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Heaven Falls #2
Come Hell or High Water: The Book of Raphael
My name is Lucifer...
I told you my story in The Road to Hell. It was only the beginning.
Now the war in Heaven is over; the damned souls have fallen. All is as it should be. But Heaven is a fractured, broken husk. The Host is silent. The angels do not sing. The Father does not speak. All of it is frozen. Dying.
Except for Michael. Michael the Archangel is busy hunting. Everyone.
And I'm in Hell. This horrible place is a living cauldron of agony that engulfs the damned and burns them for eternity. And in the midst of all this chaos is me. But don't despair: this is just a means to an end.
A means to The End.
The Father made a mistake and I'm going to make Him end it. Because I know what scares the Father. And when you know what someone fears, there's no limit to what you can make them do.
My name is Lucifer and I will be the last.
I told you my story in The Road to Hell. It was only the beginning.
Now the war in Heaven is over; the damned souls have fallen. All is as it should be. But Heaven is a fractured, broken husk. The Host is silent. The angels do not sing. The Father does not speak. All of it is frozen. Dying.
Except for Michael. Michael the Archangel is busy hunting. Everyone.
And I'm in Hell. This horrible place is a living cauldron of agony that engulfs the damned and burns them for eternity. And in the midst of all this chaos is me. But don't despair: this is just a means to an end.
A means to The End.
The Father made a mistake and I'm going to make Him end it. Because I know what scares the Father. And when you know what someone fears, there's no limit to what you can make them do.
My name is Lucifer and I will be the last.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 11, 2020
3 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Christopher C. Starr
2 books54 followersChristopher C. Starr is the founder of Sanford House Press, the home of Stories Without Limits, and the author of the Heaven Falls series. He lives in Austin with The Wife, his kids – the Boy and the Honey Badger, and a pack of dogs. Chris has a sense of humor like a Gremlin, a trash TV fetish, and telling stories is absolutely what he was meant to do.
christophercstarr.com
christophercstarr.com
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 17, 2021
This is the second book to the series. And I can’t compare each book. This book is also another well written story and the author goes into detail explaining the story, setting the plot and giving you a chance to connect with the characters. Not only that but the characters become to develop differently from the first book. Each one bringing something different. The story developments flawlessly and captures the readers attention. You will experience differently emotional feelings as the characters continue with their journey.
November 1, 2020
Christopher Starr’s first book, The Road to Hell is a phenomenal work and it sets a high standard for Come Hell or High Water. Christopher fully delivers on that high standard, and from the start of this book, the tone and all of the emotions from The Road to Hell (which is one of my favorite books of all time) come flooding back in such an elegant way. The words all roll so smoothly as the story unfolds right before your eyes. The changing and dynamic perspectives of the various characters all help to propel the main story and events, and this is done through such a tasteful style that furthers develops each character’s personality and motivation. I personally lean to, and relate the most with Lucifer, but as the story continues on, you really can’t call any of the characters misguided, and they’re all so relatable. Christopher has such a profound way of evoking vivid imagery with his words and descriptions, and you can so easily watch the story unfold and progress in your mind. Come Hell or High Water is a sequel that fully advances and develops the series and the characters, and it is so deeply satisfying to read. You feel the anguish of Raphael. You can’t help but grin over Lucifer’s victories. You empathize with Michael and you feel the power of Gabriel. You feel the dedication of Sariel. Everyone has their own distinct personality, and I cannot express enough how marvelous of a book and a sequel this is. I’ve read a lot of stories about Lucifer and the archangels, but Christopher’s arc is the top cut and I cannot recommend his series enough. You’ll find yourself underlining paragraphs and sentences and dog-earing many pages throughout the book just because of the emotions that this book calls forth and for how powerful this story is. Congratulations to Christopher Starr and his Heaven Falls series. It will ascend the skies above.
February 21, 2021
As a disclaimer, I have not read book one of this series.
This was one of the most interesting takes on spiritual warfare that I have ever read. Starr uses the perspectives of the archangels and Lucifer to tell the story of Earth's creation to its first "end" of the flood. We watch the aftermath of the first battle in heaven and the consequences that follow Lucifer's choices, as well as how he begins to gain control over the earth.
Starr expresses some interesting theological ideas by granting the angels an inclination towards disobedience that only needs a slight push by Lucifer. The angels struggle with feeling trapped in a purpose they haven't chosen and a desire for freedom to make their own choices. They are kept at a distance from the Father and question his often vague directives. Starr also gives them an inherent violence and this is one of the bloodiest stories I have read in a while.
While I enjoyed my read through and was impressed with the concept, some of the mechanics were underwhelmingly executed. I often found myself struggling to picture the characters in scene and the different "realms" we saw were often only vaguely described. Starr's main focus was decidedly on dialogue and character motivations, and while that is clearly shown, it is mostly at the expense of these other important aspects. I did however enjoy the discussion on time and it's flexibility outside of Earth, as well as the mechanics of "interdimmensional travel" between the realms.
Overall I enjoyed my read and would like to go back and read book one of the series. I wish that a bit more time had been dedicated to putting meat on the bones of the world and fleshing out some of the overarching plot lines, but I do think the greater context of book one will clear up some of my lingering questions and confusion.
This was one of the most interesting takes on spiritual warfare that I have ever read. Starr uses the perspectives of the archangels and Lucifer to tell the story of Earth's creation to its first "end" of the flood. We watch the aftermath of the first battle in heaven and the consequences that follow Lucifer's choices, as well as how he begins to gain control over the earth.
Starr expresses some interesting theological ideas by granting the angels an inclination towards disobedience that only needs a slight push by Lucifer. The angels struggle with feeling trapped in a purpose they haven't chosen and a desire for freedom to make their own choices. They are kept at a distance from the Father and question his often vague directives. Starr also gives them an inherent violence and this is one of the bloodiest stories I have read in a while.
While I enjoyed my read through and was impressed with the concept, some of the mechanics were underwhelmingly executed. I often found myself struggling to picture the characters in scene and the different "realms" we saw were often only vaguely described. Starr's main focus was decidedly on dialogue and character motivations, and while that is clearly shown, it is mostly at the expense of these other important aspects. I did however enjoy the discussion on time and it's flexibility outside of Earth, as well as the mechanics of "interdimmensional travel" between the realms.
Overall I enjoyed my read and would like to go back and read book one of the series. I wish that a bit more time had been dedicated to putting meat on the bones of the world and fleshing out some of the overarching plot lines, but I do think the greater context of book one will clear up some of my lingering questions and confusion.
Currently reading
October 30, 2020
Come Hell or High Water
is a story about love and faith. Yes, we work with angels and demons in these pages: Michael and Gabriel and Raphael and Lucifer are our main cast of characters. But it's about us. It's about finding faith when you're surrounded by doubt. About doing the right thing when it feels wrong. When it is wrong. And finding your faith in spite of that. It's also a love story - how much love costs, how much love is worth. What you're willing to do - or not do - for love.
Come Hell or High Water is the second book in the Heaven Falls saga. You can check out Book 1, The Road to Hell: The Book of Lucifer to get the beginning of the story! I hope you enjoy it!
Come Hell or High Water is the second book in the Heaven Falls saga. You can check out Book 1, The Road to Hell: The Book of Lucifer to get the beginning of the story! I hope you enjoy it!
February 8, 2021
Gut-wrenching yet beautiful and poetic
Faith and Righteousness.
What works on their behalf? Call them angels. Name them. Make them soldiers to battle, kill and defend. No matter how destructive, nor how bloody. Then, hold humanity accountable when they do not understand.
In book two, some focus is on Lucifer reckoning with the loss of Sela, Lilith, his daughters Laylah and Dinial. His pain, even twisted, could be what orchestrates the chaos and even more loss. By the end, that kind of justice is what reaches all of earth.
It’s a war and like most wars, it feels as if the reason is obscured. It’s not really a fight for good or evil, not for light or darkness, not to rein or gain anything tangible. It really just seems to be ‘a thought’ the angels continue to fight over.
While reading the first book I associated it with a belief that I am familiar with and with heaven. As I read book two it felt more poetic, a dance with death and peace. Amidst the fighting, there are tender moments, love, disappointments, despair and bliss.
I enjoyed reading both book 1 The Road To Hell and book 2 Come Hell Or High Water. I loved them both. Both books are good reading. The subject is deep, dark, thought provoking and artfully written. Both books are stirring and emotionally riveting. I was caught up in the story and at times felt sick at what was going on This series has a knee jerk feel to it. Both books can be read simply as fantasy fiction novels and as stand alone books. Or if preferred, on a more biblical level. By the end of book 2, I had become very frustrated almost outraged with how it was ending. According to this series, humanity is created in the likeness of the creator, yet Man is to blame for everything that has gone wrong?
Both books contain explicit details and should be considered for adults and mature reading.
Faith and Righteousness.
What works on their behalf? Call them angels. Name them. Make them soldiers to battle, kill and defend. No matter how destructive, nor how bloody. Then, hold humanity accountable when they do not understand.
In book two, some focus is on Lucifer reckoning with the loss of Sela, Lilith, his daughters Laylah and Dinial. His pain, even twisted, could be what orchestrates the chaos and even more loss. By the end, that kind of justice is what reaches all of earth.
It’s a war and like most wars, it feels as if the reason is obscured. It’s not really a fight for good or evil, not for light or darkness, not to rein or gain anything tangible. It really just seems to be ‘a thought’ the angels continue to fight over.
While reading the first book I associated it with a belief that I am familiar with and with heaven. As I read book two it felt more poetic, a dance with death and peace. Amidst the fighting, there are tender moments, love, disappointments, despair and bliss.
I enjoyed reading both book 1 The Road To Hell and book 2 Come Hell Or High Water. I loved them both. Both books are good reading. The subject is deep, dark, thought provoking and artfully written. Both books are stirring and emotionally riveting. I was caught up in the story and at times felt sick at what was going on This series has a knee jerk feel to it. Both books can be read simply as fantasy fiction novels and as stand alone books. Or if preferred, on a more biblical level. By the end of book 2, I had become very frustrated almost outraged with how it was ending. According to this series, humanity is created in the likeness of the creator, yet Man is to blame for everything that has gone wrong?
Both books contain explicit details and should be considered for adults and mature reading.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews