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I enjoyed Angelos, the sequel to Jerome and the Seraph, better than its predecessor. I enjoyed Angelos less than its predecessor. That I enjoyed it both more and less than the original novel is perfectly in keeping with the quantum backdrop of the book, contrasted nicely by a day to day life at a friary, the other side of this book's quantum equation.

I will now attempt to unconfuse you. In North England, there is a friary with several fairly average (and therefore remarkable) holy men, at least one of whom is dead at the start of the book (though you'd never know it from how he behaves).

Along with a cast of interesting clergy is a cat called Leo or Quant, depending on who is calling him. He is both an ordinary and not so ordinary pet or guardian, again depending on who is doing the telling.

Add into the mix a confused minotaur fresh from the labyrinth at Crete, and you have all the makings of an interesting story.

Mind you, this is no adventure tale, but more of a slice of life -- literate, entertaining, thought provoking and filled with the learning of life's lessons, sometimes painfully, sometimes through humor.

I liked Angelos more than the original for pure entertainment value. I found it funnier. However it also was very different from the original as less attention was paid to the individual ordeals of the clergy and more attention to the classic world and how it relates to the modern world. I can't say more without ruining the plot.

Angelos is a book for people who love mythology, religion, philosophy, quantum physics and human nature wrapped in a delightful literary style that places you in the scene. After my recent foray into space opera, this is a much needed change of pace, and a welcome one. I look forward to more stories about Quant and the friars in the future (or the past, or present, which, after all, are all the same thing... aren't they?)

Steve Lazarowitz is a speculative fiction writer, an editor, a father, a husband, an animal lover and a heck of a nice guy (not necessarily in that order). Steve lives in Moonah, Tasmania with his family and four giant spiny leaf insects. You can check out his work at http://www.dream-sequence.net.