nathanaeljs's review against another edition
3.0
The plot of this story is simultaneously incredibly simple and strangely convoluted. The barest description would be that it is the story of a girl looking for her brother while a doomed rebellion rages around them. Accurate, but there's a lot more going on here.
Honestly, I nearly gave this story two stars instead of three. The only thing that saved it was that the writing really was quite lovely. I can see the city and the people and the rebellion, even if I don't understand them or why any of it was happening. A primary example of the confusion involved in the story's worldbuilding lies in the nature of the main character and her family.
Whether or not they actually are the messenger spirit warriors from the Abrahamic religions, I could not really say. It could be that or they might be fabulously advanced alien beings living outside of the temporal stream. Or maybe they're both at the same time. Is their society built on magic or technology? I'm not sure. Terms are dropped with little to no explanation of what they mean. Events are referenced but never expounded upon. The characterization is scanty. It's all rather frustrating.
Despite being frustrated with the story, I did enjoy it. It's baffling and maybe it was meant to be baffling. It certainly doesn't make me not want to read Gladstone's novels, which are sitting on my to read shelf at the moment. So consider this title cautiously recommended.
Honestly, I nearly gave this story two stars instead of three. The only thing that saved it was that the writing really was quite lovely. I can see the city and the people and the rebellion, even if I don't understand them or why any of it was happening. A primary example of the confusion involved in the story's worldbuilding lies in the nature of the main character and her family.
Whether or not they actually are the messenger spirit warriors from the Abrahamic religions, I could not really say. It could be that or they might be fabulously advanced alien beings living outside of the temporal stream. Or maybe they're both at the same time. Is their society built on magic or technology? I'm not sure. Terms are dropped with little to no explanation of what they mean. Events are referenced but never expounded upon. The characterization is scanty. It's all rather frustrating.
Despite being frustrated with the story, I did enjoy it. It's baffling and maybe it was meant to be baffling. It certainly doesn't make me not want to read Gladstone's novels, which are sitting on my to read shelf at the moment. So consider this title cautiously recommended.
keyreads's review against another edition
3.0
I felt like a lot was missing from this story. I would have enjoyed it more if it was longer.
shomarq's review against another edition
2.0
Sad, certainly, with beautiful imagery, but nothing here that was unexpected, new, or even exciting. Just Thea being desperate and sad.
anaelwynn's review
3.0
As with all of Max Gladstone's short stories that I have read so far, The Angelus Guns was very interesting. The premise is unlike anything I have read before and I enjoyed finding out more about the world. I'm not sure how I feel about the conclusion, I felt like it ended way too abruptly. Still, I'm very happy to have read this story!
anuragsahay's review
3.0
This short story has an interesting premise (the notion that a race of aliens has grown to the point where it has separated itself from time, and oversees the rest of the species; the aliens thereby becoming some sort of angels), but a very uninteresting execution (it posits itself as a female angel trying to recover her brother who has gone to join a rebellious force which believes the angels are having a negative, rather than positive effect on the multiverse). Short enough for one read, though.
peterseanesq's review
2.0
My Amazon review -
http://www.amazon.com/review/RNWTN41IS4V2T/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
http://www.amazon.com/review/RNWTN41IS4V2T/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
keyreads's review
3.0
I felt like a lot was missing from this story. I would have enjoyed it more if it was longer.
mikhailrekun's review
4.0
Solid, and not really as confusing as people seem to think it is, but Max Gladstone can do much better.
thekalebrussell's review
2.0
I'm not sure what to make of this. This story had tons great ideas with an interesting plot. But this story suffers from being too short. I think that Mr.Gladstone put himself into a corner and didn't give himself enough room to work with the cool ideas he crafted. Most of the content of this story was not elaborated on, leaving me confused throughout most of the story. And I also didn't care for the characters.
This could have been great if it were longer and the ideas were explained.
This could have been great if it were longer and the ideas were explained.