Angel Time: The Songs of the Seraphim, Book 1 | ||||||||
Anne Rice | ||||||||
Narrated by Paul Michael, unabridged | ||||||||
Random House Audio, 9 hours | ||||||||
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A review by Gil T. Wilson
The story is told in first person through the voice of Toby O'Dare, a hit man known as "Lucky the Fox" by his boss
and associates. Toby is preparing to perform a "hit" on a Swiss Banker in San Juan at the Mission Inn when the story
opens. Unknown to those who gave him this assignment, the Mission Inn is Toby's sanctuary, where he goes to escape
his criminal life. Consequently, having to actually perform a hit in the sanctuary rattles the soul of this soulless man.
The beginning section of the book seems drawn out and, to be honest, boring at first. But once the story gets
rolling, this section starts to pay off and listeners will appreciate the connections within the story. After
Toby pulls off the hit, a stranger walks into the room where the murder was committed and begins to tell Toby an
almost unreal story. This person is an angel of God and was sent to recruit Toby for a redeeming mission.
Before the mission can begin, the angel tells the story of Toby's life. In this section, listeners learn all
about Toby's childhood and what led him to become a hit man. The angel describes his dark past, from how the
irresponsibility of his alcoholic parents forced him to care for his younger siblings to the horrific event which
changed his life forever and placed him on a path of destruction. Once this story is told by Malchiah, Toby
realizes the angel is who he says he is and asks why God would need him. The angel only remarks that God forgives him.
The mission now can be performed. Traversing through "angel time" Toby and the angel are taken to 13th century
England. There, Toby finds himself to be a Dominican Friar in the town of Norwich and is given the task of saving
the lives of the Jewish community. Those lives are in jeopardy because the daughter of a Jewish couple is missing
and presumed dead after she attended a Christian Christmas pageant. The villagers accuse the Jews of murdering the
child because of her "conversion" to Christianity. They demand that all Jews be killed and the dead child be hailed
as a saint.
The reader of this audiobook, Paul Michael, does an excellent job of voice characterization, including the subtlest
of accents to establish which character is speaking at the moment. His low, soft voice definitely kept my ear
tuned-in to the story. It is an amazing story and Anne Rice proves again that she's more than just a vampire
novelist. This intriguing and thrilling story, with many twists and turns, is sure to appeal to a broad audience.
Gil T. has spent a quarter of a century working in radio and has lots of spare time on his hands and reading or listening to books takes up all that time. Check out his blog to find out what he's up to at any given moment. |
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