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Let's get right to it - I enjoyed this book a lot.
Imagine a world where you don't need handheld PDA's or computers on desktops
to access the internet. And imagine the internet as an all pervasive entity
to which you can connect at a moment's notice, no matter where you are.
This is the type of world that's been written about for years, and Lyda
Morehouse shows she has a thorough understanding of how to make it work.
There are no heavy explanations that serve as exposition. Instead, we're
thrust right into the story, and explanatory information comes as the story
progresses.
The tale centers around Deidre McMannus, an ex-cop who was excommunicated
from the police force for being a maverick cop. Her partner assassinates
the Pope in the back story, and has been serving time in jail. Deidre, who
once operated as a network cop and then became a "LINK-junkie" was
instrumental, albeit reluctantly, in bringing him to justice.
Wait - excommunicated? Assassinated the Pope? Yes, for in this world, SOME
church has taken over the running of the world, from the "LINK" system to
politics. Which church is never really made clear. Once she violated
rules, Deidre was excommunicated, and the assassination of the Pope paves
the way for the political battle that serves as the story's backdrop. Sound
confusing? it actually isn't as the tale is told in a straightforward,
first person manner. Deidre, thrust into what is in part a mystery, is an
able narrator and never leaves you feeling confused.
I like Lyda's style, and I've been searching for a new author to relate to
for some time. She tells the tale simply and with few unnecessary
embellishments. I thought the character development was quite good, and in
fact deftly handled. Minor characters are given no more importance or time
in the story than they need; and the more mysterious characters are kept
vague and uncertain, which is their in-story persona. Never does Lyda
confuse characters, or motivations, nor does she bleed one characters being
over into another.
This is one of those tales that has almost it all, almost the whole nine
yards: politics, religion, theological and philosophical discussions and
idea, a view of an apocalypse, and even tiny bits of humor here and there.
But don't be fooled into thinking it's ponderous and slow going. I read the
first 75 pages in one sitting, when i should have been getting some sleep.
In the morning, my first thoughts were "I hate her", because i wanted to get
back to the story as soon as possible. THAT is good writing.
The only fault I might find with the book IS in the relationship of two of
the characters. I'm being purposely vague so as not to give anything away,
but much is made about the relationship, but when we get to glimpse it
first-hand, it is too brief and short and left, for me, something more to
want to happen. I thought there could have been more to help us understand
why they related to each other as they did.
If you're looking for a good tale, though, I recommend Archangel Protocol
with no hesitations. But beware - it is hard to put down.
In the present age, we've become accustomed to politicians for whom image is everything. Lyda Morehouse's first novel, Archangel Protocol, moves beyond our familiar spin doctors and handlers into a world in which virtual reality can be all - or, almost all.
Archangel Protocol is set "after the Great War." After the Medusa bombs, everyone and everything in their blast areas was covered with glass - which did not necessarily mean that everyone in the blast areas was instantly killed. Among the survivors of this horror, science is in disrepute - but the society, at the same time, is very high-tech. Anyone who can afford it has an implant enabling constant online access to the Link - an evolved World Wide Web.
The near theocracies governing Archangel Protocol's world vary only in their religious predilections, though tolerance of varying religious views - varieties primarily conservative - has become something of the order of the day. Anyone beyond the purview of some religious fold, however, is an outcast - cut off from the Link and the accesses to information, work and commerce it provides.
This is unfortunately the situation in which Archangel Protocol's protagonist Deidre McMannus finds herself. A former police officer turned private investigator, somewhat in the mold of Kinsey Milhone or V.I. Warshawski, McMannus was fired and then excommunicated after her partner assassinated the Pope. As the novel opens, she is hired to investigate manifestations of angels on the Link. Archangel Protocol intertwines science fiction, romance, and mystery as it recounts McMannus' efforts to resolve the question of the Link angels - and others. McMannus' search takes her into the "realities" of police and politicians, Hasidic warriors and Gorgons (humans mutated by the Medusa), cyberspace and desolations, angels faithful and fallen. For her client turns out to be none other than the Archangel Michael himself.
Angels, archangels and the like are fairly recent arrivals in the traditions of the People of the Book - which is to say, Jews, Christians, and Moslems. Asimov's Guide to the Bible, among others, notes the Persian influence they often represent. As the tradition develops, an angel is a messenger, or perhaps even more immediately, a message. Maimonides goes so far as to say that every event has its angel.
Within the traditions shared by the People of the Book, angels may be textually identified with the G-d whose messenger / message they are (Genesis), or presented as discrete characters (Daniel, Tobit, Esdras). In fantasy and science fiction, their manifestations include L'Engle's slowly swirling eyes, Lewis' terrifying presences of pure charity, and a host of variform good and evil others.
What's most striking about Archangel Protocol's angels is how they are shaped by McMannus' outlook. McMannus' lives in a theologically pluralistic world, which is refracted by the angels she encounters. Gabriel is Moslem, Raphael an Israeli paramilitary officer, Uriel - pushing McMannus' world's envelope - a new age drag queen. On a more personal level, McMannus reads romance novels; and police officer Michael Angelucci appears as a sine qua non of the genre, tall, dark and handsome.
This interplay of expectation and perception helps shape the novel. It provides the framework within which McMannus learns to question and to accept the sometimes challenging nature of her own realities - virtual, and otherwise.
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Ishmael I. Williams is a fan of both movies and television, and
doesn't get to see as much as he'd like in any given year. Still, what he
does get to see he enjoys writing about, and hope people will stop by from
time to time to see what he has to say. He also thinks he's going to be a
pretty good foil for Tim Wick, fellow board member and with whom he often
disagrees on a film (ask Tim and Ish about Wild Wild West sometime).
He previously wrote about Thirteen Ghosts.
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Kate Brady is the mother of Misfits Vice President Emily Stewart. She has been reading science fiction since long before Emily was born.
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