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After the Fall
ISBN: 978-1-60054-407-1 (ebook)
Cover art: M. King
Length: short fiction / 11,000 words
Published by: loveyoudivine alterotica (2009)
Before the Fall of Lucifer, Heaven was at peace. Two angels knew perfect love, until the rebellion parted them.
Fallen angel Xaphan is doomed to tempt and seduce human souls while, high above, Hael, his former lover, is supposed to be the angel of kindness who brings compassion into their world. Both are unhappy with their lot, but a meeting with one human soul will change their lives forever. Read more….
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Reader review from ‘Michael’, Goodreads.com, January 13th 2010
5 stars
“Excellent read. Beautiful. I’ve never read anything by M. King before but if this is any indication of her quality, I’m all in.
King creates powerful thoughts in her characters…contemplations of heaven and hell, of humanity, of damnation and forgiveness.
Prior to the casting out of rebellious angels and Lucifer, Hael and Xaphan were lovers in heaven. Hael was content being an angel while Xahpan wondered why they shouldn’t be given the same benefit that God gave humans…the benefit of choice and free will.
Xaphan is a classic bad boy. In one scene he and Hael are in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve have been cast out. They make love under the Tree of Knowledge and Xaphan playfully picks up a piece of fruit and attempts to take a bite. This action and Hael’s reaction give a good glimpse into the type of characters they are…all in a few short paragraphs.
Both characters long for the other, each placing blame on the other as well as God’s inability to offer forgiveness, something he gives so freely to even the worst human.
Each has had several millennium to consider the actions of the other. Xaphan is haunted by the image of his lover standing there, mute, while judgment is passed on him, his wings removed and cast from heaven. Hael is troubled by Xaphan’s willingness to destroy all to get what he wants, as well to a betrayal he feels that God can’t forgive those that he cast down.
Caught between the battle that heaven and hell are having Xaphan and Hael are after souls. One collecting them, the other protecting.
They finally meet each other once again by a chance encounter over one human’s soul.
I loved reading this book. I’m a big fan of angels and demons created in a dark and gritty world. King uses language to her advantage and several times I paused to digest the thought she had presented…”Why couldn’t God do…” “Why are humans like…”
The sex scene is erotic and beautiful…it almost invites you to ignore the page and add to the beauty in your head.
This is a very short read, just 50 pages. But well worth the few dollars you’ll pay.”
