'Angel Time' by Anne Rice - Book Review

If only she had given it more time. Anne Rice, renowned mistress of the modern vampire and accomplished author, tackles another fantastic realm in Angel Time. A distraught assassin is asked by one from the realms of the heavens to join the other side. He does. And then they go back via "angel time" to shape another's history. This could have been an intriguing origin to a potential new series. Instead, it reveals glimpses of better stories, but the main storyline doesn't excite like the speed of light.

The first half of Angel Time deals with Toby O'Dare's first-person confessions of atheism and assassination until an angel drops in and forces his beliefs to change through a revelatory travel down memory lane. This takes the first 130 pages or so. The other 135 pages deal with Toby's mission for the good side as the angel goes on a different travel with him back in time to help a Jewish family from being killed during the Dark Ages.

The angel's recollection of Toby O'Dare's fall from faith and into hired killer is a good read. So is the Jewish Fluria's confession of how she had twin girls with a man who became a Christian. These stories are both told in retrospect, and they showcase Rice's strong ability to tell a good tale. Why she didn't focus more on these stories may be the fault of her editor or a lack of time. Rice has the potential for two novels worth of sin and redemption in the stories of Toby and Fluria. The strong characters, symbolism and well-earned empathy would have been a pleasure to sit with longer and ponder, like the angels who reflect on these things.

Instead, we get the shortened versions with the forced ""angel time" storytelling device to connect the tales. In the end, it all feels a bit shallow. Toby's first-person narrative feels too fake, too often including weak emotional leaps and trite dialogue.