Military Sci-Fi Book Review: Archangel: Avenging By Rick Partlow
If you’re a fan of high-stakes military science fiction with a cybernetic edge and covert ops tension, Archangel: Avenging by Rick Partlow should be on your radar. As the second entry in the Archangel series, this novel shifts gears from revenge-driven shootouts to cloak-and-dagger espionage, with all the intensity you'd expect from a former soldier turned insurgent.
The story follows Brent Parthet, once a loyal soldier and elite Archangel commando, now a fugitive on a mission to expose the corrupt powers that destroyed his life. In Book 1, Brent took down the man who gave the kill order. In Avenging, he sets his sights on the corporate and government entities pulling the strings from behind the curtain. This time around, the action takes a backseat to subterfuge and psychological tension. While there are still great combat moments, much of the focus is on Brent’s evolution. Besides being cybernetically enhanced, he’s a strategist, a reluctant leader, and a man trying to build a rebellion with little more than broken veterans and a few allies who still believe in justice.
One of the book’s standout elements is the relationship between Brent and his neurosynth AI. In a deeply introspective sequence, the AI takes the form of a childlike hallucination, confronting Brent about his motives and forcing him to reflect on whether he’s still fighting for justice or just clinging to vengeance.
It’s a poignant moment in an otherwise adrenaline-fueled narrative, and it adds emotional depth that’s often lacking in books of this genre. If there’s one critique, it’s that Brent’s team takes a bit of a backseat this time. In Book 1, the Archangels operated as a tight unit. Here, it’s very much the Brent Solo Show. Still, the shift makes sense - this is about his transition from lone wolf to rebel leader. It promises a great finale in book 3. Overall, Archangel: Avenging hits hard with espionage energy, tactical realism, and a main character who’s both broken and unstoppable.
You can read Archangel: Avenging here.
Watch my full review here:
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Hello, I checked :) in book 1 it was used 3 times:
- page 232: “Jesus,” Cas whispered, more of a prayer than a profanity.
- page 234: “Jesus, dude!” he yelped, jumping back, then looked me up and down, then back to Raph and his eyes went wide.
- page 253: “Jesus, I don’t believe it,” Raph murmured, distracted, as if he hadn’t been listening to us.
And in this book 2, it was used only 2 times:
- page 86: “Jesus, I’m glad you told me that after I ate.”
- page 134: She wasn’t breathing. “Oh, Jesus God,” I murmured.
But yeah ... there's definitely some military-style profanity. Your standard F-bombs (60 times used) and such, but nothing stood out to me as deliberately blasphemous or disrespectful in the religious sense. The tone leans more toward gritty realism than anything provocative or edgy-for-the-sake-of-it. It's Rick Partlow - he's a solid MilSF author, in 14 years he wrote almost 80 novels. He doesn't like stories that are bleak and gloom (not a fan of GrimDark, any of Paul Verhoeven's movies, etc).
That said, I totally respect wanting to know before spending your money (especially on a paperback). I think you’ll be safe here, but if anything changes as I keep reading future entries, I’ll definitely mention it in future reviews.
Thanks for the thoughtful question! God Bless!
Pass. If it isn't Christians evangelizing and church planting, as has been done to build the West, build Christendom, build what freedom and liberties we take for granted today, what's the point? Dissipation?
We have trained ourselves to put our faith away when we tell stories now. And thusly we wonder why the Woke have taken over our stories, our games, our entertainment, our fellowship? Hmmm....