12 Seconds Short of Eternity: Fall of The Angels

Fall of the Angels

Fiction - Fantasy - Epic
416 Pages
Reviewed on 10/10/2022
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Roxana grew up in Romania, and I sprouted in Oklahoma. We met in Chicago and realized we both love festivals, bad theater, the outdoors, and anything from a food truck. Our friendship turned to cowriting when I showed Roxana a rough draft about why the Angels rebelled in Heaven, and now, well, here we are. Keep in mind, we are storytellers first, writers second and this comes from our childhoods. Though we were a world apart, we both grew up listening to tale tells and legends passed down by family and friends. These fables instilled a sense of wonder in our souls and guided us into the literary worlds of Tolkien, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ernest Hemingway, Vonnegut, and so many others. The stories we write cross boundaries, traditions, and times, as do we. Hang on tight when you read one of our stories because this is a ride with no brakes.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

The novel 12 Seconds Short of Eternity: Fall of the Angels by Jon King and Roxana Nor retells the age-old tale of Lucifer and how he was thrown out of heaven, but with a twist. Lucifer was God’s favorite. He was given the best of everything, and as the leader of the Archangels, he had immense power. While his career was perfect, he also had Carnaval as his beloved, the most beloved Angel in Heaven. However, when he fell from grace, God blamed Lucifer for everything, and that changed his fate forever. Before they knew it, Lucifer and Carnaval had the burden of saving the heavenly family before everything crashed and burned right before their eyes. It was impossible to change the mind of God, but they needed to try at least. Would Lucifer and Carnaval succeed? Or was everything doomed from the beginning?

I wasn’t expecting to like this novel as much as I did. Lucifer as the protagonist and depicted in a positive light is not new, but this is the first time I have related to Lucifer so much. This retelling of the tale of Lucifer’s bad luck and being removed from heaven is exciting, entertaining, and incredibly well-written. The narrative is written in a style that will entertain different readers with different tastes. The pace is fast, the narrative is invigorating, and the overall feel of the story is fantastic. Lucifer and Carnaval make a great couple and partners who endure a huge ordeal in their way. They handle the challenges with grace and a command which often surprised me. The character development blew me away. 12 Seconds Short of Eternity: Fall of the Angels by Jon King and Roxana Nor is a phenomenal story that deserves a big screen debut!

Cecelia Hopkins

12 Seconds Short of Eternity by Jon King and Roxana Nor introduces Lucifer as he is recovering from a big night of drinking moonshine. Elsewhere, Raphael is locked in a struggle with Behemoth, an unfortunate reject of creation. Gabriel and Michael appeal to God for help, but their father does not answer. Finally, God makes a belated appearance, and after dismissing the other angels, tells Lucifer and Michael he has rendered judgment. Despite the warning, the angels continue their frivolous lifestyle, and conflicts break out as they are left to their own devices. Lucifer forms a plan to interfere with the envisioned humans, and an army forces its way past God’s sentry. God banishes Lucifer and his followers to a new region, while other angels choose exile on Earth. In contemporary times, Lucifer and Michael catch up for a chat.

12 Seconds Short of Eternity by Jon King and Roxana Nor is a dramatic speculative story. I liked the way the authors combined elements of mythology with the original narrative to create something different. Although I thought I knew the background material, I enjoyed being surprised as the various angels were given character and personality. The action scenes were gripping and theatrical when the protagonists faced challenges, including a huge flood. A tender and tragic love interest between Lucifer and Carnaval brought a fresh dimension to the story and opened new philosophical ground. Jon King and Roxana Nor clearly enjoyed writing12 Seconds Short of Eternity and succeeded in creating an entertaining experience to be shared with the reader.

Foluso Falaye

In 12 Seconds Short of Eternity: Fall of the Angels, Lucifer feels that God doesn't have the best interests of the angels at heart, especially after creating Earth and giving it to humankind. Lucifer initiates an argument with Michael that God should not deny humans the influence and guidance of the angels, but Michael disagrees, as he thinks the angels would become evil after getting a taste of unbridled power. Lucifer takes matters into his own hands, and with the support of a third of the angels, he proceeds to instruct God to either grant them dominion over Earth and humankind or step down from the throne. Jon King and Roxana Nor spin a political, action-packed, and thought-provoking narrative about Lucifer's plot to take over the rulership of the universe.

on King and Roxana Nor's 12 Seconds Short of Eternity is the stuff of epic action movies! The book abounds in enough vividly described fight scenes between angels to get your heart racing and your imagination fully active, like Michael struggling to keep Lucifer from biting his neck and fire shooting from Lucifer's arms. King and Nor are clearly creative writers, as the world they describe includes several interesting details, including the quick and slow aging of the angels. I loved the hilarious jokes and the profound discussions about free will, power, inequality, and other engaging concepts. However, the book had too many things going on for my taste. I didn't feel close enough to the characters and their missions because they were switched at a fast pace. You are most likely to enjoy the book if you're a fan of Lucifer - the TV show - or if you fancy action books with supernatural, Biblical characters.

Alma Boucher

Lucifer was the first angel God created, and He is unhappy with the way angels live their lives. They keep themselves busy showing off their abilities and judging others. They are slaves to their desire for routine and comforts. Terra was created to be the new home of the angels, but God decided to create humans to dwell on the earth. He wants the angels to help the humans to ensure their survival. Lucifer believes that humans are more important to God than angels are. He wants to take dominion over Terra and persuades some of the angels to help him. He went to the White Room intending to give God a choice to step down or be removed by force. God gave Lucifer a chance to defend himself before his sentence. Lucifer and the angels who stood by him were cast out of Heaven in 12 Seconds Short of Eternity: The Fall of Angels by Jon King and Roxana Nor.

Jon King and Roxana Nor's 12 Seconds Short of Eternity: The Fall of Angels has a unique and exciting plot. The pace was fast enough and picked up toward the end with twists and turns to keep it interesting. There was enough action and suspense to keep me intrigued. The events unfolded genuinely and naturally, there was never a dull moment and I was at the edge of my seat from the beginning. The fighting was very descriptive and I could see it in my mind. I was fascinated by the events and wanted to keep reading. I was eager to see what would happen next. The character development is outstanding. The angels were described in such a way that they felt human. The story is exceptionally written, and I had a chance to experience the events from the angels’ side.

Vincent Dublado

A profound fantasy that puts free inquiry at the heart of the most popular tale about the fall from grace, 12 Seconds Short of Eternity: Fall of the Angels by Jon King and Roxana Nor digs into the story of Lucifer’s great fall and the angels who followed him. As one of the most intelligent angels in God’s ranks and His chosen right hand, Lucifer has been growing more discontented day by day. He wants to go against the Lord’s wishes by establishing his dominion over Earth and having the angels join him in interfering with human lives. Carnaval, his angel soulmate, warns him not to overthink matters and to discuss his thoughts with the Father to find a suitable way for everyone to live together on Earth. But Lucifer’s mind is set, and with the backing of the disillusioned angels, he is willing to be stripped of his Morningstar title to have a taste of the things that God has only bestowed on humans.

Jon King and Roxana Nor have written a brilliant narrative of an age-old biblical story. With their in-depth study of the main character, they direct your attention to the figure of the fallen Lucifer and the state of mind that drove him to defy the greatest known force of good. As an angel, Lucifer is perfectly depicted as brilliant yet contains all the trimmings of having a prideful and jealous character and the unbridled ambition that triggered the celestial uprising. King and Nor give you the philosophy of the nature of aesthetics and how it drives one to push for an ideal, as many philosophers have done. Reading 12 Seconds Short of Eternity also gives you the psychological implications about life choices where there is so much to ponder. Fans of high fantasy as well as avid Bible readers will find this story a powerful and sensitive narration of the greatest story of disobedience ever known.