In the Beginning

The Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven #1

by John J. Higgins

Even a match made in Heaven can go awry. THE ARCHANGEL JARAHMAEL AND THE WAR TO CONQUER HEAVEN is the epic three-part story of the Creation of the Universe, told from the perspective of the Angels themselves. The first book of the trilogy, IN THE BEGINNING describes the initial creation and the establishment of the Seven Heavens and the Nine Orders of Angels, but it also tells of the first Humans, Lillith and Adam. Although they are quite literally a match made in Heaven, free will wreaks havoc with destiny when Lillith falls in love with the Archangel Jarahmael. Can love, as the very essence of the Almighty's Universe, survive free will? Or will love, when exposed to an untethered will, rip the Universe apart, pitting Good against Evil in a battle for all?

Genres: Fantasy

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 18, 2012

About the author

About the Author
John J. Higgins is an attorney and former statewide prosecutor who has had a multi-faceted career and life. He has worked on farms, performed firearm repairs, and refinished and sold antiques, all before he finished high school. In between pursuing his college studies, he supervised industrial finishing operations and assisted in developing a powder coating system. After college, he worked fulltime and attended law school at night. He also filmed rock stars and celebrities for public service announcements and produced and emceed a play that performed before audiences that totaled over 170,000. In his career as an attorney, he researched and wrote policy papers for governmental committees, drafted legislation, and revised statutes. In his role as a statewide prosecutor he was involved in some of the highest profile cases in his state, from prosecuting multiple and complex crime rings to homicides, including those committed by a serial killer. Among other things he does in his private life, he can scuba dive and pilot an airplane. An avid student of history and spiritual development, he lives in New Jersey in an old Victorian train station he converted into his residence.
He can be reached at his website: john-j-higgins.com

Reviews

[May · Rating 3 out of 5]

The creation story in a much more detailed and interesting narration.
I don't really know how to review this book without spoiling anything but I will try my best.

First of all: the world-building
This is probably the thing I enjoyed most about In the Beginning. I loved reading about the Almighty creating the universe, his reasons for it, how the Heavens were structured, and the different Orders of Angels -whose names I absolutely loved- and the various jobs they were assigned.
Aside from the fact that every natural law was broken and many things did not make much sense like the dinosaurs demise' and the angels needing to sleep (??) it was very interesting to read about the creation of the universe in more detail.


The characters were fascinating. The Almighty himself struck me as very stupid for a multitude of reasons, well either that or extremely naive. I still don't understand his fascination with the humans. I'm a human and I'm rooting for the angels because they are angels!! which is another word for awesome, obviously.
And I know he's the bad guy and all but I loved Luciferael. It was very easy to relate to him, unlike say, Michael who doesn't have an ounce of individuality to him. I still don't understand how the angels supposedly don't have free will when several of them just went about and did whatever they wanted. Luciferael and his Auxilium never stuck me as mindless drones who only did what they were created to do.
Lillith and Jarahmael were also good characters but I don't think they were developed well enough. I hope we'll get to see more of them in the following books.


The writing was fine. The dialogue wasn't. I wanted to feel a difference between the way humans and other animals spoke and how divine beings talked, but there was no such a thing. The Almighty talked exactly like Adam or Eve did, but with capitals when he was talking about Himself (see what I did here xD). Sometimes the characters reacted in a very unnatural way or said something so utterly idiotic I actually felt sorry for them. Overall, there were many instances of "wait...what?!"

I will put this as an item on its own because it is probably the biggest issue I have with this book.

Instant Love

I don't know how much In the Beginning adhered to the original creation story, but there were several modifications (can I call them that?) that I liked very much.
Without going into details they are:
- An Anti-sexism message and independent, resourceful women
- Inter-species romance (for lack of a better term)
- Revolting against higher authority
- The importance of explaining why you are doing crazy, inexplicable things so that you don't inadvertently end up alienating those who love you (very important!)

All in all, it was a very intriguing book and had many original twists and turns. I am very interested in reading the other two books in the series and hopefully they will be even better.

[Pierce Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

John J. Higgins tolds a story that's completely exciting and this book beyonds its imagination. Magnificent, and page turner historical book. Higgins tolds a story both 'Historical and Science Fiction'. This first book of him blows me away: such powerful imagination inside the book, and a best read...

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, the angels and their levels and the ranks was fascinating to me.Thankfully John Higgins told me that I didn't have to memorize which rank did what. Who knew there were so many. I liked the way that the story line was similar to the Bible, in that historical but not exactly. does that make sense? I will have to read the other books that follow in the series, very curious to what happens next.

[Scott Harrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exciting intro to the angelic realm - and the biblical history of man on earth is part of the story. I found myself completely caught up in the action, and I am looking forward to the next installment of this epic action adventure (no spoilers here).

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I didn't finish this one. Not a fan. I can't really even explain why. I didn't really connect with the characters. Plus, I know the "ending" so it was hard for me to keep reading. Beautiful imagery though.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review posted on my blog The Writer's Library.

"Before there was a universe, a spirit existed, without form or limit, unrestricted by beginning or end. Nameless, the Being was composed of all the energy, matter and substance that would become the Universes, known and unknown, and all lesser life and spirit forms.”

Well, this was interesting! Before I get into it, I should give a brief summary.

The story opens with an Archangel, Jarahmael, searching for a missing human named Lilith, establishing the main problem that the story will deal with. We follow the story through the creation of the universe and meet the other Archangels working under God, such as Michael, Luciferael, and Beelzaebel (99% sure I spelled that wrong). Higgins establishes that there are different orders of angels working under the Almighty as we follow the beginning of the universe and the Earth. When the Almighty starts working on an experiment with Humans, though, we see how we got to Jarahmael searching for Lilith. Meanwhile, the angel Luciferael has his own plans to overthrow the Almighty, as He gets more into the human experiment, and Luciferael wants to kidnap Lilith to try to work toward destroying the human experiment. Can Jarahmael get to her first before she comes to any harm?

I admit, I’m not the most religious person. I finally received my sacraments just last year at twenty years old and, while I believe in God, what I believe Him to be is a little bit different from what the average Christian may believe. That being said, I was excited to see what Higgins was going to do with this type of setup, and he takes full advantage of it, almost seamlessly tying his own narrative into the overall creation story of Christianity.

The worldbuilding of this book is very, very strong. At first, I admit, I was confused with the creation of Lilith, but as the story went on, I started to understand what Higgins was doing by showing how it didn't work with her as Adam's original mate. Creating Eve because it didn’t work out between Adam and Lilith was a great way to showcase one specific flaw of humans: misogyny. I love that this book addressed that in full and Adam learned from his mistakes. I was afraid, when it came to light, that Higgins would avoid addressing it, but I love that Adam’s mistakes and flaws tied into the creation of Eve.

"'I can change my Lord! I will do whatever you tell me to get her back,’ Adam pleaded.

‘It is too late for that, Adam, I am afraid. She is gone and will not be coming back to you.’

Adam’s body bent forward when he heard the Almighty’s announcement. ‘But now I will be all alone here in Eden, my Lord. What will I do?’

‘Do you promise to treat your mate better and more as an equal?’

‘Yes! Yes! I will. I promise that I will treat her as an equal and will not tell her lies that You have put me in charge of her,’ Adam said, feeling encouraged that he may not remain alone.”

On Lilith’s side, it was great to see her fully come to the realization of what she wanted and how she planned to go about it. She was wonderfully independent and knew how to approach taking command of her own life. I loved the idea of her falling in love with Archangel Jarahmael and trying to contemplate the consequences of such a love. Presenting her with that problem, even before she left Eden, showed that she had awesome self-awareness, even when she didn’t fully understand how to tackle such an issue.

"Lilith walked into the woods, thinking about her encounter with Jarahmael. He was the second Archangel she had met but there was something more magnetic about him than the Archangel Michael. She had never felt that level of attraction for Adam, and although he was of her own kind, this Archangel brought her alive on a more intense level.”

Now, I should discuss some of the Archangels before moving on.

The first one I want to discuss is Luciferael. He is really the main antagonist of the story, driven by a disturbing degree of self-importance and vanity to interfere with God’s ultimate plan. I love how his vain nature is captured through him enjoying looking at his own reflection in mirrors. It’s such a simple way to show that he puts himself first and makes it pretty easy to see how he eventually goes down the path of corruption.

Higgins shows Luciferael’s power and desire for more of that power in a couple of ways. Probably one of the strongest indications of the angel’s influence is the creation of his Auxilium of loyal followers, who mainly serve the purpose (in a character sense) of feeding that lust for power Luciferael has. Seeing this Auxilium drive Luciferael’s interference in God’s plan is incredibly disturbing and worrying, because by that point, Higgins makes the direction of the story fairly clear.

Now, that may seem like a bad thing, but here it is actually an advantage, because we see how the main antagonist slowly turns against God in by turns bigger and more daring ways. And it’s agonizing. One of the best things an author of a series could do is tell a complete story in one book, but also leave subtle hints of what is to come later on in the overall story they are telling through multiple books. And Luciferael is one big red flag that shows at least some of the direction of the later story, through some of the subtlest and other, more obvious (i.e. his name) hints. We may not know exactly how it will all go down, but it is something to wait in anticipation for.

"I will have to develop my creation skills better, he thought to himself. Sure, his own creations were more colorful and better armored with their colored scales, but Eve was a far more beautiful creation. The thoughts disturbed him and he rapidly changed his thinking. The Almighty already had his dinosaurs and reptiles to consider and use as a base when He created these Humans, so of course they would be more beautiful! Maybe he, Luciferael, should make creatures even more wonderful than the Humans, now that he had seen them and could adapt to improve their form!”

Now that that's covered, I should move on to Jarahmael.

Right off, I actually really liked him. I love that he is willing to work for the Almighty, but also has the ability and willingness to think through certain problems that arise. I enjoyed seeing him work with the other Archangels and eventually search for Lilith, while also having at least some idea of Luciferael’s ideas and plans, while still not fully knowing exactly what to expect. I also loved that he was able to acknowledge and examine his own feelings for Lilith and consider the consequences of such feelings. The fact that he was able to make the distinction between his love for the other angels and his love for Lilith showed a good deal of maturity while also acknowledging the significance of both types of love.

That being said, I do wish we had seen a little bit more of who he was when he wasn’t really working or with Lilith. I don’t think he was rounded enough for me to really get into who he was as a character, as much as I liked him. Given that this is a series, I imagine Higgins will show more of who he is in later books, maybe give him another character arc, or something like that, but there could have been a little bit more to him shown here, given that it’s the first book.

"Grabbing the third of the Archangels created after him, Luciferael looked into another set of dark blue eyes, this one with dark brown hair. Deep blue feathers covered his wingtips over his shoulders. Luciferael watched life come into those eyes as he breathed into his nostrils. Luciferael smiled and realized that he was enjoying this power to create life. This new Angel had an independent look in his eyes as the life flooded into him. Different from the others, Luciferael noted a greater depth of awareness in this one. He paused before naming him as he had a peculiar feeling that this one could see into his mind. Luciferael then announced ‘You shall be known as Jarahmael, the secrets of the Almighty.’”

I also want to give mention to the Almighty as a character. Now, I liked what Higgins did with Him, keeping His actions out in the open but not really saying what His motivations for those actions were. Much like we don’t fully understand the nature of a force such as God, the Angels and Humans in the story never really fully get what He is trying to do. And Higgins even uses this to fuel Luciferael’s rebellion, which is really nice to see. This idea could open a lot of interesting discussions. How much should we know? Are we entitled, as humans, to know everything that is in store for us? How far is too far in the pursuit of knowledge? At what point do Humans cross the line in pursuit of knowledge?

"The Almighty’s presence in the Throne Room was always magnificent: bliss would flow from the center of his Being into each and every one of the assembled Angels, equal in warmth and love whether the Angel was a Guardian Angel, Archangel, or Seraphim. Distance from the Throne meant nothing, and each and every Angel felt directly connected with the Almighty.”

You could even say that such questions apply to the Archangels, too. For example, why would the Almighty keep certain things from them? What exactly are they allowed to know? How far is too far in knowing what He knows?

These questions all add a certain humanity to the Angels while also opening up said discussions about humanity and our purpose (or if we even have one).

I don’t really have too many negatives about this story, but I do want to address something that I think is worthy to think about.

Now, the way Higgins set up this story is fine. It follows a clear layout and goes through events accordingly, with the rules of the Archangels made up according to what the author wants and it’s all tied together nicely. That being said, I kind of wish Higgins had made Jarahmael’s and Luciferael’s goals a bit more clear-cut. What I mean by this is I wish he had established some sort of consistent reminder that Lilith would go missing and why Jarahmael had to find her, going a little more into exactly what her going missing would mean. This was done in the first chapter, but after that, it’s not really even hinted at until much later, making the goal of the story a little unclear at times because Higgins is trying to do so much at once. Luciferael’s goals hinge on events, meaning he changes his mind very often and his desire to find Lilith before anyone else does is a little shaky. The hatred of the humans made me wonder why he didn’t try to go after Adam and Eve, too, when he was willing to destroy his own creation of the dinosaurs in the same vein. You can have the creation of the universe, the fall of the dinosaurs, and the creation of the humans, but if the factors that connect them all aren’t brought up, it can make you wonder about why said information is even being established.

Following both the Archangels and the Humans all throughout the story is set up in such a way so that we know how we got to where they are at the end, but unfortunately because of that, the ending is a little underwhelming. I remember thinking how, when Lilith was found, Luciferael would surely kidnap her at any time, right? But after she was found, nothing of significance happened with her. I imagine Higgins is saving that for a later book, but at the very least, I wish we’d gotten some hint of her actually being in danger.

All that said, I really did enjoy this story. I think Higgins has put together a very interesting concept and, in my opinion, it is definitely not a story to miss out on.

[Joni Martins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review

Basic Details:
Book Title: In the Beginning
Subtitle: (The Archangel Jarahmael and the War to Conquer Heaven #1)
Author: John J. Higgins
Genre: Religion/Mythical/Fantasy
Part of a series? Yes
Order in series: 1
Best read after earlier books in series? N/A
Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Overall score:
I scored this book 4/5
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Short Summary of the book:
This is an alternative telling of Genesis, the first book in the Christian bible. We all know about the “In the beginning” and follow as the heavens, the universe and earth are created. In the book, we read about the archangels and other angels and how they came to be. Dinosaurs are also mentioned and, of course, Adam and Eve. Oh, don’t forget Lillith. Lucipherius, the first archangel plays an important role too in this book.
What I liked about the book:
Even though many people will have heard the story of how life came to be, this was an alternative way of looking at it and described the story from the point of view of the angels.
What I didn’t like about the book:
The first few chapters were a slow start, however, about halfway through the book, the pace increased and attention was easier kept.
My favourite bits in the book:
Jarahmael never seems to lose the kindness we all expect angels to possess.
My least favourite bits in the book:
The book told the first book of the bible in an alternative way.
Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?
I understand this is the first book in a 3-part series.
What books could this be compared to and why?
This book is tackling a subject not often tackled in this way. It is unique in the interpretation and viewpoint.
Recommendation:
In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

Children No
Young Adult Maybe
Adult Yes

If you like to look at the story of Genesis in a different way, this book may be the book for you.

I look forward to reading more books by this author.
Book Description by Author:
Even a match made in Heaven can go awry. THE ARCHANGEL JARAHMAEL AND THE WAR TO CONQUER HEAVEN is the epic three-part story of the Creation of the Universe, told from the perspective of the Angels themselves. The first book of the trilogy, IN THE BEGINNING describes the initial creation and the establishment of the Seven Heavens and the Nine Orders of Angels, but it also tells of the first Humans, Lillith and Adam. Although they are quite literally a match made in Heaven, free will wreaks havoc with destiny when Lillith falls in love with the Archangel Jarahmael. Can love, as the very essence of the Almighty's Universe, survive free will? Or will love, when exposed to an untethered will, rip the Universe apart, pitting Good against Evil in a battle for all?
About the Author:
John J. Higgins is an attorney and former statewide prosecutor who has had a multi-faceted career and life. He has worked on farms, performed firearm repairs, and refinished and sold antiques, all before he finished high school. In between pursuing his college studies, he supervised industrial finishing operations and assisted in developing a powder coating system. After college, he worked fulltime and attended law school at night. He also filmed rock stars and celebrities for public service announcements and produced and emceed a play that performed before audiences that totaled over 170,000. In his career as an attorney, he researched and wrote policy papers for governmental committees, drafted legislation, and revised statutes. In his role as a statewide prosecutor he was involved in some of the highest profile cases in his state, from prosecuting multiple and complex crime rings to homicides, including those committed by a serial killer. Among other things he does in his private life, he can scuba dive and pilot an airplane. An avid student of history and spiritual development, he lives in New Jersey in an old Victorian train station he converted into his residence.
He can be reached at his website: john-j-higgins.com

[Nina Gliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the best that I have read in my entire life. I haven't seen this concept before with Historical Fiction and it was entirely new to me, so I got hooked in pretty quickly. It was very intriguing for me to see how these characters interacted with each other, to see what they would do next, even if you are familiar with the whole story of the rebellion, Lilith/Lillith, Adam, Eve. It was interesting to see the author make it his own while also making those an integral part of the story.

It was also a plus that, during some points, I couldn't help but feel for Luciferael. It was maybe because I saw some parts of myself in him and we have things in common (like being the first born, for example). He's certainly one of the characters that you just can love and hate at the same time.

If you dig deeper, you also see the relevance of the story to the modern world. You see a reflection of how love is. You see a reflection of how people could be willing to give up those they love the most. One of the important parts of the story reflects the saying that "Experience is the best teacher" because Adam and Eve had to learn from their own mistakes in eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.

You see a reflection of people in governments that are corrupt, that want to overthrow good leaders in an attempt to bask in the glory and the power that they want from their desired position.

You see the people willing to take you back despite your mistakes, to forgive you, willing to let you start anew. You could also see and feel as if you've been betrayed despite knowing what Eve and Adam did when they are that fruit. You see these things: you see love, friendship, hope, in the pages of this book... but you will also see that these do not come easily. You have to wait and be patient, and everything will work out in due time.

Now, one of the things that used to irk me the most was probably the notion of instant love between Jarahmael and Lillith, though as I read, it became very apparent that it was an integral part of the storyline and it also came to mind that not everybody moves in the same pace that we usually see in other books. At the very end of the book, I had learned to come to terms with it and actually was happy that they were together in the Seventh Heaven when the fall of man came.

Some of the writing could still be improved. Perhaps it would also be good to flesh out the other Archangels that are part of the Auxilium, and I feel like it would also be good to find more replacements to the word "said" to make it have more impact and make it more colorful in terms of storytelling.

Overall, a really great work and I enjoyed it so much! Other than those little technicalities, it was a great ride, reading this book! Kudos to Mr. Higgins for this wonderful novel!

P. S.: I got a free ebook copy of this book through the Booktasters reading program. Check them out on Twitter: @BookTasters

[Jbb Lim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was approached by Booktasters in connecting me with the author for an honest review.

Personally, I'm a big Bible nerd. That being said, from this stand point, it doesn't deviate my opinions when I'm reading fictionalised Biblical events. To be honest, I would never have thought that the events of the creation can be fictionally written at this scale.

Truthfully, Higgins knows the chronological events in Genesis extremely well. That being said, there are definite loop holes which allow him to play around with by filling in with his work of art to much delight. This is a definite supernatural fantasy genre that is really up my alley.

Things I like:
World Building
I enjoyed how the Creation took place progressively. And this is what I like about how the world building was written, he did not take for granted that his readers knows about the events of the creation and allow his readers to experience how the Almighty beautifully does it majestically. Guiding us through like a cinematic montage. Very well done, I might say.

Character Development
The Almighty itself might sound a little too human but then again, admittedly we will never know how He's going to sound like. Still a good representation of how the Almighty plays the subtle role yet the writing for His omnipresence is just the right amount. Not too much and not too over powerful.

What dominates the entire book here are the types of angels introduced to us. Specifically the archangels. Very well planned in developing their characteristics with different sets of voices whereby readers are able to clearly differentiate it. Jarahmael's character resonates with me a lot more as the book progresses.

There was one character that I am very still very much curious about is, Lilith. She is still a mystery to me until now. Which made me want to know more about what's the outcome of her role in this series.

Plot
The plot was predictable which leads up the fall of mankind. The deception plan was one I would have never thought out to be as such but then again, it was very well thought out. There were stuff like the pyramids built within Eden and outside of it. I wonder what's the purpose of having these pyramids for.

Overall, I would recommend this book and to advise Christians to read it with an open mind. It's really interesting how Higgins shaped the all well-known creation events with such an interesting turn. Radical Christians might call it a blasphemy, but this to me it's an interesting take altogether!

I really don't mind reading the entire series to get to know what happened next.

Ratings: 5 out of 5 stars

My Blogspot Review

[Ilya Shevchenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before delving into my review, I must warn that English is my second language so it might seem untidy.

I mostly enjoyed the book. The beginning and the end of the story were riveting. It seemed to be a little boring at the middle because the events unfurled too slow for my liking.

A detailed rendition of the biblical story was the main reason why I chose to read this. I loved the theory behind the world’s mechanics such as description of angel’s nature and abilities, same for other beings. Luciferael is very recognizable, his jealousy and his pride that he harbored from the earliest days probably were always there. The Almighty struck me as a kind and loving but still capable of harsh decisions when the need be. Exactly how I thought the God was like.

The plotline with Jaramael and Lilith was the part which I didn’t think I would like since I’m not into romance, but I did. It was very moving. Lilith is definitely my favorite character. I admired her resolve and independence and her beauty (I have a good imagination).

I want to emphasize the beauty of the language. The syntax and the word choise entertained me a great deal. It was elegant and refined. But… Characters’s speech could be more diverse.

Secondary characters are hugely undeveloped, although I understand that it’s troublesome to give a personality to each of countless angels.

Sometimes while reading I had a feeling of lacking details in some parts (I’m a little confused about the exact location of Eden, the creation in the beginning was a little vague…) and having too much of them in other parts (like the characters’s reasoning). Descriptions of landscapes and places were top grade as other reviewers had already noted.

I will gladly read the second and the third part of the trilogy. I have a feeling they will be even more riveting.

[Veerle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got or actually chose to read this book for free via booktasters in exchange for an honest review.
I chose this one in particular because of the archangel's theme, a subject I have been coming across a lot lately.
The story details 'the beginning', the creation of the Universe and the heavens by the Almighty. For this purpose he creates his first born Luciferael to co-create all of the archangels and angels, so they can help to create the universe and all of the stars and planets out of pure energy. The earth is a special project where the Almighty creates Simians as an experiment, and Luciferael makes his dinosaurs and other reptiles. If you wondered about pyramids or how come the dinosaurs disappeared from the earth, you might find an explanation here. While the earth is evolving, in the garden of Eden in a corner of the first heaven, the first human experiment takes place. This human experiment is an alternative to what is normal in the bible. In fact three humans are created by the Almighty, two of which will be expelled from the garden of Eden at the end of this first book. The third ones lives in the 7th heaven when this happens, leaving you wonder what will happen next with this human. I guess I'll have to read the sequels to know how this ends.
The book is beautifully written and easy to read with a good start, slowing down somewhat after that and getting more interesting once the human experiment starts to evolve. As I don't want to put in spoilers, I'll just say : If this sounds intriguing to you, then you might want to read and enjoy this book.

[Daniel Ibuchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

John J. Higgins's The Archangel Trilogy is tremendously exciting. Certainly a new way of looking at Genesis. The narrative really brings Genesis to heavenly life. Understanding how the angels became beings unto themselves and how their thinking becomes more complex, as they experience new emotions and how they cope with growing conflict is simply amazing and enlightening. This story as set out in three phase, is an exciting way to think. about how the universe was made. If you ponder the number of Angels, and the sheer variety of personalities, you can pick out similarities to people you may know well... All in all an exciting way to look at an old story made new again, from a different point of view "SPOILER ALERT". An old story from the perspective of the archangels - one of the most interesting ideas brought forward by this author is a decent explanation for the Pyramids and Sphinx!...To finally ponder ideas of what the Pyramids or the Sphinx might have been used for...or to entertain ideas of what might have happened to the dinosaurs! And how the dinosaur were able vanish without a clue. Angels flying around building pyramid just like on earth Aegyptus, a nice way to talk about angels working. Again, John Higgins characters such as Lilith and jarahmael are astonishing. Good work and an exciting read.

[Mapau Villegas · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Those things are nice, but I think there Is far more beauty and elegance in the smaller and more intricate creations"

One of my favorite quotes of the book. I enjoy readind this book especially the creation process and the evolution process and how they were intricate in a good way, was like see the two faces of one coin. You can see love and hate forms and knowing this new world created by the autor, besides I enjoy reading about Angels, because cassie mention offten in her shadowhunters series. If the romance have more presence of the beginnig I would give the book 5, but only see romance in the end, and I think Is because Is a series. But I really enjoy reading.



-------------------------------------Spoiler----------------------------------------
I really love lillith character, in other books they put a this women like someone bad, but in this series she Is just a girl how Is not happy in the way she live, i hope she have her happy ending with Jarahmael, because all the historys I read about her end in a bad way. Luciferael Is a good character too, the transition of love to hate was well develovep, that in some point you just know he chanced. And Jarahmael Is strong character, he Is the central point in this series, I hope he continue happy.

[Mike Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My readings in theology, works like Milton’s “Paradise Lost”, "The Summa", probably tainted my vision when it came to this book. If you read it, it helps to put aside theological or religious bents to delve into the book, because it has a conceptually interesting central idea and supporting themes. After reading the first nine chapters in a short evening read, there was this sense of redundancy that slowed down the flow and it took two more evenings to finish it. It might just be me, but a couple of things stood out and slowed the read and perhaps a full enjoyment of the work. Character names, particularly the main character, appear in what seems like every paragraph, and even if you're used to complex characters and even relatively high numbers of characters, this book had a lot of characters competing for your attention, sometimes pushing story aside. Albeit its own form of creation story, the characters didn’t engage me as I’d hoped, and this could be a case of me setting unfairly high expectations going in. If you want to explore an interesting twist on Christian creation, and you can work through the characters, you may find a pleasant distraction here.

[Christine Vazou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought that a story about biblical times would so interesting. It’s refreshing to read about the way angels may have lived and viewed the creation of everything and their struggles along the way. The structure of heaven and the division of the angels are done in an inventive way and I have to congratulate the author for the work and the imagination he put in this book.

Jarahmael and Lilith develop a relationship that most of us would only wish for. The connection and the chemistry between them are strong and I can’t wait to see where this Human – Archangel relationship is going.

One of the things I loved about this book is the realization that even the most perfect creatures ever existed, made of pure light, have a darker side to them take for example Luciferael and his Auxilium. Also the book ended in a smart cliffhanger and prepares the readers for the next book of the series. It surely made me want to start reading the second one right away.

[Bookish Persephone · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Archangel Jarahmael and the war to conquer heaven is best recommendation books for those who love angel and demons kind of genre. In this story, I love how the author, John Higgins, wrote the story as if we are witnessing the beginning of all. I also love that he introduce who lilith is (since I always heard of her from movies and I'm curious who she is. Hehe). In this book, it also tells how Lucifer became the villian and the reason why he wants to take control of the heaven but I love him if he is in good side since he is the first archangel. I also love that even in books I met different archangels (since I love angels. Lol). It makes me like archangel Jarahmael for he is loyal to the Almighty. Every chapter of the book it will leave you thinking "what happen next?" and the ending of book one makes me more curious to what will happen on book 2.

[Ricky · Rating 4 out of 5]

John J. Higgins has taken it upon himself to embark on an ambitious retelling of the world’s most famous Biblical origin story, and this book is a start in the right direction. Ending on a cliffhanger that makes me want to know more, this book kept me locked into what was going on.

Someone with a thorough understanding of the Bible might find themselves combatting the descriptions or theological themes of the story, but if one allows themselves to dive into the world that Higgins is attempting to create for the reader, they will be taken for an amusing ride.

It’s not every day that someone takes a Biblical story and actually translates it into a narrative that isn’t boring, cliché, or corny. This does that, and I want to read more in this series to see what continues to develop.

[Luke Mangal · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In the Beginning" is aptly titled and well written. The book will be pleasure reading for readers interested in the Angel or biblical genre. Higgins creates a splendid world of the heavens before the creation, and adds personalities and conflicts to Archangels. Some not familiar with the genre could read this as blasphemous. I have read several books in the genre and find it intriguing. Higgins does not tell the story from a point of view of an historian or an "explainer." Rather he lets the characters in this easy to read novel, paint a picture using dialogue. Some of the story seems more like science fiction - with travels through planets and worlds. It is an enjoyable read about creation myths, and the place and relationships of the Almighty.

[Siwi Rindu · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, i in love with the story. They way John write the story make me never feel boring while read it. Also, i always wanted to read this kind of book, i meann the story about angels. Greatly summarizes all the questions that have ever had in my brain. but to be honest there is a slight drawback in my opinion. there is too much narrative in this book. but I'm not bothered by that, it's just that a narrative that is too long can make other people get bored faster. input from me, it's better to reduce the narrative a little. butttt the story is supperrrr nice this far!

[Kaesefuchs · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Story is told with such great details, i can really imagine being there. The atmosphere is for each setting great written. Chapters have a good length. Took me longer to read as i expected it but it's not my native language so it's ok. The only 'problem' that i had is, when more than 2 persons/beings talking to each other, it took me a little to figure out who is talking what. In conclusion it's a great book, absolutely worth to read, even if i needed a bit longer. Excited to read the other two books in the series :)

[I.G. Fleu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting way of retelling the creation story. It’s difficult to review this book because of the topic: it can include spoilers if you try to. However, I think John J. Higgins managed to change some accepted paradigms with this book. That doesn’t mean that it’s not true to the original story, but it’s still something that manages to delve into both the characters and the circumstances a little deeper. I particularly liked the process of the devil’s falling, as well as the redemption of the first woman.
All in all, a very nice read.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

“In the Beginning” is the first book in “The Archangel Jarahmael and the Daemons series”. This is a story about how God created everything from the Angels’ point of view.
The author did an amazing job with this book. Every scene was painted so vividly and the story flowed fluidly. I loved how he was able to incorporate the creation and destruction of the dinosaurs into this story. A beautiful story told by an amazing writer. I cannot wait to read the second book in this series.

[Syed Naqvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't believe when I saw that there exists a book series going so in-depth into actual process of creation of heavens and humans. Really amazing and awe-inspiring read. Though its having more of a fictional historical tone but still many won't be please fully if it comes to religious sentiments. But if you read it independent of any prejudices, you would thoroughly enjoy the whole journey. I wish to read the whole series.

[Rico Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The detailed description on how heaven is built puts you there as the reader. I felt as if I was watching instead of reading which was really cool. The author did a good job of explaining the heirarchy as well as foreshadowing all the things that could possibly go wrong down the road. Good stuff.

[Maxime Jaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting insight into the realm of angels with beautiful imagery. The romantic thread was an interesting addendum and gave a new perspective on the story. If you're into Archangels and the story of creation from a unique perspective, then this is your book. A cliff-hanger ending makes you want to read the next book in line.

[Özge Aslanovič · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the story, John described the details greatly like Dostoyevski. It made me look at Lilith from a different angle. My personal view about the topic that ithas made Lucifer stronger and better than he actually is, I didn't like it very much, but the book was generally gripping. I would recommend it to everyone. I give 9 out of 10!!

[Goran]

This is an unusual book, but original idea, about the creation of the heaven and universe with the builders angels and the "Allmighty". The story tells some kind of modern religious, and even fun way, how was it in the beginning. Even the dinosaurs are explained what happened to them and how in hell did those giants exist, what could bring them down.

[Vedona · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant first book in this series I am looking forward to reading the next 2 books I loved hearing about the angels and how they made their homes in the heavens anyway I don't want to spoil this for anyone else.

[Oko Benaiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book, the imagery is perfect. The author has been able to mix religion and science to provide a masterpiece. I’ll recommend this book