Customer Reviews

He Who Lifts the Skies (Genesis Trilogy)

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Sometimes when you wait to read a book it seems a serious letdown when it doesn't meet your overwhelming expectations. But my reaction to this book can be reduced to three words: I wasn't disappointed.

Kacy Barnett-Gramckow brings the ancient world to life in a way I've never seen paralleled. The characters are as real as your next-door-neighbors, yet the entire book (and the prequel, The Heavens Before) is permeated with a sense of wonder at things of which you've only read the bare facts in the Bible. Men living past nine hundred. Generations piling together as parents see their great-great-great-grandchildren. A city and a tower built in defiance of the Most High. Genetic differences appearing and lifetimes shortening. And that's only the setting!

Imagine being taken from your family and someone you are just starting to love by a man who stands for all you despise. Imagine that your brother and sister will do anything to help you submit to this mighty hunter who claims to protect the world from the righteous anger of the Most High and who kills, enslaves, or banishes for the slightest infraction. Imagine if your very touch brought death.

Purchase this insightful, exciting read and you won't be disappointed.

The author's vivid imagination of what the world was like after Noah's flood came to life in my mind. She made it seem real, like I was there watching each event unfold. The origin of different races has an intriguing beginning at the time of the tower of babel. This piece of literature is full of adventure, romance and truth. I couldn't put the book down and lost many hours of sleep.

This is the second book in the GENESIS TRILOGY and it is as exciting and well written as the first in the series, THE HEAVENS BEFORE.

I love the way the author adds 'meat to the bones' and gives life to these biblical stories that are mentioned only in skeletal form. Although she takes great artistic license, you never feel that the scriptural accounts are polluted or distorted. Her embellishments work beautifully to transport you back to the earliest days of man on earth.

HE WHO LIFTS THE SKIES is the thrilling story of Nimr-Rada and his rebellion against the Most High.

We are reintroduced to, and comforted by the presence of Noakh, Naomi, Shem and Annah. Many years have passed since the Great Destruction and several generations of children have been born to repopulate the Earth. Sadly, not all of Noakh's kin have followed his lead in worship of the Most High.

Nimr-Rada, Noakh's great-great-grandson, with his tremendous strength, charisma, and mighty hunting prowess, convinces many of his kinsman that they need not suffer under the weight of a guilty conscience for satisfying the lusts of the flesh if they would simply bow to, and serve him. He leads them to believe that he is the Promised One who will free all men from the curse brought upon the earth by their Adversary, the Serpent, in the Garden of Adan. He promises to protect them from the judgments of the Most High, thus, he is given the name of He Who Lifts the Skies. The great-granddaughters of Shem and Anna are pawns used by Nimr-Rada in his scheme to subjugate all the tribes of men on the earth. Those who won't willingly follow him are attacked, plundered and forced into submission. But, in the end, he suffers the consequences of his own pride in his attempt to enslave and deceive mankind.

I highly recommend this book and anxiously await the release of the final installment of this trilogy. I have added this new author, Kacy Barnett-Gramckow, to my 'favorite authors' list and look forward to reading more of her imaginative tales.

I have almost given up on fiction retellings of Biblical history as very rarely does an author actually stick to what the Bible states on the subject. Therefore, I was tremendously pleased to read this wonderfully, vividly written story! It stuck faithfully to the Biblically provided information, though there really wasn't much there for this period (post-Flood during the time of Nimrod and the building of Babel). This author not only is a talented writer, but she put a lot of time, research, and thought into what the post-Flood world during this time period would be like. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

It has been many generations since the Flood and already much of mankind has rejected the Most High God again. Nimr-Rada, The Mighty Hunter and descendant of Khawm, has challenged the Most High and made himself Great King over all those who follow him. Karen, the youngest daughter of Meshek, and descendant of Shem and Annah lives with those few who have not yielded to Nimr-Rada and refuse to abandon their beliefs.

However, through the cruel scheming of Sharah, her sister, Keren is taken against her will to the city of Nimr-Rada, where he has his own plans for her. Now she must keep her faith while being drawn into a dangerous web of manipulation, betrayals, and deceit where a wrong move will put her and those she loves to death.

He Who Lifts the Sky is a fascinating telling of the events during the building of the Tower of Babel. I found the story very well told and I enjoyed it even more than the first book, The Heavens Before. The author did an excellent job of making the characters real and interesting. I look forward to reading the third book in the Genesis Trilogy.

He Who Lifts the Skies, second in the Genesis Trilogy, is a captivating follow up to The Heavens Before. I found myself eagerly turning the pages until the very end.

While The Heavens Before tells the story of the great flood, He Who Lifts the Skies picks up many years later, after the sons of Noakh have had time to multiply and begin replenishing the earth. Already, many of the tribes are walking their own paths and refusing to honor the Most High. Nimr-Radr, a mighty hunter, has declared himself Great King (or He Who Lifts The Skies). Those who refuse to pay tribute to him face swift and painful death.

Keren and her sister Sharah create quite a stir when they are born because of their unusual, light-colored eyes. Until their birth, all people had been born with dark hair and eyes. When Nimr-Radr hears of the sisters with pale eyes, he travels to meet them, wanting them for his own.

While Keren ignores his interest, Sharah seeks the power and honor that the Great King can give her. But Nimr-Radr doesn't want just the one sister, he wants both, and Sharah will not let her sister's wishes come between her and her goal. Keren finds herself in the difficult and dangerous position of being the only one with the power to end Nimr-Radr's rule of tyranny, but at what cost will it be to herself, and to those she loves?

Kacy Barnett-Gramckow does an amazing job with her research, not only making it a fascinating part of a page-turning story, but also leaving the reader with plenty to ponder. The romance is quietly woven into the story, and while it is not as prominent as Shem and Annah's romance in book one, it is equally compelling. Next in the series is A Crown of Stars, which I look forward to reading with much anticipation.

Armchair Interviews says: Second in a wonderful trilogy of stories.

I have been looking forward to reading HE WHO LIFTS THE SKIES for sometime. It is the second part of the three-part Genesis Trilogy. I wasn't for sure what to expect from the first book in the series, THE HEAVENS BEFORE, but really enjoyed that book. I was eager to see how that story would connect with this one.

The Great Flood ended over a century before and once again the Earth has begun to be peopled. However, God told the people to spread out across the Earth and multiply, but instead many of them are coming to live together in one place, the Great City. In the Great City there are no wide pastures for animals to roam or large fields for children to play. Instead, everyone lives in close spaces and it seems that the extreme nearness breeds wickedness. Keren and her older sister, Sharah are descendants of Shem and Annah (the heroine of THE HEAVENS BEFORE). They are unlike any people they have seen because of their pale skin, light hair, and bright eyes. Some would claim that because they are so unique, they are the most beautiful women on Earth. As the girls become women, tales of their beauty reaches the builder of the Great City, Nimr-Rada (Nimrod). He wants the girls for his wives. Sharah eagerly agrees, abandoning her husband and son, but Keren protests and is taken to the Great City against her will. When she arrives she discovers that Nimr-Rada is planning even more wickedness--a huge tower he plans on building that will reach to the Heavens, proving once and for all that mankind does not need the fabled Most High. Keren becomes torn as she tries to find temperance between her own desires and the will of the Most High. Something must be done, but who can stand against a man who kills leopards for sport?

Like THE HEAVENS BEFORE, HE WHO LIFTS THE SKIES is a fictional tale that remains true to the Bible. It's full of vivid images and engaging dialogue. However, THE HEAVENS BEFORE seemed to be more of a romance to me. HE WHO LIFTS THE SKIES includes some romantic elements, but the book reads more like a tale of suspense. For instance, Keren's eldest brother Ra Anan is very mysterious and it isn't always clear exactly what he is plotting and what his plans are. In that since, HE WHO LIFTS THE SKIES is a story that appeals to a bigger audience. I also liked how the story connected so seamlessly with THE HEAVENS BEFORE. The stories complement each other nicely.

If you've read the first book in The Genesis Trilogy, then you definitely need to read HE WHO LIFTS THE SKIES. Even if you haven't you can still enjoy the book. Especially recommended for fans of Biblical fiction.

"Keren noticed Nimr-Rada shifting impatiently. She glanced at him; he was watching her closely, his eyes impenetrable. She felt like prey. Was he wondering why she hadn't bowed? Or if she had returned to the ways of the Most High? Well, let him wonder."

"He Who Lifts the Skies" begins several hundred years after the Great Flood and revolves around the lives of Noah's descendents, specifically Nimrod the great hunter mentioned briefly in the Bible. The earth has drastically changed since before the flood, and man has been given another chance to serve God with a pure heart. Once again, man is beginning to turn his back on the Most High and already the story of the flood is considered folk lore. However there is a remnant who stand true.
Keren, a firm believer in the Most High, is taken captive to the Great City of Nimrod and threatened with her life should she refuse to bow to the king. Will she go against her convictions and bend her knee to someone other than the Most High?
Her beautiful yet immoral sister is a constant source of anguish for her, and a forbidden love tugs at Keren's heart. Her years are filled with persecution and trials, which leaves the reader hungry to know how this young woman will handle each difficult situation.
The storyline of He Who Lifts the Skies is captivating and original and one of the best reads around. A continuation in The Genesis Trilogy, by Kacy Barnett-Gramckow, "He Who Lifts the Skies" should be classified as "a book that can't be put down".

He Who Lifts The Skies was an amazing book that captured my attention immediately. The second book in Kacy Barnett-Gramckow's Genesis Trilogy was very well researched and written. Gramckow did an amazing job at portraying people's lifestyle, culture, mindsets, etc. back then.

Kacy's characters are always very well laid out and described. I loved Keren and her personality, and Zekaryah and his mysteriousness.

I felt my heart strings pull as I watched numerous unfortunate circumstances befall Keren. She is first kidnapped and then had to watch as her own sister commit terrible sins and leave her own husband and son behind to marry a king who's ways were displeasing to God. Then being taken to a city where evil manifests itself and, to make things worse, any man she touches being sentenced to death...it must have been very hard for Keren, and I felt her despair. Still, I was amazed at how she handled it - with courage and faith that only God could bestow. She set a great example.

Zekaryah was awesome. Period. I was intrigued by him from the very first mention of his name - literally. I was wanting to know more and more about this mysterious and quiet character. Gramckow did an excellent job with Zekaryah's character and I instantly fell in love with the bad guy who longed to be good. The fact that he manages to protect Keren without touching her was really awesome and it made the ending all the more amazing! I loved Zekaryah's protective attitude. :-)

There are a few things to caution. Sharah is an adulterer. She leaves behind her husband and son to marry a pagan king. She also at the end of the story has an affair with another man aside from whom she's married to. Nothing is descriptive, just made known. Zekaryah and Keren also kiss pretty passionately at the end, but it was nothing that made me uncomfortable. It may be a little much for young readers, though.

All being said, this is a fantastic book that I highly suggest you read! I would recommend reading The Heaven's Before, the first in Gramckow's series, first as there is a lot you would be able to understand more if you have that for a background.

I love this other part of the Trilogy . It gives flesh to the folks in the Bible .