Caitlyn is not your normal girl. But it is not your normal world. A future America divides itself according to religion or lack thereof. Appalachia is inhabited by fundamentalists whose leader will do anything to keep the Outside out and his people in. The dangerous Outside teems with tolerant sinners. And scientists. Those like escapee Jordan Brown, Caitlyn's father.

But he can't bear to tell Caitlyn all of his secrets. Not what happened before she was born, not why she is the way she is. He just wants to save her life, to give her a chance to be free. As free as she can be.

There are others who search for Caitlyn, not to save her but to capture her. They will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. Can Jordan and Caitlyn make it safely back Outside before men bent on power capture them?

This dystopian tale is part sci-fi part mystery part suspense. The characters are so rich, you forget the pace of the book and just let it carry you along to its stunning conclusion. Caitlyn endears herself to the reader through her innocence, trusting nature, and frail strength. She is indeed the backbone of the story and one can't help both applauding and pitying her.

Themes of scientific research gone awry and severe extremes in religion can also be seen throughout the novel. It explores what may happen to people when these circumstances control their lives.

It has been a few years since I've read any of Brouwer's work, and I've decided that's too long. Out of the Shadows and Crown of Thorns were excellent mystery novels filled with cultural secrets and history. I'm glad Brouwer delves into the sci-fi realm here--and this isn't the end. Book two is coming. I will definitely be picking up that one as well.

Sigmund Brouwer's "Broken Angel" is the story of Caitlyn, a very different young woman, who must escape the clutches of those who pursue her and make it to the Outside in order to survive. This story of extremely close knit culture was like a roller coaster ride.

Its mixture of futuristic and primitive images a la "Planet of the Apes" keeps the reader off-balance and constantly guessing where the next line of the book will lead. The sinister tone of the story makes you attentive, watching for any little detail that may give away the ending. I enjoyed the techniques employed by the author to keep the reader interested in the story. This included very short chapters and weaving back and forth between plot points in each chapter. With surprising and unpredictable characters, this novel does not disappoint. The song at the end of the book was also a nice touch.

Broken Angel was... interesting. The author is... imaginative. Okay, it was a strange book. Really strange. But it had a good message despite the weirdness and occasionally sick-o scenes. What I gleaned from Broken Angel is that if you take your eyes off Christ and get so wrapped up in the culture that you forget grace, then you can be led away to the point where you've forgotten what it really means to be a Christian. Oh, and when legalism abounds we are not far from the Nazis and the control they had over their society.

Extremist? Perhaps. But I see no harm in Brouwer creating a story to bring those points out if we want to avoid repeating history. And the ending was...interesting. I almost get the impression there could be a sequel to this bizarre tale. And honestly, the book was compulsively readable and though several times Broken Angel was graphic and descriptive enough to make me shudder, I'd read the next book in the series if there is one. Why? Because good does eventually overcome evil, and because God is good.

This book is fast-paced and suspenseful, and its characters really make it memorable. Caitlyn and the others who tried to escape the isolated Appalachian territory faced many challenges, and their determination to survive and overcome the government's tyranny was inspiring. Though the ending was satisfying, I would love to read a sequel since this story introduced characters I liked and left room for future adventures.

I finished this a month ago, and still think about some of the ways the Appalachia government took away the liberties of the people who lived there. The lack of religious and personal freedom, and the monitoring of every activity, seem like possibilities for the future--making this book even scarier. It is a book I will read again, and highly recommend.

4.0 out of 5 stars Broken Angel, July 7, 2009
By Dulcibelle (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Broken Angel: A Novel (Hardcover)
I really enjoyed this book. Appalachia has become a religious city-state with limited access to "Outside". Caitlyn is different, and different isn't tolerated in Appalachia. She and her father are trying to escape. In addition to the exciting escape story, Brouwer uses his story to comment on what can happen to a society that loses all its dissidents, either by tossing them out or by them leaving voluntarily. Both Appalachia and Outside are impacted by this loss, in surprisingly similar ways.

A sequel is planned, but this can be read as a stand-alone. I'll be looking for the sequel though. I want to learn more about Caitlyn, Appalachia, and Outside.

The states are split. There is the Appalachia and Outside. After Caitlyn's mother died in child birth, her father took her into the Appalachia. There is something different about Caitlyn. She has reached puberty and her body is changing. Her father has to get her out of Appalachia to the Outside where people can help her. Someone is after her, wants to kill her, but there are those who are helping her escape. Will she make it? This reminds me of James Patterson's Angel Experiment. This is an exciting read and leaves you wanting more.

Broken Angel paints a frighteningly real picture of a fictional but all-too-possible future. An oppressive and dictatorial nation called Appalachia, formed from a broken United States, is a world where the government tolerates no secrets and affords little privacy to have them.

In this tyrannical society, Caitlyn is more special than even she knows, and her uniqueness creates grave dangers for the innocent young woman; Jordan is her adoring father who, despite his secret and shameful past, is now prepared to sacrifice everything including his life to protect his child. On their trail is a cruel and ruthless bounty hunter who's determined to capture the girl - and take more than just her life.

Alone and seemingly abandoned by the one person she trusts, Caitlyn must accept help from strangers: a near-blind escapee from one of Appalachia's many forced-labor factories, and a big man with a kind heart and a slow brain. Together, the little group makes its way through the treacherous Appalachian countryside, enroute to the Outside. There, Caitlyn can be freed from the mysterious thing that makes her different. But reaching and crossing that border may cost the girl everything she's ever held dear.

Sigmund Broewer's novel is riveting and fast-paced - there's no time to breathe and no relief from the tension. It delivers mystery, tragedy, uncertainty ... and unexpected moments of humor and joy that make all the rest of it bearable. Broken Angel will draw you in and hold you in its spell long after you've read the last page.

Amazing detail, gripping storyline, and unbelievable writing.

Caitlyn, a disfigured young woman, lives in a world where reading is a crime, cars are severly limited in availabilty, horses have tracking chips embedded in them and children are sent to work out their lives in factories. Not all the world is like that - beyond the Fence is the 'Outside', a place where reading is not a crime, and science is no longer bound by the limits of morality.

Caitlyn's life was never 'normal', even according to the standards of those who live in the communities of Appalachia, but when she and her father become fugitives, it changes forever. Betrayed, wounded, on the run from dangerous men, Caitlyn joins up with two other exiles to make a desperate break for the Outside -- and in the process, discovers what she was born to be.

As tightly-written suspense, 'Broken Angel' is excellent. The characters are interesting and well-defined, even the brutish Marcus Lee, who i couldn't help feeling i had already 'met' in Sigmund Brouwer's 'Double Helix' -- fortunately, by the end, he develops a more distinct, if not more likeable, personality.

As a dystopian novel, however, 'Broken Angel' is a bit lacking; but wanting more information, not less, is perhaps the best way it could require improvement. I would like more information about - well, everything. What are some of the other requirements Bar Elohim has over his people? What is it like on the 'Outside'? Who exactly are the outlaws that inspire the stories about the Clan? Then there are the questions of what happens to the characters, which the ending of 'Broken Angel' leaves open; wide open. Excellent material for a sequel, certainly. And on the whole, 'Broken Angel' is definitely the sort of book that would encourage me to read a sequel.

A very good read. It has a generally dark overall quality, but I would guess it would be enjoyable to most Christian fiction readers. Good pacing, not too long, interesting characters. There are a number of subplots but they are not difficult to keep track of.

Broken Angel is a truly original book that ought to make a huge splash in the Christian book industry. Set in the future after the true meaning of Christianity has turned into a political movement, the interesting characters of this book are trapped in more than an extremist cult. They are trapped in a pseudo-country within the U.S. that imposes outrageous religious rules, including the revival of stoning, on its less than citizens. This book will keep readers turning the page to see how it ends. With a strong message that seems to say what is meant for evil can still be turned to God's glory, Broken Angel will scare you, but also leave you pondering the future and trusting in God's power.