I love mythology and religious tales. The Deceived by E.C. Fisher is one of the best such tales I have read in a long time. It features my favorite villain, Lucifer, and a new, more likable version of that dependable favorite, Michael. I like the characters in this book. All of them. They are all basically archetypes. I like the story itself. I always thought it was very unfair to Lucifer that God simply could not be beat. In this story, for whatever reason, God seems very vulnerable. This makes for a much more interesting story. E.C. Fisher has a storytelling style that I like. It fits this type of biblical adventure very well indeed.

Lucifer is, of course, the star of any story he happens to be a part of. That’s just the kind of guy he is. He fluctuates between being almost a hero to a typical spoiled brat. What I admired most about the character from a writing perspective is the fact that all his evil, all his disobediences, stem from his love of the Father. The Deceived is such a good tale because it is actually a retelling of the very first bestseller. I like it. I like the possibilities available when God is out of the picture. The plot is tight and E.C. Fisher tells the story well. There is never that feeling that you know what is going to happen because it is what must happen. I have read many different versions of the struggle between Lucifer and God. The Deceived instantly became one of my all-time favorites.

The Deceived by E.C. Fisher is a novel that poses questions that will baffle the finest Christians and make them question everything they have been told about God, Lucifer, the angels, and the destiny of humanity. In this spellbinding novel, the author features a conflict that reaches back to the origins of everything, the fight between God and the fallen angel. All along, Lucifer has been behind religion, He who can’t stand to be with His Creature, but who can’t also escape him. He has used religion all along to deceive humans with the ultimate plan to hand the world over to his followers. Now, as the apocalypse looms ahead and while God is dying in heaven, Michael the Archangel must fight to save the world — including his soulmate, Ariel, captured by Lucifer — and his God. Armed with the Sword of the Spirit, can he win the most powerful battle of all time?

E.C. Fisher’s novel is a great work of fantasy that brings popular belief into question, explores the possibility of Divine conspiracy, and gives a fresh interpretation to Christian mythology while weaving elements of Greek mythology into the story. The characters are very compelling, with a cast that features demons and angels and God Himself. This is a bold work of fantasy that will intrigue readers and take them on an unexpected ride that offers the kind of twist none could have ever imagined. I enjoyed the originality in the plot and the integration of religious ideas, even if some of them are wild. It’s a fantasy, anyway, and an entertaining one, indeed. The Deceived is a fast-paced, exciting read, with awesome characters.

The very beginning of The Deceived by E.C. Fisher offers a powerful premise, one as intriguing as it is mind-blowing: “The Alpha and the Omega, the Creator of Life was no longer. During the war between Lucifer’s demon army and the Angels, God was struck down. Lucifer claimed the Throne of God, thus ruling both above and below. Everything that has occurred since His demise has been a scheme designed by Lucifer: the wars, hatred, even religion and faith itself. Lucifer corrupted God’s children in service of one impossible goal—to help him break free of his love for his Father.” To break free from God, Lucifer will undertake the most arduous of tasks — fight the one person with the invincible weapon, fashioned from God’s own wings. Now, Michael must battle with the Antichrist to save the Children of Light and the Universe itself. The only problem is that humankind has believed the ruse of the Bible, one crafted by God’s Arch-enemy. But could Michael defeat the Antichrist when his own soul mate, Ariel, has been captured and his father is dying in Heaven? Can the religion that Lucifer has paraded across the planet to deceive souls be vanquished?

The Deceived by E.C. Fisher is a fantasy like nothing I’ve read before, a daring work that offers a new interpretation of the book of the apocalypse. Lucifer was created great, but destined to be bound to his creator by an unbreakable chain. He was deprived of the one thing he envies in humans — free will, the power to choose his destiny. I have read this kind of writing only in Christopher Pike’s Thirst, where the demon’s ruse comes across powerfully alongside his unpredictable manipulations, but The Deceived is a well-crafted fantasy that will make readers question what they have believed, and doubt everything they have learned in the Bible from the dawn of time. E.C. Fisher creates powerful dilemmas for his characters and readers will be absorbed, reading with bated breath and longing to find out what happens. Here is a story that will hold the attention of both the believer and the atheist, a story that seems to reflect the mystery of every man’s dilemma — what if all that we believe in is false? This is a daring work that shouldn’t fall into the hands of the feeble minded, as entertaining and riveting as any story can be, fraught with more twists and surprises than any reader can dream of. It is a very satisfying and provocative read, crafted in excellent prose, intense and swiftly paced.