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Angel Land

by Victor J. Banis (Goodreads Author)

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 · rating details · 60 ratings · 18 reviews

Late in the 21st Century-ravaged by the deadly Sept virus, the one time United States has disintegrated into The Fundamental Christian Territories, where Catholics, Baptists and Jews are registered as heretics, and gays are herded into walled ghettos: the Zones of Perversion. Harvey Milk Walton, a runner, finds his way to the ghetto in Angel Land, oldest of the territories...more

Paperback, 224 pages

Published September 1st 2008 by Quest

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Mar 28, 2010 Jeff Erno rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay-fiction

Harvey Milk Walton is no hero. Contrarily, he has learned early-on that his number one priority is to look out for “Numero Uno”. He lives in a dystopian society at the end of the 21st century, and it seems the world around him is dying. It is a society in which Christian Fundamentalist ideology has become the rule of law, and people like Harvey are regarded as sexual deviants. Harvey is gay.

The story’s central character finds himself on-the-run from the time he is very young. Eventually he is se...more Harvey Milk Walton is no hero. Contrarily, he has learned early-on that his number one priority is to look out for “Numero Uno”. He lives in a dystopian society at the end of the 21st century, and it seems the world around him is dying. It is a society in which Christian Fundamentalist ideology has become the rule of law, and people like Harvey are regarded as sexual deviants. Harvey is gay.

The story’s central character finds himself on-the-run from the time he is very young. Eventually he is sent to live in the gay ghetto which was formerly known as the Castro District, and here he ultimately finds something of which he never before dared to dream. A family. Harvey also finds love, but the man who steals his heart happens to also be a Fundie—a Christian Fundamentalist.

Sadly, all of the people that Harvey grows to cherish face the reality of impending death. They all are infected with the Sept virus, a mutation of HIV for which there is no vaccine. The only hope that Harvey and his comrades have of survival is a drug which the Ministry of Health has developed. The drug must be taken daily, and has a 97% success rate, but its distribution is strictly regulated by the Fundamentalist-controlled government. When a zealous fundamentalist senior elder is challenged by Harvey and his circle of friends, a ban on the distribution of this life-saving drug is imposed.

People are dying, and Harvey feels helpless. He must look within himself to see if he indeed possesses the qualities necessary to be a true hero. He may need to start looking out for more than just himself.

After I read a book—any book—I generally spend some time reflecting upon what I have read. Although I admit that the standards by which I tend to judge a book’s merit may be rather simplistic, they are what they are. At a certain point I simply have to ask myself, “Do I like it…or not?” Basically, the factor which influences me most in the formulation of this opinion is whether or not the story had an emotional impact upon me. The way an author’s words make me feel is what I remember most. Angel Land moved me in a way unlike anything else I’ve ever read. “Poignant” doesn’t begin to describe the message (or messages) of this story, and its impact upon me as a reader, gay man, and Christian is beyond significant.

There was one particular phrase used by the author which was so profound that it literally stopped me in my tracks. It so concisely sums up the theme of this story, that I cannot complete this review without quoting it. “They had justified their evil in Christ's name...How Christ must weep.”

As far as the writing, what can I say? It’s Victor J. Banis! The more he writes, the better he gets. He’s so skilled at infusing wry humor and sardonic wit into his prose, that devouring one of his stories is like indulging in a delicious dessert. The plot devices he uses capture the reader’s interest and hold that interest straight-through until the last word of the book. He describes details in a manner that can only be described as poetic.

In Angel Land, the author uses a very unconventional method of portraying multiple points-of-view. The voice alternates from first person to third person. It begins as a narration by the central character and then switches to a third-person account of the secondary characters’ points-of-view. If I were to have any criticism of this book, it would be that this device was initially somewhat confusing to me. I do have to say, though, that it was presented in a seamless manner, and once I was used to it, I felt it really did work.

Reading this book was genuinely a pleasure, and I definitely would classify it as a “must-read”. I cannot emphasize enough how highly I recommend it. In fact, I feel quite frankly unqualified to even be critiquing such a masterful work. Buy the book!! You won’t regret it.
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Mar 17, 2010 Top 2 Bottom Reviews Interviews and More rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 5 Kisses

Blurb:

Late in the 21st Century-ravaged by the deadly Sept virus, the one time United States has disintegrated into The Fundamental Christian Territories, where Catholics, Baptists and Jews are registered as heretics, and gays are herded into walled ghettos: the Zones of Perversion. Harvey Milk Walton, a runner, finds his way to the ghetto in Angel Land, oldest of the territories, where a legend says that his long ago martyred namesake will return one day to lead his people to freedom-but...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Ruth Sims rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this in 2009 and just realized I never put a review on Goodreads. Now I must remedy that situation!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Angel Land
By
Victor J. Banis
Publisher: Quest
ISBN-13 978-1935053057
224 pages
Available: Print & Amazon Kindle
Angel Land by Victor Banis will keep you off balance like nothing you’ve ever read before. It switches not only p.o.v., sometimes within the same chapter, but switches voice as well, from the first person narrative of the escapee, H...more

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Apr 08, 2010 Kris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-romance, spec-sci-fi-futuristic, post-apocalyptic, reviews-for-jessewave, some-recommended-reads

The Review:

Honesty from the outset~

I have only recently - like within the last couple of weeks - started reading this author and am (very) rapidly becoming a rabid fangirl. I find him an amazing storyteller.

First things first~

This is a gripping tale about 'what if'. That is, what could happen when a federal government 'allows' itself to be convinced and in turn sanctions fundamentalist dogma against minority groups, which become easy scapegoats in a time of great uncertainty.

The post-Apocalyptic...more

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Nov 03, 2008 Alan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Victor Banis takes the reader into the future, late in the 21st Century, when the United States has disintegrated into territories ruled by Fundamental Christians. Catholics, Baptists and Jews are registered as heretics, and gays are herded into walled ghettos that are reminiscent of the Jewish slums of Nazi Germany. In this setting, Harvey Milk Walton, a young gay man on the run from the religious authorities, finds that his only option to escape execution is to hide in the gay ghetto, but he s...more Victor Banis takes the reader into the future, late in the 21st Century, when the United States has disintegrated into territories ruled by Fundamental Christians. Catholics, Baptists and Jews are registered as heretics, and gays are herded into walled ghettos that are reminiscent of the Jewish slums of Nazi Germany. In this setting, Harvey Milk Walton, a young gay man on the run from the religious authorities, finds that his only option to escape execution is to hide in the gay ghetto, but he soon finds himself jumping from the frying pan into the fire, because the ghetto holds its own lethal threat: the Sept virus. Sept is the seventh and deadliest mutation of the AIDS virus of the Twentieth Century, but unlike AIDS, no one is exactly sure how Sept is transmitted, which makes it all the more frightening.
In a crumbling totalitarian society, where evil masquerades as piety, gay people are cut off from the rest of humanity and dying of the Sept virus, Harvey Milk Walton faces great danger and agonizing choices which could affect the future of mankind. Can he muster enough strength to live up to his martyred namesake of long ago and rise to lead a rebellion?

Victor Banis stretches his considerable talents in this daring novel. This story is a vivid, imaginative, and often humorous romp through a society turned into hell. It has extraordinary power, with images that grab hold of you and don’t let go. In the midst of this nightmare, Victor creates a heartwarming love story that is a testament to the human spirit.
The author uses a technique that I have not seen before. The story starts off being told from Harvey Milk Walton’s 1st person point of view, but then switches to 3rd person POV, and thereafter toggles back and forth from 1st to 3rd at regular intervals. I found these POV switches to be seamless, and greatly added to developing the depths of several characters. This is a character driven story, and Victor skillfully opens up his characters and allows us see to their core.
The plot is certainly more complex than Victor’s previous works, which combines with his consummate skill at crafting prose and his well-researched details to keep the reader fully engaged until the last page. Victor Banis’s writing, like fine wine, keeps getting better with age. I would recommend this read to anyone who enjoys multifaceted characters, humor, and a well-crafted story.
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Jun 09, 2011 Byron rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m-read

This is an amazing sci-fi read... with a future that is very possible being the setting. Characters are well painted. There is an element of humour in the story, yet the story is quiet... emotional for want of a better word that doesn't ruin the story for future readers. For me this isn't a story that's good I really feel that Angel land earned 5 stars for originality, character development and story movement.
Cheers,
b

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Jun 26, 2011 Sprite123 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very interesting dystopian book. The characters are quite well rounded. But while this book ends on a hopeful note, it's a bit of a depressing journey. Highly recommended.

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Jul 21, 2012 Sheila rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: vicitmology-101-silly-unlikely-d

Bland, amateurish writing; unlikable characters; implausible concept. Actually rather cliched.

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Nov 30, 2011 Paul Wilson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting read and well written. Sometimes a bit over the top in the fantasy world for me.

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Jan 16, 2012 Lola marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Yeah, a country like that already exist. I live in it.

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Nov 20, 2010 Avivs rated it 5 of 5 stars

AMAZING!!!
all the good reviews are right.
so beautiful.

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Feb 23, 2010 Elisa Ramblings added it

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1935053051/?...

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Nov 17, 2010 Arlene rated it 5 of 5 stars

A must read dystopian society.

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Jan 16, 2012 Lady*M marked it as to-read · review of another edition

To reread.

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Jan 30, 2011 Erik Orrantia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyable read! Interesting futuristic possibility, especially coming from the San Francisco Bay Area myself. I didn't realize it was a bit of a fantasy before I bought it. At any rate, I continue to learn from the master of novels myself. Victor's writing is always so fluid. Glad I started with Victor on my brand new Kindle.

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Jun 17, 2011 SueM rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: free-ebook, m-m

I found the writing too stilted for me, and I found I couldn't care about the characters either. Sorry, but I prefer to develop some attachment to the characters in whatever book I'm reading.

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Jan 15, 2012 LenaLena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: free-reads, mm, science-fiction

Excellent world building, good characters. A little predictable, but very, very enjoyable. I love me a good dystopia!

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Oct 18, 2011 Pamela Craft Jenewein rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m-stories

MLR freebie

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May 19, 2013 Noughty marked it as to-read · review of another edition

May 11, 2013 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 07, 2013 Ashlee added it

May 03, 2013 Collette is currently reading it

Shelves: gay

Apr 21, 2013 Shannon marked it as maybe

Apr 13, 2013 Christina marked it as to-read

Apr 09, 2013 Hellspark72 marked it as to-read

Mar 23, 2013 Becca added it

Mar 09, 2013 Blackheart marked it as to-read

Shelves: m-m

Mar 01, 2013 Goesta marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: authors-to-discover, fantasy-spec-gay

Feb 17, 2013 Angel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Feb 15, 2013 Charming Euphemism added it

Shelves: dnf

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