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Summary: execellent
Review: this was a nice surprise. usually books about biblical matters are repetitive and boring, but brust masterfully weaves intrigue and life into each and every character. there is no good or evil, only each individual's personal intentions. this is an execellent book and any fan of brut's previous works should read it.
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Summary: Pratchett + Dante + impeccable timing = Brust
Review: The revolt in heaven as told from all perspectives, this book is written at two levels - one for entertainment purposes, and another as a "historical" lesson. When one can see an issue from all sides, one is more enlightened. Plus, it cracked me up!Pratchett + Dante + impeccable timing = Brust
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Summary: Um... It was AWFUL - Wish I could give it NO stars
Review: I read this book when I found it. It was a book "gifted". That is to say, a book that no one wanted in their house because it was that bad. (We just got gifted with the movie "Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter", to give you an idea.) So I am real suspicious of the positive reviewers. The premise could have worked. I have no problem with that. But the writing is so POOR and convoluted that I was gagging while trying to read it. I had no idea to the characters motivations. Even the characters from the 1930s and 1940s Space Operas were better drawn than these characters. I found myself not caring one iota about any of the folks portrayed. Save your money and DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME with this one. If you want good religious science fiction read Octavia Butler.
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Summary: In the Days Before Creation
Review: New writers are blessed with fertile imaginations. This was, I believe, Brust's third book, and it certainly illustrates a great imagination. But, as is also common with young writers, sometimes the execution is not quite up to the task of illuminating the imagination. One way of looking at this book is as a prologue to the Bible, before the nominal seven days of creation. Brust has created a Heaven, formed from the stuff of chaos, the flux, whose first member is Yahweh, and its second, Satan. As these two fight the flux they create more of the First Born: Michael, Leviathan, Belial, Raphael, a few others. Eventually things stabilize for while, until the advent of the Second Wave, where once more the denizens of Heaven must fight the corrosive effects of the flux, and out of this fight are born the archangels. A Third Wave produces the angels, and it is after this point that we pick up the story. Yahweh conceives an idea of creating a new place out of the flux that would be safe from any further attacks of the flux, but to create it, he would need the help of just about all the inhabitants of Heaven, some of whom would surely perish during the construction job. Satan is tasked with ensuring that all angels perform their assigned tasks, but before the Plan is even close to being implemented, Satan finds himself questioning the rightness of forcing angels to perform work where they might be injured or killed, even though the net result would be an obvious good for all survivors. Thus is formed the first conflict in Heaven, and the story is how this plays out. Which of the characters are the good guys and which are not is not what you might expect, nor are these lines necessarily clear-cut, as there are some definite gray areas here. The front line characters of Satan and Yahweh are not even the major players, but are rather more manipulated by the actions of others. As may be obvious, approach this book with an open mind, as it performs major havoc on traditional views of Heaven and its inhabitants - some might even call it sacrilegious. But by the end of the story, the more traditional picture of Heaven may be seen - and how this world changes to that picture is a highly entertaining and thought-provoking story. While this plot idea is great and truly carries the story, I found the characterization somewhat lacking. Especially in the early sections of the book, there is a large of amount of dialogue that basically conveys nothing in terms of either information or character, making me feel as if I was wading through a gray fog looking for a base from which to observe the story. None of the characters ever really crystallizes into something sharp, which is a pity as much of the moral ambiguity of the story plays around just what type of people these are. Clearly this book was modeled on somewhat similar types of work by Roger Zelazny, and as archetypal re-telling of legend, this work succeeds very well. Its message is well placed, its prose up to the task, but the lack of strong, sharply defined characters keeps this book from rising to the top level. --- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)
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Summary: Best Book.... Ever
Review: It IS that good. Don't question, just buy it and read it.
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Summary: Steven Brust is the writer I've always wanted to be
Review: As a young and aspiring fantasy author, I know that one of the most difficult aspects of writing a believeable fiction story (especially one that deals with the tender issue of the Christian religion) is developing not only the plot and characters, but the background from which these elements originate. I feel that a world that is created by the imagination, even if based upon some facts (or myths), should always be developed and invisioned well beyond that of the story you are portraying. Steven Brust's "To Reign in Hell" has the feel of a story based in an beautiful and enticing world, the full extent of which only Steven Brust knows. Combine this vision with a gorgeous writing style and a quick moving plot that begins as a mystery then brilliantly falls into place, and you have what I believe to be the perfect example of what fantasy writing should be. I can only dream of writing as gripping and stylish a book as Steven Brust has done with "To Reign in Hell". This book deserves more than five stars.
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Summary: Brust is a damn genius...
Review: I read the reviews, I read the reader comments. I didn't expect to be so wowed. Who ever thought that a writer could make the epitome of evil and deceit Satan, such a likable character. I didn't think Brust could pull this off, but he did. I liked how the whole series of events came off that lead to the war in Heaven. I was a fan before this book, now I am in another league. Well done Mr. Brust.
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Summary: Ambitious and gripping!
Review: I thought it looked interesting, so I gave it a go. I was absolutely not disappointed. Though the beginning was slightly bland, a chapter into it, I could not put it down. It's an epic tale told in an interesting way, with a view on it in the end that both surprises and intrigues. The writing's a lot different from what I've seen in most of Brust's other books, but the unique style suited the subject matter at hand. If you want an epic retelling of an old tale with a new sort of twist, pick this one up. You won't be sorry!
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Summary: To Reign In Hell
Review: This book is very difficult for me to describe, in spite of my having read it perhaps 40 times. It's a spectacular 1st novel, and is certainly one of the very best SF (Speculative Fiction) books I've ever read. (For other fans of Roger Zelazny, this reads as a Zelazny masterpiece--the abrupt shifts of place & time, the masterful manipulation of mythology, the heroic characters of single-minded purpose--it's all here. If you have ever liked any Zelazny story, then run-don't-walk to find this book.) Brust postulates with consummate skill something called "the Flux", a place of chaotic creation & dissolution where random chance spews forth conscious beings like you & I. These beings usually exist as long as moths flaming in a candle, as the Flux takes as quickly as it gives. Eventually one of these beings--calling itself Yaweh--coincidentally has a will to survive, and an inner drive strong enough to make it so. He pulls other beings out of the maelstrom, and comes up with a plan to construct a temporary place of refuge. Thus is Heaven born. This premise is ambitious beyond belief, yet Brust brings it off. The story here is about what happens when those other beings--Belial, Michael, Satan, Lilith & the rest--jockey for position in Yaweh's world. Exhibiting the all-too-human traits of jealously, loyalty, fear, love, & many others. As the plot advances, I find myself sympathetic but disapproving of a somewhat lost God & His ranks of Angels, and completely on the side of Satan & his minions. Does this sound whacked? You need to read this story, because it's not. The best description I can come up with is "archetypical". This book doesn't just postulate a possible beginning for the Universe, for Creation; it models most convincingly the human fallibilities that we have in this world around us, we see it here in the angels & the prototypes for all of humanity. Literally, it spells out our archetypes for us, in Zelazny-esque style, appealing to the most basic of human emotion & drives. This is one of the best books I have ever read. Thought-provoking, evocative, spectacular. Read it!
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Summary: Simply Amazing
Review: This book, though at the beginning seeming rather oddly written, quickly pick up the pace. Brust delivers, as is usual in his novels; imagination, vivid setting, and an ever changing plot. Though possibly not for believers, this book gives an humanistic approach to heaven. It sets up the angels as being ... On second thought i will not go into the plot. Though i will say the people giving this book negative reviews are either not smart enough to get this book or... well i have no other choice.
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