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Of Love and Evil: The Songs of the Seraphim, Book Two Audiobook
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(3.00) - 1,970 listener ratings
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“I dreamed a dream of angels. I saw them and heard them in a great and endless galactic night. I saw the lights that were these angels, flying here and there, in streaks of irresistible brilliance . . . I felt love around me in this vast and seamless realm of sound and light . . . And something akin to sadness swept me up and mingled my very essence with the voices who sang, because the voices were singing of me . . . ”
Thus begins Anne Rice’s lyrical, haunting new novel, a metaphysical thriller of angels and assassins that once again summons up dark and dangerous worlds set in times past. Anne Rice takes us to other realms, this time to the world of fifteenth-century Rome, a city of domes and rooftop gardens, rising towers and crosses beneath an ever-shifting layer of clouds; familiar hills and tall pines . . . of Michelangelo and Raphael, of the Holy Inquisition and of Leo X, second son of a Medici, holding forth from the papal throne . . .
And into this time, into this century, Toby O’Dare, former government assassin, is summoned by the angel Malchiah to solve a terrible crime of poisoning and to search out the truth of a haunting by an earthbound restless spirit—a diabolical dybbuk.
O’Dare soon discovers himself in the midst of dark plots and counterplots surrounded by a darker and more dangerous threat as the veil of ecclesiastical terror closes in around him.
As he embarks on a powerful journey of atonement, O’Dare is reconnected with his own past, with matters light and dark, fierce and tender, with the promise of salvation and with a deeper and richer vision of love.
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"I got sucked into this one immediately! The main character's pain, struggles and joy are all so alive that it's really hard to put this one down. Of course, right away I realized that there was another book before this one. Why do I never stumble on the first book of a series?? "
— Liz (4 out of 5 stars)
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Ghosts and angels aside, Of Love and Evil transcends the metaphysical thriller label through its grounding in historical fact...[Toby’s] sense of wonder proves infectious for the reader as well...[Rice] not only explores a battle against evil, but asks what it means to be evil and who gets to define it. Above all, Of Love and Evil is simply good entertainment.
— Carmela Ciuraru, The Boston Globe -
Rice tells a good story, nicely balancing the profound and the profane.
— Judith Chettle, Richmond Times-Dispatch -
Rice knows how to tell a story, and this one’s a lot of fun. . . Rice’s knock-your-socks-off cliffhanger ending leaves no doubt that this series has wings."
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—People magazine (3½ stars out of 4)
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Rice is remarkable in her ability to breathe life into another place, another time.
— The Associated Press -
Present, as always, is the author’s ability to craft dreamlike prose to lull readers into believing every heavenly scenario she puts forth without a whiff of disbelief.
— Andrea Hoag, The Denver Post -
A bullet of a book—and an absolute bull’s eye.”
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—Kirkus (starred)
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Readers who enjoy Rice’s larger-than-life tales and elegant writing will find much to appreciate here, and the cliff-hanger ending will leave fans eager for the next installment.
— Kristine Huntley, Booklist
Of Love and Evil Listener Reviews
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" Very unusual story. The ending had no closure. I suppose the author wants me to read the next book to fin out more. Not too likely! "
— Nancy, 1/30/2014 -
" It didn't capture my interest at all. For me, it just didn't cut it. "
— Jem, 1/27/2014 -
" I haven't read Anne Rice is quite some time and picked this up on a whim. The basic premise is that the main character was an assassin, but becomes a servant of angels who move him through time to do their work. I kept turning pages waiting for something to happen, but unfortunately not much did and half way through the book I closed it for good. Reading time is too limited and life is too short to read uninteresting things. "
— Susie, 1/26/2014 -
" What could have been a great idea with Anne Rice's incredible writing turned out to be one large ad for the Catholic church. Sad. "
— Lisa, 1/24/2014 -
" I was a great fan of Ann Rice and the Mayfair Witches and the Vampire Chronicles and thought she was one of our great authors. Her new work is quite a disappointment. "
— Sharon, 1/22/2014 -
" Beautiful prose and a weighty subject. The ending made me want to go back and read the first in the series and the third when it is published. This is my second Anne Rice book. What I like about reading her work is not only her admirable writing style but also the well-informed and delicate way she takes the reader with her through her own questions about religious dogma. "
— Andrea, 1/9/2014 -
" I picked up this Anne Rice book b/c it was a) small (165 pgs) and b) I haven't read one of her books in years. I know why now I don't read her books anymore, and why the only ones by her that I did like were about vampires or witches. I can't get into the angel thing and I think Anne Rice has become born again. At least, this book read like that. Totally not what I was expecting. Glad it was so short or I would have stopped reading at page 50. "
— Amy, 1/5/2014 -
" I thought it was an ok read, much better than the 1st book Angel Time. I loved Anne Rice vampire novels but was dissapointed in her christian writings. "
— Linda, 1/1/2014 -
" Interesting idea of time travel, assignment by Seraphim. But the plot in Italian household Rome seems a bit boring. "
— Thing, 12/22/2013 -
" I liked this tale as much as I liked Angel Time. Toby is able to find his lost love again, & finds out he has a son he never knew about. He has to leave them to go back in time again, this time to Italy, to solve a murder. Well done. "
— Lisa, 12/19/2013 -
" When the story got into life in 13th century Italy I was fascinated, but for the most part I was bored with Rice's constant praying and religiousity. "
— Jenny, 12/5/2013 -
" I listened to this on audio. It wasn't bad, it wasn't fantastic. It picks up where _Angel Time_ leaves off and tells another story of Toby O'Dare. It's a light read and leaves it self VERY open for a book #3. "
— Dan, 10/1/2013 -
" I am interested to see how see develops this series; I enjoyed the first one better. "
— Hank, 8/8/2013 -
" The first chapter wasn't good, didn't really set the tone. Made things confusing. Once the second started things moved ok. It was an OK story, but it wasn't really connected to anything. Not horrible, not the best. Ehh. "
— Bobby, 4/28/2013 -
" Like the first one it lacked something...Im just not sure what...It was nothing like her previous books with a lot of a plot this moved very quick I felt I was reading a childrens book. "
— Dalila, 2/12/2013 -
" Really found no enjoyment in this book!! "
— Annie, 1/30/2013 -
" Angels are not as interesting as vampires. "
— Eileen, 1/24/2013 -
" This is the second book of the seraphim books. Each time Toby is called to help the angel, the story is out of our time, but in Angel Time. He goes to a different place and time in history. In this, he faces both good and evil, light and dark. "
— Nantat, 1/20/2013 -
" 3.5 stars, short story & there better be a #3 in the series!!!! "
— Becky, 11/6/2012 -
" The second book of a wonderful new series, Anne Rice has created a new hero, that I've fallin' in love with. Toby O'Dare is an ex-assassin, that has repented his ways and has become an assistant to Angels. Hard to describe but worth your time to read. "
— Joseph, 10/21/2012 -
" not as good as its predecessor, but still a decent read. "
— Sarah, 10/14/2012 -
" She tries to wax poestic way too much... "
— Lynne, 9/24/2012 -
" I always fly thru an Anne Rice novel, but I must say, I loved her older books so much better. Ahhhhh the vampire days. "
— Stephanie, 6/4/2012 -
" Great book and easy read. Good sequel but the first is much better. This sequel framework and story-telling are identical to the first. "
— Paoli, 3/9/2012 -
" It was an OK book, the story does not go too far, which makes sense as it is part of a series, but I felt like there was some missing information about the past of the main character, maybe there is a previous book to this one and I did not know about it. "
— Marisol, 6/28/2011 -
" What a wonderful read. Just the passion and sorrow Toby endures makes me tear up! Am looking forward to the his next mission. "
— Deanna, 5/31/2011 -
" Though a bit of a slow read, I loved it. I loved her take on God & Angels. "
— Kate, 5/22/2011
About Anne Rice
Anne Rice was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She holds a Master of Arts degree in English and creative writing from San Francisco State University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in political science. She is the author of over thirty books, including tales of the Mayfair Witches. Her first novel, Interview with the Vampire, was published in 1976 and has gone on to become part of one of the bestselling series of all time. She continued her saga of the Vampire Lestat in a series of books, collectively known as the Vampire Chronicles, which have had both great mainstream and cult followings. She lives in Palm Desert, California.
About Paul Michael
Paul Michael, winner of several Earphones Awards, has also won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He has acted on stage, radio, television, and in feature films in Canada, Great Britain, and the United States. He has had leading roles in series and made-for-television movies and has guest starred in such series as VIP and Alias. He has been nominated for a Canadian Emmy and has recorded over 150 audiobooks, including the international bestseller The Da Vinci Code.