This book is the sequel to Chuck Black's new (well, not so new anymore, seeing as the first book came out last fall) trilogy, "Wars of the Realm". Chuck Black is an amazing author and his books have been some of my favorites ever since I received Kingdom's Dawn for my birthday several years ago, and I must say, The Kingdom Series remains my favorite to this day.Rise of the Fallen attempted to cover some things that aren't made known to us clearly through the Bible...and it did well. Almost too well.
Cloak of the Light (which shall be reviewed shortly) began the story of Drew Carter, and, I guessed that Rise of the Fallen would continue his story. Well, I must need to work on my detective skills because...you got it, I was wrong.
Nope, this book is not mainly about Drew (something which I was kinda disappointed about, actually, considering his side of the story is super cool {IMO, anyway}). It's about Validus, an commander angel. Yes, an angel.
So let me explain: Wars of the Realm is just what it says. A fiction trilogy attempting to describe what the angelic realm beyond our comprehension is like. And it's interesting. I especially loved Cloak of the Light because of the intensity, drama, humor, suspense, and action. Don't get me wrong, Rise of the Fallen did have all of those things. But for some reason, it didn't appeal to me nearly as much as it's prequel. And I think I know why.
First of all, let me say that I really like Chuck Black's books, don't get me wrong. This book was well written and was perfect for a bookworm like me who reads through 306 page books in a couple of hours. Actually, it took a lot more concentration than most book just because it was so intense and had a lot of theological concepts that needed contemplating. Which I liked...and didn't like. I wanted to know what happened but I also didn't want the book to end!!!!!!
One of the things that I didn't like about the layout of this book is that it went back and forth. I don't mean between characters (I actually like books that go back and forth between characters to give you views from each person), but I mean between years. No, I'm not kidding. The book starts out in the present day. One chapter later, you're in 4010 B.C., "listening" to the angels' conversations before the world begins. (The angels' conversations before the world begins, not you listening before the world beings. Just clarifying.)Then, in chapter 4, you're back in the present world. I was hoping that the book would smooth out and stay in present day later on in the book, but it continued to switch back and forth throughout the entire plot. Not a big problem, but it was kind of aggravating when the chapter stopped at a cliff-hanger and then went back several thousand years.
Angels. The Bible doesn't really tell us much about them except for verses such as Hebrews 13:2, 1 Timothy 5:21, 2 Peter 2:4-9, and many in Revelation. I write this to say, we don't know much about them...giving room for imagination and speculation. I'm not saying that this stuff is fanciful and ridiculously fabled --- Not at all, it actually (if you have an understanding of the Bible and know what it says) makes a lot of since when reading parts that aren't addressed in the Bible.
Lots of angels and people. There were a lot of characters in this book, so if you have trouble keeping up with a lot of different names in books, beware!!! :) (Personally, I enjoy the challenge...and the Cast of Characters in the front of the book helped too...)
Action. If you like action, get all of Chuck Black's books. Need I say more?!?!?! :) (Chapter Excerpts from the Kingdom Series)
The ending of the book is what surprised me the most. Why was Validus "demoted" from a commander of an entire continent to a warrior guarding one unbeliever? Why is Carter so important? What do the Fallen know that Validus and his team don't? Will Validus be able to find out in time? Will Carter be safe in the custody of the FBI?
In the third book (which should be released this fall, if I'm not mistaken), I hope to see the Bransons (Drew's friends who run a local church in Chicago) come back. I'm looking forward to it with excitement!!!!
Would I recommend this book to a friend? Yes. But not as the first book written by Chuck Black you would read. (If you've never read a book by Chuck Black, start with the Kingdom Series.)
What would I rate this book? Out of 5 stars, I'd give it 3 1/2 - 4 stars.
Summary: This book was really good and gave me a lot to think about. I have yet to read through the study guide thoroughly and look forward to looking through that. The quality of writing was great and it held my attention and was not drawn out to the extent that it was boring. One of my favorite things about this book is that it had tons of surprises!!!!!! I never knew what was going to happen!
Thanks so much for reading! Be sure to follow me through email or on G+ and comment below! What were your thoughts on the book? What would you like to see happen in the next book?
Now go change the world!!!!
~Annalysa
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.
