Reviews:
Messiah Node Reviews
Cover blurb: 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 shepards lead the lambs to their doom, it may be up to Page's creator, the criminal mastermind known as Mouse, to save them all.... ISBN: 0-451-45929-6 Featured Review: Locus by Alyx Dellamonica: (Issue 511, Vol. 51, No.2) "Messiah Node's cool, ethereal fusion of cyberpunk and mythology fits perfectly with with action-adventrue storytelling and a piercing examination of religious extremism." Reviews in Alphabetical Order Alien Online by Vegar Holmen "I'll give Lyda Morehouse a big thumbs-up for this book; Messiah Node is full of great characters, a great plot, and lots of action. The book has all the ingredients that exemplifies good modern science fiction; a blend of genres that will appeal to the wider public, and Morehouse is a writer that stands out in the crowd. This is a terrific blend of fresh ideas and an intriguing futuristic vision." Booklist by Regina Schroeder "Morehouse knows how to pace her story, weaving strands of plot and drawing the reader ever deeper into its fascinating but unnerving world. Although the third book in a tetralogy, this one includes enough backstory to stand solidly on its own. The final volume ought to be riveting, for apocalypse is on the horizon" Chronicle (formerly known as Science Fiction Chronicle) by Don D'Ammassa "Lyda Morehouse brings her debut triology to a rousing climax in her newest
book. The world has been transformed by a variety of religious movements,
some honestly believeing themselves to be right, others manipulated by
shadowy figures working behind the scenes. Artificial inteligences have
matured and have become players in the game rather than simple machines.
Then an astroid strikes, an event interpreted by many as a sign from Heaven
that the final revelation is about to be made. Morehouse weaves an
intricate and absorbing web blending nanotechnology, mysticism, adventure,
intrigue, speculation, and satire, all moving inevitably toward the final
crisis. Morehouse's world may not be one you'll want to live in, but it
will draw you in and hold your interest from the first page to the last." The May 2003 (#93) issue of Emerald City has a great review of Fallen Host called Hour of the Beast GLBT Fantasy Fiction Resources by Finder "As humans look for signs of the Rapture, angels and demons carry out the orders of heaven and hell in their struggle for supremacy. The tongue-in-cheek commentary of talk shows like "Meet Your Messiah" sets the tone as our flawed protagonists make their choices in a world gripped with End Times fever." LOCUS by Carolyn Cushman "Armageddon seems inevitable in this third novel in the futuristic fantasy series begun in Archangel Protocol and Fallen Host. When a meteorite crashes into the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, destroying the Muslim mosque, Christians, Jews, and Muslims around the world see it as a sign of Armageddon. Caught in the furor is the Archangel Michael, trying to be a father to his daughter Amariah, when Elijah shows up looking for her at the house. Morningstar (Satan) needs his latest candidate for Antichrist fixed, and springs criminal hacker Mouse from jail; Mouse's AI program Page is busy trying to avoid being declared a Messiah by a splinter sect of Buddhists. Ex-Zionist revolutionary/terrorist Rebeckah intersects with most of the other players as she evades persuit by an obsessed Inquisitor. It's a rousing romp, full of violence and chaos, mistaken identities, explosions real and virtual, some unexpected transformations, and moments of dark humor, but it's the wildly varied cast of characters that stands out in this timely warning for those who think they know the schedule for Armageddon." Midwest Muse "Take an Apocalyptic Thrill Ride In Messiah Node (Roc, June 2003), Lyda Morehouse once again takes her
readers on an apocalyptic thrill-ride, using elegant prose and fully
realized characters to tell a story that skillfully blends hard-edged
cybertech with religious mysticism. Beginning with the catastrophic
destruction of the Dome of the Rock, the novel's tension builds as more
signs of the apocalypse appear, and the world scrambles to identify both the
Messiah and the Beast. The follow-up to Morehouse's earlier Archangel Protocol and Fallen Host
picks up the stories of Rebeckah, a former Mossad agent haunted by the
violence in her past; the Archangel Michael, struggling to trade God's favor
for fatherhood; Mouse, a renegade computer wizard and reluctant participant
in the ultimate battle of good and evil; and Page, an artifical intelligence
with more humanity than most 'real boys.' All of Morehouse's character walk
the line between human frailty and mythic heroism, each narrating sections
of the book with a clear, true voice. Morehouse frames her chapters with
newspaper accounts and transcripts from a show entitled Know Your Messiah,
to bring us a timely and thought-provoking global perspective while still
allowing the intimacy of a first-person narrative. With gender-bending angels, a Satan who brings new meaning to the phrase
'sexy as sin,' achingly real characters, and a wonderfully complex plot,
Morehouse has created a satisfying and memorable read, one that is
thoughtful but never heavy-handed, funny but never flip. Lyda, hurry up and write the next one!" Romantic Times by Kelly Rae Copper "...Messiah Node (4 stars) is Lyda Morehouse's latest cyberpunk thriller of a near-future theocratic society overshadowed by imminent Armageddon. Her world-building tightens as her characters evolve, leading up to a not-to-be-missed finale in the next book." OneToTalk reviewed by rabble "This isn't your parent's Apocalypse! Lyda Morehouse's Messiah Node is a tale of the End Times from a decidedly twisted imagination; one part Gibsonian cyberpunk, one part meditation on Destiny vs. Free Will, and told with the free-wheeling prose of a pot boiler detective novel. Morehouse manages to weave an inventive story from the tapestries of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish eschatology, and then wrap it in the vivid world of hackers, angels, and cybernetic witch hungers." SCIFI.COM by Alyx Dellamonica "Many authors shy away from religious themes. Morehouse, obviously, all but rolls in them, synthesizing elements of Christianity, Judaism and Islam to provide an intriguing picture of opportunists like Lucifer working to bring an Apocalypse to fruition. She deftly delivers plot twists and action scenes with so much verve they will have readers gasping, first with surprise and then--as the implications set in--with delight."
SF SITE by Lisa DuMond: "In Messiah Node, the story of Deidre, Archangel Michael, Prince of Darkness Morningstar, Mouse the super-hacker, and the whole crew from Archangel Protocol and Fallen Host are back to do battle for the fate of mankind. This time around there are some new faces around to complicate an impossibly complex situation. Nothing stirs things up like a visit from the prophet Elijah and the appearance of the messiah, or messiahs, or maybe messiahs, since everyone has their own idea of just who might be the real thing." Space Dragon Reviews by Emma Lark "I don't think I've ever read a series that definitely got better with every story that came after the original novel, but I think think that Lyda Morehouse has artfully accomplished this feat with Messiah Node." Uncle Hugo's Newsletter by Don Blyly "While this book [Messiah Node] is not as startlingly original as the first of the series, I think it's the best written."
PUBLISHER: Roc, an imprint of Penguin Putnam
PRICE: $6.99 ($9.99 in Canada)
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by Wendy Watson