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Angels of Vengeance (The Disappearance #3)
“A seamless fusion of alternate history, postapocalyptic fiction, and espionage-fueled thriller.”—
Publishers Weekly
When an inexplicable wave of energy slams into North America, the world is plunged into turmoil—as wars erupt, borders vanish, and the great and powerful fall.
Against this dramatic backdrop, three very different women navigate the chaos. Deep in a South Ame...more
When an inexplicable wave of energy slams into North America, the world is plunged into turmoil—as wars erupt, borders vanish, and the great and powerful fall.
Against this dramatic backdrop, three very different women navigate the chaos. Deep in a South Ame...more
ebook, 560 pages
Published
April 10th 2012
by Del Rey
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A book that is heavy on psychology and subtle gradations of emotion, or one that examines the complexities and philosophic uncertainties of modern life, may be excused for digressions and long stretches where the plot, such as it may be, barely twitches in a forward direction.
But a book that is about action -- and violent, bloody, detailed action at that -- must move at a different pace. It must be lean as well as mean, and the pages must turn without much time spent on introspection or metaphys...more
But a book that is about action -- and violent, bloody, detailed action at that -- must move at a different pace. It must be lean as well as mean, and the pages must turn without much time spent on introspection or metaphys...more
Sofia Peiraro is struggling to settle into a new life in Kansas City, where she and her father are now living. When there's an attempt on his life, from the same "Mad Jack" Blackstone (Governor of Texas and thorn in President Kipper's side) whose racist policies led to her family being killed, Sofia decides to take matters into her own hands, and heads towards Texas with vengeance on her mind.
Echelon agent Caitlin Monroe is once again infiltrating enemy lines. Her target is a former French offic...more
Echelon agent Caitlin Monroe is once again infiltrating enemy lines. Her target is a former French offic...more
The third (and presumably final) volume in the “After America” trilogy. The series started with the premise of a mysterious energy wave killing most of the inhabitants of the US while leaving everything else intact, but encased in the wave. Set back in the early 80’s with the majority of the US Military in the Middle East it was a fascinating view of how the US no longer being in the picture would have an impact on the world economy and how the balance of power would shift and old grudges would...more
Angels of Vengeance by John Birmingham is the latest (and last?) novel in the trilogy that began with Without Warning. Some backstory, our tale begins when a dome of energy descends onto North America on the eve of the Iraq War, covering most of the continent. Millions perish and anyone who attempts to enter the dome disappears as well. The United States of America (except for Alaska, Hawaii, and a small enclave around Seattle) is destroyed, along with large chunks of Canada and Mexico (plus the...more
Jan 03, 2013
Patrick
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
alternate-history,
dystopian-fantasy
This is an entertaining read, but not quite up to the high standard of its prequels ("Without Warning" and "After America"). Unlike those books, the title of this one telegraphs its plot.
There are three heroines in this story, but only "Commando Barbie" (Caitlin Monroe) seems fully realized as a person. Apart from Caitlin, Milosz, the Polish special forces operator who became a U.S. Army Ranger, was my favorite character from earlier books in the series, and while I was gratified to see Birming...more
There are three heroines in this story, but only "Commando Barbie" (Caitlin Monroe) seems fully realized as a person. Apart from Caitlin, Milosz, the Polish special forces operator who became a U.S. Army Ranger, was my favorite character from earlier books in the series, and while I was gratified to see Birming...more
Jul 08, 2012
Louis
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Military/Action fans
“Angels of Vengeance” is book 3 of a trilogy by the Australian author John Birmingham. The start of this trilogy was set in 2003 before the first gulf war when an energy wave/bubble takes out the USA (most of Mexico and much of Canada). All that's left of our country is Seattle, Alaska, Hawaii, troops in Cuba and the Middle East and any citizens outside of the country at the time.
This final book wraps up the stories started in book 1. One thing I do like about this author is that he’s not afrai...more
This final book wraps up the stories started in book 1. One thing I do like about this author is that he’s not afrai...more
A very nice surprise! I don't knowingly start series in the middle, but as a reviewer I get what I get. In this case it was engaging enough that I'm going to hunt up books one and two, and wait and watch for book 4. I want to see the progression of how they got from wherever to here. The book is the third of a stated Trilogy, but the ending is a clear and unambiguous opening for a book Four.
Strong, smart, resourceful female characters. Without having the backstory from books One and Two I'm sti...more
Strong, smart, resourceful female characters. Without having the backstory from books One and Two I'm sti...more
The final (?) in the series that has been an enjoyable escape over this summer holiday and the previous two. In this one the focus has narrowed to a few protagonists as they seek closure on unfinished, personal, business. Characters I'd gotten to know and like over previous books were there again, so there was no need for reintroduction. However, I felt the time spent working through the different scenes was slightly longer than it needed to be, making the eventual climax short and less satisfyi...more
The first book was the hook for me, with the sudden disappearance of pretty much everyone inside the continental US (and implied death). Because of the timing that the author choose(2003), a lot of America's military muscle was already outside the US so that makes things slightly less catastrophic. And I kept on following things into the second book as the second order effects of the disappearance and then beginnings of reclamation of the now deserted US began (as well as the global chaos that c...more
I was not as impressed with AoV as I had been with the previous two installments in the "Disapperance" series. Even more so because I started reading the Disapperance books only because I liked the "Axis of Time" series so much.
A hefty amount of pages is spent on re-telling the previous two books. This feels like a bit of service for new readers who did not pick up the previous two volumes but it could have been shorter. Quite a bit shorter. The middle bit is split between even more retrospectiv...more
A hefty amount of pages is spent on re-telling the previous two books. This feels like a bit of service for new readers who did not pick up the previous two volumes but it could have been shorter. Quite a bit shorter. The middle bit is split between even more retrospectiv...more
Great idea, in all three books. But, the author has not earned my trust. They are all fantastic characters that leave impressions behind. Unfortunately some grammatical flubs (where it seems spell check won over sentence structure) left me confused. Generally, the characters are developed well, but without all having clear purposes...unless that is the point, which is acceptable as a device. The next book seems transparently looming, in favor of a reason to wrap up this one, and in many ways the...more
I finished the audio book of this one in the bath tonight, cos I was sure I didn't have much to go.
Overall, I found this really hard to concentrate on. I dont know if it was the audiobook format, or the story itself, but I found myself tuning out quite frequently. As I result I'm not sure if the things i feel this book is missing are actually missing, or just missing for me cos I happened to miss that detail.... For example, I still don't know what "the wave" is and I don't know if I missed it...more
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This is the last installment of the “The Disappearance” story – and I’m torn whether to be happy or sad. I originally started reading it just to finish the trilogy. Actually though, it turned out to be much better written that the prior installment. (I particularly liked the second half of the book.)
The premise is just so darn thought-provoking. The population of the US is now 30 million instead of 300 – yet much of the infrastructure remains. The political intrigue is interesting and the little...more
The premise is just so darn thought-provoking. The population of the US is now 30 million instead of 300 – yet much of the infrastructure remains. The political intrigue is interesting and the little...more
Angels of Vengeance is a very appropriate title for Birmingham’s third book of his latest trilogy. Three female protagonists are thrown into a post-apocalyptic America. The storyline switches back a forth between their separate quest for retribution. Then there is a fourth storyline about an unlikely President of the United States and his overbearing Chief of Staff. It wasn’t until very late (too late) into the story that we finally see how he fits in with the rest of the characters.
What I liked
...more
In this final book of the Without Warning trilogy, John Birmingham wraps up his post “Wave” apocalypse story with a bang. Birmingham follows three “Angels of Vengeance”; all were characters from the two previous parts of the story. They all have a score settle and this final book follows their path towards that goal.
The stories momentum continually builds through the book. Secrets are revealed, blood is shed, and life is lost. Birmingham does a good job tying up the loose ends of the story, thou...more
The stories momentum continually builds through the book. Secrets are revealed, blood is shed, and life is lost. Birmingham does a good job tying up the loose ends of the story, thou...more
The final novel in a set of three that wraps it all up in a nicely done package would be a good description here. Expect to see some old characters to pop up here and there throughout this action packed tale of intrigue. Some of the central characters, and some of them ones that I liked, will die in this novel. Just goes to show a person that we don't live forever. And I truly do not like it when an author cannot occasionally kill of one of the main characters in his/her novel. Just does not mak...more
Unusually for me, I elected to pay full price for this one, that's how much I was looking forward to getting on my Kindle. I had gobbled up the first two volumes of the trilogy, grabbed by the skilful combination of a clever ideas working together with a well written action yarn. I'd even read some of the preview passages that Birmingham leaks out via his blog and twitter feed and was raring to go.
And..... Oh dear :(
Now don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book, it's just not as good as it could...more
And..... Oh dear :(
Now don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book, it's just not as good as it could...more
I loved the first two books and for the most part Birmngham seemed to take shots at both political parties and not too harshly-which was fine…This book has 2 shots at Foxnews and Rupert Murdoch before it really gets going and it turned me off big time-I’m more of an Independent anyhow, but did he have to go there??
Sorta sleazy sliding in your political pot shots.. Having a hard time getting into this one…I’ll keep going and let you know what I think of the entire book in a few days.
Sorta sleazy sliding in your political pot shots.. Having a hard time getting into this one…I’ll keep going and let you know what I think of the entire book in a few days.
I started reading this but very quickly got bogged down in mud and the more I read the deeper the mud got. Some books have too much padding and this is one of them. It's too long and too disjointed. Just when something begins to happen we are thrust into the thoughts of the past and it takes away from the flow of the story. Or that set of characters are dropped and we go see what other characters are doing. The separate story lines are really completely different stories and with little real rel...more
The final thrilling chapter to the Disappearance trilogy, Angles of Vengeance winds up the rest of the individual story lines in manners that keep the reader guessing (well it kept me guessing anyway!). From the opening tragedy of the book, through to the action packed finale, this complete story leaves you wanting more. I'm looking forward to the movies which haven't been announce, but I can be hopeful!
I didn't enjoy this book as much as the previous two.
The post-apocalypse feel was largely missing aside from a few references to refugees and the disappeared.
I also found I didn't particularly care about the majority of the characters.
I would have liked to spend more time with the Kipper Administration but the entire Australian arc just didn't do anything for me and it constituted a large part of the story.
The post-apocalypse feel was largely missing aside from a few references to refugees and the disappeared.
I also found I didn't particularly care about the majority of the characters.
I would have liked to spend more time with the Kipper Administration but the entire Australian arc just didn't do anything for me and it constituted a large part of the story.
I received this book as an early reviewer selection and really struggled with it. While I found some characters interesting I think that reading the first two books would have made all the difference. [return]That being said, I did not finish the book and instead went looking for the first two to read and then will have to edit my review after having read it with the background info. [return]I just do not feel that the characters and story line are fleshed out enough without the back story. The...more
Birmingham takes as for a further ride through the world of tomorrow, several years on from 95% of the American population being Disappeared. The story follows multiple characters introduced in the previous books, including Caitlyn, Miguel and Sofia, Jules and Rhino, and President Kipper.
Fun read. Kick-ass female characters.
Fun read. Kick-ass female characters.
Part 3 in the Without Warning series, this nicely closes all the threads left hanging in After America. Nicely done. An addictive and thrilling tale. Though it's funny that the inciting moment--all humanity in America disappearing in the "Wave"--is simply a plot device. The story is what happens after, not that the Wave happened.
Good ending to an outstanding trilogy, if a bit predictable. As with the first two books, the action is non-stop. Mr. Birmingham tied up the loose ends nicely, and left room for a follow-on book or series. As a whole (trilogy) I would rate this at five stars, on the strength of the second book (After America). Definitely an entertaining read.
Bit of a quick read and the characters didn't seem to be as well developed at times. Mostly a formula book, looking to be more short action driven than plot development overall. Not really something you have to spend too much thinking about what might be going on.
This just wasn't as compelling as the first two, but I still enjoyed it. As I had read the 2nd book over a year ago (and my memory isn't the best), it took awhile to get up to speed but then it all came back. Pretty much figured out the ending, but I've been led to believe this is the last book BUT he definitely left us hanging. So who knows....good read if you like distopia type novels.
Have enjoyed this and the authors other books. If you are a fan of alternate timeline type fiction and military fiction add these to your wish list. Strong character development and fun dialog.
Accidently picked up the third book in the series and loved it. So much so I had to go back to the beginning book even though I had an idea of what was to happen.
The weakest entry of the three books in this series. Probably will be a fourth as there are some loose ends to tie up. Very disappointed.
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John Birmingham grew up in Ipswich, Queensland and was educated at St Edmunds Christian Brother's College in Ipswich and the University of Queensland in Brisbane. His only stint of full time employment was as a researcher at the Defence Department. After this he returned to Queensland to study law but he did not complete his legal studies, choosing instead to pursue a career as a writer. He curren...more
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“300 million people turned into jelly by The Wave and Rupert Murdoch wasn't one of them. There is no god.”
—
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