Northern Ireland, 1977. Liam Kelly is many things: a former wheelman for the IRA, a one-time political prisoner, the half-breed son of a mystic Fey warrior and a mortal woman, and a troubled young man literally haunted by the ghosts of his past. Liam has turned his back on his land's bloody sectarian Troubles, but the war isn't done with him yet, and neither is an older, more mythic battle-between the Church and its demonic enemies, the Fallen. After centuries of misunderstanding and conflict, the Church is on the verge of accepting that the Fey and the Fallen are not the same. But to achieve this historic truce, Liam must prove to the Church's Inquisitors that he is not a demon, even as he wrestles with his own guilt and confusion, while being hunted by enemies both earthly and unworldly. A shape-shifter by nature, Liam has a foot in two worlds-and it's driving him mad.
And Blue Skies From Pain: A Book of the Fey and the Fallen
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More About the Author
Stina Leicht is a 2012 Campbell Award nominee. Her debut novel Of Blood and Honey, a historical Fantasy with an Irish Crime edge set in 1970s Northern Ireland, was released by Night Shade books in February 2011 and was short-listed for the Crawford Award in 2012. The sequel, And Blue Skies from Pain is in bookstores as of March 2012. She also has a flash fiction piece in Ann and Jeff VanderMeer's surreal anthology Last Drink Bird Head.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Paul Genesse
Format:Paperback
Review: of Blue Skies from Pain by Stina Leicht (no spoilers)
"And Blue Skies from Pain," a book of the Fey and the Fallen, the sequel to Stina Leicht's fantastic novel "of Blood and Honey," is just as good as the first one. It started right where book 1 left off, though it does have a fascinating prologue featuring Father Murray, and covers an event that weighs heavily into this book. We get to see a mission from when Father Murray was a young man, just starting out in his order, and it involves the ongoing war the Catholic Church is fighting against the fallen angels. Father Murray does have some point of view chapters, but the main character is once again, Liam, the former IRA wheelman and half-mortal shape-shifting fey, who has a fondness for punk music, and is quite the outcast in 1970's Belfast, Ireland during the time of "Troubles." This series is mostly about Liam, and he has grown quite a bit since his downward spiral in book 1, but he's still haunted (literally) and can't face the major loss he suffered less than a year before. He's got a ways to go before he finds peace (and dare I say, enlightenment). I did love how the novel ended for him. There is some closure and resolution, but we want to see more.
So, the main thrust of the plot (set up in book 1) is Father Murray trying to convince his superiors that the fey are actually not fallen angels, and the Church should stop killing them indiscriminately, as they have for countless years. Liam agrees to be a test subject and prove that he, and the fey, are not demons. Of course it all goes horribly wrong, and the IRA is not very excited about Liam refusing to work for them anymore as a get-away-car driver.
The main characters are always in danger and keep getting put in situations that make you want to squirm. They get beat up a lot, and Leicht is particularly hard on her characters. "And Blue Skies from Pain" is not as dark as the first book in some respects, but the characters keep getting captured and roughed up. I think that the "getting captured" event has been a little overused in the first two books, but it always seems plausible. I'm just hoping Leicht has some other tricks up her sleeve for the next book, and I'm with an imagination like hers I believe she will come up with even more fiendish ways to make the characters suffer.
This novel did expand and go into more detail regarding the fey, Liam's people, and touched on the fallen angel war, but there is a lot of ground left to cover. I'm very much looking forward to the next book, and think it might be the juiciest one yet, as the first two have set up a great conflict and established some awesome characters and world-building.
Some of the most notable things in "And Blue Skies from Pain" involve the new secondary characters. I'm very much hoping the American combat nuns will return, (yes, combat nuns) and that the black haired girl, who might be a selkie, will be back.
I'm a big fan of Stina Leicht's work and very much enjoy her characters, and the fascinating world she's created. Her vision is how I think dark urban fantasy should be done, not too much spoon-feeding of the readers, and not too much exposition about supernatural things, but with completely believable characters in tough situations.
FIVE STARS, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Paul Genesse
"And Blue Skies from Pain," a book of the Fey and the Fallen, the sequel to Stina Leicht's fantastic novel "of Blood and Honey," is just as good as the first one. It started right where book 1 left off, though it does have a fascinating prologue featuring Father Murray, and covers an event that weighs heavily into this book. We get to see a mission from when Father Murray was a young man, just starting out in his order, and it involves the ongoing war the Catholic Church is fighting against the fallen angels. Father Murray does have some point of view chapters, but the main character is once again, Liam, the former IRA wheelman and half-mortal shape-shifting fey, who has a fondness for punk music, and is quite the outcast in 1970's Belfast, Ireland during the time of "Troubles." This series is mostly about Liam, and he has grown quite a bit since his downward spiral in book 1, but he's still haunted (literally) and can't face the major loss he suffered less than a year before. He's got a ways to go before he finds peace (and dare I say, enlightenment). I did love how the novel ended for him. There is some closure and resolution, but we want to see more.
So, the main thrust of the plot (set up in book 1) is Father Murray trying to convince his superiors that the fey are actually not fallen angels, and the Church should stop killing them indiscriminately, as they have for countless years. Liam agrees to be a test subject and prove that he, and the fey, are not demons. Of course it all goes horribly wrong, and the IRA is not very excited about Liam refusing to work for them anymore as a get-away-car driver.
The main characters are always in danger and keep getting put in situations that make you want to squirm. They get beat up a lot, and Leicht is particularly hard on her characters. "And Blue Skies from Pain" is not as dark as the first book in some respects, but the characters keep getting captured and roughed up. I think that the "getting captured" event has been a little overused in the first two books, but it always seems plausible. I'm just hoping Leicht has some other tricks up her sleeve for the next book, and I'm with an imagination like hers I believe she will come up with even more fiendish ways to make the characters suffer.
This novel did expand and go into more detail regarding the fey, Liam's people, and touched on the fallen angel war, but there is a lot of ground left to cover. I'm very much looking forward to the next book, and think it might be the juiciest one yet, as the first two have set up a great conflict and established some awesome characters and world-building.
Some of the most notable things in "And Blue Skies from Pain" involve the new secondary characters. I'm very much hoping the American combat nuns will return, (yes, combat nuns) and that the black haired girl, who might be a selkie, will be back.
I'm a big fan of Stina Leicht's work and very much enjoy her characters, and the fascinating world she's created. Her vision is how I think dark urban fantasy should be done, not too much spoon-feeding of the readers, and not too much exposition about supernatural things, but with completely believable characters in tough situations.
FIVE STARS, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Paul Genesse
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Donald Ewing
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great characters, great setting, great plot, great read.
Don't you wish Amazon would just let you rate the dang book without having to write WHY? I certainly do.
BTW, this review should be for the Kindle edition. I wrote it so quickly I did not realize it was on the paperback version.
Don't you wish Amazon would just let you rate the dang book without having to write WHY? I certainly do.
BTW, this review should be for the Kindle edition. I wrote it so quickly I did not realize it was on the paperback version.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Terranovah
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
A combination of gritty life in conflict ridden Ireland interwoven with a fantasy world of priest, fey and demons. This sequel and the first book in the series are about the only Class A books I've read in this whole urban fantasy genre, and the only series I can recommend to people who don't read fantasy.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nuanced, evocative, and wondrous.
Following on the heels of Leicht's first novel, "And Blue Skies From Pain" returns us to the troubled, conflict-torn stage of Ireland in the 1970's. Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. Damien
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!
Great read. There was a little reading between the lines with some minor characters, and I am interested to see if they are developed in future stories. More please!
Published 2 months ago by Bkp
4.0 out of 5 stars
Irish Catholics, demons and magic
Both books so far in this series occupy a unique niche, weaving characters from Irish folklore into the dangerous complexities of modern Northern Ireland. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Tyr's doctor
5.0 out of 5 stars
the ghosts of Christmas past
First the problems ... only for me, perhaps, but still. (Possible spoilers? I don't know.)
It's quite a while since I read the first book and my memory for details is... Read more
It's quite a while since I read the first book and my memory for details is... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Bobby R. Treat
5.0 out of 5 stars
Much improved
Enjoyed the book immensely, promise of first in the series is realized here in the second book. Got more Fey this time around, more of the Militas Dei, and still some of 1970's... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Ken Zufall
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic
This is a worthy sequel to the first book. I was a little concerned at the end of the last book because I don't really care about the war between the Fey and the Fallen and I... Read more
Published 11 months ago by octopus
5.0 out of 5 stars
And Brilliant Story From Pain
Stina Leicht follows her smash novel, Of Blood And Honey, with an impressive second installment. Picking up where events left off with Liam, Father Murray and the questions raised... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Benjamin James Kissell
4.0 out of 5 stars
First book was better...
While I enjoyed this book and am very much enjoying the characters, this book dragged a little. This book explained a lot more of the folklore and better explained some of what... Read more
Published 13 months ago by AmazonJunkie
4.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderfully written tale mixing supernatural elements with history
Review Courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
AND BLUE SKIES FROM PAIN, the second book in Stina Leicht's The Fey and The Fallen series is beautifully written and brings a... Read more
AND BLUE SKIES FROM PAIN, the second book in Stina Leicht's The Fey and The Fallen series is beautifully written and brings a... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Kristina
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