futuriana's review
3.0
The overall setting was pretty interesting, and worth exploring but curiously for a book set in a thousand-year old city full of ancient tech and related mysteries, it wasn't until the very end that the city itself felt real or alive to me, before that it suffered from being seen from the perspectives of the two POV characters, one of whom doesn't live in the city proper and the other is newly arrived and not particularly enamored with the place, the result felt a bit sketchy and superficial for such a potentially fascinating locale.
The main character of Taro was likable and believable despite his somewhat extreme situation, he managed to be reasonably competent in certain situations and out of his depth in others. The other POV character worked less well, since I personally found her unsympathetic and frustrating, and to be perfectly honest not all that bright.
The first two thirds of the book are spent with these two characters, so your enjoyment will depend on how you like them. In the last third the pace picks up and the action gets going, which makes things a lot more fun, there are some surprises (perhaps one too many, I'm still a bit confused as to how the first evil plot morphed into the second evil plot, but it doesn't matter all that much by the chase scene :) and all it all Fenn wraps up all the strands into a neat little bow while leaving the door open for the larger plot to continue on in the next book.
The main character of Taro was likable and believable despite his somewhat extreme situation, he managed to be reasonably competent in certain situations and out of his depth in others. The other POV character worked less well, since I personally found her unsympathetic and frustrating, and to be perfectly honest not all that bright.
The first two thirds of the book are spent with these two characters, so your enjoyment will depend on how you like them. In the last third the pace picks up and the action gets going, which makes things a lot more fun, there are some surprises (perhaps one too many, I'm still a bit confused as to how the first evil plot morphed into the second evil plot, but it doesn't matter all that much by the chase scene :) and all it all Fenn wraps up all the strands into a neat little bow while leaving the door open for the larger plot to continue on in the next book.
hazelsf's review
2.0
I wanted to get excited but I just couldn't. I thought the world building was impressive and original and I liked the pace of the book, but, I couldn't engage with the characters. If they were not having this adventure they were not people I would want to read about. Taro had a privileged background and chose to become a hooker, and for some reason drops his H's and says aint a lot which really bugged me. I really wished they had signposts in the Undertow. Elarn was naive and there was a scene where she goes to a play rehearsal and asks her lover to Disappointing.
Spoiler
help her kill someone?! Also why did the minister give a kill order chip to a character who was going to be unreliable, surely there are couriers on this world?daffzcookie's review
3.0
I'm honestly not sure what to make of this book. It wasn't bad but it also wasn't very engaging. I kept losing interest and it was hard to keep reading at times.
Principles of Angels had some very interesting worldbuilding ideas and was very good at some points but it was also confusing at other times. A lot of the fictional terms used in the book were barely explained and even near the end I wasn't sure what some of them meant. While I liked Taro a lot and rooted for him through the story, I'm just not sure what to make of the plot. I also had a hard time picturing the City and how things were connected.
Principles of Angels had some very interesting worldbuilding ideas and was very good at some points but it was also confusing at other times. A lot of the fictional terms used in the book were barely explained and even near the end I wasn't sure what some of them meant. While I liked Taro a lot and rooted for him through the story, I'm just not sure what to make of the plot. I also had a hard time picturing the City and how things were connected.
gerhard's review
4.0
When I saw Queen of Nowhere at a local bookshop, Fenn's latest, I was intrigued enough to track down the first instalment in the Hidden Empire sequence, having never read her before.
Women SF writers are particularly celebrated for creating some of the best novel series out there - one only has to think of Ursula K, LeGuin, C.J. Cherryh and Steph Swainston.
I practically gulped Principles of Angels down. It is a white-hot read, expertly paced, with a truly fascinating premise and set-up. Also, Fenn is an absolute master at world-building. She manages to avoid info-dumping, and expertly weaves in necessary detail and colour into the overall plot - but just enough to keep you asking questions. It is a delicate balance, and Fenn manages it with superb precision.
Equally, the characters are fascinating and complex. Taro is a young male prostitute; there is a very weird sex scene involving a significantly older woman that advances the plot not a single jot, but which makes for an intriguing insight into the mindset of such a particular professional ... All this is very Delany-esque, much in the vein of Nova, with a smidgeon of China Mieville (Perdido Street Station) and Alastair Reynolds (Terminal World).
My only gripe is the perfunctory ending; this is also one of the few books that I actually wished was longer. A superb introduction to what has the potential to be a fascinating SF novel series.
Women SF writers are particularly celebrated for creating some of the best novel series out there - one only has to think of Ursula K, LeGuin, C.J. Cherryh and Steph Swainston.
I practically gulped Principles of Angels down. It is a white-hot read, expertly paced, with a truly fascinating premise and set-up. Also, Fenn is an absolute master at world-building. She manages to avoid info-dumping, and expertly weaves in necessary detail and colour into the overall plot - but just enough to keep you asking questions. It is a delicate balance, and Fenn manages it with superb precision.
Equally, the characters are fascinating and complex. Taro is a young male prostitute; there is a very weird sex scene involving a significantly older woman that advances the plot not a single jot, but which makes for an intriguing insight into the mindset of such a particular professional ... All this is very Delany-esque, much in the vein of Nova, with a smidgeon of China Mieville (Perdido Street Station) and Alastair Reynolds (Terminal World).
My only gripe is the perfunctory ending; this is also one of the few books that I actually wished was longer. A superb introduction to what has the potential to be a fascinating SF novel series.
pippajay's review
4.0
I loved the world-building in this although it came a little too much and too fast at the start. A touch of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere thrust into space, with the not-so-fairytale Sidhe lurking behind the exterior of an artificial city, where Angels are agents of death rather than mercy and you show your true colours in your hair. Some wonderful descriptions in this with a handful of tortured characters to explore.
halfmanhalfbook's review
4.0
The alien city of Khesh is the only habitable part of the planet of Vellern. It is a city of two halves; the Topside is luxurious and peaceful part; the Undertow is dark, and full of danger. It is partly democratic, but is ruled by the Minister who exercise control with his Angels, an elite race of assassins.
Taro used to live in the privileged Topside, or did until a man who he had spent the night with followed hime home and killed his Aunt, an Angel. Now he is struggling to survive in the Undertow, but a chance meeting with the Minister, means he has a purpose once again. Elarn is a famous singer, but her visit to the city is really a mission to kill someone from her past.
As events in the city begin to escalate, the destinies of Elarn and Taro become intertwined and the fate of the city rests on they shoulders.
The city that Fenn has created is cohesive, whilst being very alien indeed, from the political elite that rule, to the dark and sordid underclass that have their own rules. Whilst it is a science fiction world, this city feels alive too as it pulses with the characters. On top of all this, the plot writhes and twists as the story rushes to its dramatic conclusion. Great stuff. Onto the next
Taro used to live in the privileged Topside, or did until a man who he had spent the night with followed hime home and killed his Aunt, an Angel. Now he is struggling to survive in the Undertow, but a chance meeting with the Minister, means he has a purpose once again. Elarn is a famous singer, but her visit to the city is really a mission to kill someone from her past.
As events in the city begin to escalate, the destinies of Elarn and Taro become intertwined and the fate of the city rests on they shoulders.
The city that Fenn has created is cohesive, whilst being very alien indeed, from the political elite that rule, to the dark and sordid underclass that have their own rules. Whilst it is a science fiction world, this city feels alive too as it pulses with the characters. On top of all this, the plot writhes and twists as the story rushes to its dramatic conclusion. Great stuff. Onto the next
lordofthemoon's review
3.0
I enjoyed Fenn's [b: Downside Girls|15839361|Downside Girls|Jaine Fenn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345544112s/15839361.jpg|21579615], the collection of short stories set in the Hidden Empires series, of which Principles of Angels is the first. This, however, didn't grab me a huge amount. The plot follows two main characters: Taro is the adopted son of the Angel Malia, who was murdered by the man who bought his body for the night; and Elern Reen is a musician who comes to Khesh City on behalf of a group that everyone thinks died out centuries ago to kill an Angel.
I found the book very slow to get started. The two strands are almost entirely separate until close to the end, when Taro and Elern finally meet, although their stories do overlap occasionally around the edges. I really wasn't hugely interested for a good chunk of the book, not finding it bad, it just didn't grab me. It got more exciting towards the end and there's a lot of good ideas in there, but it did feel a little like everything was thrown at the wall to see what would stick: floating city; divided society; state assassins; secret hidden enemies; aliens; and more that would constitute spoilers. I'm probably not going to bother too much in searching out more of the Hidden Empire books.
I found the book very slow to get started. The two strands are almost entirely separate until close to the end, when Taro and Elern finally meet, although their stories do overlap occasionally around the edges. I really wasn't hugely interested for a good chunk of the book, not finding it bad, it just didn't grab me. It got more exciting towards the end and there's a lot of good ideas in there, but it did feel a little like everything was thrown at the wall to see what would stick: floating city; divided society; state assassins; secret hidden enemies; aliens; and more that would constitute spoilers. I'm probably not going to bother too much in searching out more of the Hidden Empire books.
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