The Shivered Sky [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

I first encountered this book about 2 years ago. I was working for an independant publishing house at the time, and Matt had submitted the first ~75 pages of THE SHIVERED SKY to us. I enjoyed the read very much. Unfortunately, we had just taken 3 other "heaven and hell" novels, all by first-time novelists, and simply couldn't take on another one for the same year. I wrote Matt back, offered some editorial advice, and respectfully declined. We kept up an email exchange for quite a while afterwards. Once TSS finally came out from another company, Matt graciously sent a copy to me.

It took a while (other things got in the way), but I've finally had chance to finish reading it. I found it to be a very enjoyable book, and I look forward to reading more of his work.

As you're probably aware from other reviews, the story involves five human teenagers who have died and arrive at what is basically the heavenly receiving port, but are met by no one and have no idea where they are, how they got there, or at first, even who they are. It takes each of them a good while to piece together their identity. The five kids are from very varied cultural and societal backgrounds, and at first are trepidatious with each other. Each is given a very interesting background, and you feel the tragedy of each of their deaths.

There are two main things that set this book apart from other "heaven and hell" novels:

First is the way it deals with both angel and demon societies. Matt doesn't go the expected, white/black "angels good / demons bad" route. As you'd expect, as the five teenagers interact more with the angels, you learn more about angel society and human "afterlife". The surprising thing is that these angels are despondant, battle-weary, angry, hurt, and some of them greatly distrust or dislike humans. Not all of them are bad, but not all of them are good either. It is a very refreshing approach.

Similarly, and more suprising, is the amount of time spent developing the demon society through the POV of two main demon characters. Like the angels, not all demons are intrinsically 'bad'. Yes, they are the enemy, but in some cases they too have families, care about their children, and want only peace. And most refreshing is that their reason for invading heaven isn't simply that 'they're demons and that's what demons do.' There's a very good reason for it.

Secondly, as one other reviewer pointed out...God is absent from the story. The angels aren't certain where He is, either, or why He's gone. Prophecies predict what must happen to bring about His return. When this is achieved at the end of the book, the reader still doesn't see His reappearance. In a novel where a deux ex machina is fully expected (and in fact would be far from out-of-place), its a very refreshing to see the story resolve without it (no disrespect to God intended).

Matt's writing -- his narrative strength, his character development, etc. -- is very strong, and for a first effort, this delivers a near-pro result. There were a few places where I felt the impact of a circumstance or an event was lessened by a choice of wording or by a passive description, but that's only a matter of personal opinion. It didn't lessen the enjoyment of a well-structured, well-written book.

Congratulations, Matt! Best of luck to you!

Alan

I really enjoyed this book because it was so different than the standard fantasy. However, as a Christian, I was left feeling very uncomfortable. Especially with the biggest part of the plot, that Heaven has been abandoned by God. But I just couldn't put it down. For that I have to give 5 stars with some warnings.

Despite all the good reviews I think a lot of people will read this and not like it at all. If you take offense to fiction that strays from what the Bible teaches you'll find this blasphemous. If you're someone who prefers traditional fantasy you won't like it either. There are a lot of parallels between Lord of the Rings and the Wheel of Time series in this but the author writes and structures like someone who has read a lot of Tom Clancy novels. And Horror. The result is a technothriller with Angels versus Demons instead of Americans versus Russians. But there is a gore element too, and there are scenes where humans are treated like livestock and it will be sickening to people who don't like horror.

Strangely, some of the most compelling moments in the book are set during flashbacks when the characters remember their deaths or the stuff with Dave which I can't give away without ruining the best part of the book. Also, the scenes of war where there are billions of angels fighting billions of demons are chilling. You feel like you're there, and for that it was worth the 500 pages alone. I would love to see a movie made of this.

No one has mentioned the demons in their reviews. There are two demons Ko and Ungeo that are followed throughout the book, and they are very real characters. Ko especially who has a very tragic storyline. I cared more for him than any of the humans or angels.

If you like war novels, fantasy novels and horror novels, you'll love this. If you dislike any one of those three, or if you don't like books that require a glossary (there's a big one in the back that was very helpful) you might want to stay away.

Imagine waking up naked in the middle of a vast beach with no ocean in site. Not only do you not know who you are - but you have no clue if you are dead or alive - in heaven or hell. Then others begin arriving in the same condition. So starts the Shivered Sky by Matt Dinniman.

The world of the Shivered Sky is not heaven or hell - it is another existence altogether. Cibola, the city of Angels has been overrun with demons from other worlds. The billions of Angels are caught unawares and the city is lost one fateful day.

The war is over and the Angels are trying to just survive. Our wayward humans; Indigo, Gramm, Dave, Ricco, and Hitomi find themselves thrust into this war without knowing whose side to fight on. The Demons attack them, but the Angels treat them like slaves. Confused about all this, our gang realizes nothing is as it seems. Luckily, this group has been given possession of an awesome weapon, periscepters. These weapons look like a simple flashlight, but the light blasts from them disintegrate any Demon in its path. Periscepters have `true light' which destroys Demons but is harmless to Angels and humans. The war between the Angels and Dominion controlled Demons escalates with our human's caught in the middle.

Shivered Sky is not what it seems. This Dark Fantasy is extremely engaging with an original story line. Each chapter brings more understanding of the world and its inhabitants. The ending is climatic and a complete surprise. Cibola is an amazing city with incredible buildings with unknown characteristics. Dinniman has created a diverse, imaginative world that will entertain you just with its descriptions.

Another interesting aspect of the Shivered Sky is that God is missing. The book is not about any religious theology, but about the struggle to survive and learn from past mistakes. God is missing for a reason that will become apparent towards the end of the book

According to the author's website, Matt Dinniman currently resides in Tucson, Arizona with his wife and family. He is the senior editor at Artichoke Down Press, and has had many occupations throughout his life. He has worked as a pizza delivery driver, a security guard, an EMT, a private investigator, an editor, a telephone psychic, and an obituary writer--and that's just the beginning. His award-winning fiction and non-fiction has been published all over the world. The Shivered Sky is his first novel.