John A. De Vito

Concept: Biblical stories told from the perspective of the Fallen ones.

Delivery: If it didn't have the stupid beginning/premise (a secret manuscript discovered in his grandpa's house) or the half King James-half modern writing style I'd enjoyed this book much more.

Consensus: Two things I really liked about this book. #1 the whole concept of creation, what God is, what the angels and demons are, and how the Genesis stories played out made more sense than the actual Bible stories. #2 The chapter Book of Philosophies has some great twists on ancient wisdom like the 10 commandments and such.… (mais)

This book was self-published, and quickly became an Amazon.com international bestseller. Further proof that writing a great story is more important than who you know.

This is very familiar story that's given longer roots and turned on it's head. It asks the familiar question "What if everything we think we know is false?". It's classic role reversal, but on a grander scale.

What if Satan were the true savior, and God the villain?

Where this story goes terribly right is that it doesn't just drop you into the plot and tell you what's what. It tells you the why and how. Where did God come from, and why did he create us? How could he get away with the greatest trick ever played?

I loved all the twists on familiar biblical events and people (Lazarus being my favorite).

Another aspect I loved is that it's written in the style of the Christian bible, which really gives it an air of authenticity.

My only problem with this book is that, at times, it could be a little full of itself.

And, yes, this is a work of fiction. I think ;)… (mais)

WARNING: If you are easily offended by anything which throws less than a positive light on Heaven or the Church, do not under any circumstances pick up this book. You'll really hate this one and label it as blasphemy.

Luckily, I don't have any trouble with this type of fiction, and I don't believe that this was meant to be anything but fiction. Looking over the Internet, however, I was surprised that there were people who totally believed in what was said between the covers. Ah well, to each his own, I guess.

I enjoyed it because it was a different approach on the origins of faith, religion and the Church, but I liked it mostly because it says something about questioning what we as humans are taught to believe.

plot summary:
The book begins with its author finding an old manuscript written in five different languages. It was hidden in an old building on the last remaining property belonging to the author's family in Italy. He took it home to the US, and eventually translated it. He explains how the manuscript came into being, and the rest of the book, outside of the epilogue, is the translation.

First off, the manuscript reveals that God and the archangels have come from a different universe which is dying thanks to the natural law of entropy. To save themselves, they must find another place, so by manipulating their energies, they arrive in the void just before our universe has been created. Once the task of creation is complete, they realize that there is none of their original universe's energy to sustain them, so they seek another solution. Think flip-flop of everything you've ever learned in Sunday school, and you pretty much have the story.

You'll either like it or you'll hate it, and you'll probably decide as much by Chapter One. If you get past that, you're in for a great read.… (mais)