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LINK Angel #3
Messiah Node
The sign.
When a meteorite falls from the sky, the destruction left in its wake lights a political fuse that could bring on Armageddon.
The prophet.
Just when the world could use a savior, the prophet Elijah appears. His search for a messiah leads him to the daughter of the archangel Michael.
The savior.
Meanwhile other messiah hopefuls spring up around the world -- including Page, an AI already tangled in webs of religion and deception. Yet as false shepherds lead the lambs to their doom, it may be up to Page's creator, the criminal mastermind known as Mouse, to save them all....
"Messiah Node's cool, ethereal fusion of cyberpunk and mythology fits perfectly with with action-adventure storytelling and a piercing examination of religious extremism."
-- Alyx Dellamonica, Locus
When a meteorite falls from the sky, the destruction left in its wake lights a political fuse that could bring on Armageddon.
The prophet.
Just when the world could use a savior, the prophet Elijah appears. His search for a messiah leads him to the daughter of the archangel Michael.
The savior.
Meanwhile other messiah hopefuls spring up around the world -- including Page, an AI already tangled in webs of religion and deception. Yet as false shepherds lead the lambs to their doom, it may be up to Page's creator, the criminal mastermind known as Mouse, to save them all....
"Messiah Node's cool, ethereal fusion of cyberpunk and mythology fits perfectly with with action-adventure storytelling and a piercing examination of religious extremism."
-- Alyx Dellamonica, Locus
409 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 3, 2003
3 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
Lyda Morehouse
21 books60 followersLyda Morehouse writes about what gets most people in trouble: religion and politics. Her first novel Archangel Protocol, a cyberpunk hard-boiled detective novel with a romantic twist, won the 2001 Shamus for best paperback original. Apocalypse Array was awarded the Special Citation of Excellence (aka 2nd place) for the Philip K. Dick award.
This author also writes paranormal under the name Tate Hallaway.
This author also writes paranormal under the name Tate Hallaway.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 1, 2011
Didn't read the first two but still enjoyed this one. Cyberpunk with religion in an interesting mix.
March 7, 2016
I can't deny it: I love these characters too much. The plot is too much fun, the characters are too much fun, and the world, now better realized since book two, is finally something I understand the rules of.
The plot loses itself as it approaches the end- it is a bit of a disappointment, and the action gets a bit hazy and confusing. We don't get enough screen time either- there's four main first person viewpoints, and between them, it feels like things are moving very slowly. They spend most of the book apart and with their own problems, so there's this large gap of time between developments where you're just waiting to learn what happened.
It itsn't too bad though- I was never slagging through chapters. Except, of course, with Rebekah. SIGH. How could this happen? How did a minor character get to have a viewpoint- and be so god damn boring? I don't care about her in the slightest! I used her chapters as stopping points, confident I'd read a good chunk by the time I hit her. I guess she had... PTSD? and... was gay? And that was great and all, but wow, I do not care about her. Her story doesn't even matter much compared to the others- by the time it does, she has crossed paths with Mouse anyways. We really didn't need her side of the story.
Speaking of Mouse: My husband. My love. The light of my life. His viewpoint is my world, honestly? Same with Page, his genderless AI clone. I love both of them. Michael is not a great viewpoint, and I don't feel like I gained much from hearing his perspective- but at least his story was interesting and told us what we needed to know (set up for the next book, mostly).
There was a desperate amount of NOT Morningstar+Emmaline in this book, by the way. I just want to chill with satan and his girlfriend, is that really too much to ask?
CHARACTERS:
All powerful 35-year old unlucky computer hacker, my husband
Genderless polite muslim AI clone of said hacker
Satan with a bad hairstyle
Satan's girlfriend, a cyborg former-vatican police officer turned anti-christ with an evil AI living in her robo skeleton
Michael the insane homeless Archangel who just wants the best for his bastard daughter
Zionist lesbian criminal with PTSD
How can you not have fun, honestly?
SETTING:
Mostly Paris. Basically only Paris.
OVERALL:
I had too much of a good time, even if the ending took a turn for the less-than-good. Looking forward to the next book!
I don't get how many people are calling this too silly- it is a bit ridiculous, but god, it's book three. Shouldn't you be used to it by now?
SIDENOTE:
As someone who knows very little about religion, I got this weird feeling of... learning something... from this book. A lot of the narrative is conveyed through news articles at the end of each chapter, and I went in very confused (I really know nothing) and left still confused with a surprising host of knowledge. O...Kay?
The plot loses itself as it approaches the end- it is a bit of a disappointment, and the action gets a bit hazy and confusing. We don't get enough screen time either- there's four main first person viewpoints, and between them, it feels like things are moving very slowly. They spend most of the book apart and with their own problems, so there's this large gap of time between developments where you're just waiting to learn what happened.
It itsn't too bad though- I was never slagging through chapters. Except, of course, with Rebekah. SIGH. How could this happen? How did a minor character get to have a viewpoint- and be so god damn boring? I don't care about her in the slightest! I used her chapters as stopping points, confident I'd read a good chunk by the time I hit her. I guess she had... PTSD? and... was gay? And that was great and all, but wow, I do not care about her. Her story doesn't even matter much compared to the others- by the time it does, she has crossed paths with Mouse anyways. We really didn't need her side of the story.
Speaking of Mouse: My husband. My love. The light of my life. His viewpoint is my world, honestly? Same with Page, his genderless AI clone. I love both of them. Michael is not a great viewpoint, and I don't feel like I gained much from hearing his perspective- but at least his story was interesting and told us what we needed to know (set up for the next book, mostly).
There was a desperate amount of NOT Morningstar+Emmaline in this book, by the way. I just want to chill with satan and his girlfriend, is that really too much to ask?
CHARACTERS:
All powerful 35-year old unlucky computer hacker, my husband
Genderless polite muslim AI clone of said hacker
Satan with a bad hairstyle
Satan's girlfriend, a cyborg former-vatican police officer turned anti-christ with an evil AI living in her robo skeleton
Michael the insane homeless Archangel who just wants the best for his bastard daughter
Zionist lesbian criminal with PTSD
How can you not have fun, honestly?
SETTING:
Mostly Paris. Basically only Paris.
OVERALL:
I had too much of a good time, even if the ending took a turn for the less-than-good. Looking forward to the next book!
I don't get how many people are calling this too silly- it is a bit ridiculous, but god, it's book three. Shouldn't you be used to it by now?
SIDENOTE:
As someone who knows very little about religion, I got this weird feeling of... learning something... from this book. A lot of the narrative is conveyed through news articles at the end of each chapter, and I went in very confused (I really know nothing) and left still confused with a surprising host of knowledge. O...Kay?
December 30, 2010
The third installament in the Archangel Protocol. At present there are four books in this series; Morehouse is in the process of writing a prequel book called the "Resurrection Code". This book followed much in the manner as Fallen Host. I thought it was okay but the overly heavy religious themes get boring for me and the characters again seem to lack depth.
The story from Fallen Host continues but this time we are seeing from the eyes of Michael (archangel), Page, and Mouse. Other characters take their shot at telling from their points of view too; so we hear again from Diedre (her story is told in the first book), from the Dragon, and from Morningstar. Each chapter ends with a brief news bulletin describing world conditions as people are convinced the apocalypse is drawing closer. The plot follows as the new messiah and Anti-Christ are searched for.
This book is very creative and has a very complex plot. The world-building in this book (the whole series) is phenomenal. I find this whole series intellectually interesting but I don't take a lot of joy in reading this series. This book is no different.
The religious theme in this sci-fi series is overdone; there is no subtly to it. You are constantly having religious parable, cross-references, and consequences shoved at you. I don't particularly enjoy reading about religion and I find the depth of obsession with it in this series to be a bit silly. I also think that the character development and the plot development suffers from the fact that the story is parsed into little bits told from different characters' points of view. This method of writing worked much better in Fallen Host, there is propelled the story forward. In this story, for some reason, this method of writing parses the story up and makes the plot drag. Similarly you aren't allowed to have time to get attached to any of the characters.
I continue to read this series because I find the humanization of AI's interesting. I also find some of the "good" vs "evil" aspects of the story to be interesting. The world created is very detailed and interesting too. It is a bit disturbing though that, by far, my favorite characters are the Dragon of the East and Page. These are both AI's and seem to have more believable personalities and relationships than the human characters in the book.
This book is not as complete as Fallen Host and many things are left hanging. I will definitely read Apocalypse Array (the 4th book). I am not sure I will read the prequel though: I just don't get much enjoyment from these books. Lyda Morehouse also writes under the name Tate Hallaway and I am interested to read some of those books to see how her writing style crosses between genre.
The story from Fallen Host continues but this time we are seeing from the eyes of Michael (archangel), Page, and Mouse. Other characters take their shot at telling from their points of view too; so we hear again from Diedre (her story is told in the first book), from the Dragon, and from Morningstar. Each chapter ends with a brief news bulletin describing world conditions as people are convinced the apocalypse is drawing closer. The plot follows as the new messiah and Anti-Christ are searched for.
This book is very creative and has a very complex plot. The world-building in this book (the whole series) is phenomenal. I find this whole series intellectually interesting but I don't take a lot of joy in reading this series. This book is no different.
The religious theme in this sci-fi series is overdone; there is no subtly to it. You are constantly having religious parable, cross-references, and consequences shoved at you. I don't particularly enjoy reading about religion and I find the depth of obsession with it in this series to be a bit silly. I also think that the character development and the plot development suffers from the fact that the story is parsed into little bits told from different characters' points of view. This method of writing worked much better in Fallen Host, there is propelled the story forward. In this story, for some reason, this method of writing parses the story up and makes the plot drag. Similarly you aren't allowed to have time to get attached to any of the characters.
I continue to read this series because I find the humanization of AI's interesting. I also find some of the "good" vs "evil" aspects of the story to be interesting. The world created is very detailed and interesting too. It is a bit disturbing though that, by far, my favorite characters are the Dragon of the East and Page. These are both AI's and seem to have more believable personalities and relationships than the human characters in the book.
This book is not as complete as Fallen Host and many things are left hanging. I will definitely read Apocalypse Array (the 4th book). I am not sure I will read the prequel though: I just don't get much enjoyment from these books. Lyda Morehouse also writes under the name Tate Hallaway and I am interested to read some of those books to see how her writing style crosses between genre.
September 26, 2012
A meteorite has slammed into Jerusalem, destroying the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa mosque but nothing else. It is a first sign that the Apocalypse may be upon the world. Unbeknown to the general population, Sammael Morningstar has found the Antichrist in Emmaline McNaughton and the prophet Elijah has singled out the daughter of Deirdre McMannus and the Archangel Michael as the Messiah. Things are not looking good for the human race.
Michael is determined to stay on earth with his family, doing his best to ignore God's calls back to Heaven. Each refusal may or may not be bringing him a little closer to Falling as Morningstar did; the fact he is able to heal Morningstar's Antichrist is not a good sign. Page, changed by the events of Fallen Host is trying to understand who he is now, and avoid becoming a messiah to the Maizombies. Mouse, escaped from prison but without the LINK, is simply trying to live, while Rebeckah finds herself on the run from the Order of Inquisitors. These three all find themselves suspects in the cyber-hijacking of the LINK-space analogous to Temple Mount and caught up in the fate of the world, while Apocalyptic hysteria mounts around the globe.
This felt very much like a transitional book to me - we're moving from one phase of the story to another, but we're not ready for the real action to happen yet. There was also a certainly feeling that I was being run around in circles, possibly for not sensible reason. There was a reason, and it was a good one, but the feeling persisted.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, to the point of going to great pains not to check out the end (a terrible failing of mine). However, now I come to review it, I'm finding it difficult to find things to say. The interaction between Deirdre, Michael and Amariah was lovely - I can't wait to meet Amariah as a teenager in the next book - and Michael's desperate fight to be there for his family and yet do the right thing was quite heartbreaking at times.
This is a solid novel in an excellent series. I think it is probably the weakest so far, but far from being weak. As I said initially, this is a transitional book; it's setting us up for the conclusion of the story, but little or nothing is resolved by the end. That's still be come and hopefully there will be angels and flaming swords.
[Copied across from Library Thing; 26 September 2012]
Michael is determined to stay on earth with his family, doing his best to ignore God's calls back to Heaven. Each refusal may or may not be bringing him a little closer to Falling as Morningstar did; the fact he is able to heal Morningstar's Antichrist is not a good sign. Page, changed by the events of Fallen Host is trying to understand who he is now, and avoid becoming a messiah to the Maizombies. Mouse, escaped from prison but without the LINK, is simply trying to live, while Rebeckah finds herself on the run from the Order of Inquisitors. These three all find themselves suspects in the cyber-hijacking of the LINK-space analogous to Temple Mount and caught up in the fate of the world, while Apocalyptic hysteria mounts around the globe.
This felt very much like a transitional book to me - we're moving from one phase of the story to another, but we're not ready for the real action to happen yet. There was also a certainly feeling that I was being run around in circles, possibly for not sensible reason. There was a reason, and it was a good one, but the feeling persisted.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, to the point of going to great pains not to check out the end (a terrible failing of mine). However, now I come to review it, I'm finding it difficult to find things to say. The interaction between Deirdre, Michael and Amariah was lovely - I can't wait to meet Amariah as a teenager in the next book - and Michael's desperate fight to be there for his family and yet do the right thing was quite heartbreaking at times.
This is a solid novel in an excellent series. I think it is probably the weakest so far, but far from being weak. As I said initially, this is a transitional book; it's setting us up for the conclusion of the story, but little or nothing is resolved by the end. That's still be come and hopefully there will be angels and flaming swords.
[Copied across from Library Thing; 26 September 2012]
October 15, 2007
First off, I only made it halfway through this book, and it's possible it turned around later on. But what I did read was a step down from the first two books, and really it just started to get silly. I still love the first two but I think I've read all of this series I'm going to read.
February 11, 2019
Follows in the footsteps of the previous book (as opposed to the first book whcih was different). This is again more urban fantasy then sci-fi, though it does end with a slightly more cyberpunk feeling.
Again it has the annoying structure of single person chapters that make it hard and more time consuming to read. But the plot and story continue nicely. There's an interesting depiction of the conflict of the middle east - decades into the future and in a dystopian religous world and still it's much the same as it ever is. Then a ending "twist" with Emmaline/Strife proclaming to have done it all in the name of skepticism - which, as said, gives it a more cyberpunk feel again.
Again it has the annoying structure of single person chapters that make it hard and more time consuming to read. But the plot and story continue nicely. There's an interesting depiction of the conflict of the middle east - decades into the future and in a dystopian religous world and still it's much the same as it ever is. Then a ending "twist" with Emmaline/Strife proclaming to have done it all in the name of skepticism - which, as said, gives it a more cyberpunk feel again.
April 1, 2025
The End of Days meets Cyberpunk - the AngeLink series delivers again. Morehouse delivers a fast paced, intriguing, dystopian world with a full slate of characters. I enjoy how she plays the different religions against each other while still addressing the universal questions that surround free will and an ultimate being. My only complaint of this novel: I wish Morningstar had more importance like in Fallen Host. I missed his sarcastic, anarchic presence.
January 16, 2022
A fascinating dystopian setting, with worldwide scope. The characters are memorable. The plots are a bit too tightly interwoven for my taste, and I had a bit of difficulty keeping them straight. The writing is good but not great, and it made the book a little hard for me to get through.
February 27, 2022
Tangled web of storylines nicely converge. Very nicely done, good epic feel.
At the end, Page merges with Victory to be known as Strife. Michael takes his life so that Amariah will live.
At the end, Page merges with Victory to be known as Strife. Michael takes his life so that Amariah will live.
May 18, 2019
note : l'action se déplace à Paris (dont une description d'une quinzaine de ligne de Notre Dame p.260-261 après la nano-bombe).
September 20, 2015
Unlike the first two books in the series, this one doesn't work well as a stand-alone, but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and assuming the multiple plot threads will be resolved in the next book.
Update: nope, the next book doesn't resolve any of the hanging plot threads. The frustrating part is that it would have been easy to smooth out these inconsistencies with just a few sentences in the right place. Especially since much of the plot is advanced through newspaper articles interspersed within the story, so if the author couldn't come up with a creative way to work in resolutions/explanations, this would have been an easy way to do it. A cop-out, but better than nothing.
Update: nope, the next book doesn't resolve any of the hanging plot threads. The frustrating part is that it would have been easy to smooth out these inconsistencies with just a few sentences in the right place. Especially since much of the plot is advanced through newspaper articles interspersed within the story, so if the author couldn't come up with a creative way to work in resolutions/explanations, this would have been an easy way to do it. A cop-out, but better than nothing.
October 4, 2023
I learned that I love Mouse deeply. ;) Um. Okay. Let me start over. More free will stuff, in a yummy religious cyberpunk wrapper. I like how all the religions are equal in this series.
[Edit - 3/30/23]
Still one of my favorite books.
So, Mouse and Page are two of my favorite characters ever.
Mouse: Brilliant hacker intentionally short-circuited off the web, so he can't hack but he also can't do business, as in he's completely cut off from financial transactions and has to barter. He's smart, he's sneaky, he's funny and bitchy and has a heart of gold and a redemption arc, which I'm a complete sucker for.
Page: Polite AI clone of Mouse, got all the religion and none of the more corporeal quirks, like crushes. Calls Mouse his father, does a lot of Learning to Human, one of my favorite tropes ever.
Oh, and also Satan, Iblis, Morningstar the Adversary is a POV character. ;) He has a cyborg girlfriend. What's not to love?
These books are smart, funny, quirky, and utterly fearless. My deepest love! highly recommend.
[Edit - 3/30/23]
Still one of my favorite books.
So, Mouse and Page are two of my favorite characters ever.
Mouse: Brilliant hacker intentionally short-circuited off the web, so he can't hack but he also can't do business, as in he's completely cut off from financial transactions and has to barter. He's smart, he's sneaky, he's funny and bitchy and has a heart of gold and a redemption arc, which I'm a complete sucker for.
Page: Polite AI clone of Mouse, got all the religion and none of the more corporeal quirks, like crushes. Calls Mouse his father, does a lot of Learning to Human, one of my favorite tropes ever.
Oh, and also Satan, Iblis, Morningstar the Adversary is a POV character. ;) He has a cyborg girlfriend. What's not to love?
These books are smart, funny, quirky, and utterly fearless. My deepest love! highly recommend.
June 16, 2012
It's like Apple's 1984 ad was turned into a novel. Computer links are implanted into everyone's head much like the Mark of the Beast. If Big Brother were a religious fundamentalist he would be an Inquisitor from Messiah Node. The Inquisitors are a cautionary tale about mixing religion and political power. The title Inquisitor is intentionally reminiscent of The Spanish Inquisition. With many references to The Book of Revelation this is Left Behind turned on its head. It's cool that Jewish the messiah figure is a little girl. Strong female characters are in non-stereotypical roles. I'm giving Messiah Node three and a half stars.
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February 16, 2013The third book in the archangel series. This is not my favorite but it ties the story together very well.
March 2, 2013
Not what I expected.
April 17, 2014
Cyberpunk, noir, angels that find gender confusing, what more could I want?
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews