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The Sadness of Angels
Lord T’ien Huang controls the universe through poetry, telepathy and the violence of his insane Angels. His subjects consider him to be God. Emperor of a universe ruled by the Ch’ang, immortal but not invulnerable, his interest is aroused by Sebastian, a novice monk on the remote and wasted planet of Lu, who can see and speak to God. Should he destroy the boy or toy with him?
Sebastian is rescued from the Lord T’ien Huang’s avenging Angels by Mapmaker, an ancient Old Before the Fall with a forgotten history of betrayal, and they journey to the snowbound north. They are accompanied by Velikka Magdasdottir, a girl belonging to the Hengstmijster tribe of warrior herdswomen who maintain a veiled harem of husbands.
In the frozen wastes they encounter the remains of the Ingitkuk who rebelled against the Ch’ang in antiquity and lost their witch princess, She Whom the Reindeer Love. Mapmaker knew her when she died half a millennium ago as Her Breath Is Of Jasmine.
Will Mapmaker lead Sebastian, the Hengstmijster and the Ingitkuk to their doom against the Ch’ang? Can Sebastian master his own powers? How will they survive against the Angel Michael, thawed and frozen more times than he can recall, with his power to destroy humanity by the billion?
Sebastian is rescued from the Lord T’ien Huang’s avenging Angels by Mapmaker, an ancient Old Before the Fall with a forgotten history of betrayal, and they journey to the snowbound north. They are accompanied by Velikka Magdasdottir, a girl belonging to the Hengstmijster tribe of warrior herdswomen who maintain a veiled harem of husbands.
In the frozen wastes they encounter the remains of the Ingitkuk who rebelled against the Ch’ang in antiquity and lost their witch princess, She Whom the Reindeer Love. Mapmaker knew her when she died half a millennium ago as Her Breath Is Of Jasmine.
Will Mapmaker lead Sebastian, the Hengstmijster and the Ingitkuk to their doom against the Ch’ang? Can Sebastian master his own powers? How will they survive against the Angel Michael, thawed and frozen more times than he can recall, with his power to destroy humanity by the billion?
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 2014
1 person is currently reading
243 people want to read
About the author
Jim Williams
133 books26 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 12, 2014
I didn't know quite what to make of this novel at first as it's rather different from the other books by Jim Williams I've read. But then all Williams' books are different, both from each other and from just about any other book you care to mention. It's also some time since I read any Sci Fi (Asimov half a lifetime ago) and I generally avoid fantasy altogether (despite loving the fantastical when it's couched in reality).
As I read on I found myself entering into a dream world, a barren land of strange creatures and bold yet vulnerable characters. This is a world of long Great Years where the sun barely rises above the horizon for generations at a time and people are either old to the point of immortality or rarely live beyond thirty. It is a disorientating world with hints of myth and legend, and a sense of some greater truth hidden beneath it all.
Destructive angels mingle with self-styled gods, evil sultans, mad emperors - devils in disguise. Opposing them are our heroes (and heroines) - novice priests of a mysterious Order which violently opposes those claiming to be descended from monkeys, filthy horsewomen who keep their men veiled, an ancient Mapmaker who travels the globe like the Wandering Jew, a half mythical princess of an icy land. A Game is being played but no one quite knows what the rules are or what the outcome might be.
A battle is fought against the Slavers, a rough bunch who round up anyone they can put to work and who curse in various bastard languages. Our heroes haven't a hope of winning - and yet...
This is often a very funny book and one that conjures strange images. The animals, though having familiar names - horses, bears etc - have wheels and tentacles. They emit gases through anal vents and often sound vaguely motorised. The Monkey (the last perhaps of its kind) has green fur that glows and it witters through its anal vent. It made me think of a Furby.
The effect of all this is the disorientation of the mind (well, the mind of this reader anyway) - a disorientation that leads to a dreamlike state where anything can happen, and often does.
This is the first book in a series in which Williams intends to explore the implications for space travel by creatures with a human lifespan faced with the vast distances between planets.
I look forward to reading more of the adventures of this odd band of fellow travellers and having my mind bent further. My straining to find the meaning behind it all may just turn out to be the koan that flips me into enlightenment.
As I read on I found myself entering into a dream world, a barren land of strange creatures and bold yet vulnerable characters. This is a world of long Great Years where the sun barely rises above the horizon for generations at a time and people are either old to the point of immortality or rarely live beyond thirty. It is a disorientating world with hints of myth and legend, and a sense of some greater truth hidden beneath it all.
Destructive angels mingle with self-styled gods, evil sultans, mad emperors - devils in disguise. Opposing them are our heroes (and heroines) - novice priests of a mysterious Order which violently opposes those claiming to be descended from monkeys, filthy horsewomen who keep their men veiled, an ancient Mapmaker who travels the globe like the Wandering Jew, a half mythical princess of an icy land. A Game is being played but no one quite knows what the rules are or what the outcome might be.
A battle is fought against the Slavers, a rough bunch who round up anyone they can put to work and who curse in various bastard languages. Our heroes haven't a hope of winning - and yet...
This is often a very funny book and one that conjures strange images. The animals, though having familiar names - horses, bears etc - have wheels and tentacles. They emit gases through anal vents and often sound vaguely motorised. The Monkey (the last perhaps of its kind) has green fur that glows and it witters through its anal vent. It made me think of a Furby.
The effect of all this is the disorientation of the mind (well, the mind of this reader anyway) - a disorientation that leads to a dreamlike state where anything can happen, and often does.
This is the first book in a series in which Williams intends to explore the implications for space travel by creatures with a human lifespan faced with the vast distances between planets.
I look forward to reading more of the adventures of this odd band of fellow travellers and having my mind bent further. My straining to find the meaning behind it all may just turn out to be the koan that flips me into enlightenment.
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February 15, 2015I didn’t know quite what to make of this novel at first as it’s rather different from the other books by Jim Williams I’ve read. But then all Williams’ books are different, both from each other and from just about any other book you care to mention. It’s also some time since I read any Sci Fi (Asimov half a lifetime ago) and I generally avoid fantasy altogether (despite loving the fantastical when it’s couched in reality).
As I read on I found myself entering into a dream world, a barren land of strange creatures and bold yet vulnerable characters. This is a world of long Great Years where the sun barely rises above the horizon for generations at a time and people are either old to the point of immortality or rarely live beyond thirty. It is a disorientating world with hints of myth and legend, and a sense of some greater truth hidden beneath it all.
Destructive angels mingle with self-styled gods, evil sultans, mad emperors – devils in disguise. Opposing them are our heroes (and heroines) – novice priests of a mysterious Order which violently opposes those claiming to be descended from monkeys, filthy horsewomen who keep their men veiled, an ancient Mapmaker who travels the globe like the Wandering Jew, a half mythical princess of an icy land. A Game is being played but no one quite knows what the rules are or what the outcome might be.
A battle is fought against the Slavers, a rough bunch who round up anyone they can put to work and who curse in various bastard languages. Our heroes haven’t a hope of winning – and yet...
This is often a very funny book and one that conjures strange images. The animals, though having familiar names – horses, bears etc – have wheels and tentacles. They emit gases through anal vents and often sound vaguely motorised. The Monkey (the last perhaps of its kind) has green fur that glows and it witters through its anal vent. It made me think of a Furby.
The effect of all this is the disorientation of the mind (well, the mind of this reader anyway) – a disorientation that leads to a dreamlike state where anything can happen, and often does.
This is the first book in a series in which Williams intends to explore the implications for space travel by creatures with a human lifespan faced with the vast distances between planets.
I look forward to reading more of the adventures of this odd band of fellow travellers and having my mind bent further. My straining to find the meaning behind it all may just turn out to be the koan that flips me into enlightenment.
As I read on I found myself entering into a dream world, a barren land of strange creatures and bold yet vulnerable characters. This is a world of long Great Years where the sun barely rises above the horizon for generations at a time and people are either old to the point of immortality or rarely live beyond thirty. It is a disorientating world with hints of myth and legend, and a sense of some greater truth hidden beneath it all.
Destructive angels mingle with self-styled gods, evil sultans, mad emperors – devils in disguise. Opposing them are our heroes (and heroines) – novice priests of a mysterious Order which violently opposes those claiming to be descended from monkeys, filthy horsewomen who keep their men veiled, an ancient Mapmaker who travels the globe like the Wandering Jew, a half mythical princess of an icy land. A Game is being played but no one quite knows what the rules are or what the outcome might be.
A battle is fought against the Slavers, a rough bunch who round up anyone they can put to work and who curse in various bastard languages. Our heroes haven’t a hope of winning – and yet...
This is often a very funny book and one that conjures strange images. The animals, though having familiar names – horses, bears etc – have wheels and tentacles. They emit gases through anal vents and often sound vaguely motorised. The Monkey (the last perhaps of its kind) has green fur that glows and it witters through its anal vent. It made me think of a Furby.
The effect of all this is the disorientation of the mind (well, the mind of this reader anyway) – a disorientation that leads to a dreamlike state where anything can happen, and often does.
This is the first book in a series in which Williams intends to explore the implications for space travel by creatures with a human lifespan faced with the vast distances between planets.
I look forward to reading more of the adventures of this odd band of fellow travellers and having my mind bent further. My straining to find the meaning behind it all may just turn out to be the koan that flips me into enlightenment.
August 5, 2014
From the opening pages of The Sadness of Angels, I was swept up in a tale that combined many areas for further thinking with the pacing and wonderful contrivance similar to Terry Pratchett's work. He also displays an intimate knowledge of human emotion, love and dreams in the manner of Richard Herley. This is epic writing. Set in a distant future, so remote as to be almost completely un-imaginable; enough remained of the basics to anchor this reader to a tale of impossible odds as mortal men, women, children and those of other origins, battle the immortals for freedom.
A sense of the pre-ordained flows through this series' first book, but still the characters' unexpected struggle against appearances and hidden motivations continues marching diligently, towards a frightful, looming battle. Here, humanity reduced to its most outwardly pathetic also shines with courage and loyalty. Strength is found in joining together behind the very unlikely leadership of a kitchen boy from a monastery; an ages-old, human traveler who has mystical knowledge he keeps under wraps, a beer-swilling horsewoman who sees the future and a decidedly non-human in angelic form, whose sanguine past as the slayer of worlds, haunts his waning years. Together with other powerful (and not so powerful) warriors they find in their travels fleeing the wrath of the self-appointed god of the universe, a rag-tag army of the chosen somehow evolves to challenge the very roots of heaven.
Author Williams has launched his well-established career in historical and literary forms directly onto the Fantasy and SciFi stage. His use of fine detail and the nuance of place is well used here as well.
The author, very considerately, also adds an afterward section where he discusses his reasoning behind some of the directions this series will take, and it provided me with more desire to consider the threads of this tale and look forward to the ones to come. It recalled my feelings and thinking at thirteen, when I read Tolkien for the first time. Jim Williams is an important voice for readers of both Fantasy and SciFi that I am sure will find legions of other loyal readers.
A sense of the pre-ordained flows through this series' first book, but still the characters' unexpected struggle against appearances and hidden motivations continues marching diligently, towards a frightful, looming battle. Here, humanity reduced to its most outwardly pathetic also shines with courage and loyalty. Strength is found in joining together behind the very unlikely leadership of a kitchen boy from a monastery; an ages-old, human traveler who has mystical knowledge he keeps under wraps, a beer-swilling horsewoman who sees the future and a decidedly non-human in angelic form, whose sanguine past as the slayer of worlds, haunts his waning years. Together with other powerful (and not so powerful) warriors they find in their travels fleeing the wrath of the self-appointed god of the universe, a rag-tag army of the chosen somehow evolves to challenge the very roots of heaven.
Author Williams has launched his well-established career in historical and literary forms directly onto the Fantasy and SciFi stage. His use of fine detail and the nuance of place is well used here as well.
The author, very considerately, also adds an afterward section where he discusses his reasoning behind some of the directions this series will take, and it provided me with more desire to consider the threads of this tale and look forward to the ones to come. It recalled my feelings and thinking at thirteen, when I read Tolkien for the first time. Jim Williams is an important voice for readers of both Fantasy and SciFi that I am sure will find legions of other loyal readers.
January 16, 2015
This book was too complicated so I could not get interested in the characters. There were many unusual concepts that were not explained fully.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews