Archangel
by Marguerite Reed
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Description
"Earth is dying, and we have begun the search for a new home. Our hopes are pinned on Ubastis, an untamed paradise at the edge of colonized space. But such an influx of people threatens the planet's unstudied ecosystem-before these settlers arrive, a tenuous research colony must complete its essential and desperate analysis, lest humanity abandon one planet only to die on another. The Ubasti colonists barely get by on their own. To acquire the tools and supplies they truly need, the show more colonists are relegated to selling whatever they can to outside investors. For xenobiologist Vashti Loren, this means bringing Offworlders on safari to hunt the specimens she and her fellow biologists so desperately need to study. Haunted by the violent death of her husband, the heroic and celebrated Lasse Undset, Vashti must balance the needs of Ubastis against the swelling crush of would-be settlers. As she negotiates her grief, Vashti struggles in her role as one of the few colonists licensed to carry deadly weapons, just as she struggles with her history of using them. And when she discovers a genetically engineered soldier smuggled onto the surface, Vashti must face the nightmare of her husband's murder all over again. Vashti must protect herself, her daughter, and all of Ubastis as she is forced to draw alliances with old enemies, re-evaluate old friends, and take planet-wide action against those who threaten her world. Vashti stands at the threshold of humanity's greatest hope, and she alone understands the darkness of guarding paradise" -- show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
This book had an intriguing plot and interesting characters, especially the main characters, but it also had a number of first-time-novelist rough edges. In particular, without giving spoilers, the plot arc was fairly dependent on the main character refusing to listen to a piece of information that was dangled in front of her the whole time. To balance that, there were many things I enjoyed, including having a main character who was a mother (although reading about memories of giving birth near the time I should have been birthing my lost little girl was more than I could really handle, especially while sitting in an airport). The book opened more plot doors than it had time to close, but that's something I am willing to forgive in the show more first of a series.
I saw strong resemblances between this and [book:The Dispossessed|13651]. Not direct borrowing, but more a general sense that Reed wanted to explore some of the same ideas Le Guin explored in that book in a different setting.
All in all, I'm cautiously optimistic for the release of the second novel. show less
I saw strong resemblances between this and [book:The Dispossessed|13651]. Not direct borrowing, but more a general sense that Reed wanted to explore some of the same ideas Le Guin explored in that book in a different setting.
All in all, I'm cautiously optimistic for the release of the second novel. show less
Marguerite Reed's debut novel, Archangel, is an amazing testament to the power of a woman with a story to tell and the determination to bring an entire WORLD to life - between the covers of a book!
Speculative fiction is not a genre I read on a regular basis; that having been said, Archangel represents Book One of the Chronicles of Ubastis; I'm (very much) looking forward to Book Two! Fast paced, a strong story line and a very strong female lead - you can't go wrong with that combination!
My "no spoilers" rule (as it applies to reviews) is limiting . . let it suffice to say that I highly recommend Archangel to any (and all!) who enjoy compelling protagonists, a story line that leaves the reader begging for more and a view of the human show more condition that could easily be seen as a view of the future of our world as we know it!
The audiobook version of Archangel was a gift from the author . . thank you, Marguerite Reed. Archangel lends itself, very well, to the audiobook format. The narrator, Dina Pearlman, did an amazing job around bringing the plethora of characters to LIFE via her voice. show less
Speculative fiction is not a genre I read on a regular basis; that having been said, Archangel represents Book One of the Chronicles of Ubastis; I'm (very much) looking forward to Book Two! Fast paced, a strong story line and a very strong female lead - you can't go wrong with that combination!
My "no spoilers" rule (as it applies to reviews) is limiting . . let it suffice to say that I highly recommend Archangel to any (and all!) who enjoy compelling protagonists, a story line that leaves the reader begging for more and a view of the human show more condition that could easily be seen as a view of the future of our world as we know it!
The audiobook version of Archangel was a gift from the author . . thank you, Marguerite Reed. Archangel lends itself, very well, to the audiobook format. The narrator, Dina Pearlman, did an amazing job around bringing the plethora of characters to LIFE via her voice. show less
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Lists
2016 Hugo Eligible Novels
90 works; 32 members
Author Information
3+ Works 73 Members
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Archangel
- Original publication date
- 2015-05
- Dedication
- To my parents, Paul Reed and Suzanne Gross, who with music and words and the ceaseless song of human history filled me that I might pour out for others . . .
- Publisher's editor
- Darin Bradley
- Blurbers
- Finlay, Charles Coleman; Dozois, Gardner; Hairston, Andrea
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 70
- Popularity
- 449,631
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.75)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 2
- ASINs
- 2
