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Imagine waking up naked in the middle of a vast beach with no ocean in site. Not only do you not know who you are -- but you have no clue if you are dead or alive -- in heaven or hell. Then others begin arriving in the same condition. So starts The Shivered Sky by Matt Dinniman.

The world of The Shivered Sky is not heaven or hell -- it is another existence altogether. Cibola, the city of Angels has been overrun with demons from other worlds. The billions of Angels are caught unawares and the city is lost on fateful day.

The war is over and the angels are trying to just survive. Our wayward humans; Indigo, Gramm, Dave, Ricco, and Hitomi find themselves thrust into this war without knowing whose side to fight on. The Demons attack them, but the Angels treat them like slaves. Confused about all this, our gang realizes nothing is as it seems. Luckily, this group has been given possession of an awesome weapon, periscepters. These weapons look like a simple flashlight, but the light blasts from them disintegrate any Demon in its path. Periscepters have 'true light' which destroys Demons but is harmless to Angels and humans. The war between the Angels and Dominion controlled Demons escalates with our human's caught in the middle.

The Shivered Sky is not what it seems. This dark fantasy is extremely engaging with an original story line. Each chapter brings more understanding of the world and its inhabitants. The ending is climatic and a complete surprise. Cibola is an amazing city with incredible buildings with unknown characteristics. Dinniman has created a diverse, imaginative world that will entertain you just with its descriptions.

Another interesting aspect of The Shivered Sky is that God is missing. The book is not about any religious theology, but about the struggle to survive and learn from past mistakes. God is missing for a reason that will become apparent towards the end of the book.

Alisa discovered science fiction at the tender age of eight. She devoured The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and never looked back. She lives in Chicago with her husband, cat, and 5000 books. For more information please visit her website at alisaandmike.com.