Angelos by Robina Williams: A Spiritual Fantasy

Looking for an imaginative tale blending elements of classical Greek history and mythology with contemporary matters of faith and spirituality? Perhaps you're seeking an alternative to the Harry Potter craze for your older teenagers, or something just a bit more cerebral than The Chronicles of Narnia for yourself. If so, perhaps Angelos, by United Kingdom author Robina Williams, could possibly fill a spot on this summer's reading list.

Angelos follows the dimension-hopping, reality bending adventures of Quant the cat, a furry feline with a penchant for sarcastic non-sequeters and a metaphysical out-look on existence that would bend the minds of even the most non-linear folks. From the shores of Crete to the hallowed halls of a friary full of monks in the countryside, Angelos is a pleasing little romp through the annals of both classical Greek mythology and the history of the Franciscan Order.

Williams takes these classics of Greek literature and puts her own spin on them, creating amusing caricatures that are cheeky, whimsical fun to read: the Minotaur, a self-conscious, humble fellow who'd rather be a vegetarian than eat poor Athenians, (of whom he abhors the taste), and Deiphobe, Sibyl of Cumae, an oracle who gets her clairvoyance from inhaling Ethyalene gasses and chewing on laurel leaves rather than mystical powers, are only two examples of characters re-cast in different, tongue-in-cheek portrayals.

Angelos is written in a conversational, easy to read style, and if it weren't for a few minor "adult-oriented" topics of conversation pursued by some of the characters, this novel would be a good fit for adolescents, especially in the user-friendly way it acquaints readers with classical Greek lore. However, because of those relatively minor and one-time instances mentioned in passing and not endorsed in any way, Angelos should be relegated to elder teenage readers and above.

A positive point about the novel is the quantum cat himself, Quant. With all the 'cat-related' mythical archetypes already in use in books and movies, (one really BIG cat in particular that we all know and love), his character could have easily come off as one-dimensional and typecast, but Quant by far is the most intriguing character in the story. In fact, the novel would have been served better by focusing more on Quant himself, and a little less on the inner dynamics of the friary, which at times seemed distracting and superfluous.

There are two things for readers to note about Angelos. Firstly, it is the sequel to another book, Jerome & the Seraph. Angelos is not a direct narrative continuation of that novel, but it is recommended that Jerome & the Seraph be read first to help familiarize with the world of the friary and Quant's main "side-kick" - for lack of a better term - the ghost of the dearly departed Brother Jerome.

Secondly, the narrative delves into the nature of metaphysics, reality, and the flow of time, so it can get tricky to follow at times. Readers may get distracted by some of the diverging plotlines and Quant's oftentimes metaphysical obtuseness.

Angelos is a laid-back read, and the narrative flow does seem to dawdle in places. There is no clear antagonist or protagonist, and the story is less about conflict between two sides, and more about a journey in the pursuit of understanding. It might be considered a little slow for action lovers; however introspective readers will find it amusing, as well as thought provoking about the nature of myths and the truths in history that may have given rise to them in the first place.

Very reminiscent of Stephen Lawhead's Christian works, (Pendragon, Byzantium), and like many works following a new trend in the Christian fiction market, Angelos is not an evangelizing story bolstered by certain required Biblical truths along the way, ending with the required, proscribed conversion at the end. It must be read with this in mind: it is not promoting or endorsing anything, merely telling a story and asking the eternal question all writers encounter at some point in their own narrative journeys: what if?

Angelos is published by Paladin Timeless Books, an imprint of Twilight Times Books. Jerome & Seraph, Angelos, and other books published by Twilight can be purchased at Barnes & Noble Online, Borders Online, and Amazon.com, as well as from the publisher's website, which is: http://www.twilighttimesbooks.com/. Visit the author's website at www.robinawilliams.com. Read an interview with the author here.