Amazon.com info for 'Angelos (Quantum Cat)'

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Back to reviews and details of Angelos (Quantum Cat)

Amazon.com reviews:

Rating: 5 Summary: Entertaining mix of science, mythology, and religion
Comment The new book from Robina Williams, Angelos, will keep you reading beyond your bedtime! I was unable to put it down. The author has an entertaining way of embracing complex topics such as time-traveling, life after death, Greek mythology, legends, and Catholic theology braided with philosophy and mysticism. She also uses two famous paintings to bring the book to its climax!

This Young Adult book is suitable for teens and adults. I do not, however, recommend it for children under 13 years of age, since they are not mature enough yet to understand some of the book's themes.

The book begins with the sudden departure of Father Fidelis and his close encounter with a ginger cat named Leo. However, the sudden departure of Father Fidelis came as a surprise to all the friars and it started a chain of speculations and some admiration among them. Some of them admired his sense of obedience while others wondered, why?

But the knowledge of their newly assigned guardian, Father Aidan, brought joy to the friars. They all knew him. He has been their guardian before. He was flexible and understanding. Upon his arrival, however, Father Aidan's behavior appears somehow changed towards the other friars. Now they are not so sure if it was indeed a good trade. Perhaps Father Aidan is just tired from his long journey, or is he? The day is still too young...time will tell!

Leo is not an ordinary cat. He is able to travel from "this time" to the afterlife easily. He also has a pair of "mystical eyes" that inspire awe and fear in those who see them. Leo's real name is Quantum, but he is known in the afterlife as Quant.

Between the departure of Father Fidelis and the arrival of Father Aidan, Leo and Father Peter have a closed encounter, too. Leo's eyes change to gold while looking at Father Peter, then return again to emerald green. This puzzles Father Peter. He wonders what type of cat this is! He feels unease and very nervous around Leo, so he keeps him at a safe distance.
The deceased Father Jerome, however, is fond of Leo. After all, Leo was his pet when he was alive! He, however, has not yet accepted his deceased state and the world of the dead. So he wanders often around the orchard at the friary. Some of the friars were not pleased with his presence there since it challenges their beliefs about death and life after death!

During one of Father Jerome's visits to the friary, he is violently catapulted from a hut near the orchard to another place, which appears to be a cellar or a Dungeon. He is confused and perplexed! Where is he? He looks around and explores the place. He finds some human bones and becomes frightened. There is something--or someone--living in this place that eats humans! He cries out for Quant's help, who doesn't immediately arrive, and grows tired. He takes a nap while waiting for Quant.

Meanwhile at the friary, the Minotaur is equally puzzled and annoyed. He also explores the small room and searches for something to eat. He finds some jars on top of a shelf and after several attempts, manages to open one of them. He tastes its content and concludes that whatever was inside was not edible. He goes to sleep, hoping it's all just a nightmare!

Quant finally appears, of course, to sort everything out and show Father Jerome around in this new world, known to the good priest as the world of Greek Mythology. They visit some of Quant's old friends, including the Deiphobe, the Sibyl of Cumae, St. Jerome and his lion, St. Anthony of Egypt, and St. Paul the Hermit, among others. Father Jerome is fascinated and intrigued and asks tons of questions to Quant. During their traveling in this world, the reader will be exposed to a combination of philosophy, mythology and mysticism from Quant's point of view. The combination of these topics is essential to the understanding of God's Creation beyond human comprehension.

The end of the book will leave the reader saying, WOW! It echoes Jesus' parable of the "Good Servant" and St. Paul's words of encouragement about finishing the race and fighting the good fight.

Rating: 3 Summary: A cat tale
Comment Reviewed by Ian McCurley (age 13) for Reader Views (7/07)

Set in modern-day rural England, "Angelos" begins when Father Fidelis is happily leaving the country monastery for a guardian position at a church in the city. Though he has had a hate-hate relationship with the cat, Leo, aka Quant, Father Fidelis is surprised when Leo happily nuzzles him as if to say goodbye. This doesn't surprise Father Peter because of the strange happenings, such as a long-dead Brother floating around the corridors and the cat making two ghosts disappear along with itself in a graveyard. What does surprise him is that when Leo turns around, his eyes flash from a green, to a fiery golden color fit for big cat, and back to green again.

Later, Father Aidan, the new guardian at the monastery, has suddenly turned from a laid-back to a crusading Christian bent on restoring discipline to the Fathers as they have slipped into an over-lax state. Meanwhile, Quant is escorting Brother Jerome, the dead Brother, to the afterlife but is taking the scenic route through the ancient Greek cities which he insists are not ancient but current from where they are standing. As Quant takes Brother Jerome through the Minotaur's lair to Mount Olympus into a close encounter with Pegasus, Brother Jerome begins to see that what he thought was history, when viewed from a different time, was now.

"Angelos" is a compelling but almost plot-less fantasy novel with strong Christian overtones and too many personal problems with the characters. The writing style is creative, but not well thought-out. The book doesn't grab you, but if you can bull your way through it, it is almost entertaining. This book would be best for cat-loving Christians.

Rating: 4 Summary: Just weird enough, and very much worth reading
Comment Here is the second novel about a rural friary somewhere in Britain. Among its inhabitants is a strange, dimension-jumping cat that (depending on which dimension you inhabit) is named Leo or Quant (short for Quantum).

The brothers of the friary are getting a new leader. Their previous leader, Brother Fidelis, practically jumped at the chance to be transferred to a tough, inner city parish. His belief that a cat did not belong in a friary probably had something to do with his sudden departure. After getting used to his new surroundings, his replacement, Brother Aidan, re-imposes supposedly much needed discipline at the friary. He is going through a spiritual crisis, feeling that God has abandoned him. Aidan feels that the only way to re-discover the path to the Lord is to go, for lack of a better term, back to basics. The brothers are as religious as anyone else, but, prayers several times a day, choir practice every day (attendance at both is not optional) and no leaving the friary without signing out, gets old very quickly.

Through some sort of quantum shift, the Minotaur (of labyrinth fame) is brought forward several thousand years, and lands in a gardening shed on the friary grounds. Far from being a carnivorous beast, the Minotaur is actually a vegetarian who didn't like eating all those Athenians. Leo/Quant convinces one of the brothers to fix a tray of food, and leave it at the door of the shed, without asking questions. The Minotaur is told, by the cat, that leaving the shed would be a very bad idea. Meantime, one of the brothers, Brother Jerome, is sent back in time to the labyrinth (in ancient Crete) and is loudly calling for rescue by Quant. Before the travelers are returned to where they belong, Jerome asks the cat if a short tour of Crete might be possible. Along the way, he meets Deiphobe the Sibyl, St. Jerome and Androcles (and the lion).

This is a "quiet" book, but a really good book. As with any series, reading Part One (Jerome and the Seraph) is a good idea. The story is just weird enough, and is very much worth reading.

Rating: 4 Summary: Reviewed by Barb Radmore
Comment Robina Williams has created a delightful beginning in these two initial entries to the Quantum Cat series. They are written as Christian fantasy but will be welcomed by any fantasy lovers. The stars of this show are Jerome, a friar who died unexpectedly when he slipped and hit his head on a gravestone and Leo/Quantum, the friary cat who is also the tour guide for the other sides/times.
The books are written with a humorous touch while also addressing art, Christianity, mythology and questions of time everlasting. The word delightful, truly meaning full of delight, is the best word to describe these works of . Deep subjects addressed with a light touch.
It will be interesting to see where the future of this series takes Jerome, Quant and the readers.

This second entry also features Brother Jerome and Quant. But in this one they meet a wide variety of characters of myth . Due to a slight glip, Jerome trades places with the Minotaur of mythology fame. Although Jerome is quickly frightened by the piles of human bones he encounters in the labyrinth, the Minotaur is equally confused and frightened when he finds himself trapped in the Friary's shed . The Minotaur is a gentle being forced to eat human sacrifices even though he would prefer not to. Jerome is rescued by Quant and they embark on a journey through time or memories, as Quant describes it. They see Pan, King Midas, Pegasus Sibyl, among others. Meanwhile at the Friary, the new Guardian is not the cheerful easy going man the Brothers thought he would be. A crisis of faith has confused and frightened the new member of the Friary. It is a a piece of art worked that brings all his doubts to a head and gives him hope for the future.
This book packs many varied myths, Biblical stories, art, beliefs and Christian preachings into one slim volume. It is rapid paced while encompassing ideas that require time to digest.

Rating: 4 Summary: Angelos, by Robina Williams
Comment Looking for an imaginative tale blending elements of classical Greek history and mythology with contemporary matters of faith and spirituality? Perhaps you're seeking an alternative to the Harry Potter craze for your older teenagers, or something just a bit more cerebral than The Chronicles of Narnia for yourself. If so, perhaps Angelos, by United Kingdom author Robina Williams, could possibly fill a spot on this summer's reading list.

Angelos follows the dimension-hopping, reality bending adventures of Quant the cat, a furry feline with a penchant for sarcastic non-sequeters and a metaphysical out-look on existence that would bend the minds of even the most non-linear folks. From the shores of Crete to the hallowed halls of a friary full of monks in the countryside, Angelos is a pleasing little romp through the annals of both classical Greek mythology and the history of the Franciscan Order.

Williams takes these classics of Greek literature and puts her own spin on them, creating amusing caricatures that are cheeky, whimsical fun to read: the Minotaur, a self-conscious, humble fellow who'd rather be a vegetarian than eat poor Athenians, (of whom he abhors the taste), and Deiphobe, Sibyl of Cumae, an oracle who gets her clairvoyance from inhaling Ethyalene gasses and chewing on laurel leaves rather than mystical powers, are only two examples of characters re-cast in different, tongue-in-cheek portrayals.

Angelos is written in a conversational, easy to read style, and if it weren't for a few minor "adult-oriented" topics of conversation pursued by some of the characters, this novel would be a good fit for adolescents, especially in the user-friendly way it acquaints readers with classical Greek lore. However, because of those relatively minor and one-time instances mentioned in passing and not endorsed in any way, Angelos should be relegated to elder teenage readers and above.

A positive point about the novel is the quantum cat himself, Quant. With all the `cat-related' mythical archetypes already in use in books and movies, (one really BIG cat in particular that we all know and love), his character could have easily come off as one-dimensional and typecast, but Quant by far is the most intriguing character in the story. In fact, the novel would have been served better by focusing more on Quant himself, and a little less on the inner dynamics of the friary, which at times seemed distracting and superfluous.

There are two things for readers to note about Angelos. Firstly, it is the sequel to another book, Jerome & the Seraph. Angelos is not a direct narrative continuation of that novel, but it is recommended that Jerome & the Seraph be read first to help familiarize with the world of the friary and Quant's main "side-kick" - for lack of a better term - the ghost of the dearly departed Brother Jerome.

Secondly, the narrative delves into the nature of metaphysics, reality, and the flow of time, so it can get tricky to follow at times. Readers may get distracted by some of the diverging plotlines and Quant's oftentimes metaphysical obtuseness.

Angelos is a laid-back read, and the narrative flow does seem to dawdle in places. There is no clear antagonist or protagonist, and the story is less about conflict between two sides, and more about a journey in the pursuit of understanding. It might be considered a little slow for action lovers; however introspective readers will find it amusing, as well as thought provoking about the nature of myths and the truths in history that may have given rise to them in the first place.

Very reminiscent of Stephen Lawhead's Christian works, (Pendragon, Byzantium), and like many works following a new trend in the Christian fiction market, Angelos is not an evangelizing story bolstered by certain required Biblical truths along the way, ending with the required, proscribed conversion at the end. It must be read with this in mind: it is not promoting or endorsing anything, merely telling a story and asking the eternal question all writers encounter at some point in their own narrative journeys: what if?

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