Heavens War [Paperback]

To appreciate Heaven's War, I had to give it a few rereads. First off, though CS Lewis and Tolkien are important characters, the story's central figure is the lesser known inkling, Charles Williams. I can't speak authoritatively, having never read Williams, but it apparently is written in his style and follows the themes of his books. I suspect some fans of Lewis and Tolkien will be slightly disappointed, but for what the author is attempting to accomplish here, I have to admit it works.

In short, Aleister Crowley is seeking secrets of the Rennes-le-Chateau and is pursuing an aging Arthur Waite for answers. Waite fears for his life and the secrets he believes he has nearly uncovered, and calls on Charles Williams for help. By association, this involves Lewis and Tolkien as well. Essentially, Crowley wants to find the gate to heaven and affect the battle between good and evil at the heavenly realm, with heavy repercussions for those on earth.

If you're immediately familiar with Crowley, Waite, Gnosticism and the Holy Blood, Holy Grail theories and such, you've got a great head start on understanding the plot. The focus on these pseudo historical and anti-Christian theories is concerning, though after reading the annotations in the back of the book, I'm confident that he views the claims made by such theories as essentially false. They advance the plot, but we're not supposed to assume that when Waite discusses Gnostic cosmology that he's describing the truth (in fact, without spoiling too much, a guide in heaven notes that the Gnostic Cathers find heaven disappointingly "sensuous"). The details of all this is mostly over my own head, I'm afraid. More familiar to me was the imagery Harris uses in his descriptions of heaven, though I didn't catch all this until reading the annotations.

The flow can be confusing if you're the sort to impatiently skip long pieces of dialog. This is not an easy reading book, if you haven't figured it out yet. The central conflicts are ideological, not physical (no, Tolkien doesn't pick up a sword and attack Crowley while he casts some black magic spell, get that expectation out of your head), the philosophical assertations of Lewis, Crowley, etc. drive the it, and in fact Lewis' idea of evil (as recalled by Williams) vs. Crowley's rather "post-modern" view is the driving point of the final climactic "battle."

The drawing is probably the weakest point of the novel, unfortunately. Of course this isn't an action based comic, so the story itself is a limiting influence, but the black and white with no shading just isn't that interesting to look at.

In summary, I liked it but I had to work at it to do so, which is something most people don't come to a graphic novel expecting to do. Having no prior knowledge of figures like Waite and Williams and only a "pop culture" knowledge of Crowley hurt me more than a little bit here. Still, a solid 4/5 star rating. I'm now interested in reading some of Charles Williams' work.

The premise of the book is that 4 authors are drawn into a spiritual war, 3 on the side of Heaven (C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein and Charles Williams) and one on the side of Evil (famed Satanist Alistair Crowley).

Based on my experience, a familiarity with the work of Charles Williams is recommended. Also recommended: Read the annotations at the end of the book as you read the text. I found it to be a big help and, in the end, much more interesting reading than the text.

I found the premise of the story to be odd and often unclear (what role did Crowley have throughout the book? What was he getting out of the situation?) The Lewis and Tolkein characters were wholly unnecessary - they did little except give the lesser-known Charles Williams a bit of gravitas-by-association.

It would also be helpful if the reader already had a familiarity with the beliefs of gnosticism, Alistair Crowley and the Holy Grail stuff that Dan Brown uses throughout the "DaVinci Code".

I give the text a grade of D. I give the annotations a grade of A-. That averages to a grade of C+.

Reviewer Mike Perschon has given a good overview of the story and great guidance on its best audience. To it, I should like to add the recommendation that those readers who pick it up settle down with Heaven's War somewhere quiet, with time to devote to it. Those who are seeking quick entertainment will do neither it nor themselves justice. Some may find this story a slow starter, but there are rich depths that will reward the persistent, and those who go back for a second read will find elements have taken on new levels. If readers aren't familiar with the persons and philosophies involved, they can keep one finger in the notes at the end of the book, which should clear up much of the mystery. Even if the reader is familiar, its worth investigating the notes after reading the novel. They offer depths of their own.

My only real criticism of this work is its format. I think the author would have better served the material to present it in novel form, which would have allowed a little more exposition and a little less redundant imagery. While Gaydos seems to be a fine illustrator, the story appeals less to the senses than to the mind and the soul.

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