Xenobiologist Vashti Loren has tried to move beyond the tragic death of her husband four years ago by taking rich hunters into the wilds of Ubastis, a carefully managed colony planet that only selected people are allowed to populate. But sometimes it's not enough to hide from the past.
Loren also studies the predators she hunts, scanning their physical and genetic makeup to add to the general knowledge of the planet's ecosystem. She spends her off time raising her young daughter, Bibi, and participating in Ubastis council meetings. When her longtime friend Moira smuggles a male soldier (a BioEngineered ASsault Tactition, or "Beast") onto the planet as part of a larger plan to fight against unwanted colonization, Vashti's past, including the horrific death of her husband, comes back to haunt her. It's uncertain she can keep it together long enough to find the truth behind recent events.
Vashti is one of the few trusted with deadly weapons in this vegetarian, violence-averse society. Does her need to put herself in harm's way show some sort of death wish? Will she be killed when on safari by one of the massive carnivores she hunts? Will she save Ubastis from Earth's over-colonization plans? Will she discover her husband's true wishes for the future of their planet before it's too late?
Author Marguerite Reed's first full-length novel, Archangel, presents readers with a fully formed, well-considered universe populated by believable characters and with a strong yet flawed female hero science fiction fans will love rooting for. --Rob LeFebvre, freelance writer and editor