The Fall of Lucifer has the honour of being the first book I’ve ever read in a single sitting. It’s not what I would call a page-turner but, being one who reads so little fiction and lingers over books for months, I just wanted to see if I could do it.

The plot describes how Lucifer, greatest of the three Angelic brothers, is driven mad with jealousy at Yehova’s plans to create man in His image. In a novel perspective on Biblical history the problem becomes biological namely, the preservation of God’s DNA (read “image”) through the line from Adam to Jesus. Lucifer’s goal is to corrupt and mutate that image of God and does so, for example, by sending fallen angels to interbreed with humans (Gen 6). God finds one pure person (Noah) and wipes out the rest.

Lucifer’s jealousy sets him against the humans and he plots to  make humans rebellious so that God will reject and destroy them for the same reason Lucifer himself was punished. He’s damned and he wants to take the human race down with him by exploiting God’s impartial justice.

I found the book a welcome fresh perspective on what the Bible is all about, the reasons behind the big Story if you will. It helps us think about the Jesus Project in new ways and fresh angles. You could probably shorten the book by half in removing superfluous adjectives (I think the thesaurus was raided) and I found some parts rushed.

The author, Wendy Alec (a fellow South African) plans seven volumes in her Chronicles of Brothers, and it has been a big hit in the UK and the US. GOD TV has touted it as the next big thing along the lines of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Indeed, it contains many parallels to The Silmarillion and I suspect Wendy has borrowed from what I think is Tolkien’s greatest and grandest achievement. If you’re captivated by Genesis and are looking for an epic narrative which captures the awe and grandeur of creation and Lucifer’s Fall read… The Silmarillion.