Heavens Before Book

Kacy Barnett-Gramckow, does an excellent job of recreating the world before the Great Flood, and the evil and brutality that permeated the earth.
An interesting form of Biblical Fiction, in which the first few chapters strangely resemble Jean M Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear.
Annah has, when still a child, seen her beloved father murdered by her vicious brother Yerakh, and has not spoken ever since, being brutally treated by her family who see her as mad. One day she is about to kill herself by throwing herself into the river when she is rescued by a young man named Shem, and is introduced to a family where love and faith to G-D reigns, in contrast to the rest of the society where brutality and deceit are the order of the day and the belief in the Most High is ridiculed, Many people worship the Cult of Nachash, worship of the evil Serpent of the Garden of Eden, representing the eternal battle for the soul of the world, that has taken place through the millenia, on the one side G-D and Israel and all the righteous and on the other the forces of ungodliness, of atheism and atheistic ideologies hostile to Israel and the Judeo-Christian ethic.
The second part of the book deals with Annah's special place in the family of Noach and the Great Flood and journey of the Ark.
Just the right balance between fidelity to the spirit of the Biblical account and the creative moulding of an epic, with much that is undiscovered.

*2019 update*
This book is so compelling. I've been so eager to reread it. So, when I needed something to distract me, I started reading this book again. This is one of my favorite books ever.

*2016 review*
Age Appropriate For: 15 and up (for violence, romance, and intense scenes)
Best for Ages: 15 and up

A long time ago, I started reading a book set before the flood. After about three pages, I was so disgusted I threw it away. Yes, the times before the flood were evil, but the graphic picture painted was not something that I was interested in stuffing into my mind. This book was different. This book painted a picture of an evil culture, without being graphic.

The author seemed to have one important goal in mind, stay biblically accurate while weaving a story surrounding those who built the ark. She also dug into Christian science for information, which added a great deal to the story. Both these elements made the story believable and plausible.
Annah tore at my heart from the beginning. She was such a wounded soul, hurt by the violence of her family. She thought so little of herself, yet has the faith to reach out for love and God when it is offered. She was a character that I dearly loved.

The other characters felt real, and I loved the interactions between the members of Noah's family. The love they have for Methuselah, the teasing between the brothers, and the fatherly and motherly affection that Noah and his wife have for their daughter-in-law was delightful. All of the characters were well written.

While I know the Biblical story, I read this book in one sitting, because I couldn't stop. I started it at eight one night and stayed up until 1:30 to finish it. It was that good. I cannot wait to read the rest in the series, though I did really love another book I read by this author, written under a pen name called Prophet.

I highly recommend this for older readers who like biblical fiction, books written from a creationist point of view, and well written fiction.