The Plot Against Heaven – Mark Kirkbride
Book information
Amazon
link: https://www.amazon.com/Plot-Against-Heaven-Mark-Kirkbride-ebook/dp/B08GCXS4JF
Publication
date: 3rd October 2020, kindle and paperback
Genre:
dark fantasy
Print
length: 79 pages (18,000 words)
Suitable
for young adults? This is an adult book, but suitable for mature teenagers
Trigger
warnings: Occasional swearing; some readers may be offended by the novella’s
religious content
Formats
available for the Tour: mobi, epub, pdf
.
About The Plot Against Heaven
Death
doesn’t stand a chance against love.
Hell-bent
on confronting God after the death of wife Kate, Paul gate-crashes heaven. With
immigration problems and a wall, heaven turns out to be nowhere near as
welcoming as expected. Both heaven and hell are modern, militarized, and the
cold war that exists between them is about to heat up, with him in the middle
of it. Caught on the wrong side of heaven, Paul faces an impossible choice if
he’s to have any hope of seeing Kate again.
.
Praise for The Plot Against Heaven
(The
Plot Against Heaven is to be published in October 2020, so as yet we only have
one ARC review for it. )
Rating:
5 out of 5.
Goodreads
I
was fortunate to receive a pre-release version of the book. A very quick read
and one you don’t want to put down! Mark nailed this one! Makes you think right
from the start and gets you asking yourself, “could this really happen?” Is
Heaven all that is is cracked up to be? Is there an alternative that is more
appealing? Can anyone truly be saved and get a second chance? Read this book
and find out the answer to all these questions. You’ll be glad you did!
Praise for Mark Kirkbride’s writing
The
response to Mark’s previous novels – he was a semi-finalist in the 2019 Kindle
awards – makes clear that this is an author to watch!
Rating:
5 out of 5. Amazon
Like
a night in the forest. Mark Kirkbride is a brilliant writer who has the ability
to terrify the reader or lift him to a higher plane at will.`
Rating:
5 out of 5. Amazon
Excellent
storytelling! As soon as I began reading, I could see the writing of this work
was different… I could tell there was a special sort of thought that went into
forming the sentences. Kirkbride cultivated a specific speech pattern that
really worked with the story, making its consumption similar to drinking the
perfect milkshake: smooth.
Rating:
5 out of 5. Amazon
Beautifully,
engagingly dark! The book carries enough tension to keep your eyes open, your
jaws dropped, and almost wanting to stand on your feet. If you enjoy dark,
interesting content, and you don’t pick up this book, then you’re missing out.
My Review
The Plot Against Heaven is a story with a unique premise that will have readers wondering what, exactly, they just read.
The story follows Paul as he gate-crashes Heaven to demand an audience with the big man himself. Paul is angry that his wife Kate was taken from him too soon. It wasn't her time, and he wants her back. But Heaven decides Paul isn't worthy of talking to God, and they send him down to Hell instead. But Hell is just as strange as Heaven (neither one being what Paul expects), and when Paul gets a meeting with the Devil himself, things get interesting. Never make a deal with the Devil. You may just get more than you bargained for.
I found this story to be a bit strange. I liked the idea of Heaven being very strict and militarized, and the idea of Hell being a rule-free, do-what-you-like sort of place. It was definitely a bit different, and not something I would have ever expected to see depicted.
The only downside for me, though, was that the story did feel a bit rushed. Like I mentioned above, it has a unique premise, but I feel like it moved too quickly for my liking. I would have loved to have seen the pace slowed down a little, and the story fleshed out a bit more. Getting a feel for both Paul and Kate, learning more about them, and being able to connect with them would have been nice. And having the world building fleshed out more would have been awesome. It didn't quite feel like we got enough with either Heaven or Hell in terms of the world building.
Overall, though, it was an interesting read that I did enjoy. I just would have liked a bit more to really give it that push over the edge into "wow this is amazing" territory.
3.5 stars.
About the Author:
Mark
Kirkbride lives in Shepperton, England. He is the author of The Plot Against
Heaven, Game Changers of the Apocalypse and Satan’s Fan Club, all published by
Omnium Gatherum. Game Changers of the Apocalypse was a semi-finalist in the
Kindle Book Awards 2019. His short stories can be found in Under the Bed, Sci
Phi Journal, Disclaimer Magazine, Flash Fiction Magazine and So It Goes: The
Literary Journal of the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library. His poetry has appeared
in the Big Issue, the Morning Star, the Daily Mirror, Sein und Werden and
Horror Writers Association chapbooks.
Media links:
Webpage:
https://markkirkbride.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KirkbrideM/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MarkKirkbride/
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6474311.Mark_Kirkbride
Thanks so much, Jasmine.
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! :)
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