What do you think?
Rate this book
Not Far from Eden
Jealous angels with no genitals discover the passion and ecstasy that humans experience through sex. In revenge, the frustrated but impotent celestial beings banish the men to the wilderness. Will the women save the human race, or will they become the mothers of great evil?
98 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 5, 2021
4 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
J. Manfred Weichsel
34 books18 followersJ. Manfred Weichsel writes extravaganzas that fuse adventure, horror, science fiction, and fantasy into some of the most original subversive literature being published today.
Weichsel’s shorter works appear regularly in Cirsova Magazine and anthologies from Cirsova Publishing.
His longer self-published works have gained him a broad and dedicated base of rabid fans comprising folks from every segment of society – readers of all stripes who share a dark sense of humor and a desire to see modern culture burlesqued, and age-old human stupidity mocked.
A fiercely independent author, J. Manfred Weichsel aims to give birth to the classics of the future by writing works ungoverned by the constraints of traditional publishing houses and the inhibitions of contemporary society.
Loved by some and hated by others, Weichsel’s funny, unconventional, often grotesque books inhabit a unique space in American literature and will be read, talked about, and debated for generations to come.
Weichsel’s shorter works appear regularly in Cirsova Magazine and anthologies from Cirsova Publishing.
His longer self-published works have gained him a broad and dedicated base of rabid fans comprising folks from every segment of society – readers of all stripes who share a dark sense of humor and a desire to see modern culture burlesqued, and age-old human stupidity mocked.
A fiercely independent author, J. Manfred Weichsel aims to give birth to the classics of the future by writing works ungoverned by the constraints of traditional publishing houses and the inhibitions of contemporary society.
Loved by some and hated by others, Weichsel’s funny, unconventional, often grotesque books inhabit a unique space in American literature and will be read, talked about, and debated for generations to come.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 26, 2025
This was a very creative take on certain Bible stories. Angels revolting against God for not having penises and being able to enjoy women, for example. I mean…hey…I’d be angry, too. Now I’ve never read the Bible, but have some understanding of portions of it. I do think that people more familiar with the holy scripture will get more out of this, as it takes some liberties with Adam and Eve and such. There were some areas that I had some difficulty following, but, again, I’m not a very religious person, so that probably didnt do me any favors. However, I see how the author took his time crafting this, spinning traditional lore with some updated and fun concepts. The cover made it appear like it would be a silly erotica book, but this was an actual story, straight out of the good book. Lots of fun and very inventive.
December 19, 2021
Not Far From Eden transports us back to human settlements before the Great Flood, a time period where people lived long lives and having angels appear before you didn’t warrant a trip to the local mental institute. God sends down his Angels to educate man, but his Angels soon become tempted by women, just like the rest of us. What ensues is hilarious, sometimes a bit sexy, and an all around good time for most involved.
I really enjoyed having parts of different biblical stories woven into the story. If you’re familiar with the creation of niphilims, the Book of Enoch, and the stories centered around Azazel, you may appreciate the work that went into weaving each piece into the story seamlessly.
Not Far from Eden is overall an enjoyable book with lots of humor and a story that will suck you in and have you forgetting about those chores you wanted to do or that pesky bedtime. This is definitely Weichsel’s best book yet!
I really enjoyed having parts of different biblical stories woven into the story. If you’re familiar with the creation of niphilims, the Book of Enoch, and the stories centered around Azazel, you may appreciate the work that went into weaving each piece into the story seamlessly.
Not Far from Eden is overall an enjoyable book with lots of humor and a story that will suck you in and have you forgetting about those chores you wanted to do or that pesky bedtime. This is definitely Weichsel’s best book yet!
January 9, 2023
I found this an interesting take on the tale of the Annunaki as seen in Genesis. The main difference is its slightly more modern setting which adds to its satire.
April 9, 2023
Not Far From Heaven is unique. It takes a satirical sacrilegious stab at the books of Genesis and Revelation, and provides answers to questions theologians have been asking for centuries; such as, what happened to Enoch AFTER he was lifted up into heaven? Does God actually have a plan? And was the talking snake actually Satan?
In graphic detail, Not Far From Eden puts a spotlight on man's potential for evil and puts the blame right where it belongs: On God.
So far, Not Far From Eden is my favorite title by J. Manfred Weichsel. I Absolute love it. The plot is so intricate. It is so cool how he brought everything together. I love the sacrilegious nature of it, and I laughed out loud more than once.
In graphic detail, Not Far From Eden puts a spotlight on man's potential for evil and puts the blame right where it belongs: On God.
So far, Not Far From Eden is my favorite title by J. Manfred Weichsel. I Absolute love it. The plot is so intricate. It is so cool how he brought everything together. I love the sacrilegious nature of it, and I laughed out loud more than once.
July 10, 2025
Beneath all the modern language and trappings, this is the tale Old Testament had tried to tell, but had failed to reach the target audience.
I found it to be shocking, horrific, raunchy, but absolutely honest in intent.
It was a good read, overall.
I found it to be shocking, horrific, raunchy, but absolutely honest in intent.
It was a good read, overall.
February 11, 2022
Weichsel combines fast-paced action and devious plots with humour that paints both humanity and the divine as decidedly imperfect.
While God has cast humanity from the Garden of Eden, he still loves his creation, and so he sends the angelic order of Watchers to teach humans the skills and knowledge they will need to live in harmony with the world. However, when one of the humans tries flirting to avoid having to work so hard at learning, the angel Samyaza discovers that being sexless does not protect from lust.
Weichsel’s novel is based on the Biblical tale of angels desiring the daughters of humans and siring the Nephilim, and draws heavily on the expanded story given in the apocryphal Book of Enoch.
However, Weichsel’s tone is very different from that of Abrahamic theological texts. Instead, he presents the story as a comedy, filled with both satire and farce—often of a crude nature. Perhaps the clearest example of this is God ignoring apparently serious issues because he is fixated on a man with poor bowel control. Thus, this is not a novel for those who believe mixing Christianity and jokes about sex or defecation is deeply inappropriate.
Although—consistent with the irreverent portrayal of the divine as a whole—this book does not stint in showing the Watchers as deeply flawed beings, the primary responsibility for angelic lust is placed very firmly on the shoulders of women who attempt to use their sexuality to manipulate others with the promise of something they do not intend to give. Therefore, this novel might well equally infuriate readers who abhor the idea that women are responsible for men’s inability to control their lust.
However, behind the glorying in offering offence to as many different groups as possible, Weichsel’s narrative displays a more complex and perhaps more supportive view of the matter. While God does not appear to be the perfect being of orthodox scripture, His plans do work out more often than one might expect for an idiot deity, raising questions of whether or not what appears foolish is actually reasonable from the perspective of a being who is outside time and space.
Equally, while women might play a major part in triggering the fall of the Watchers and consequent events, they also play a major part in trying to resolve them. Thus, in contrast to the idea that women are inherently sinful because of Eve’s actions, Weischsel presents a more nuanced idea of impurity: that women’s sexuality is a powerful force that can bring disaster if used thoughtlessly but that the sin is in thoughtlessness, and that women can thus become righteous by their own efforts rather than needing external grace.
Weischel’s cast are a cavalcade of muscular thugs, sex-crazed youths, self-entitled abusers, piss-spraying giants, and other examples of the less-than-commendable. However, his characterization is engaging enough that his protagonists do spark some empathy and a number of the humans find a virtue that will make readers cheer their victories.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel but found some of the humour a little too vulgar to amuse me. I recommend it to readers seeking fast-paced fantasy where nothing is sacred.
I received a free copy from the author with a request for a fair review.
While God has cast humanity from the Garden of Eden, he still loves his creation, and so he sends the angelic order of Watchers to teach humans the skills and knowledge they will need to live in harmony with the world. However, when one of the humans tries flirting to avoid having to work so hard at learning, the angel Samyaza discovers that being sexless does not protect from lust.
Weichsel’s novel is based on the Biblical tale of angels desiring the daughters of humans and siring the Nephilim, and draws heavily on the expanded story given in the apocryphal Book of Enoch.
However, Weichsel’s tone is very different from that of Abrahamic theological texts. Instead, he presents the story as a comedy, filled with both satire and farce—often of a crude nature. Perhaps the clearest example of this is God ignoring apparently serious issues because he is fixated on a man with poor bowel control. Thus, this is not a novel for those who believe mixing Christianity and jokes about sex or defecation is deeply inappropriate.
Although—consistent with the irreverent portrayal of the divine as a whole—this book does not stint in showing the Watchers as deeply flawed beings, the primary responsibility for angelic lust is placed very firmly on the shoulders of women who attempt to use their sexuality to manipulate others with the promise of something they do not intend to give. Therefore, this novel might well equally infuriate readers who abhor the idea that women are responsible for men’s inability to control their lust.
However, behind the glorying in offering offence to as many different groups as possible, Weichsel’s narrative displays a more complex and perhaps more supportive view of the matter. While God does not appear to be the perfect being of orthodox scripture, His plans do work out more often than one might expect for an idiot deity, raising questions of whether or not what appears foolish is actually reasonable from the perspective of a being who is outside time and space.
Equally, while women might play a major part in triggering the fall of the Watchers and consequent events, they also play a major part in trying to resolve them. Thus, in contrast to the idea that women are inherently sinful because of Eve’s actions, Weischsel presents a more nuanced idea of impurity: that women’s sexuality is a powerful force that can bring disaster if used thoughtlessly but that the sin is in thoughtlessness, and that women can thus become righteous by their own efforts rather than needing external grace.
Weischel’s cast are a cavalcade of muscular thugs, sex-crazed youths, self-entitled abusers, piss-spraying giants, and other examples of the less-than-commendable. However, his characterization is engaging enough that his protagonists do spark some empathy and a number of the humans find a virtue that will make readers cheer their victories.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel but found some of the humour a little too vulgar to amuse me. I recommend it to readers seeking fast-paced fantasy where nothing is sacred.
I received a free copy from the author with a request for a fair review.
April 15, 2023
J. Manfred Weichsel has returned with another unbelievable, ridiculous, and over the top satire. Some of Weichsel’s work, like Jungle Jitters, takes its inspiration from contemporary events. For this book, Weichsel reached back to the Book of Enoch, a bit of Jewish apocalyptic that was likely composed during the time when the Greek successors of Alexander the Great ruled over much of the Middle East.
Even though I haven’t read the Book of Enoch, it is familiar enough, because it has been mined for material by many, many authors of mythic fiction, for example Tim Powers or Neil Gaiman. For the most part, these authors have repurposed the angels or the nephilim featured in the Book of Enoch for their own purposes. Not Weichsel, who has taken it upon himself to retell the Book of Enoch in an entirely modern form.
That’s ambitious, but Weichsel uses his signature style of grotesquerie to translate this earnest religious text into something we moderns can understand.
At first, Not For From Eden seems like many other contemporary works, irreverent and edgy. Yet there is a great deal more here than meets the eye. For example, the opening lines of the book sound like the kind of thing an Internet atheist writes to mock the rubes, describing God as an old man with a long white beard, who in subsequent passages is by turns doddering, neglectful, and vengeful. Yet, when you look at the book as whole, what you find is that the only character in the book who was never surprised and had all of his plans come to fruition is the caricature of a deity.
Ours is not an age that would be able see the acts of God in a straight up act of Providence. However, we just might recognize ourselves in an uncomfortable Gestalt after reading this, and start to wonder about other things.
More: https://www.benespen.com/2022-3-6-not...
Even though I haven’t read the Book of Enoch, it is familiar enough, because it has been mined for material by many, many authors of mythic fiction, for example Tim Powers or Neil Gaiman. For the most part, these authors have repurposed the angels or the nephilim featured in the Book of Enoch for their own purposes. Not Weichsel, who has taken it upon himself to retell the Book of Enoch in an entirely modern form.
That’s ambitious, but Weichsel uses his signature style of grotesquerie to translate this earnest religious text into something we moderns can understand.
At first, Not For From Eden seems like many other contemporary works, irreverent and edgy. Yet there is a great deal more here than meets the eye. For example, the opening lines of the book sound like the kind of thing an Internet atheist writes to mock the rubes, describing God as an old man with a long white beard, who in subsequent passages is by turns doddering, neglectful, and vengeful. Yet, when you look at the book as whole, what you find is that the only character in the book who was never surprised and had all of his plans come to fruition is the caricature of a deity.
Ours is not an age that would be able see the acts of God in a straight up act of Providence. However, we just might recognize ourselves in an uncomfortable Gestalt after reading this, and start to wonder about other things.
More: https://www.benespen.com/2022-3-6-not...
June 1, 2022
Enoch and Edna
A fable regarding the creation of the earth. Enoch and Edna are preserved in the garden of Eden in case the earth is destroyed.
Interesting story. Characterization and plotting are fair.
A fable regarding the creation of the earth. Enoch and Edna are preserved in the garden of Eden in case the earth is destroyed.
Interesting story. Characterization and plotting are fair.
September 29, 2024
An entertaining tale very loosely based on old testament stories but with an adult theme. Great fun
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews