Alternative Worlds
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The Crippled Angel
Sara Douglas
Tor, Jan 2006, $25.95, 368 pp.
ISBN: 0765303646
In 1381 Europe is on the brink of destruction as so many no longer believe the Church as is the center of their lives. Rome has lost control with heresies arising everywhere and the affluent increasingly demanding more; peasants doubt scripture as they seek a better life on earth rather than wait for their heavenly reward.
Much of the collapse is beyond Rome’s control. Demons have escaped their eternal prison and are poised to breech the gates of Heaven. The Great Archangel Michael orders pious monk Thomas Neville to destroy demons cloaked as humans. However, on his quest for what he initially assumes will be his ticket to heaven, Thomas begins to have doubts that he is on the right side especially when he encounters heretics who make sense in their criticism of the Roman Church. Besides agreeing with dissenters like Father John, he also concedes there are probably demons using mortal form to cause dissension. Unbeknownst to him his soul is the battlefield of Armageddon, but which side is good and which is evil remain the question and the fate of the world rests on Thomas’s choice
The final tale in the Crucible trilogy is a terrific novel that brings together this excellent alternate historical medieval fantasy. The audience needs to read the previous books first as the dangling threads from THE NAMELESS DAY and THE WOUNDED HAWK lead up to this stirring climax. Thomas is a fabulous representative of the age as he satiates his mortal needs when he has a chance but also begins to live up to his name as a doubter. Mindful of James Blish’s fabulous Heavenly War duet (see BLACK EASTER and DAY AFTER JUDGMENT) though they take place in different times, fans of angelic-demon war thrillers will appreciate this miniseries as the fantastic whole is greater than the separate parts.
Sara Douglas
Tor, Jan 2006, $25.95, 368 pp.
ISBN: 0765303646
In 1381 Europe is on the brink of destruction as so many no longer believe the Church as is the center of their lives. Rome has lost control with heresies arising everywhere and the affluent increasingly demanding more; peasants doubt scripture as they seek a better life on earth rather than wait for their heavenly reward.
Much of the collapse is beyond Rome’s control. Demons have escaped their eternal prison and are poised to breech the gates of Heaven. The Great Archangel Michael orders pious monk Thomas Neville to destroy demons cloaked as humans. However, on his quest for what he initially assumes will be his ticket to heaven, Thomas begins to have doubts that he is on the right side especially when he encounters heretics who make sense in their criticism of the Roman Church. Besides agreeing with dissenters like Father John, he also concedes there are probably demons using mortal form to cause dissension. Unbeknownst to him his soul is the battlefield of Armageddon, but which side is good and which is evil remain the question and the fate of the world rests on Thomas’s choice
The final tale in the Crucible trilogy is a terrific novel that brings together this excellent alternate historical medieval fantasy. The audience needs to read the previous books first as the dangling threads from THE NAMELESS DAY and THE WOUNDED HAWK lead up to this stirring climax. Thomas is a fabulous representative of the age as he satiates his mortal needs when he has a chance but also begins to live up to his name as a doubter. Mindful of James Blish’s fabulous Heavenly War duet (see BLACK EASTER and DAY AFTER JUDGMENT) though they take place in different times, fans of angelic-demon war thrillers will appreciate this miniseries as the fantastic whole is greater than the separate parts.
