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Lost Civilization #3
The Tree Of Life
Tarag of the Sabertooths and the giant Mimir the Wise are searching for Eden. They have found and practiced with ancient weapons, hoping to slay the guardian of the East Gate so they may eat from the Tree of Life and rule the Earth as gods. Lord Uriah pursues the Nephilim with a hardy band of warriors. It’s unlikely he can defeat the evil champions, but he has to try before they can eat the fruit and become invincible. Joash is Mimir’s prisoner. The young man is a seraph with an inner fire that can resist Nephilim sorcery. Mimir has found a way to use that in Joash to help them defeat the guardian of Eden. Now, it’s up to Joash to risk everything to stop them. Because if Tarag and Mimir can kill Eden’s guardian, the Nephilim will begin a rule of demonic evil throughout the Earth that will never end. EDEN is the third book of the Lost Civilization Series that chronicles the war between men and Nephilim in the days before the oceans overran the Pre-Cataclysmic World. *EDEN was formerly titled THE TREE OF LIFE.
- GenresFantasy
234 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 30, 2010
58 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Vaughn Heppner
147 books569 followersYou can visit Vaughn at www.vaughnheppner.com
I was born in Canada and remember as a small boy crawling in my snow-fort. I closed my eyes, and when I tried to open them, they were frozen shut. I didn't panic, but wiped away the ice crystals, unglued my eyes and kept on building my tunnel. Those were great days! I moved to Central California before seventh grade and couldn't believe I lived in a land where oranges grew on trees and you could pick grapes from the vine.
I used to wonder what I wanted to do with my life, what kind of work specifically. I was miserable not knowing and bordering on desperate. Then one day a friend gave me his typewriter. I began working on a novel. A different person told me it was much easier on a computer, so I bought one and began getting up at 4:30 A.M. each morning before work, writing for three hours. My eyes were unglued once again as the pang of misery left my gut. I knew exactly what I wanted to do: write. So now that's what I do, I write, and write, and write, and I love it.
I was born in Canada and remember as a small boy crawling in my snow-fort. I closed my eyes, and when I tried to open them, they were frozen shut. I didn't panic, but wiped away the ice crystals, unglued my eyes and kept on building my tunnel. Those were great days! I moved to Central California before seventh grade and couldn't believe I lived in a land where oranges grew on trees and you could pick grapes from the vine.
I used to wonder what I wanted to do with my life, what kind of work specifically. I was miserable not knowing and bordering on desperate. Then one day a friend gave me his typewriter. I began working on a novel. A different person told me it was much easier on a computer, so I bought one and began getting up at 4:30 A.M. each morning before work, writing for three hours. My eyes were unglued once again as the pang of misery left my gut. I knew exactly what I wanted to do: write. So now that's what I do, I write, and write, and write, and I love it.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 26, 2019
A final conflict comes to a head
Sadly many great warriors are lost but fought valiantly. Looking forward to the next book in the series. Captivating series.
Sadly many great warriors are lost but fought valiantly. Looking forward to the next book in the series. Captivating series.
April 29, 2012
Mr. Heppner, you keep doing it. You keep writing this epic that's so compelling that I read one per day. I can't stop! Thank God there are six. I get lost in your wondrous, fabulous, mythological story and it takes my breath away. I've just bought the last three, so now I'm armed to the teeth and ready to face the First Born and Nephilim with Joash and Adah, Lord Uriah and Herek, Lod and Lillith.
After the last book we left our heroes not only separated, but trying to protect the world from utter destruction. Each group thinks the other is dead. One group gets captured by the enemy, the other makes it to safety. They both have to stop the Giants and Gibborim along with Tarag the First Born who is intent on entering Eden to eat from the Tree of Life and become an immortal God on Earth. But first Tarag must do a few things. He must find something stolen from Heaven. He must also beat the mighty Cherub at the East Gate of Eden. He needs Joash, who is now his prisoner to help him. And that is where the story unfolds. The hunt and finding of the Heavenly artifact; what happens to it after it's found. The race to Eden by the forces of good and evil. The titanic battle that takes place when they meet. And of course what happens at the East Gate of Eden between Tarag and the Cherub. Will Tarag become a God on Earth and make a hell for humans? Will the Cherub destroy the Tree of Life thereby destroying all life on Earth in a great deluge? Will the Cherub defeat Tarag?
Again, Mr. Heppner's ending was done quite masterfully. Never too rushed or too slow it had incredible dramatic tension. You don't know the fate of the world until the final seconds. You finished the book feeling intensely satisfied but still wanting more.
His characters, as always, are genuine and varied; startlingly three dimensional. We get to know a lot more about Giants such as Mimir the Wise and what the Nephilim and First Born believe (or at least least the lies they've told themselves) about Elohim, the Shining Ones, humans, the thousand years war, the fate of the bene elohim and other things. This is just another example of Heppner's spot on characterization. Of course the evil people have built justifications that put them in the right so that their actions make sense. Very few creatures see themselves as truly evil, the fact that Tarag and the Giants believed that what they did - they did for glory and of course power. What could be wrong with this? Humans after all were just animals. Ranked as a mule or a horse - a pack animal, rather stupid at that, but stubborn with great arrogance. What would it matter if they were wiped out? This just shows the cleverness of Heppner, getting into each character's head and figuring out how they'd think. It adds to the credibility of all the characters, as much thought has put into each one.
Out of all the characters, the one most changed was Joash. He is travelling with Tarag, the Giants and Gibborim. Because his belief in Elohim is strong he decides to not act like a slave to Mimir the Wise, but instead negotiate with him. It is clear Tarag needs him for something, so he must foil their plans. To do this he needs information from Mimir. They strike a deal. Joash learns of the Heavenly artifact. Later, as he carries the artifact from Heaven it's changing him - he picks up some supernatural abilities and an air of holy command. In fact the artifact changes everyone in its vicinity. Joash is even visibly changed by it. I doubt he'll ever be the same again. It cures Adah of her nightmares and damage. That was so wonderful.
I would heartily recommend all three books in this series to anyone who likes epic fantasy, angels, mythology or just a thumping good read of the first order. Mr. Heppner, you've done it again, and I want to thank you for providing with the unalloyed reading pleasure. I am on to book four.
After the last book we left our heroes not only separated, but trying to protect the world from utter destruction. Each group thinks the other is dead. One group gets captured by the enemy, the other makes it to safety. They both have to stop the Giants and Gibborim along with Tarag the First Born who is intent on entering Eden to eat from the Tree of Life and become an immortal God on Earth. But first Tarag must do a few things. He must find something stolen from Heaven. He must also beat the mighty Cherub at the East Gate of Eden. He needs Joash, who is now his prisoner to help him. And that is where the story unfolds. The hunt and finding of the Heavenly artifact; what happens to it after it's found. The race to Eden by the forces of good and evil. The titanic battle that takes place when they meet. And of course what happens at the East Gate of Eden between Tarag and the Cherub. Will Tarag become a God on Earth and make a hell for humans? Will the Cherub destroy the Tree of Life thereby destroying all life on Earth in a great deluge? Will the Cherub defeat Tarag?
Again, Mr. Heppner's ending was done quite masterfully. Never too rushed or too slow it had incredible dramatic tension. You don't know the fate of the world until the final seconds. You finished the book feeling intensely satisfied but still wanting more.
His characters, as always, are genuine and varied; startlingly three dimensional. We get to know a lot more about Giants such as Mimir the Wise and what the Nephilim and First Born believe (or at least least the lies they've told themselves) about Elohim, the Shining Ones, humans, the thousand years war, the fate of the bene elohim and other things. This is just another example of Heppner's spot on characterization. Of course the evil people have built justifications that put them in the right so that their actions make sense. Very few creatures see themselves as truly evil, the fact that Tarag and the Giants believed that what they did - they did for glory and of course power. What could be wrong with this? Humans after all were just animals. Ranked as a mule or a horse - a pack animal, rather stupid at that, but stubborn with great arrogance. What would it matter if they were wiped out? This just shows the cleverness of Heppner, getting into each character's head and figuring out how they'd think. It adds to the credibility of all the characters, as much thought has put into each one.
Out of all the characters, the one most changed was Joash. He is travelling with Tarag, the Giants and Gibborim. Because his belief in Elohim is strong he decides to not act like a slave to Mimir the Wise, but instead negotiate with him. It is clear Tarag needs him for something, so he must foil their plans. To do this he needs information from Mimir. They strike a deal. Joash learns of the Heavenly artifact. Later, as he carries the artifact from Heaven it's changing him - he picks up some supernatural abilities and an air of holy command. In fact the artifact changes everyone in its vicinity. Joash is even visibly changed by it. I doubt he'll ever be the same again. It cures Adah of her nightmares and damage. That was so wonderful.
I would heartily recommend all three books in this series to anyone who likes epic fantasy, angels, mythology or just a thumping good read of the first order. Mr. Heppner, you've done it again, and I want to thank you for providing with the unalloyed reading pleasure. I am on to book four.
January 1, 2017
4 Stars
The Tree of Life by Vaughn Heppner is book three in the Lost Civilization series. I was so engrossed with the story, the writing, and the characters from book one and two that I immediately went on to this one. The Lost Civilization series is a fantasy that will appeal to a wide audience. These books would be appropriate for the older young adult crowd. I will summarize this review with my 5 reasons why you too should read this book.
1. the subject and plot.
First and foremost is the subject and the plot. Vaughn Heppner has created a wonderful world where God's children, the Fallen, Man, and Beast all walk the Earth and compete for life ever after. I absolutely loved the depth of the world building and the religious undertones. I wanted more and more. Simply awesome.
2. the lead character Joash is memorable.
Joash is a passionate man and a great lead character. His passion and devotion are true signs that he is a seraph
3. the writing by Vaughan Heppner
This is fantasy made for page turning. This is not the next A Game of Thrones weighed down by political machinations. It is however a fun, imaginative, and action based high fantasy that will keep your attention from start to finish. The writing made the great world even better.
5. Gods, Giants, and Nephilim and now sea monsters too
Enough said.
The Tree of Life was a fast page turner that was just not quite as good as the first two books in the series. I love the writing and the characters and wanted more from them. I guess I will immediately go on to the next one.
Finally, I have to repeat that I absolutely enjoyed this book and can't wait to see where it goes. A great read.
” “Think of it as this, if it will make you feel better,” Lord Uriah said. “We’re pitching ourselves before a runaway wagon, hoping our combined bodies will stop the wagon before it falls over a cliff with our loved ones. Of course, when the wheels roll over our bodies, we’ll likely die. But that’s better than watching our loved ones fall to their deaths.”"
May 16, 2014
"The Tree of Life" is the conclusion of the first arc in the Lost Civilization series. Author Vaughn Heppner turns up the action as he tells the story of a band of giants who want to crash Eden and sample fruit from the Tree of Life, which will give them immortality. The only ones stopping them are Joash, a simple seraph, and Lord Uriah, who gathers an oddball army. The humans don't appear to stand a chance, but they have faith. And that faith makes them stronger than their enemies can imagine. Mimir the giant, or nephilim, plays a pretty significant role. And Herrek escapes the enchanted rock beast with the help of another seraph, who is pretty well developed. The characters are quite strong, even the bad guys. And the reader wants them to overcome all the odds. Heppner doesn't make it easy. He often abuses his heroes, making it appear near impossible they will succeed. The series got better as it went along.
April 9, 2012
The continuation of the previous stories this book doesn't feel like a stand-alone novel. It feels like a long third-act that's been cut from the conclusion and forematter. One of my favorites in terms of how we see the characters develop, I like the series overall but almost felt the story stretches over interconnected books was a way to get another 99 cents.
I like how much our main character has grown since we first met him. Each step of his development is believable.
I like how much our main character has grown since we first met him. Each step of his development is believable.
April 20, 2015
Great excitement!
Of course, the bad guys get it in the end. But how they get it! The various trials our heroes go through to return an item belonging to God and keeping them from making it into Eden The combining of different people and their cultures concerning God helped these heroes and the God they know to be the one True Most High God. Marvelous scriptures at the beginning of each chapter lead us into deeper knowledge of the essence of the what the chapter entails.
Of course, the bad guys get it in the end. But how they get it! The various trials our heroes go through to return an item belonging to God and keeping them from making it into Eden The combining of different people and their cultures concerning God helped these heroes and the God they know to be the one True Most High God. Marvelous scriptures at the beginning of each chapter lead us into deeper knowledge of the essence of the what the chapter entails.
June 6, 2013
Loved this book. I love stories that take verses from the Bible and create a fictional story. Can't wait for the next book in the series.
January 12, 2015
As stated before there are typos and the Author switches the sex of a protagonist parent who passed on the Nephilim blood. Otherwise a nice story about what happened before history began
March 4, 2015
Best one yet....
This was the best story of the series so far. Can't wait to download the next book. Loving this series.
This was the best story of the series so far. Can't wait to download the next book. Loving this series.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews