My Descent Into Death: A Second Chance at Life

by Howard Storm

Book Overview

Not since Betty Eadie's Embraced by the Light has a personal account of a Near-Death Experience (NDE) been so utterly different from most others--or nearly as compelling.

"This is a book you devour from cover to cover, and pass on to others. This is a book you will quote in your daily conversation. Storm was meant to write it and we were meant to read it." --from the foreword by Anne Rice

In the thirty years since...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385513763
• ISBN13: 9780385513760
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: Harmony
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Heaven and Hell are real

This is a very good book that you will not put down untill you finish. And when you are finished you will either say, "that's what I thought" or "is he telling the truth?" depending upon your preconceptions. No matter what though, there will probably be something rather disturbing and provoking the Rev. Storm's encounter with the afterlife. Conservatives will be disappointed in some things that Jesus had to say, though they might be surprised to know how much they agree with Storm's Jesus. The question, "What religion is best?" (or something to that effect) was answered as " the one that brings you closest to God". It is not clear if the term religion was referring to Christian denominations or world religions. You do not get a sense of religious pluralism in the book. It seems to confirm that Jesus is the Way to salvation. I heard Rev. Storm on the Art Bell show not too long ago. The host asked Storm about the truth of other religions, say Buddhism. Rev. Storm said that he did not ask the angels that question when he was there so he does not know how they fit into the big picture. Some of the more progressive Christians may be surprised that a thing like Hell exists at all. One must also keep in mind that Rev. Storm, at the time of these encounters, was an atheist more preoccupied with secular issues of the world and less so with spiritual. Is it possible then, that these notions influenced how he retold his story? Just a thought.

Muslim viewpoint

For me, as for many others, this was a book that I could not put down till I had finished reading it from cover to cover. When in the company of angels Howard Storm asks them almost the same questions that I would have asked if I'd been in the same situation. E.g. why doesn't God reveal Himself more openly so that everyone would believe in Him. Answer: Because then people will be scared into believing in Him, whereas God is looking for people to love Him of their own free will, not to submit to Him out of fear. The bulk of the book is religion-neutral and conveys the message of God's love as told by the angels. When Mr. Storm asks which religion is correct they answer "Whichever brings you closest to God". But as the book progresses the Christian perspective gets stronger mirroring Mr. Storm's own re-discovery of Christianity.This book is also a powerful confirmation of what Muslims believe in, especially the Sufi strain of Islam: One omnipotent God who loves each person a lot and is most forgiving, belief in the after-life and in angels etc. There is very little that I would disagree with but a whole lot of answers to my questions. This shows that the core message of both religions is essentially the same. However these values are buried under layer upon layer of culture, tradition, nationality and the like to the point where the real idea is lost. As a Muslim I have to try to cut through these layers all the time to try to get the real message. With this book I had to cut through a relatively thin Christian veneer to get it. Reading the book, at times I felt like I was having a near-spiritual experience where I thought that if I just wish it an angel would appear - it was almost scary. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know and it goes to the top of my list of favorite books.The best sound bite: "We are spiritual beings having a physical experience". This is almost bumper sticker material.

Definitely one of the most compelling NDE accounts

I just got around to reading this after having read most of the other books in this field. Many potential readers may be put off by the facts that Storm is a Christian minister and that his NDE (which occurred when he was an atheist) wasn't the entirely "warm and fuzzy" experience favored by the New Age crowd. These facts should not keep anyone from reading this book. As another reviewer said, Storm's Christianity focuses on love and isn't the narrow-minded cartoon version that alienates many people. The most important thing is that the book is an honest account of what Storm experienced and how it transformed his life. This struck me as one of the rare accounts in which the experiencer has largely put aside his ego and need to impress everyone with his unique status as an "experiencer" and is simply trying to communicate to his readers the truth as he experienced it. Like it or not, during his NDE Storm found himself in the grip of seemingly demonic forces until he called upon Jesus (pretty much as a reflex action arising out of some childhood church training). This doesn't seem to be one of those accounts where the experiencer "interpreted" the Being of Light as Jesus -- in Storm's case, it WAS Jesus. The fact that this book is "Ringingly" endorsed by Dr. Kenneth (not exactly a Christian fundamentalist) should alleviate the concerns of many potential non-Christian readers. I found it to be one of the more compelling accounts that I've read and would encourage anyone -- particularly those who refuse to confront the possibility of a Dark Side to the universe -- to read it. (Minor complaint: Storm is an excellent artist, and it would've been great if the reproductions of his NDE-related paintings had been in color rather than black and white.)

An Important Book...an Essential Message

I feel most inadequate to do justice to this magnificent andimportant spiritual message. I want to especially recommend this work to those persons who, like myself, have been used and abused by religion claiming to follow the teachings of Jesus. The spiritual message that is shared in this book is for every person, regardless of cultural background. For many of us who have studied the NDE over the years, we have secretly longed to get 'the message' that such modern visionaries have sought to share with us. Howard's incredibly candid and illuminating account is both deeply inspiring and disturbing. I found myself, often, through tears, exclaiming, "Yes! Yes!" as I considered the ramifications of what he shares, in my own personal life. I am very sure that this man's story and the gift of this book, is an answer to the heartfelt desire of many human beings to hear from Heaven, Home of the One-- our Home as well if we choose to love! Allow yourself to be challenged and inspired by this man's story!

My Ascent into Life

Howard Storm's new book, My Descent into Death, will become a best-selling classic! No doubt about it. I first heard this man's NDE on an audiotape in the late 1980's. His gripping story about "angels and aliens" made a profound impact upon me then and his new book has made an equally strong impact on my worldview now. The message simply rings true at every level of it. Personally, I know of no other book so clearly written, with so much depth and clarity to it, that can help turn a person towards the light of God either. It's truly an oasis of wisdom in an otherwise parched planet when it comes to the meaning and the message of Jesus Christ. Hint: It's not about "church," it's about L-O-V-E! Indeed this book gives the reader a heaping helping of it and has led to My Ascent into Life today, here and now. Dr. John Jay Harper is author of Tranceformers: Shamans of the 21st Century. www.johnjayharper.com