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3.04 AVERAGE
3.04 AVERAGE
This was my first Anne Rice read, and in all honestly I was disappointed.
For as long as I can remember, her Vampire Chronicles have been books I wanted to read. I entered the teenage vampire loving stage and my mother suggested them. It turns out she’d tried to read them earlier, but had never really managed to work her way through them. She enjoyed them but the writing style was not for her (overly descriptive, she called it). I did not let this deter me, and promised myself I would read them. Still, years later I have yet to read them. In part it is because I’m super cheap and I’m waiting for my mother to find out her old copies for me so we don’t have doubles of books sitting in dark corners of the house, but it’s also because other books have interested me more. When I found Angel Time going for a pound – you have to love bargain bins – I decided to jump on it. I thought I would give this book a try to see whether or not her writing style was for me before I entered her Vampire Chronicles.
Don’t get me wrong, I like her writing but it was not for me. It was not badly written yet it was missing out a number of things that I like. Mostly, it was lacking on the emotional front. Oh, we were told about characters and sad histories were given yet we didn’t get much in the way of emotional responses from characters. We were given paragraph upon paragraph describing surroundings but whenever an emotional response was necessary, a mere sentence – a short sentence, at that – was given. Such a thing prevented me from growing to like any of the characters all that much. They never really developed into more than storytellers who had the same voice.
Not that the story was what I was expecting.
I thought we would be given lots of action. Everyone loves a good angel book… yet in this, the angel theme is rather drab. Our angel exists solely to shift our character from one point of time to another whilst wearing a stupid facial expression as he whispered sweet nothings in ears. Such a thing almost sounds like what fandoms go for – the quick glances and the touches – but there is no chance for such an underground fandom to appear. Things simply are. We cannot add our own little versions of the truth.
History and settings play a much larger part than characters and storyline, in my opinion, which made the story much harder to enjoy. I like such things in a story, but I want everything to be equal. It was as though she wanted to throw in as much of her research as possible, and in doing so she forgot she was telling a story. Then, out of the blue, her memory would return and she would throw in what we were waiting for – except without the action we’re longing for.
Honestly, it wasn’t what I was expecting. Where was the character development? Where was our chance to second guess what was coming? Where was the action? Where were all the angels? Character development – I use that term very loosely, you should know – comes in the world’s longest chapter of the angel informing us of our main character’s life. It isn’t development as much as it is fact telling, a way to explain why our main character seems to only have the same thought (although the wording varies) in his head. The second-guessing is non-existent. The action is almost as non-existent, with just a little bit of drama but not in the form you would expect of such a story. The angels… well, they stick to whispering and the occasional appearance. They take the mystique to a whole new level whilst making you wish we could simply be given some kind of information about the world building.
I could rant and rave for a very long time about my disappointment, but I won’t bore you. Just know that after the first two chapters I considered putting it down yet I persisted because I’m a sucker for torture, only to realise things got better for the shortest of time periods only to return to the drab state.
Really not what I expected of Rice.
For as long as I can remember, her Vampire Chronicles have been books I wanted to read. I entered the teenage vampire loving stage and my mother suggested them. It turns out she’d tried to read them earlier, but had never really managed to work her way through them. She enjoyed them but the writing style was not for her (overly descriptive, she called it). I did not let this deter me, and promised myself I would read them. Still, years later I have yet to read them. In part it is because I’m super cheap and I’m waiting for my mother to find out her old copies for me so we don’t have doubles of books sitting in dark corners of the house, but it’s also because other books have interested me more. When I found Angel Time going for a pound – you have to love bargain bins – I decided to jump on it. I thought I would give this book a try to see whether or not her writing style was for me before I entered her Vampire Chronicles.
Don’t get me wrong, I like her writing but it was not for me. It was not badly written yet it was missing out a number of things that I like. Mostly, it was lacking on the emotional front. Oh, we were told about characters and sad histories were given yet we didn’t get much in the way of emotional responses from characters. We were given paragraph upon paragraph describing surroundings but whenever an emotional response was necessary, a mere sentence – a short sentence, at that – was given. Such a thing prevented me from growing to like any of the characters all that much. They never really developed into more than storytellers who had the same voice.
Not that the story was what I was expecting.
I thought we would be given lots of action. Everyone loves a good angel book… yet in this, the angel theme is rather drab. Our angel exists solely to shift our character from one point of time to another whilst wearing a stupid facial expression as he whispered sweet nothings in ears. Such a thing almost sounds like what fandoms go for – the quick glances and the touches – but there is no chance for such an underground fandom to appear. Things simply are. We cannot add our own little versions of the truth.
History and settings play a much larger part than characters and storyline, in my opinion, which made the story much harder to enjoy. I like such things in a story, but I want everything to be equal. It was as though she wanted to throw in as much of her research as possible, and in doing so she forgot she was telling a story. Then, out of the blue, her memory would return and she would throw in what we were waiting for – except without the action we’re longing for.
Honestly, it wasn’t what I was expecting. Where was the character development? Where was our chance to second guess what was coming? Where was the action? Where were all the angels? Character development – I use that term very loosely, you should know – comes in the world’s longest chapter of the angel informing us of our main character’s life. It isn’t development as much as it is fact telling, a way to explain why our main character seems to only have the same thought (although the wording varies) in his head. The second-guessing is non-existent. The action is almost as non-existent, with just a little bit of drama but not in the form you would expect of such a story. The angels… well, they stick to whispering and the occasional appearance. They take the mystique to a whole new level whilst making you wish we could simply be given some kind of information about the world building.
I could rant and rave for a very long time about my disappointment, but I won’t bore you. Just know that after the first two chapters I considered putting it down yet I persisted because I’m a sucker for torture, only to realise things got better for the shortest of time periods only to return to the drab state.
Really not what I expected of Rice.
I picked it up because the story was based in medieval times. But it's a weak book with pedestrian prose. This would have been better as a short story.
I guess this just wasn't my type of book... I usually like Anne Rice, but I just couldn't get into the angel thing... I don't think I'm going to try the second one.
This sounded quirky and it was. I enjoyed the circular story of redemption. Toby had become an automaton until he was reclaimed to work for good.
Angel Time centers on Toby O'Dare who uses the alias Lucky, he's an assassin for "The Right Man". When his boss calls he does what he's told to. After this specific mission, Lucky is cornered by a supposed angel who wants to save his soul. Lucky flashes back on how he came to work for "The Right Man" and realizes he does want a chance for redemption.
Lucky is sent back to thirteenth century England, a period that is fraught with tension between Catholics and the Jewish population. Lucky takes up the mantle of a priest in order to help those in the middle of this tense situation. What unfolds is a tale of lost love, family and heartbreak.
This was an interesting story overall. I love stories involving angels, but it was weird that we didn't really see any demons or devils. The long flashback into Toby's life was a bit dry, but everything within the 13th century plot was interesting. I'm really curious as to who "The Right Man" truly is and if Toby is going to confront him at some point.
Lucky is sent back to thirteenth century England, a period that is fraught with tension between Catholics and the Jewish population. Lucky takes up the mantle of a priest in order to help those in the middle of this tense situation. What unfolds is a tale of lost love, family and heartbreak.
This was an interesting story overall. I love stories involving angels, but it was weird that we didn't really see any demons or devils. The long flashback into Toby's life was a bit dry, but everything within the 13th century plot was interesting. I'm really curious as to who "The Right Man" truly is and if Toby is going to confront him at some point.
I love reading about religion and spirituality, but find it's nonfiction (presumably) I'm drawn to. I just can't get into works of fiction if they don't mesh with my own path.
For the readers of Anne Rice who are only familiar with the Vampire books, this is a departure.
For the readers of Anne Rice who are only familiar with the Vampire books, this is a departure.
I have read every book Anne has published and have enjoyed them all, some a very great deal (Cry to Heaven, most of the Vampire Chronicles - esp. Memnoch, The Mummy, Feast of All Saints, Christ the Lord series) and some not as much (Mayfair Witches saga, Violin, the last Beauty book, East of Eden).
I know when her name is on the cover, I'm going to get vivid characters, evocative prose, solid scholarship, and an entertaining if not completely engrossing plot. She hit all the notes with this one and yet I wasn't drawn in and held like I usually am and I really wanted to be. I've long been interested in the subject of Angels (warrior of G'd type vs. the greeting card, New Age type) and was intrigued by Malchiah and by the insight into the lives of medieval Jews in England. And I'm always interested in philosophical and theological insight and debate.
I'm not sure if it was the jarring of being inside assassin Toby's modern head for the first half of the book and then shifting so rapidly into the spiritually changed Toby sent back into medieval time to right a wrong that threw me off. Because I had no problem with the two Toby's taken separately, but they just didn't flow into each other as smoothly for me as they could or should have and I can't say why.
This appears to be the first in a series and I think she was laying the groundwork for Toby's character and that's why the whole first half of the book is taken up establishing his background before she shifted the characters and the story into Toby's 'new' life and into the whole premise of the book - a reformed sinner, rededicated to G'd and working to help right or prevent injustices. I just can't put my finger on why the transition threw me out of the story. I'm still looking forward to the next book in this series and hoping it will grab me like so many of her other books have in the past. I just wish this had been one of them.
I know when her name is on the cover, I'm going to get vivid characters, evocative prose, solid scholarship, and an entertaining if not completely engrossing plot. She hit all the notes with this one and yet I wasn't drawn in and held like I usually am and I really wanted to be. I've long been interested in the subject of Angels (warrior of G'd type vs. the greeting card, New Age type) and was intrigued by Malchiah and by the insight into the lives of medieval Jews in England. And I'm always interested in philosophical and theological insight and debate.
I'm not sure if it was the jarring of being inside assassin Toby's modern head for the first half of the book and then shifting so rapidly into the spiritually changed Toby sent back into medieval time to right a wrong that threw me off. Because I had no problem with the two Toby's taken separately, but they just didn't flow into each other as smoothly for me as they could or should have and I can't say why.
This appears to be the first in a series and I think she was laying the groundwork for Toby's character and that's why the whole first half of the book is taken up establishing his background before she shifted the characters and the story into Toby's 'new' life and into the whole premise of the book - a reformed sinner, rededicated to G'd and working to help right or prevent injustices. I just can't put my finger on why the transition threw me out of the story. I'm still looking forward to the next book in this series and hoping it will grab me like so many of her other books have in the past. I just wish this had been one of them.
I think I can safely say Anne Rice is one of my favorite authors of all time. The vampires, the witches...I read everything she wrote and loved it all. Then she found Religion, or God, doesn't matter. Bye bye went anything occult and in came God and the angels. This book was just OK for me, I don't think her novels since the conversion have had the same intensity, they have lost something in my opinion and that is a real shame. I enjoyed this one enough that I will check out the next in the series, but it is not anywhere near as good as her previous works. :(
Bardzo przeciętna.
Trochę bawił się w detektywa bohater, trochę jakby był ojcem z imię róży.
Trochę bawił się w detektywa bohater, trochę jakby był ojcem z imię róży.
Hadn't read any Anne Rice for years, after having read her first 15 or 16 books. Of those, I really enjoyed at least half a dozen. (My sister bought this one for me, autographed no less, so I figured I'd give Rice another try.) Alas, overall, the lion's share of the story bored me (deeply) and, if the book wasn't relatively short (and if I wasn't spending a lot of time on airplanes), I'd have given up. The "main" part of the story came across as shockingly artificial, and I wasn't taken in by any of the characters, who seemed to be caricatures of caricatures. Conversely, I really enjoyed (and was highly amused by) the protagonist, Toby O'Dare, until he confronts "his angel" (after which I just couldn't wait for the book to end. Snore!!!!). Having said all of that, I LOVED the last page, and, in retrospect, I was glad I slogged (and I mean slogged) through for the kicker/zinger at the end. (Granted, I wouldn't recommend it as a result, but it was a pleasant surprise after a dreary, uninspired, inelegantly contrived journey.)