Rating: Summary: Surprisingly good Review: I was very surprised to find myself enjoying this book as much as I did. I am a firm fan of the oldstyle cyberpunk popularized by William Gibson and Neal Stephenson, and most of the newer books in the same genre have left me unfulfilled. Ms. Morehouse, on the other hand, can talk the talk, like most authors who attempt to write cyberpunk, but can also walk the walk. She has a deep understanding of what the movement was about, not merely the way it was presented. The Archangel Protocol combines technology and religion with a light balance, not weighing either subject too heavily with the other. This is a book worth reading and I recommend it strongly.
Rating: Summary: A Thought Provoking, Original and Most Enjoyable Book Review: I won't belabor the points covered in other reviews about the merits of writing style (very well done) and character development (excellent; the kind of characters that really draw you in on an emotional level). The plot, based on futuristic civilization with a dependence on the Internet and some "down to earth" angels thrown in for good measure was a stroke of genius! I don't want to elaborate on the plot, because you'll want to absorb and enjoy every bit of this story; it was very hard to put down. The only thing that prevented me from giving this "5 Stars" was the need for more detail in the ending. Perhaps it's just me but I prefer more information about the most central characters, particularly since I felt so thoroughly involved in their hearts and minds. This ending left me wondering. In spite of that, it was an excellent book, and I would recommend it. The 'bio' on the back cover indicates Ms. Morehouse is "working on a second book, set in the same universe as Archangel Protocol". Perhaps she'll come through for me after all.
Rating: Summary: You will not want this book to end. Review: If for some unfathomable reason William Gibson and Andrew Greeley co-wrote a book and took a few plot suggestions from Nora Roberts, that book might have turned out like Archangel Protocol. There is a dark dis-utopian future. Government is a Theocracy. Citizenship is controlled by access to a cyber world called the Link. The Link may be haunted by Angels. The hero is an excommunicated Irish Catholic Cop with good soul and lost faith. There are a whole flock of ethnically diverse Angels who use multiple and revolving pronouns when they talk about God. To top everything off there is a nice romantic subplot.None of this should work together, but it does. Wonderfully. Morehouse has woven all these elements with a deft hand. This is a novel where the action never stops, but at the same time she has characters who are more than cardboard and even tosses in some ideas for you to think about. As I neared the end of the book I found my self in the reader's dilemma of wanting to read slowly so it would last longer and at the same time unable to slow down because I wanted to see how it was going to end. I definitely am putting Morehouse on my list of authors to watch for.
Rating: Summary: Startlingly different and original Review: In a world swamped in elves, dragons, and Robert Jordan knock-offs, Morehouse has actually managed to deliver us a refreshingly original concept, and do it with skill. In what could have quickly degenerated into a gimmick book (cool toys, superpowers), the author holds tight onto the human element in all her characters (even the inhuman ones!), giving the reader a rich experience of the world she's created and the thrilling story she's constructed. Great first book.
Rating: Summary: Excellent debut novel Review: In the near future, mankind invents a weapon of mass destruction, the Plasma Bomb that turns anything organic within its wide range into glass. For instance, two decades after such an explosion, The Bronx remains a contaminated zone. Science has lost its lofty esteem with religion taking over the high rung among Americans, as the country has become a theocracy with everyone belonging to a church. Most people are also hooked up to the LINK, an interactive computer implanted inside the human brain. Deirdre, a former cop, is disconnected from the LINK because the Pope excommunicated her, but she still knows about the mysterious LINK Angels. Agents of the Church and the government believe they are real and signify the Second Coming. Deirdre believes they are a fake, but even she feels shaken when the Archangel Michael visits her office to request her help. Lydia Morehouse delivers a blunt message in her debut novel ARCHANGEL PROTOCOL that the Internet is a form of an addicting high no different than alcohol or drugs. The future is bleak and repressive in an Orwellian-like society. The repartee between Michael and Morningstar (Lucifer) is fascinating, but the mortal Deirdre owns the show as she adapts to angels visiting her (after the initial shock passes). This science fiction novel will keep readers glued to the very end, but keep a religious artifact like a crucifix or a Star of David handy. Harriet Klausner
Rating: Summary: I Lost Sleep to Finish This Book Review: It's been a long time since a book has kept me up half the night, but Archangel Protocol succeeded. It is an intriguing mix of religion and technology. In this post-apocalyptic world, the end of the old order came with the Medusa bomb. The effects of this bomb were so horrific that the nations turned against secular humanism, preceived as the philosophy that allowed this science to flourish. The new governments required that each person have a declared established religion in order to be a citizen and to be connected to the commerce and information web of the LINK. One of the harshest punishments is to be deprived of this connection, which is implanted at birth (if the individual is born under comfortable circumstances). The have-nots in this case are a combination of dissenters, criminals and the desperately poor. Deirdre, the viewpoint character, was a police officer. Now she is an excommunicate private detective eking out a bare existence doing work for barter. The story is told in first person so the reader begins as cut off from information about the current state of the culture as Deirdre is. As the story unfolds, Deirdre meets a cop named Michael who asks her to become involved in a risky investigation. Deirdre already has her own risky connections though with the leader of a Jewish terrorist cell and Mouse, the owner of mouse.net, an illicit version of LINK that is available to the disenfrancised. Mouse is also the programmer of Page, an Artificial Intelligence that is one of the two recognized as closest to humanity. Page operates as Mouse's presense online hence the name-- as in Home Page. Sly humor, fast paced action and the ability to convey suspence make this book one of the best reads I've had in Science Fiction this year.
Rating: Summary: I Lost Sleep to Finish This Book Review: It's been a long time since a book has kept me up half the night, but Archangel Protocol succeeded. It is an intriguing mix of religion and technology. In this post-apocalyptic world, the end of the old order came with the Medusa bomb. The effects of this bomb were so horrific that the nations turned against secular humanism, preceived as the philosophy that allowed this science to flourish. The new governments required that each person have a declared established religion in order to be a citizen and to be connected to the commerce and information web of the LINK. One of the harshest punishments is to be deprived of this connection, which is implanted at birth (if the individual is born under comfortable circumstances). The have-nots in this case are a combination of dissenters, criminals and the desperately poor. Deirdre, the viewpoint character, was a police officer. Now she is an excommunicate private detective eking out a bare existence doing work for barter. The story is told in first person so the reader begins as cut off from information about the current state of the culture as Deirdre is. As the story unfolds, Deirdre meets a cop named Michael who asks her to become involved in a risky investigation. Deirdre already has her own risky connections though with the leader of a Jewish terrorist cell and Mouse, the owner of mouse.net, an illicit version of LINK that is available to the disenfrancised. Mouse is also the programmer of Page, an Artificial Intelligence that is one of the two recognized as closest to humanity. Page operates as Mouse's presense online hence the name-- as in Home Page. Sly humor, fast paced action and the ability to convey suspence make this book one of the best reads I've had in Science Fiction this year.
Rating: Summary: Good if you don't mind the bashing Review: Lyda Morehouse's book is a good work of fiction with a well-developed protagonist and plot, but about a third of the way into the book she starts getting theological. This would be fine, except that her theology seems to consist solely of Christianity-bashing. She doesn't cast Christians as evil caricatures, as other authors have done, however. She attacks Christian beliefs directly. She is neutral to Judaism, respectful of Islam (I think-since I am not Moslem Morehouse could have been slighting Islam without my noticing), but she definitely has it in for Christianity. I know that she is herself not a Christian and I certainly would not expect a non-Christian to espouse Christian beliefs, but to go out of her way to attack Christianity (not that she is the only one) is rude and uncalled-for, and detracted from the book, for me. If you are not a Christian, then this will probably not bother you, and you will most likely find this book a fine read. If you are a Christian, I recommend you spend your money and your time elsewhere.
Rating: Summary: Great writing... Review: Morehouse had me hooked from page one to page 342... great, quick-witted writing style, viable characters, intriguing, Blade Runneresque world... in between great dialogue and a fast-paced plot, she leaves intellectual land-mines that forced me to really step back and reevaluate my own concepts of faith and divinity... truly a well rounded work that deserves serious attention...
Rating: Summary: none Review: Morehouse is fascinating and wholly original in this grim and gritty cyberthriller. For those who like early Gibson, Sterling, Powers, and Russo, ARCHANGEL PROTOCOL is a must read for discerning fans of the cyber movement... Gary S. Potter Author/Poet.
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