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A review by aceinit
Lucifer, Vol. 10: Morningstar by Mike Carey
5.0
The penultimate volume in the Lucifer collection brings us the grand climax we’ve all been waiting for, as the angelic host, the Lilim, and the army of Hell war for the Silver City in an attempt to (depending on whose side you’re on) destroy or save the whole of two creations.
Fenris, Lilith and Christopher Rudd have their reasons for wanting to see Heaven fall, an event that now seems inevitable since God’s abdication from his realm began the slow unraveling of the cosmos atom by atom. Michael’s death at the base of the World Tree has hastened this destruction. Lilith seeks the annihilation of the Silver City, which she and her children helped build back when our world was still young. Christopher Rudd seeks war on Heaven in effort to redeem the sufferings of the damned, and change the way things are done in both Heaven and Hell. The Host is just trying to survive and make sense of their rapidly changing world, now devoid of both their creator and his two most favored angels.
Amid all this chaos, Lucifer and Elaine seek a way to survive and, if possible, to flourish. But Lucifer has a very specific plan in mind to save three separate creations, and it’s one he’s kept very carefully hidden from Elaine—who is the lynchpin in his design.
This is the biggest of the moments Carey and company have been building up to, and it does not disappoint. This is a battle that spans across multiple issues without ever feeling like it’s dragging, and which brings all the major plotlines together in a way that ensures out world—all our worlds—will never be the same again.
I like this book not for its climactic battle scenes, but for its theology. When your title character is Lucifer and you’re plotting with and illustrating the major players of Heaven and Hell, there’s always going to be theology involved. But bringing Yahweh back to render a final judgment on his creation was a step Carey didn’t have to take in order to further the plot—events would have reached the same conclusion regardless of his reappearance. Still, the conversation with Elaine and the mock trial which follows makes for some of the most interesting dialogue in the series, without ever sounding preachy. Combined with Rudd’s earlier views on why the status quo in Heaven and Hell must change, it makes for fascinating reading.
My only real complaint with this issue is a rare timing misstep which seems to have been overlooked. In the one-shot featuring Gaudium, Serpa and the summoner, they arrive at Hell to find it empty, and promptly take up residence in the angelic tower. However, in the final issue, Elaine plucks Jill out of the same tower—where she had presumably been left since her arrival with Lucifer. Why didn’t Gaudium, Serpa and the summoner encounter her during their stay? Perhaps I’m missing something here, but it’s always irked me.
On to the final volume…
Fenris, Lilith and Christopher Rudd have their reasons for wanting to see Heaven fall, an event that now seems inevitable since God’s abdication from his realm began the slow unraveling of the cosmos atom by atom. Michael’s death at the base of the World Tree has hastened this destruction. Lilith seeks the annihilation of the Silver City, which she and her children helped build back when our world was still young. Christopher Rudd seeks war on Heaven in effort to redeem the sufferings of the damned, and change the way things are done in both Heaven and Hell. The Host is just trying to survive and make sense of their rapidly changing world, now devoid of both their creator and his two most favored angels.
Amid all this chaos, Lucifer and Elaine seek a way to survive and, if possible, to flourish. But Lucifer has a very specific plan in mind to save three separate creations, and it’s one he’s kept very carefully hidden from Elaine—who is the lynchpin in his design.
This is the biggest of the moments Carey and company have been building up to, and it does not disappoint. This is a battle that spans across multiple issues without ever feeling like it’s dragging, and which brings all the major plotlines together in a way that ensures out world—all our worlds—will never be the same again.
I like this book not for its climactic battle scenes, but for its theology. When your title character is Lucifer and you’re plotting with and illustrating the major players of Heaven and Hell, there’s always going to be theology involved. But bringing Yahweh back to render a final judgment on his creation was a step Carey didn’t have to take in order to further the plot—events would have reached the same conclusion regardless of his reappearance. Still, the conversation with Elaine and the mock trial which follows makes for some of the most interesting dialogue in the series, without ever sounding preachy. Combined with Rudd’s earlier views on why the status quo in Heaven and Hell must change, it makes for fascinating reading.
My only real complaint with this issue is a rare timing misstep which seems to have been overlooked. In the one-shot featuring Gaudium, Serpa and the summoner, they arrive at Hell to find it empty, and promptly take up residence in the angelic tower. However, in the final issue, Elaine plucks Jill out of the same tower—where she had presumably been left since her arrival with Lucifer. Why didn’t Gaudium, Serpa and the summoner encounter her during their stay? Perhaps I’m missing something here, but it’s always irked me.
On to the final volume…