grid's review
3.0
This was a ridiculous crossing of genres. At times it was a noir detective novel, but set in a near-ish future USA where a brain-implant-accessible internet/VR exists, but also where religion is so ingrained into our culture and society that it's illegal to not have a registered organized religion with the government. As if all that wasn't enough, (I'll admit if that was the extent of the weirdness, I'd definitely be intrigued), angels – as in messengers from god – are real.
I think the angel thing is what tipped it from "an intriguing sci-fi premise" into "annoying urban fantasy" for me. There are a lot of threads un-pulled here, and plot holes as big as the biggest ones in the bible. I thought the main character was so full of hypocrisy that it was incredibly hard for me to empathize with her.
The fact that this is a local author, and recommended by a friend of mine, kept me reading to the end. I even bought used copies of the two sequels to this book, but I can't see myself reading them any time soon. Maybe I'll keep them on my shelf to maybe read them... someday.
Added 2023-07-19: I think I was a bit harsh in my review. There is a lot to like about this book! The GLBT representation in particular is well done, especially considering its publication date from over 20 years ago. I was musing a bit, and if you removed the "angels are real" business, I actually do think this would be a fun book. I still probably wouldn't like the protagonist much, but that's not unusual for a lot of PI/detective/noir stuff for me.
I think the angel thing is what tipped it from "an intriguing sci-fi premise" into "annoying urban fantasy" for me. There are a lot of threads un-pulled here, and plot holes as big as the biggest ones in the bible. I thought the main character was so full of hypocrisy that it was incredibly hard for me to empathize with her.
The fact that this is a local author, and recommended by a friend of mine, kept me reading to the end. I even bought used copies of the two sequels to this book, but I can't see myself reading them any time soon. Maybe I'll keep them on my shelf to maybe read them... someday.
Added 2023-07-19: I think I was a bit harsh in my review. There is a lot to like about this book! The GLBT representation in particular is well done, especially considering its publication date from over 20 years ago. I was musing a bit, and if you removed the "angels are real" business, I actually do think this would be a fun book. I still probably wouldn't like the protagonist much, but that's not unusual for a lot of PI/detective/noir stuff for me.
amyjoy's review
5.0
Reading this book in high school was the first time it occurred to me that maybe the evangelical Christianity I grew up a part of was not, in fact, the One True Religion and the Only Way to Heaven. Reading it as an adult, I can see issues with the story and writing, but it's still a really compelling story, and it was such a formative experience for Teen Amy that I give it a full five stars.
There are three sequels, and I don't know that I'm going to read all of them - this book stands on its own - but I have the second one ready to go on my Kindle.
(LGBTQIA tag because Lyda is queer; there are a few mentions of queerness in the book, but mostly in reference to how it is outlawed in this future society.)
There are three sequels, and I don't know that I'm going to read all of them - this book stands on its own - but I have the second one ready to go on my Kindle.
(LGBTQIA tag because Lyda is queer; there are a few mentions of queerness in the book, but mostly in reference to how it is outlawed in this future society.)
thesundaywriter's review
4.0
An thrilling adventure in a intricately high tech post apocalyptical world.
scribal's review
2.0
Decent book but personally not interested (and irritated by the proliferation of) of actual Old Testament figures in science fiction settings.
lottpoet's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hornyforbooks's review
4.0
Damn good cyberpunk noir with religious overtones. I am amazed I had not read this before and after hearing the author at a panel a few weeks ago, I picked up the book. Do yourself a favor and give it a read.
annarella's review
somewhere between cyberpunk and noir, Urban fantasy and noir. Really like it part of it. Sometimes it becomes boring.
felixritt's review
5.0
Let me start off by saying that this was my favorite book (and, by extension, the start of my favorite series) of 2019. I wish I had written my review when things were a little fresher on my mind, but hey, it made enough of an impression that I'm still here thinking about it almost a full year later, and that tells you something, doesn't it?
Finding Archangel Protocol was a matter of complete luck for me; I picked it up in the sci-fi section of a local Half Price Books (where I never found a copy before or since--and I have been looking since) pretty much at random multiple years back, tossing it in my TBR pile the second I got home and immediately forgetting about it. Then, an intervention: my Literary Tradition class assigned Paradise Lost, and you can imagine where things went from there. Archangels... the devil as a romantic figure... let's just say I was in the mood.
Archangel Protocol did not disappoint.
The two things I really look for in a work of fiction are engaging characters and intricate world building, with the caveat, of course, that the latter condition is only engaging if the former is fulfilled. IMO, Morehouse delivered on both fronts. All of her characters, but not least protagonist Deidre, are wonderfully human; they're allowed to have equal strengths and flaws, occasionally dwelling on prejudices and misconceptions explicitly not condoned by the narrative. (For example, Deidre's Catholic upbringing leaves her a little closed-minded on some accounts, and while she does learn, never does she undergo a viewpoint 180 and become all-loving or totally non-judgemental, because that's not, like, how people work.) The supporting cast is diverse and lovely, ranging from archangels to freedom fighters, hackers to mutants. Each character, no matter how brief their appearance in the novel, brings in the feeling of some greater depth; no one is introduced carelessly. And the world building.
Oh, the world building.
Archangel Protocol takes place in 2075, in the aftermath of The War to End All Wars (...part 3). It is, in my opinion, "dystopian" fiction as dystopian fiction should be written; the effects of the war are readily apparent, the government clearly suffers from corruption, and this definitely is not the perfect, Jetsons-esque future we were promised... but life goes on. Morehouse delivers a flawed yet believable future, ornamented by two major facets of her own: the religion thing, and the LINK. The religion thing is a product of the war. After humanity witnessed biological and nuclear terror on an unprecedented level in its latest world war, science and secularism experience massive pushback, essentially being forced into the role of the sacrificial lamb when people are ready to move back into a time of peace. In their wake, religion rises in a new Great Awakening; in nearly every soverign nation, religious leaders double as political leaders, and anyone who doesn't belong, at least nominally, to some established religion risks ostacization or worse... and, as Deidre experiences shortly after excommunication, they lose access to the LINK.
As you might be able to guess, the LINK is the logical next technological jump up from the smart phone: an implant in your head that takes your mind to the world wide web directly. Despite the elaborate backstory, Archangel Protocol is one of those sci-fi books that takes place about "ten minutes" into the future; technology isn't so advanced yet that we can't recognize it, and for the most part, the LINK functions just like any normal computer (which, by the way, still exist--Deidre uses one--but are considered archaic and slow compared to the LINK's capabilities). One of Deidre's main motivations in the story is her quest to get back onto the LINK. It's only logical. Who wants to be denied access to the portal through which all information and business is available? The LINK also introduces us to Mouse, a sometimes-friend of Deidre's (when she was with the police, he was a little bit like the Valjean to her Javert... except for all the parts where he totally deserved apprehension. He's also my favorite character, incidentally) and an expert hacker, along with Page, Mouse's sentient AI.
And did I mention there are angels? The religious fanatacism that serves as our backdrop is made a little more complex with the existence of walking, talking archangels among us--not that the general populace is aware of them. Like Elwood Blues, they're on Earth on a mission from God, and at least one of these missions intersects with Deidre's purpose, which kicks off the events of the novel. Have I confused you yet? Don't worry; Lyda Morehouse does a better job with juggling all the information I've been spitting out, and she has a lot "more" time to ease you into it. I just wanted to demonstrate the extent of the details that Morehouse shares with us, and hopefully entice anyone, like me, interested in dynamic characters and beautiful world building to give Archangel Protocol a try.
Finding Archangel Protocol was a matter of complete luck for me; I picked it up in the sci-fi section of a local Half Price Books (where I never found a copy before or since--and I have been looking since) pretty much at random multiple years back, tossing it in my TBR pile the second I got home and immediately forgetting about it. Then, an intervention: my Literary Tradition class assigned Paradise Lost, and you can imagine where things went from there. Archangels... the devil as a romantic figure... let's just say I was in the mood.
Archangel Protocol did not disappoint.
The two things I really look for in a work of fiction are engaging characters and intricate world building, with the caveat, of course, that the latter condition is only engaging if the former is fulfilled. IMO, Morehouse delivered on both fronts. All of her characters, but not least protagonist Deidre, are wonderfully human; they're allowed to have equal strengths and flaws, occasionally dwelling on prejudices and misconceptions explicitly not condoned by the narrative. (For example, Deidre's Catholic upbringing leaves her a little closed-minded on some accounts, and while she does learn, never does she undergo a viewpoint 180 and become all-loving or totally non-judgemental, because that's not, like, how people work.) The supporting cast is diverse and lovely, ranging from archangels to freedom fighters, hackers to mutants. Each character, no matter how brief their appearance in the novel, brings in the feeling of some greater depth; no one is introduced carelessly. And the world building.
Oh, the world building.
Archangel Protocol takes place in 2075, in the aftermath of The War to End All Wars (...part 3). It is, in my opinion, "dystopian" fiction as dystopian fiction should be written; the effects of the war are readily apparent, the government clearly suffers from corruption, and this definitely is not the perfect, Jetsons-esque future we were promised... but life goes on. Morehouse delivers a flawed yet believable future, ornamented by two major facets of her own: the religion thing, and the LINK. The religion thing is a product of the war. After humanity witnessed biological and nuclear terror on an unprecedented level in its latest world war, science and secularism experience massive pushback, essentially being forced into the role of the sacrificial lamb when people are ready to move back into a time of peace. In their wake, religion rises in a new Great Awakening; in nearly every soverign nation, religious leaders double as political leaders, and anyone who doesn't belong, at least nominally, to some established religion risks ostacization or worse... and, as Deidre experiences shortly after excommunication, they lose access to the LINK.
As you might be able to guess, the LINK is the logical next technological jump up from the smart phone: an implant in your head that takes your mind to the world wide web directly. Despite the elaborate backstory, Archangel Protocol is one of those sci-fi books that takes place about "ten minutes" into the future; technology isn't so advanced yet that we can't recognize it, and for the most part, the LINK functions just like any normal computer (which, by the way, still exist--Deidre uses one--but are considered archaic and slow compared to the LINK's capabilities). One of Deidre's main motivations in the story is her quest to get back onto the LINK. It's only logical. Who wants to be denied access to the portal through which all information and business is available? The LINK also introduces us to Mouse, a sometimes-friend of Deidre's (when she was with the police, he was a little bit like the Valjean to her Javert... except for all the parts where he totally deserved apprehension. He's also my favorite character, incidentally) and an expert hacker, along with Page, Mouse's sentient AI.
And did I mention there are angels? The religious fanatacism that serves as our backdrop is made a little more complex with the existence of walking, talking archangels among us--not that the general populace is aware of them. Like Elwood Blues, they're on Earth on a mission from God, and at least one of these missions intersects with Deidre's purpose, which kicks off the events of the novel. Have I confused you yet? Don't worry; Lyda Morehouse does a better job with juggling all the information I've been spitting out, and she has a lot "more" time to ease you into it. I just wanted to demonstrate the extent of the details that Morehouse shares with us, and hopefully entice anyone, like me, interested in dynamic characters and beautiful world building to give Archangel Protocol a try.
crowcaller's review
3.0
Ever since I found the wonder that was mallworld, I've been really riding on that fantastical hope that mysterious second hand book stores are going to lead me to obscure and lovable stories. I don't really think that ideal is true or false right now- it's just my way of saying I picked this book off the shelf for two bucks and with zero expectations.
It didn't disappoint, only because there was nothing to be disappointed with.
The book is set in a super religious future where every most countries are theocracies in some way. The united states recognizes christianity and judaism and various sects of, but that is roughly it. Also, everyone is constantly connected to the internet in their minds. Also, the main character (washed up cop turned PI) had her last partner shoot the pope.
It's weird, but you do sort of get into it. Oddly, the characters are... good? The story is... quite progressively? For some reason, I kept thinking it was written in the 90s or even late 80s instead of 2001. It feels very timed and old. The writing is hilarious in the beginning, but tones itself down pretty fast. When we first meet Michael, our supposed love interest, the couple paragraphs describing him are pure gold.
http://goo.gl/UYq60M
Yes, I'm just using a link for the image. It's an excerpt, and I'm too lazy to upload it to goodreads.
Anyways, the writing really, really tones down after the first few chaps. There's no stunning prose or smart words, but it works fine. The humor factor, sadly, leave with this literary departure.
The super religious world the story takes place in is confusing as heck, as are the politics. It seems at first like America has all sorts of religions accepted, they're just more like political parties. Then later, it seems more like the whole place is only Christian. At one point, I feel like it's implied Judaism isn't accepted. Some details seem inconsistent, and though you can grasp the politics enough to follow the main plot, a lot of things feel lost.
The LINK is hell to follow also. I still don't know anything about it. The main character, Deidre McMannus (nice name!) spends a lot of the book off the LINK- she had it removed after her friend shot the pope and all. So we don't see a lot of LINK stuff- even when she gets it back, she can't use it because she's a wanted person. Only at the climax does it suddenly see a lot of use, making it really hard to follow.
It's like the internet, and you have avatars, but not really? Things are 3D, but not really? You can feel things and interact with them, but not- Okay, look, I have no clue how it works. It made very minimal sense.
A lot of blame I see in other reviews is placed on the author having this be her debut novel. I think that probably is an unfair thing to play- tons and tons of debut novelists have good debuts. Tons of good novelists from small presses have good debuts too. I don't want to insult the author, but it's probably just that she isn't the best writer. And I bet she's gotten better, too. It's just probably not the mere 'debut' factor that harmed this book. It's the confusing world building and detailing.
The MC is picking up some slack for being stupid, and honestly I mostly disagree. She was stupid- to a point. The first section of the book, where she meets Michael and it's painfully obvious he's an angel, like a real one, but she doesn't realize it? That was stupid. It was even worse, and EXTREMELY CONFUSING, when she assumed he was a LINK angel. A LINK angel?? Dear, you know you had your LINK severed, right? How could he be an artificial intelligence that lives online if he IS IN YOUR OFFICE RIGHT NOW.
This book gets some props from me, tho, for being oddly diverse and progressive. Remember, though, I still think of it being written in the 90s. But still, there's a lot of non-white characters, and even some non-hetero ones. There aren't any harsh stereotypes, and all religions are portrayed equally.
About the last one...
So angels are real. The bible is real. God is real. But all religions are evidently still fairly valid? I like how the author tiptoes through and around this. But it still feels a bit odd.
The angels are weird as hell too, but I do like that in angels. Boring biker Michael. Black Muslim Gabriel. Raphael who-cares nice dude. Transvestite/possibly transgender asian Uriel? Iiiiiiiiinteresting choices there.
The actual discussions of gender and orientation are really nice in this book, actually, like a very unexpected surprise. The book loses points for having a gay man utter the words 'Girlfriend, I'm gay', but it does gain some for letting the male love interest express he's (essentially, tho not canon) bisexual, followed by a nice conversation on the gender of angels and of God.
More coverage on characters before I call it a day:
Our main character is a washed up cop. I already covered this, and by reading that sentence, you already know it.
Michael, the love interest, isn't that bad of a character. As the love interest, he is automatically denounced to be the most boring. But he isn't all that bad, and I like how he and MC aren't running off in love by the end. They have a tight, tensioned relationship (for a lot of reasons)
Daniel: why?
Mouse: Mouse, my love. My love. Why. (I expect him to be in the sequel! I need more of him.
Writing that above list has actually triggered a flashback of a memory of what I was planning to mention: The book feels unfinished. The conclusion happens fast, and then we get a timeskip. We don't learn the motivations of the villain, we don't learn what happened to many of the characters. There's a lot of weird gaps and uncertainty, even if the very basic level of the plot is done. I know the sequel doesn't actually feature the same main characters, but I expect some more closure anyways.
Yes, I will be reading the sequel. This book isn't really good, but it's about angels and the future, so I can have my fun. My hope is that it'll be easier the second time around, with a lot of things already established. And honestly, the book isn't all that bad
3.5
It didn't disappoint, only because there was nothing to be disappointed with.
The book is set in a super religious future where every most countries are theocracies in some way. The united states recognizes christianity and judaism and various sects of, but that is roughly it. Also, everyone is constantly connected to the internet in their minds. Also, the main character (washed up cop turned PI) had her last partner shoot the pope.
It's weird, but you do sort of get into it. Oddly, the characters are... good? The story is... quite progressively? For some reason, I kept thinking it was written in the 90s or even late 80s instead of 2001. It feels very timed and old. The writing is hilarious in the beginning, but tones itself down pretty fast. When we first meet Michael, our supposed love interest, the couple paragraphs describing him are pure gold.
http://goo.gl/UYq60M
Yes, I'm just using a link for the image. It's an excerpt, and I'm too lazy to upload it to goodreads.
Anyways, the writing really, really tones down after the first few chaps. There's no stunning prose or smart words, but it works fine. The humor factor, sadly, leave with this literary departure.
The super religious world the story takes place in is confusing as heck, as are the politics. It seems at first like America has all sorts of religions accepted, they're just more like political parties. Then later, it seems more like the whole place is only Christian. At one point, I feel like it's implied Judaism isn't accepted. Some details seem inconsistent, and though you can grasp the politics enough to follow the main plot, a lot of things feel lost.
The LINK is hell to follow also. I still don't know anything about it. The main character, Deidre McMannus (nice name!) spends a lot of the book off the LINK- she had it removed after her friend shot the pope and all. So we don't see a lot of LINK stuff- even when she gets it back, she can't use it because she's a wanted person. Only at the climax does it suddenly see a lot of use, making it really hard to follow.
It's like the internet, and you have avatars, but not really? Things are 3D, but not really? You can feel things and interact with them, but not- Okay, look, I have no clue how it works. It made very minimal sense.
A lot of blame I see in other reviews is placed on the author having this be her debut novel. I think that probably is an unfair thing to play- tons and tons of debut novelists have good debuts. Tons of good novelists from small presses have good debuts too. I don't want to insult the author, but it's probably just that she isn't the best writer. And I bet she's gotten better, too. It's just probably not the mere 'debut' factor that harmed this book. It's the confusing world building and detailing.
The MC is picking up some slack for being stupid, and honestly I mostly disagree. She was stupid- to a point. The first section of the book, where she meets Michael and it's painfully obvious he's an angel, like a real one, but she doesn't realize it? That was stupid. It was even worse, and EXTREMELY CONFUSING, when she assumed he was a LINK angel. A LINK angel?? Dear, you know you had your LINK severed, right? How could he be an artificial intelligence that lives online if he IS IN YOUR OFFICE RIGHT NOW.
This book gets some props from me, tho, for being oddly diverse and progressive. Remember, though, I still think of it being written in the 90s. But still, there's a lot of non-white characters, and even some non-hetero ones. There aren't any harsh stereotypes, and all religions are portrayed equally.
About the last one...
So angels are real. The bible is real. God is real. But all religions are evidently still fairly valid? I like how the author tiptoes through and around this. But it still feels a bit odd.
The angels are weird as hell too, but I do like that in angels. Boring biker Michael. Black Muslim Gabriel. Raphael who-cares nice dude. Transvestite/possibly transgender asian Uriel? Iiiiiiiiinteresting choices there.
The actual discussions of gender and orientation are really nice in this book, actually, like a very unexpected surprise. The book loses points for having a gay man utter the words 'Girlfriend, I'm gay', but it does gain some for letting the male love interest express he's (essentially, tho not canon) bisexual, followed by a nice conversation on the gender of angels and of God.
More coverage on characters before I call it a day:
Our main character is a washed up cop. I already covered this, and by reading that sentence, you already know it.
Michael, the love interest, isn't that bad of a character. As the love interest, he is automatically denounced to be the most boring. But he isn't all that bad, and I like how he and MC aren't running off in love by the end. They have a tight, tensioned relationship (for a lot of reasons)
Daniel: why?
Mouse: Mouse, my love. My love. Why. (I expect him to be in the sequel! I need more of him.
Writing that above list has actually triggered a flashback of a memory of what I was planning to mention: The book feels unfinished. The conclusion happens fast, and then we get a timeskip. We don't learn the motivations of the villain, we don't learn what happened to many of the characters. There's a lot of weird gaps and uncertainty, even if the very basic level of the plot is done. I know the sequel doesn't actually feature the same main characters, but I expect some more closure anyways.
Yes, I will be reading the sequel. This book isn't really good, but it's about angels and the future, so I can have my fun. My hope is that it'll be easier the second time around, with a lot of things already established. And honestly, the book isn't all that bad
3.5
wealhtheow's review
1.0
Trite pseudo-religion in a fairly well-thought-out (albeit cartoonish) cyberpunk future. Deirdre McMannus was kicked out of the force, excommunicated from Catholicism, and outcast from the LINK (an uber version of the internet) for her role in a Pope's assassination. Since then, she's been barely squeaking by as a freelance detective while trying to come to terms with her partner's betrayal and the loss of her normal life. Then in walks Michael Angelucci, a preternaturally handsome detective who wants her to investigate the phenomenom of angels in the LINK. It is immediately clear that Michael is a real angel--within a few pages of his introduction he has a showdown with his "older brother" "Morningstar". (Morningstar is a jumbled character who gets terrible, anvil-y lines. For instance, Deirdre asks, "Where the hell did you come from" and and he responds, "Exactly.") Deirdre is a well-rounded character with a detailed persona, but the other characters don't fare so well. Michael is a bare sketch of a romantic love interest, while the motivations of the various antagonists are never revealed. I figured out the entire plot (to which Deirdre remains drearily blind for hundreds of pages) within the first thirty pages--I spent the rest of the book shouting "oh come on" and chortling in disgust.