Heavens Before, starts before the Flood and ends after Noakh and his family begin their new life on the cleansed Earth. This book, He Who Lifts the Skies takes place many years after the Flood, where the tribes of the earth have begun to scatter and it’s hard to keep up with who is the son of this son or that cousin.

In He Who Lifts the Skies, our main character is Keren. Keren’s eyes are silver in a world where everyone has brown eyes and brown hair and coppery skin, being all of the same gene pool. Her sister, Sharah, has silver eyes, light colored hair, and pale skin, making them both an anomaly. Their unique coloring draws the attention of Nimr-Rada, the grandson of Noakh’s third son. Nimr-Rada has set himself up as king in a great city, demanding tributes from the other tribes and murdering without a second thought. Nimr-Rada takes both women to his city, Sharah by her own greedy choice and ambition, and Keren through her selflessness in not wanting Nimr-Rada to kill her family for her refusal. Nimr-Rada declares that Keren is “poison to men” and that no man may touch her. He insists that she wear face paints, extravagant clothing and jewelry so that no man may be unaware that to touch her, even accidentally, will result in his swift execution.

For the majority of the book, we are focused on Keren and her household, learning to live with the cruel and tyrannical rule of Nimr-Rada. He begins to build a Tower to Shemesh, the sun, which Bible-readers will recognize as the Tower of Babel (the central theme to the third book in the series, A Crown in the Stars).

This series is one of my favorites. It shows an accelerated version of humanity’s fall: from a time when everyone honored and obeyed the Most High God to a time when He is relegated to myth and scorn. In the series, this shift takes place over maybe 200 years. 200 years for humanity to completely turn away from the Most High, even though they live in full awareness of the Great Flood and the coming of the Promised One who will save us. The relationships between the characters are especially drawing. I won’t give anything away; you can read it for yourself and find out!

It’s worth noting that The Heavens Before is one of my favorite historical fiction books of all time. The characters of Shem and Annah are captivating, and Kacy Barnett-Gramckow’s ability to transport you from wherever you happen to be reading to the anti-deluvian world is extraordinary. I had never considered that the Earth would be fundamentally different, harsher and less beautiful, until I read this book. Books 2 and 3 do not disappoint!

Cross posted to my blog (http://starlightbookreviews.wordpress...)

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Nov 29, 2008 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian, historical

I have almost given up on fiction retellings of Biblical history as very rarely does an author actually stick to what the Bible states on the subject. Therefore, I was tremendously pleased to read this wonderfully, vividly written story. It stuck faithfully to the Biblically provided information, though there really wasn't much there for this period (post-Flood during the time of Nimrod and the building of Babel). This author not only is a talented writer, but she put a lot of time, research, an...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Ashlee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow, this is an awesome book! I was totally thinking, "Oh, it can't be better than the first one! 'Cause that one was amazing." But it. Was. Absolutely. AWESOME! Annah and Shem fell in love so quickly in the first book; but it was a while before they could get married. But in this book, Karan and Zehker were ever so slowly falling in love(and, you may not believe me, but the second he started watching her as a child in the first few chapters, I just knew he loved her)! And it was so romantic, be...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biblical-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I was so glad that Noah and his sons were still alive for this book (and the 3rd book in the trilogy). I really liked those characters! This book follows two of Shem & Annah's great-granddaughters. Raised to worship The Most High, Sharah & Karan are taken to the Great City. Sharah is only to happy leave the Most High. Sharah has abandoned her infant son and husband to marry Nimr-Rada. Karan is forced to live in the city Sharah rules together with Nimr-Rada. Nimr-Rada has put a curse on K...more

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Nov 23, 2012 Historyprincess rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-fiction

This is the second book in the Genesis trilogy by Kacy Barnett-Gramckow, and I can only say that she's done it again!

This book takes place years after the Great Flood. Shem and Annah are now great-grandparents. One of their grandchildren, after having seven sons, finally has two daughters. The older is named Sharah, and the other Keren. But both girls are very strange. Sharah has pale skin, blond hair, and pale eyes. Keren has dark skin and dark hair like her ancestors, but she too has pale eyes...more

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Mar 16, 2011 Kaity-Jane Culbertson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-all-time-favorites, wishlist

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Labels: Ages 14+, Biblical Fiction, Christian Books, Favorites, Fiction, Historical Romance, Kacy Barnett-Gramckow, Romance, Ten Stars
Saturday, March 12, 2011

He Who Lifts The Skies by Kacy Barnett-Gramckow

Powerful imagery creates a "you are there" immersion in the story of the post-Flood world. Kacy Barnett-Gramckow fans raved about her extraordinary job of moving the Flood off the S...more

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Dec 02, 2010 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

He Who Lifts the Skies was a great read! The story of Keren immediately drew me into the story. As with the first book in The Genesis Trilogy, I give 5 stars for an amazing read! I liked how it started off with Shem and Annah – the couple from the first book, The Heavens Before. I was just so attached to Annah, that I was thrilled when they were in He Who Lifts the Skies!

Keren seemed like such a sweet girl, and I instantly liked her giving, selfless character. She reminded me of Annah! ;-) It wa...more He Who Lifts the Skies was a great read! The story of Keren immediately drew me into the story. As with the first book in The Genesis Trilogy, I give 5 stars for an amazing read! I liked how it started off with Shem and Annah – the couple from the first book, The Heavens Before. I was just so attached to Annah, that I was thrilled when they were in He Who Lifts the Skies!

Keren seemed like such a sweet girl, and I instantly liked her giving, selfless character. She reminded me of Annah! ;-) It was a different story with her older sister, Sharah - I just wanted to slap her sometimes! She set my teeth on edge with the way she treated Annah and everyone else! Sharah made the perfect ‘bad girl’ for the book! Lol

The Story of Nimr-Rada’s fall away from the Most High was sad, but real. One would think, after hearing all the stories their great-great grandparents would tell them about the Flood and the Most High, no man would turn against Him. Or, given the fact that everyone during that time was in some way related (Grandparents, Uncles, Cousins, etc), that they would want to kill anyone! But, sadly, even though God wiped evil from the world and gave His creation a new start…we’ve just ended up back into sin...

Another thing that interested and intrigued me is the fact that no man could touch Keren – if it was done, the man would be put to death. That must be so strange! And to live that way for so long! :-o Certainly an interesting twist to the story! (And if you’re wondering why this was so, you’ll have to purchase the book to find out – it’s well worth the money!)

The love story in this book is calm and sweet. Nothing overly passionate or romantic and I thoroughly enjoyed their growing affections. It was, as I said, a very sweet story! And at the end, when Keren’s lover is actually able to touch her, it is…magical!

To sum it up, I highly recommend this book, as well as the first book in The Genesis Trilogy, The Heavens Before. Both are treasure to add to your book collection!
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Feb 20, 2010 Casey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Personally, I liked this one more than the first book. I think I liked the protagonist more. Keren had a backbone. She never broke. She pushed, as her name implies. I loved that about her.

I thought the author expertly tied all the plots and the characters together, because I wondered how she would handle all of these little subplots with so many characters, but it wound up being surprisingly cohesive. I also could appreciate the spiritual message woven into the plot.

I would only shave off half...more

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Oct 07, 2008 Carol rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Carol by: I'm reviewing books for my church

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Unbelievable is the one word I’d use to sum up He Who Lifts the Skies, the second book in the Genesis Trilogy by Kacy Barnett-Gramckow. I was impressed with the first book. It was great story and well told, based on the Bible.
This book is pure fantasy. And there are several places in the book that are just plain silly. After five years as Nimrod’s (Nimr-Rada) prisoner, Keren/Karan has still not learned to use her weapons. Plus there is no evidence in the Bible that the first Caucasians were the...more Unbelievable is the one word I’d use to sum up He Who Lifts the Skies, the second book in the Genesis Trilogy by Kacy Barnett-Gramckow. I was impressed with the first book. It was great story and well told, based on the Bible.
This book is pure fantasy. And there are several places in the book that are just plain silly. After five years as Nimrod’s (Nimr-Rada) prisoner, Keren/Karan has still not learned to use her weapons. Plus there is no evidence in the Bible that the first Caucasians were the great-grandchildren of Shem. In fact it states very clearly that Shem, Jepheth and Ham each produced different races, long before this fictional girl came along with her gray eyes.
From the beginning this book skips too much time without filling the reader in on what went on in between. So we are left with little or no background and a jumble of characters that we hardly know. I found it very difficult to keep track of people, let alone how they were related to each other.
I will give the author the benefit of the doubt when it comes to Nimrod being a ruler. The Bible does say that he was a mighty hunter and that he built cities. So it’s quite possible that he lead the way in building the Tower of Babel. However the whole point of the book was the tower and it received very little attention in this book.
WARNING: The following paragraph reveals the outcome of the book.
I was very disappointed in the end of the book. The tribunal meeting, in which Keren and others accuse Nimrod of horrible deeds, was way too short. It was just people (some of whom we didn’t know) shouting accusations and Nimrod brushing them off. I also found it hard to believe that Nimrod, as he was portrayed in the book, would have showed up for this witch-hunt. But the most unbelievable scene was when Shem slits Nimrod’s throat. First, the Lord doesn’t ask people to kill other people. He’s quite capable of taking care of someone’s death, if He feels its necessary. Plus, if this event actually occurred, as it’s told here, I’m sure there would have been some mention of it in the Bible. Especially since Shem, who is counted in Christ’s ascendants, was the supposed murderer.
I will read the next book, as this may be where we see the people confounded by different speech and migrate to other lands. My only hope is that it’s a better story than this one.
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Mar 24, 2010 Meadow rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

Sharah and Keren are both wanted by the powerful Nim-Rada, but Keren is persistent in her refusal and in her trust to the Most High. As Nim-Rada starts on a tower that will reach into the heavens, Keren is used as a tool of fear, and beauty with her pale eyes.

It was VERY enjoyable, for fiction.
There really isn't much to go on about Nimrod, so most of it was fiction set during a real time period.
It was sorta confusing with all the relatives, and when Annah said that "The young people are older...more

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May 23, 2009 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've been trying to read books that bring me closer to God - not an easy task. This book felt "real" to me, not like some of the other Christian fiction I've read. I also enjoyed the romance, as I believe God is constantly wooing us!

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Jan 13, 2009 Joan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Second book in the Genesis trilogy: wonderful characters! How are those who believe in the Most High God sustained in the most difficult circumstances. Kacy is a fine story-teller!

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Feb 28, 2013 Dorota Krystyna rated it 4 of 5 stars

A compelling story set after the Flood about the times of Nimrod and the building of Babel. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the story, I still prefer the first book in the trilogy.

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Jun 08, 2012 Audrey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Awesome book!

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Jul 23, 2009 Joy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Just a good trilogy.

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Feb 06, 2012 Tgirl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-books, favorites

Overal the book was very good, but it was a little fast-paced in areas. I enjoyed it despite that fact though. I will truly never think of the Bible-times the same! I'm looking forward to the third book!

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Feb 14, 2013 Gabrielle W. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, christian-fiction

Book 2 in the Genesis Trilogy. Powerful imagery creates a 'you are there' immersion in the story of the post-Flood world.

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About Kacy Barnett-Gramckow

Some of Kacy's works have appeared devotionals such as Seasons of a Woman's Heart, and God's Abudance for Women. She also has written under the pen name of R.J. Larson, and Elizabeth Larson, as seen in A Moment A Day, and The Women's Devotional Bible.

When Kacy is not relaxing with her books and writing, she is working, cooking, tatting, spoiling other people's kids, and enjoying her family.

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He Who Lifts the Skies (Genesis #2)

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