Anne Rice is one of the cherished authors from my formative years. The Vampire Chronicles, Servant of the Bones, and the Witching Hour. My sister has loved her works as well. When I visited New Orleans some years ago, I took a piece of sidewalk that had broken off in front of her home.

However, something has been lost in her recent books. Christ the Lord was intriguing, but ultimately dully written. As for Angel Time, that one was completely lost on me. I’m happy for Rice and her return to Christianity. I understand the parallels between the main character in Angel Time and her life. Unfortunately, it made for a dull story.

It’s a rather short story as it is, and spending the first two thirds on the protagonist, Toby, and he struggles with his career as an assassin. The second half of the book threatens to pick up the pace and become something interesting, only to end long before it should have.

This book reads like a prologue to what will most likely become a multiple book series. I would have put it down and moved on to something else, had I not been on a plane back from China with no other reading options. I was disappointed. Next time I see a new Anne Rice book, I think I’ll just pick up The Vampire Lestat and read that again.

Rating 2 out of 5 stars. (What’s this?)