A Plague of Angels

A malevolent prophecy about an age-old battle unites the fortunes of a powerful witch living in a magical fortress, a young woman from an enchanted village, and a young man who has run away from home

YA-A thought-provoking story with lots of action. "Orphan" has a destiny, as does Abasio Cermit. Somehow, these two destinies are intertwined. Abasio leaves his farm for the gang-filled, drug-infested city of a far-off future. Orphan leaves home also. The story of how these two come together to save a crime-ridden, overpopulated, plague-filled world is the basis of Tepper's novel. It is a mixture of myth, science fiction, and apocalyptic prophecy. A Plague of Angels has the same themes as those found in Tepper's previous novels, but it is a little easier to understand. The ending is not very effective (a series of deus ex machinas come in and, with the help of Orphan and Abasio and numerous other human and mythical characters, save humanity from itself), but the story is well worth reading.
Susan McFaden, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Tepper ( Sideshow ) cleverly adopts elements of both fantasy and science fiction in this portrait of a world on the verge of chaos. Looking to space for a better world, most of Artemesia's inhabitants have deserted their land for the stars, leaving behind crumbling gang-infested cities, fortified suburbs protected by dwindling technology and a half-wild, half-rural land where renascent mythical beasts and fairy tale "archetypes" now live. There Abasio, a farmboy who is being pursued by vengeful gang members, meets Orphan, who is herself being pursued by the minions of Witch. Witch is convinced that in accordance with a delphic prophecy, Orphan can provide the "guidance system" for her space shuttle and thus allow her to settle the moon. Abasio, Orphan and their few allies are called to fulfill their destiny and defend the battered Earth from Witch's mad scheme for world domination. If the fantasy and SF elements don't always merge seamlessly, the setting is well-realized and Witch's psychosis is lurid and frightening. Tepper's prose is colorful and, while occasionally strident, tempered with wry wit and astute observations about human nature.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Another hypercomplicated, problematic amalgam of fantasy, science fiction, and Message, from the author of Sideshow, Beauty, etc. Long after most of humankind has left for the stars, or so tradition has it, ``manland'' consists of isolated farms whose sons soon run off to the ``cities''--in reality, slums ruled by barbaric gangs. In Artemisia, a new order of society is developing: numerous co-operatives cherish the land and strive to restore its vanished ecosystems. Misfits congregate in the archetypal villages, home to Princesses, Oracles, Orphans, Bastards, Huntsmen, etc. Technological civilization persists in the Edges, but their barriers are impenetrable. And the remnants of ancient aristocratic families dwell in the Place of Power, which boasts a nuclear reactor and three huge, mysterious thrones. Thus, farmboy Abasio duly runs off to the city, joins a gang, and becomes involved with Olly, an ex-Orphan fleeing from an archetypal village, now in search of a prophecy's fulfillment. Meanwhile, the megalomaniac Quince Ellel of the Place of Power sends forth horrid android ``walkers'' to capture Olly, whom she needs to pilot a space shuttle to retrieve ancient weapons. The Artemisians become involved, as do the ancient creatures occupying the thrones, not to mention a talking Coyote and a Bear.... All this is but the merest hint of what's going on here. Despite Tepper's manifest imagination and literary talents, she has never learned how to focus her efforts, or discriminate among competing strands of material: it all goes in regardless. So the upshot, while panoramic and often absorbing, is full of distractions, and so preoccupied with worthy Messages that you can almost hear the halos being polished. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.