Peter Lord-Wolff gives angels a new dimension.
In his book The Silence in Heaven, the divine, winged creatures most people identify as being perfect have been given human traits and flaws.
A group of angels, including two brothers Paladin and Tashum, is cast from Heaven for questioning an age-old riddle. The exiled angels are sent to separate parts of the world to live among humans as half-demonic, half-angelic creatures. During their fall, the angels’ wings are ripped from their bodies, leaving only raised nubs. Their blues turn yellow and owl-like upon their arrival to Earth.
Trapped on the island of Bermuda for centuries, Tashum learns how to live on his own. He hunts wild boar and lives in a cave. Since he is unable to die, he quietly watches man evolve and develop language and reasoning skills.
Around the 16th century, Tashum rescues a young couple, Dickey and Fanny, from a boating accident. One of his angelic qualities is the ability to communicate telepathically, and a golden liquid that oozes from his body can heal all wounds. He allows the couple to feed from his veins, which turns them into freewheeling vampires.
Fanny tells Tashum she knows where his long-lost brother Paladin is, but doesn’t tell him where, for fear that he will leave her. By feeding on Tashum’s blood, Dickey and Fanny inherit his angelic traits. They also lure unsuspecting ships to shore and slay the crew to feed their insatiable thirst.
Fanny inevitably falls in love with Tashum and the two share a bizarre love affair even though the angel is androgynous.
When they finally leave the island, the three part ways — Dickey and Fanny go on to search for material wealth, while Tashum searches for his brother. His search takes him to Africa and England, where he meets Fanny again. This time, she holds the key to Tashum’s return to Heaven.
Upset by the way their reunion unfolded, Fanny and her new cronies set out to destroy Tashum and his brother.
The Silence in Heaven struggles at certain stretches and flourishes at others. Wolff drones on in superfluous detail. This 400-page book could have been written in 200 pages without losing the essence of the story. It’s written with imagination reminiscent of Anne Rice. Wolff successfully intertwines good and evil in a non-traditional love story filled with deception and betrayal.
Grade: B
Be the first to comment