Divine Coregency IV: The Escape From Heaven is the fourth book in the Divine Coregency Saga, and, in a departure from the previous three books, acts as a prologue to the original trilogy; instead, exploring the backstory of the two archangels Stan & Harry and their struggles against Michael, and the intervention of Catherine ("Merle Moéthie").
Prologue
The book opens on a stormy night in the oasis with Michael burying his dead wife, Maya, soon after the birth of their son. The elder brother, Harry, begs Michael to keep the child, but Michael angrily leaves for Heaven without even naming the child. Harry names him Stan.
Part 1: Heaven
The first few chapters show Stan learning valuable life lessons from Harry: those that relate to ethics, morality and logic. It is these lessons that he would later carry with him throughout his life. Harry also keeps telling him tales about a War in Heaven and teaches him the Adamic language but Stan considers them fables. The reader is introduced to the phrase "what do you see", which Harry constantly asks Stan.
When he is fourteen, Stan conducts an experiment within the crater of the volcano to charge an Amarendine Locket he's made so he can extend life. An explosion uncovers an artificial cave. Harry calls him away as the crater would be too dangerous. Later, unbeknownst to Harry, Stan returns to retrieve his Amarendine Locket and to investigate the tunnel. In the tunnel, he finds a huge carved Adamic word and a healing crystal, and realises that the tales of Heaven are true.
Harry finds him and he tells him about the War in Heaven and Charon's role in it, but doesn't tell him that he is Charon. Stan promises not to return there until 'he is ready'. Harry introduces him to the ideas behind the Glassblowing, and thinks about being able to teach him soon.
A significant event in Stan's early life is the death and resurrection of his tortoise. She died after licking toxic substances on herself as the result of Stan's failed experiment.
His father, Michael, suddenly shows up and almost immediately takes Stan back to Heaven with him, promising Harry that he would bring the boy back in three months' time. Stan and his father live in Heaven with their mute servant, Janus. Stan's immediate tasks include learning written and spoken Adamic and repairing the damage to Heaven that occurred during the War. Michael takes Stan to see his planet, Mars, and also reveals to Stan that his brother was indeed that Charon of the history. Stan's feelings for Harry are wounded for keeping his fact from him.
Part 2: Venus
A large section of the book is dedicated to Stan and Harry's dealing with Michael's planet Venus. Michael presents him and Stan as gods there. However, Stan starts to befriend the natives, Vanessa and others. Michael and Stan find out however that the natives revere a geological weather phenomenon known as the White Fool. Michael, in order to be the only entity to be revered on the planet, makes some corrections to the orb and makes the phenomenon disappear. Like all of Michael's planets, Venus eventually becomes unstable.
Stan also learns the Art and creates his first planet, Mercury, which his father doesn't like. Michael and Stan return to Venus and order an 'Apotheosis' (god crowning) ceremony to take place for Stan's first blowing of a planet. During the ceremony, a great storm and earthquake occurs.
After having been pleaded to by Stan to do something to save the world (Stan plays on Harry's feelings that he and Stan are gods), Michael makes many erroneous deletions from Venus' orb. When Stan travels back, he realises it is a new planet that is very much like Venus before Michael arrived. This only means that the people of the original planet Venus remained sealed to their doom.
After having a large argument with Michael about his abilities, Michael starts criticising Mercury and making alterations to the planet, ruining it. When Stan asks him a chance to fix the orb of Venus, and about whether a Glassblower is indeed a creator or just models an already existing planet, Michael maddened moves the orb closer to the Sun, destroying any chance of life proliferating there. Stan decides to escape from Heaven. While his father is intoxicated and sleeping, he steals his book of maps and notes that Michael constantly referred to that contain the directions out of Heaven. However Michael and Janus catch up with Stan, and he is locked in a blocked prison in Heaven.
Part 3: Earth
In the prison room with Stan is the orb for Michael's planet Earth. Stan, having no other choice, travels to Earth. After an accident he has with a pool, he is rescued by two lamps ladies; he eventually falls in love with their friend, Catherine, who he nicknames "Merle", and who, in return, nicknames him "Malak".
Catherine was an oracle, a sage and a counsellor that Michael intended to reestablish on Earth. Catherine encouraged her friends, the Divine Coregency, to question something Michael said to them, and in a fury, Michael had them executed. Michael then left a fissure in the Great Tree and proclaimed that if he was ever questioned again, he would destroy the planet.
It is then learned that Michael intends to wed Catherine. Malak & Merle (Stan & Catherine) hatch a plan to sever the connection between Earth and Heaven and trap Michael in Heaven forever. She takes him to the Moon one night (which might be nice), out of the lessons Michael has been holding with her, and then the island of N'veer, which she claims to have discovered.
Stan makes all the proper corrections to Earth and then links in to destroy all of the Athanors (portals) leading to Heaven. Stan is captured by Michael but is set free by a series of earthquakes and massive W'hawls that arise from the sea that the Merle blew into the planet. She subsequently returns to Earth and escapes with Stan after he has destroyed one of the two remaining Athanors left on Earth. The last Athanor explodes, and Malak & Merle (Stan & Catherine) escape to N'veer, successfully trapping Michael in Heaven.
Epilogue
Stan soon discovers that the Merle was not acting alone: Harry has been following Stan since his ascent into Heaven and has watched for his safety from the shadows. It is Harry who helped Merle discover N'Veer, and it was Harry who convinced Merle to help them. While Harry watches Silvano play and Merle stands by his side, Stan concludes his prophecy heard at the end of Divine Coregency I: The Magisterium, shortly before the angels reactivate the Athanor.
Prologue
The book opens on a stormy night in the oasis with Michael burying his dead wife, Maya, soon after the birth of their son. The elder brother, Harry, begs Michael to keep the child, but Michael angrily leaves for Heaven without even naming the child. Harry names him Stan.
Part 1: Heaven
The first few chapters show Stan learning valuable life lessons from Harry: those that relate to ethics, morality and logic. It is these lessons that he would later carry with him throughout his life. Harry also keeps telling him tales about a War in Heaven and teaches him the Adamic language but Stan considers them fables. The reader is introduced to the phrase "what do you see", which Harry constantly asks Stan.
When he is fourteen, Stan conducts an experiment within the crater of the volcano to charge an Amarendine Locket he's made so he can extend life. An explosion uncovers an artificial cave. Harry calls him away as the crater would be too dangerous. Later, unbeknownst to Harry, Stan returns to retrieve his Amarendine Locket and to investigate the tunnel. In the tunnel, he finds a huge carved Adamic word and a healing crystal, and realises that the tales of Heaven are true.
Harry finds him and he tells him about the War in Heaven and Charon's role in it, but doesn't tell him that he is Charon. Stan promises not to return there until 'he is ready'. Harry introduces him to the ideas behind the Glassblowing, and thinks about being able to teach him soon.
A significant event in Stan's early life is the death and resurrection of his tortoise. She died after licking toxic substances on herself as the result of Stan's failed experiment.
His father, Michael, suddenly shows up and almost immediately takes Stan back to Heaven with him, promising Harry that he would bring the boy back in three months' time. Stan and his father live in Heaven with their mute servant, Janus. Stan's immediate tasks include learning written and spoken Adamic and repairing the damage to Heaven that occurred during the War. Michael takes Stan to see his planet, Mars, and also reveals to Stan that his brother was indeed that Charon of the history. Stan's feelings for Harry are wounded for keeping his fact from him.
Part 2: Venus
A large section of the book is dedicated to Stan and Harry's dealing with Michael's planet Venus. Michael presents him and Stan as gods there. However, Stan starts to befriend the natives, Vanessa and others. Michael and Stan find out however that the natives revere a geological weather phenomenon known as the White Fool. Michael, in order to be the only entity to be revered on the planet, makes some corrections to the orb and makes the phenomenon disappear. Like all of Michael's planets, Venus eventually becomes unstable.
Stan also learns the Art and creates his first planet, Mercury, which his father doesn't like. Michael and Stan return to Venus and order an 'Apotheosis' (god crowning) ceremony to take place for Stan's first blowing of a planet. During the ceremony, a great storm and earthquake occurs.
After having been pleaded to by Stan to do something to save the world (Stan plays on Harry's feelings that he and Stan are gods), Michael makes many erroneous deletions from Venus' orb. When Stan travels back, he realises it is a new planet that is very much like Venus before Michael arrived. This only means that the people of the original planet Venus remained sealed to their doom.
After having a large argument with Michael about his abilities, Michael starts criticising Mercury and making alterations to the planet, ruining it. When Stan asks him a chance to fix the orb of Venus, and about whether a Glassblower is indeed a creator or just models an already existing planet, Michael maddened moves the orb closer to the Sun, destroying any chance of life proliferating there. Stan decides to escape from Heaven. While his father is intoxicated and sleeping, he steals his book of maps and notes that Michael constantly referred to that contain the directions out of Heaven. However Michael and Janus catch up with Stan, and he is locked in a blocked prison in Heaven.
Part 3: Earth
In the prison room with Stan is the orb for Michael's planet Earth. Stan, having no other choice, travels to Earth. After an accident he has with a pool, he is rescued by two lamps ladies; he eventually falls in love with their friend, Catherine, who he nicknames "Merle", and who, in return, nicknames him "Malak".
Catherine was an oracle, a sage and a counsellor that Michael intended to reestablish on Earth. Catherine encouraged her friends, the Divine Coregency, to question something Michael said to them, and in a fury, Michael had them executed. Michael then left a fissure in the Great Tree and proclaimed that if he was ever questioned again, he would destroy the planet.
It is then learned that Michael intends to wed Catherine. Malak & Merle (Stan & Catherine) hatch a plan to sever the connection between Earth and Heaven and trap Michael in Heaven forever. She takes him to the Moon one night (which might be nice), out of the lessons Michael has been holding with her, and then the island of N'veer, which she claims to have discovered.
Stan makes all the proper corrections to Earth and then links in to destroy all of the Athanors (portals) leading to Heaven. Stan is captured by Michael but is set free by a series of earthquakes and massive W'hawls that arise from the sea that the Merle blew into the planet. She subsequently returns to Earth and escapes with Stan after he has destroyed one of the two remaining Athanors left on Earth. The last Athanor explodes, and Malak & Merle (Stan & Catherine) escape to N'veer, successfully trapping Michael in Heaven.
Epilogue
Stan soon discovers that the Merle was not acting alone: Harry has been following Stan since his ascent into Heaven and has watched for his safety from the shadows. It is Harry who helped Merle discover N'Veer, and it was Harry who convinced Merle to help them. While Harry watches Silvano play and Merle stands by his side, Stan concludes his prophecy heard at the end of Divine Coregency I: The Magisterium, shortly before the angels reactivate the Athanor.
