Heaven (The Afterlife Series Book 1)

Heaven, Hell, Earth, Wasteland, War, Stones (The Afterlife Series Book 6), and The Book 1. Heaven. by Mur Lafferty. · Ratings · 68 Reviews ·.
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  • The Afterlife Series by Mur Lafferty?
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Now that she looked, Lea saw that the stranger had an ethereal look about her, and what Lea realized were wings in her back I am in charge of helping spirits cross over. Lea looked at her lifeless body on the stretcher, now being covered with a white sheet. She hadn't wanted to believe at first, but there was no denying now. Your time had come. I haven't even graduated yet! Well, only to those who don't truly look," Etheria said.

And since humans can't see you, there would be no way for you to free yourself. Lea looked at her body, and looked back at the angel. She held out her hand. Both have their stories to tell, and story to live out in the afterlife. What they see in the different Heavens we visit. We see different Gods and worlds. We also get to visit a dog heaven. Yes, dogs do go to heaven. And the fun humor Mur is so great at seeps through the journey. It's fun, yet as we go we learn there is more to the journey than meets the eye. There is much, MUCH, more happening here than a simple journey.

In the shortest episode we learn much that is a huge pivot point in the book. Souls are going missing and mission bestowed upon Daniel is more than he knows. Maybe a way of putting things into order, after the chaos? We have to keep going to find out. Once I hit this episode, a little bit past half way, I was hooked. As much as I enjoyed the fun, the drop of what was happening cinched it for me. I will be following through this series to learn what is going on. This is a fun glimpse at different thoughts of Heaven.

This is a neat journey through Heaven. There are different thoughts conveyed and even through what Kate and Daniel go through. You'll feel the touches of Religion, but in no way feel as you are swayed to any specific aspect. Mur does make me smile with her characters comments and happenings, even when things seem to get a bit dire.

The Afterlife Series by Mur Lafferty

I'm on to the next stories in this series. I want to see if Kate and Daniel can complete their next mission, to find the missing souls. And what Mur has in store for us in other aspects of the world she's created. Feb 03, Damian Patterson rated it really liked it Shelves: In my recent days I've found myself to be far more forgiving on things in regards to fiction that I decide to spend time reading. Maybe it's from learning more about the craft of writing that has given me more insight.

Perhaps one day I hope to be given some mercy whenever I manage to get something published myself? The story follows Kate and Daniel as they die and find themselves in heav In my recent days I've found myself to be far more forgiving on things in regards to fiction that I decide to spend time reading.

The story follows Kate and Daniel as they die and find themselves in heaven and bored. The two get sent out to visit other versions of heaven in search for lost souls.

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While faffing about these Stereotypical 21st century representatives inadvertently kick off doomsday in various different belief systems. The story is very well written, characters exhibit growth, and it was a very easy read.


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I really loved the Faulkner first person approach with the first chapters just to become third person on the last chapter. I've seen plenty authors craft confusing dribble by switching voices between protagonists but Mur pulls off the trick beautifully.

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I also enjoyed the dialogue in this work. The authenticity of the truth within the lie of fiction was an ideal blend and a tribute to a well rounded writer. There were a few thing I saw that could have been better. I think that the book of Kate spoke more fluidly than the Book of Daniel. Whenever he took over narrative It seemed that he bled a lot of the spirit from the journey.

It was almost as if he wasn't as well known to the author as Kate was. The action stayed at a really good pace and I'm glad that details didn't lag, however, some diversity to the stage would have been nice. It seems heaven is very grey dull. Even Elysium seemed less spectacular with the exception of the colosseum. It's as if Mur simple picked up where Neil Gaiman left off with that set. I saw so many opportunities to make changes to the characters of various gods instead of the tried and true routine. I guess given the subject matter the safer bet would be such method. Despite the minor issues- which are more based on my personal precepts- this book was remarkable done, and a addictive read.

There was so many deep set hooks I'm willing to fork over rent money to see what happens next. This novella was crowdfunded and made into a podcast by Mur Lafferty, with the written version coming later on in the process. I downloaded it as part of the Hugo Awards, as Mur made a lot of her fiction freely available to those who wanted to know whether or not they should vote for her for the Campbell Award, which she sadly did not win.

At the start of the novella like, first sentence, so this isn't a spoiler , two friends die; as the title suggests, they find themselves in Heaven and t This novella was crowdfunded and made into a podcast by Mur Lafferty, with the written version coming later on in the process.

At the start of the novella like, first sentence, so this isn't a spoiler , two friends die; as the title suggests, they find themselves in Heaven and the tales of their journey are contained within. There are mild spoilers here, but nothing huge; I'll only cut the ones that are truly massive.


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The journey through Heaven is kind of interesting, with them starting in Judeo-Christian Heaven and then progressing through the Nordic afterlife, the Japanese afterlife, and a few others. A couple of things didn't ring right with me about this; the depiction of Judeo-Christian Heaven, with everyone having their own private environment and the people around them being automatons, just sounds so completely not idyllic to me. My idea of Heaven is pretty much just the world we currently occupy, but where nobody wants to hurt anyone else; but then, this is problematic from a free will perspective.

The difficulty of imagining what paradise would actually be like is high, which is one of the reasons that God is omniscient and I am an atheist, but this definitely isn't how I see it. The explanation that there are multiple Heavens makes sense, but Lafferty isn't as good at weaving the different mythologies together as some other authors. In fact, there isn't really any bleeding at the edges; just concrete, defined boundaries between the afterlives. It may well be that Lafferty's logic — that He is a monotheistic God and thus must encompass all the qualities that a pantheon would — holds true, but it feels a bit like it's just bias.

Lafferty is a white American, and therefore has presumably spent most of her life in an environment that favours Christianity as the default; how much of the system is sensible and how much is just cultural bias? I don't know the answer to that question. Jul 23, Skeptigirl rated it liked it. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I absolutely loved the adventures through the afterlife in this. I love reading mythology and about other religions and this really was a great description of a place, an interesting place that really got my imagination going.

Regardless of this I think there are a few questions I really wish would have been asked. Most notably I really wish that when the real Daniel, the one that turned out to be real, showed up Kate had asked: Is this the real Daniel or just heaven trying to give I absolutely loved the adventures through the afterlife in this. Is this the real Daniel or just heaven trying to give me what I want? He was exactly what she wanted. After her dissappointment she really did not want the Daniel she dreamed about but the Daniel she had in life, her real friend.

I think that was just too convenient and for a character who just asked God some really hard questions, dissolved all she ever wanted, and was left a hermit. I thought it was really out of character and not only a question left unanswered in the moment, because it was answered later, but a question left unasked. A question left unasked is the only type of question that truly bugs me in books. I thought Kate was a fine character but Daniel, well he is another story. I just did not get him. I could not in my head for a moment reconcile the homeless helping guy he was stated to be in life with the guy the story gave me.

Still I enjoyed it. I really would not have cared to write so much had I not liked it over all. If I had hated it, I would never have finished it. May 14, Nicole rated it liked it Shelves: Many of the reviews of this book are for the audiobook version and many reviewers talk about their fondness for the author's voice, her podcasts, and things other than this work. I came to this serial through the ebook version, so I have none of that other stuff to influence me for better or worse.

It reads like a YA book with its teen characters and their continual befuddlement at virtually everything around them. I'm not sure if that was the author's intention but having great a lot of YA in Many of the reviews of this book are for the audiobook version and many reviewers talk about their fondness for the author's voice, her podcasts, and things other than this work.

I'm not sure if that was the author's intention but having great a lot of YA in recent years I'm comfortable considering this book alongside that material. As it was written as a serial and as there are now an additional four volumes that have been released in the six years since this first book was released I am put in mind of Jim Butcher's first Dresden book, written for a class challenge. There is a lot to build on in this first book and I feel like rating it with kindness that many things other reviewers saw as flaws in the story or characters will be smoothed out through the follow up works.

In any case, Heaven was interesting enough to bring me back to he series looking for the next installment. La narrazione segue due punti di vista, prima Kate e poi Daniel; le voci differiscono per i temi, non saprei dire quanto per stile di scrittura. Mar 10, Cameron rated it really liked it. The first in a five-part series, Heaven follows two friends who die in a car crash and end up in what we think might be heaven. Turns out, it's their own personal versions of heaven - or is it?

Mur raises a lot of interesting ideas with this novel, the first of which being the idea that heaven is whatever you choose to make of it. The characters first spend some time apart, but are quickly brought together again as they begin on a quest. They travel from 'heaven' to 'heaven' and meet the greek an The first in a five-part series, Heaven follows two friends who die in a car crash and end up in what we think might be heaven.

Chapter 1 - Cethiel - part 1

They travel from 'heaven' to 'heaven' and meet the greek and roman gods, norse gods, the Japanese god of hell, and even dog heaven! All the while they're on a sort of "mission from god" to find lost souls and bring them back, as the world is ending and the 'heavens' are filling with a multitude of souls. The books ends with what's really a new beginning, and the characters now must venture into hell, which is the second book in the series.

I like the idea of breaking this into five novellas instead of one huge novel, as there's a lot of story to tell in each part, it seems. I'm looking forward to the next one. It all started like an essay about life, short life, and death, quick and sad. It became an adventure book with a mythological theme. I liked the writing, as it was engaging and I could really connect with it. The characters weren't that complex, but I have a feeling this story wasn't as much about characters as it was about their journey and mission.

Most definitely a most It all started like an essay about life, short life, and death, quick and sad. Most definitely a most peculiar read, in comparison with my usual books, but one that I somehow was able to enjoy. The only downside I can find would be the almost complete lack of action-packed scenes. It is a bit too peaceful for my liking. Hoping Hell will change that for the better.

Dec 15, Darrell rated it liked it Shelves: Kate is in love with Daniel, but she's stuck in the friend zone until she dies and goes to heaven where she gets to marry him.

This story spans many different versions of the afterlife from Greek, Norse, Buddhist, Shinto, and even dog heaven. This story is the heartwarming pair of childhood friends in the afterlife, after dying in a car crash. Oh yeah, and the end of the world. Kate and Daniel have been friends for a long time, despite the fact that Kate is in love with Daniel, and he is completely blind to this.

Hell by Robert Olen Butler Writing about hell from a pop-cultural angle has one unique challenge: Authors must preside over their own mini-judgment day. The crime, evidently, is celebrity itself, although the hero — TV anchor Hatcher McCord — considers himself above the infernal quagmire: This is hell at its most unashamedly satirical. Periodically, residents take an angelic bus to the foothills of an unseen paradise, where they meet — with varying degrees of envy or indifference — divine spirits.

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