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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another good one!, March 13, 2007
Another installment in the adventures of Annja Creed. Annja is up to her neck in murder, mystery and mayhem again, this time from California's gold rush ghost town to the desert of Eastern China.
Annja is asked by Huangfu Cao to help find the remains of a Chinese immigrant who was murdered in Volcanoville, a gold rush shanty town in the hills around San Francisco.
Cao claims he is searching for the remains of an ancestor to return him home for burial. Annja agrees to help, because that ancestor happened to own an ancient plaque carved by the Scythian people thousands of years ago. When Annja finds the plaque she is targeted for murder by Cao. It seems no one is what they seem.
Huangfu Cao fails to kill her, leading to a chase through the forested hills. Annja'a knack for survival, not to mention the Sword of Joan of Arc, keep her alive an one step ahead of death. Annja escapes the killers and is rescued by park rangers.
The police try to protect her, but fail and she loses the plaque, but our girl is smart, she took pictures. Her investigation leads her to a local historian who knows something about the plaque and its curse.
No good Rogue Angel story is complete without Roux, who puts in an appearance. He wants the plaque also. The plaque is the key to an ancient city in China, the City of Thieves. The City of Thieves was home to a group of assassins that worked for the ancient Emperor of China, Qin. Qin fought and won wars and eventually forged the nation that is now China. He was a great warrior, who had the services of these assassins and their leader, Sha Wu Ying.
Sha Wu Ying betrayed Qin, but in doing so, led to his own destruction. His cabal of assassins died with him and the City of Thieves disappeared into history and mythology. Enough hints have survived that can lead back to the treasure of the thieves and Cao works for a ruthless Chinese crime lord, Ngai, that wants that treasure for himself. Roux wants the treasure also, but only to keep another mystic talisman from falling into Garin's hands. Garin aligns himself with Ngai and the hunt is on.
Another new character is Kelly Swan. Kelly is the daughter of a poor Chinese fisherman who is murdered by Ngai and she is out for revenge. Lucky for her, she is a CIA trained assassin who has the skills and drive to go for it. Her character is interesting. Interesting enough to warrant her own book or at least further appearances in the Rogue Angel series.
The only negative comment I have is the cover. It is spectacular artwork, but it shows Annja submerged in water, her head and sword barely peaking above the surface. But nowhere in the book is there a scene like that. As a matter of fact, the climax of the book is in a desert! Other than that one little thing, I loved the book. Good job,Alex.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fast, fun read, March 7, 2007
"Rogue Angel: Forbidden City" is a brisk, no-nonsense adventure and mystery double play. It's got everything you expect from the Rogue Angel franchise and whole lot more.
The action in the first sixty pages is some of the best in the Rogue Angel series. It starts with a bump in ancient China and sweeps on to forested goldfields of California. There is a host of bad guys, dazzling chase sequences, and the flashing sword of Saint Joan of Arc, and that is just for starters. The rest of the story is a compelling turn toward adventure and mystery. With a strange heirloom belt plaque as a guide, Annja unravels a mystery that leads her beyond the Silk Road in search of a lost treasure city that was built by assassins and thieves ages ago.
"Forbidden City" explores a theme of possibility and the likelihood of change. China, with its thousands of years of tradition and current headlong plunge into modernity, is the perfect canvas for the story. When the clues don't make sense, the pitch of battle sharpens to a razors edge, and events turn their darkest, Annja is forced to grow as a character. This isn't a teaser, this is meaty and substantial. Then Annja allies with Kelly Swan, a trained assassin on a mission to even the score with those who murdered her father. Kelly is so richly drawn that she's a perfect counterweight to Annja. Kelly is a character fully deserving of a spin-off novel of her own.
For the first time since the beginning of the Rogue Angel franchise, we really dig into the inner workings of Roux and Garin Braden. The theme rings true even in the smallest details when Garin partners with the villain. While bowing only once to its own mythology, this story very cleverly does more than has ever been done before to deepen and broaden its principal characters. Alex Archer's commitment to plain prose drives this point home and makes this story a fast, fun read.
The greatest strength of this story is in its telling. The pacing is spot on. The author's expert use of action and language makes this a fun read for all readers. Highly recommended!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Non-stop action, a sexy protagonist, magic, and China. A great mix, March 17, 2007
It seemed like a great job offer. Archeologist Annja Creed takes some time off of her TV career to help a Chinese businessman look for the bones of his relatives who were lost in a racist incident during the California Gold Rush. When she discovers bones--along with an ancient artifact, though, Annja's client attempts to kill her. Annja doesn't think the bones are worth that fuss--which means that the artifact--something that appears to be of Sythian design, must be important.
Annja is not unfamiliar with important artifacts. She is the current carrier of a sword which once belonged to Joan of Arc. This weapon has the handy ability to be summoned from thin air--useful if you're being attacked, which Annja frequently is.
The Chinese gangster looking for the artifact is also seeking other clues--clues that might lead him to the rediscovery of an ancient city of assassins along the silk road in China. This lost city may be full of treasures, but it may also be subject to ancient curses, including the curse of the Fox Spirit Woman. What he doesn't realize is that he's stirring up a lot of trouble. Annja is a lot more dangerous than he'd anticipated and he also makes an enemy of a Chinese-American CIA assassin. But making an enemy out of Annja comes with one positive result--from his perspective. Annja has powerful enemies including a man who fears his immortality is threatened by Annja's sword.
Author Alex Archer continues his ROGUE ANGEL series with an exciting thriller. CIA Assassin Kelly Swan is an intriguing new character to the series--one I hope we see more of in the future, and the Chinese setting and the Chinese legends underlying this investigation give the story an exotic feel--but also remind us of race problems in American history--problems that are too-frequently ignored in popular history books.
I've found the ROGUE ANGEL series to be of consistently high quality and FORBIDDEN CITY is definitely a welcome addition. If you enjoy kick-butt female protagonists, non-stop action, magic, exotic locations, and powerful shadowy underworld villains (and who doesn't), you'll definitely want to grab FORBIDDEN CITY.
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