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Angel Time: The Songs of the
Seraphim
by Anne Rice
Toby
O’Dare is a killer, a man who takes assignments from someone he calls
“The Right Man”. He asks no questions about why he is asked to kill
someone but rather simply does the job, calmly and assuredly. Inside,
however, Toby is a man despairing, particularly when his latest
assignment is set to occur at the Mission Inn, a place he considers his
safe haven. Can such a man be redeemed? A Seraph named Malchiah thinks
so and he sends Toby on a mission- a mission that will send Toby back
into thirteenth century England into a village called Norwich, where
Jews face persecution. Can Toby find redemption in the past?
Anne Rice has long been a favorite author of mine and ANGEL TIME is the
perfect example of why this is so. Her eloquent use of language creates
vivid pictures and images, both of the present and of the past. One can
almost imagine living in the thirteenth century while reading this lush
and magnificent tale.
The story flows seamlessly and flawlessly as one would only expect in
the hands of the talented Ms. Rice. As the story unfolds, all the
pieces fall together as Anne Rice weaves together the seemingly
unrelated concepts of a hit man, angels, the persecution of Jews, and
time travel to medieval England. Each aspect of the story is integral
to the overall symmetry and beauty of the tale.
However, it is the characters who are the true heart of ANGEL TIME.
Toby’s story is heartbreaking in its intensity. Anne Rice shows the
kernel of hope that lies beneath his impersonal surface. We see that
hope blossoming as he encounters Fluria and Meir. Toby’s tale of
redemption strikes a chord deep in the reader while the persecution of
Fluria and Meir is so horrific that it makes me want to weep with
anger. Anne Rice’s use of historical facts intertwined with her
fictional imagination make this one powerful and very intense story.
ANGEL TIME is nothing short of brilliant! A true masterpiece.
Publisher: Alfred A.
Knopf
(October 2009)
Reviewed
by Debbie, Debbie Wiley Book Reviews
Review Courtesy of Amazon Vine
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