Sins of Angels Complete Collection: Books 1-5

By: J.S. Morin, M. A. Larkin

Narrated by: Leslie Howard

Length: 32 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

After millennia of oppressive dogma, one rebellious woman seeks to change it all and spark a galactic enlightenment.

Professor Rachel Jordan spearheads a one-woman crusade against the forces that have held humanity in thrall for centuries. With the help of a fleet officer, a genetically enhanced assassin, and a shadowy corporate sponsor, she's out to spread the truth to the universe.

The very beings who saved us from destruction, enslaved humanity.

Echoes of Angels:

Rachel seeks an ancient, heretical text on a desolate former prison planet. Zealots, profiteers, and puppet governments will stop at nothing to either secure the book for themselves or ensure its destruction.

...or Rachel's

Shadows of Angels:

Finding the book should have given Rachel the answers she needed. Instead, she discovers she can't even read it. It's a race to decipher the ancient text before one of the many factions seeking it catches up to Rachel and her bodyguard.

Voices of Angels:

At the helm of an ancient ship, Rachel finds herself caught between worlds. If she turns it over to the proper authorities, her quest will end. Chasing her ultimate truth will put her in the crosshairs of every military ship in the universe. But that ship is the key to finding the lost birthplace of mankind.

Wrath of Angels:

Released once more upon the universe, the awakened angels reassert their dominance. But the humans of Rachel's era aren't as docile as their ancestors. They don't take well to being bullied by long-lost benefactors. It's time to find out whether humanity had grown up to become the rulers of the universe.

Fall of Angels:

The apocalypse is fast approaching. Humanity is on the verge of a last stand. Can they snatch victory with the help of an unlikely ally ... the ancient "evil" that threatened us with extinction so long ago?

Sins of Angels is an epic space saga spanning galaxies and concerning the fate of an entire space-faring species. Fans of Indiana Jones and Dune will enjoy this rollicking, thought-provoking romp through interstellar archaeology and galactic warfare. The truth is out there, and it's worse than you can possibly imagine.

©2017 M.A. Larkin and J.S. Morin (P)2019 M.A. Larkin and J.S. Morin

Interesting concept that just never got me all in

I enjoyed J.S. Morin's "Robot Geneticist" series and "Galaxy Outlaws" much more than this one. The idea of it being a really twisted around series of biblical references was clever and well done (though Leslie Howard doesn't handle the pronunciation of some of them well - which for me is a big flow-breaker). Mostly, I just had a hard time keeping in the flow of it. The payoff at the end is much better than the early books, so stick with it.

I should also note that it's a great value, at 32 hours for the series, and I don't regret the purchase.

Better than it had started

Have you ever read (or in this case listened to) a story that reminded you of multiple stories but in a way that seems to flow seamlessly together? I had no idea that this was the kind of story I was hoping for when I played the game Starfield, or that it would leave me wanting a game/series made in this universe. The action and intrigue flow across an area of general religious Sci-fi and anime action, with bits of story that allow the mind to contemplate our own real world. I was already a fan of some of the other works of J.S. Morin, but this was my first interaction with Larkin's work and I was not at all disappointed! This series is well worth the read or listen, and I personally look forward to any more stories that may come from this series!

One of the best

Occasionally I'm lucky enough to fall upon one of those stories that make you say, "wow, this is really good." Well let me say this is one of those series of books. Right now, I am literally wishing for more. There's nothing wrong with the story or narrative. I can't fault it for anything. If you haven't listened to this yet, what are you waiting for.

Absolutely fantastic

A semi epic sensation
I loved it!
can't wait for the next installment

is there a list one can join to be notified when the next book (audio) comes out?

A Truly Epic Series - Outstanding!!

Sins of Angels:
This is an Epic Saga of one Woman’s Crusade to try and teach Humanity that the Angels that everyone both Fear and Love are not the omniscient beings that everyone believes them to be. This Woman, Rachel Jordan, will meet some amazing people on her journey who will try and aid in her fight. Others will try and thwart her.
Although this looks like the classic struggle of good versus evil, the lines are actually a lot more blurred as you dig further into the series, and it makes for an utterly fascinating read. This is one of the best Sci-Fi Epic Saga’s on the Market Today, and shouldn’t be missed. Following is an individual review of each book, and at the end, a review of the Audible Narration, which was just exceptional. Enjoy!
Echoes of Angels:
Set several thousand years in a Dystopian Future, Humans have reached the Age of Enlightenment. This is just after ‘The Angels’ came to Humanity at the time of their greatest crisis, when nearly all was lost, Humanity was about to destroy itself, and it was on the verge of being consumed by an alien species, ‘The Adversary’. The Angels saved Humanity, with the only price being that the follow 3 Rules. For a time, Humanity basked in the glory of the Angels Angelic presence, their technology was far advanced, the Angels created sub-species of Humans to deal with various issues they had – some humans that could breathe in nearly any atmosphere to work on planets with toxic atmospheres, others that were incredibly powerful to help with mining, others to help communicate directly through telepathic communication so no one really saw the Angels and they became things of mystery.
The Angels used ‘The Codex’, a set of divine rules that not only laid down the rules that Humans had to follow, it also told us of our past, and why they had saw fit to step in and save Humanity from the Adversary and Humanity from its own degradation and downfall.
The exquisite world building that has gone into this book, this series, is just extraordinary, beyond most books I have read. The complexity and detail of the history of the past several hundred years, and what has happened to Humanity, how the Angels have altered them so that there are now the 12 races of men, all with a different purpose, the different ‘Conglomerates’ that are Mega Industrial Organisations that control the Galaxy, and the Sentinels, who are like the Galaxy’s Police – the depth of detail is just astounding, and gives such an edge to this series.
Into this we are introduced to Rachel Jordan, the main character of the story, a Empathic who is on the run. She is an Angeloligist, and is being hunted by a fanaticist group called the ‘Redeemers’ who hunt anybody who doesn’t fit in with their way of life. Rachel is on the hunt for Angel artefacts, and on this particular occasion, is seeking a particularly powerful artefact – ‘The Sefer Raziel’
As Rachel searches for the Sefer, she is being hunted by a fanatical group, the Redeemers, who follow the Codex and other Angel rules to the absolute letter, believing any deviation to be a total abomination. Of course, one of the Redeemer groups happens to be Rachels Family, Her Father, Her Brother (Jeremiah who leads the hunt for her), and she has many other brothers and sisters in training. The see her as the ultimate sin, and want to get her back so they can ‘Wash her of her Sins’, which is basically where they brain wash you and mind wipe you so your previous personality doesn’t exist and you become a good little zealot.
Rachel hires a bodyguard, a man named Ezekiel Knight, who is a mercenary, used to work for another company, but is now just death on legs.
To further complicate the story, Rachel’s old sweetheart, David McGregor, a Commander of the Sentinels is also after her and the Sefer.
This book is a fascinating introduction to a future in which humanity was taken over by a race of powerful beings claiming to be Angels – messengers from God, and they changed some planets, humans, gave us tech, and a codex of rules, and ruling us for a period, they vanished, leaving mankind reeling in their wake. Now 1 Woman is on a search to debunk all of these mysteries about Angels, that they were not what they said they were, but in the process of doing so, she might not only get herself killed, she might actually find out what no one else wants to actually know.
This is such a good book, such a fascinating and thrilling read, with sensational characters, unbelievably in-depth back stories on every aspect you can imagine, and a story line that is just outstanding.
If you only read one Sci-fi series this year – this is the one to read, you won’t be disappointed!!
Shadows of Angels:
Rachel is still on the run, but now she has the Sefer Raziel, the lost tome written by the Angel Raziel and thought to be a guide to help humanity against the Angels. However, it is written in the language of the Angels, and as such, Rachel can’t read it.
She has everyone after her, the zealots known as the Redeemers, who are the self-proclaimed enforcers of Angelic Mandate, want to capture Rachel and ‘cleanse’ her, washing away her sins, which in more basic terms means a form of brainwashing that totally scrubs the mind of the person, leaving them a clean slate that the Redeemers can then mold into one of their own. Rachel’s financial backer is also after her, one of the Mega-Corporations that basically run the Galaxy. These Mega-Corporations have bought off any legitimate Political Governments, and now do as they wish, including making their own ‘enhanced’ assassins. Knight, who is now Rachels bodyguard, was once one of these, but turned on his creators, and is now also wanted by his Corporation. However, he see’s something in Rachel, they have developed a bond, and in her, he sees his redemption for all his past sins. The final major player are the Sentinels, the Galaxies ‘Police’ as such, who try to maintain some order. One of these Sentinels, David McGregor is Rachels former lover, and happens to be within proximity to her when she finds the Tome, and it is his ship that is ordered to find and retrieve her.
Thus a fascinating, and at times, brutal, search and hunt plays out on the surface of a former prison planet, one that now harbour’s one of the greatest treasures in the Galaxy, and one of the most wanted people in the Galaxy.
This is a captivating read, one that you just can’t put down, one that is full of interesting political, religious and military storylines that all interweave and overlap, leaving you not only totally and utterly engaged and enthralled in the story, but it also leaves you thinking about the ramifications of a variety of different topics. The concept of using religion to dominate a species in every aspect, including how they shall breed, makes for a controversial storyline, but the way it is written is exceptional, making for a book you just can’t put down.
The other masterful aspect of this book is the characters. Rachel Jordan as the pivotal character and her relationship between Knight, McGregor, as well as her Redeemer brother Jeremiah makes for some incredibly powerful dialogue and interchanges.
One of the other interesting aspects of this story is the technology, both that which the characters use, and that which has been used around them, such as the terraforming of planets and the conduit to allow for starship travel. The kit that Knight uses is just amazing, whilst the tactical gear that the Sentinels use is just mind-blowing, and the Authors have obviously had a great time developing and putting it all together for the story.
Book 2 is just as good as the first, the series is only getting better, this is a must read for any Sci-fi fan!
Voices of Angels:
In the Voices of Angels, Rachel has finally started to put pieces together, she has uncovered one of the greatest mysteries of all time, The Ark of the Angels. But rather than answering all of the questions that she had, all it has done is posed more questions, and rather than unite Mankind like she had hoped, it has actually caused an even bigger rift as everybody wants to claim their right to the Ark. In the meantime, Rachel sits at its helm, in charge of possibly the most powerful weapon ever known to Mankind. She knows that she can’t keep it, eventually the Conglomerates will amass a force to great for even her, the Ark, Knight, David and Phoebe as well as the others to hold off, but before she lets it go, she has to answer one final question, that of Eden, the birthplace of Humanity.
And thus, continues Rachel Jordan’s epic quest to find the truth about the Angels, who they were, where they came from, and why they did what they did to humanity.
This is another fascinating book in the series, and although there are some seriously epic battles involving the Ark and other starships, this is probably the first of the books that is not so caught up in the hand to hand combat of the other books. As with the first two books, there is a lot of interpersonal relationships between the Characters, something that makes this series a standout. The Characters in this series are on a scale that is just as epic as the story. In this part, we see the relationship between Knight and Phoebe continue to grow, and for me, this has been one of the more fascinating relationships of this series. Knight a cold blooded killer, so lost in what he is, but deep down, wanting more, and that spark having been awoken by Rachel’s Empathic abilities, but she has her heart elsewhere. And whilst she is friends with Knight, she doesn’t fully understand him either. Whereas Phoebe, as one of the Sentinels, understands what it is like to have to kill for duty. Phoebe is by far still one of the best characters of the series, with her exceptional and outstanding dedication to duty, her utter loyalty to her Commander and Friends, but a mouth on her that would make the roughest of Sailors blush and run for cover.
The other fascinating Character of course is Rachel Jordan, who continues to be explored and grow in this part. She struggles to deal with all of the information she is gathering, and with the concept, that she, a single person is having such an impact on the Universe. She is also struggling with the fact that these people are willing to follow her and take her lead. There is the ever growing relationship with David that is continued to be explored.
Another rather exceptional character, and one that goes largely unnoticed for the first couple of books is Galizur, later known as Raziel, one of the Angels. His character is a total enigma, and you find yourself reading greedily through pages every time he is mentioned just to learn more of his kind, and about him.
Voices of Angels is certainly a turning point in the series and a pinnacle for humanity. If you have been reading the series, you will be thoroughly amazed by this 3rd book, and love how it plays out.
As a series, this is one of the most extraordinary series I have ever read, with so much depth in both the characters and the world building, bringing together a story that is absolutely incredible and one that any Sci-fi fan should read, regardless of your genre of choice, you won’t be disappointed.
This series just keeps getting better, more engaging and compelling with each new book.
Wraith of Angels:
As the battle for the Ark and Sefer-Raziel reaches its peak, Rachel Jordan does something that she has no idea of the consequences, she opens the cryo-chambers holding the Angels onboard the Ark. Thinking that this was her last hope of saving the Ark, and of redeeming Mankind, Rachel is in for the shock of her life.
Escaping the Ark with the bloody and beaten Raziel, the main crew of Rachel, Knight, David, Phoebe and Leah head off to try and save the Galaxy.
This book is where we see the Angels unleased in all their glory. Having seen others in the Ark attempting to use its power, there was the assumption that it was powerful, but no one had any idea, until the angels take control and unleash the Wrath of Heaven.
The Asherah are given an ultimatum to turn themselves over, devoid of their cybernetics, to which they refuse, and declare war on the Angels, and they feel the full fury of the Ark.
Without giving too much away, when the Mizraim try to offer their hands in peace, New Rome is wiped from the face of the galaxy.
Rachel is suddenly faced with the horror that she has awoken the Angels, thinking they would save her from the Conglomerate, instead, the Angels have begun a systematic eradication of humanity, punishing them for what they have done over the last 600yrs. And no one, not Asherah, nor Sentinels has the fire power to stand in their way.
This is again, another incredible story in the series, as we see further developments in the never-ending fight of humanity to be free of the hold of the Angels, not just physically, but mentally. The only group that is safe from the Wrath of the Angels are the Redeemers, who as the religious zealots that they are, the Angels see as having upheld the tenants of the codex that they left behind.
Rachel is torn between her love for David, and doing what is right for the Universe, the whole time, not sure what is actually right or wrong anymore and second guessing every action she makes. Her character is one of total turmoil, and her constant battle for understanding and stability in a galaxy that is being torn asunder by Angels of Wrath.
As with the previous books, the character work continues to be outstanding. Each of the main characters continues to be developed, with Knight being the standout as he grows from being the Killer for Hire into being a Sentinel, a Soldier of the Mizraim Empire, with a uniform and proper haircut. Further to that, he is also changing into something else mentally and physically, having been altered by Raziel, the Angel. He is one of the Nephil now, an altered being of immense powers, with increased physical and mental abilities.
David MacGregor is a brilliant character in these stories, a true Captain, struggling with the decisions he has to make. However as the war rages and more lives are lost, the character of David is faced with more and more difficult decisions, and it is extraordinary watching as his character changes under the pressure of these decisions, as he grows as a commander and a person. David is an incredible character, and his story just gets better each book.
This is an outstanding series, one of epic scale, with astounding world building, such intricate detail, so much detail about the Angels, the planets they have terraformed, the different human species that they made for different environments, not to mention all the tech that there is (There is so much wonderful technology in this series).
The Authors must have done a lot of research, and had a lot of notes put together for the series.
It makes for a wonderful read, one that you really can’t put down once you get into it, and no matter if you like Sci-Fi, a good thriller, or just a really good story, this series has something for you. Get into it, you won’t be disappointed!!
Fall of Angels:
The War with the Angels continues, the Angels on their continued task of genocide of the Asherah Empire for their crimes against the Covenant, and subjugation of the Mizraim Empire to bring them back under the Covenant.
All that stands against them is the crew of the Sephirot, trying to rally the remnants of the Sentinels that will stand with them, and the forces left of the Asherah.
In a desperate act David allies with the Asherah, and destroys the Tabernacle, hoping that by doing so, it will cripple the Angels, taking away their hold on the other Sentinels, and also showing the Angels that they do not have a hold over all of Mankind. However, things go wrong, and once the Tabernacle is destroyed, Civil War ensues between the Sentinels, and the Asherah take the opportunity to sweep in and start taking Mizraim territory whilst the Angels sit back and watch humanity slowing destroy itself, making it so much easier for them in the long run.
But as they are trying to work out what to do, Rachel comes across some terrifying information.
Apollo is an Angel, and he is trying to free the Adversary. The Adversary is a Sentient Universe that wants to consume this Universe. The Angels of this Universe managed to contain it with several seals – seals that Apollo, using Caleb and others – has been slowly destroying.
And suddenly the race is on – find and destroy Apollo before he can destroy them all.
Of course, even if they succeed, they still have the small issue of a bunch of homicidal Angels trying to commit Genocide of their species, and the Asherah trying to conquer them.
This is an epic finale to a series that has been such a powerful story on an emotional, spiritual and most certainly from a military and political journey.
As you look at the development of the main characters, such as Rachel, Knight, David, and even some of the secondary characters such as Jeremiah, Caleb and Phoebe, their journeys have been amazing throughout this series.
Knights metamorphosis from Hired Killer to Sentinel/Partner was masterful, as the person that he developed into was always buried within, it just needed the right person or people, or circumstances to bring it out.
Rachel is another remarkable character, whose troubled soul throughout the series as she struggles with what is the right course of action, and the inevitable ‘what if’s’ after her decision has been made, make for a psychologist’s field day. Her damaged psyche makes for one of the most interesting characters in a Military Sci-Fi series in which she is not a Soldier and barely uses a weapon during the entire series.
One of the other really extraordinary characters is Jeremiah, Rachel’s brother, who is a raving zealot at the start, willing to do anything in the name of his ‘faith’, and yet, after coming face to face with one of his ‘Angels’ and realising how wrong his people have been, finds his entire belief system shattered. Rather than shattering with it though, life most people would, he seems to find redemption from the Angel, and strength from his Sister, becoming another person entirely towards the end of the series (albeit still a zealot type personality).
Although I could spend days discussing characters, the only other mention I would make is Phoebe. Phoebe was not only my favourite character in this series, but has to be one of my favourite characters in any series I have ever read (Yes I know big call) Just the attitude on her, her constant will to live and fight, the whiplash sarcasm that reminds me so much of my own mouth that gets her into trouble as much as it does me (maybe that’s why I can relate to her so much!!), but there were so many wonderful lines, and great points that the character had. Throughout all of it, she still had a heart for her friends, family and Knight, making her human, and whilst she had the attitude, she wasn’t afraid to show her affection for those she cared about.
The character work in this series is some of the best work I have seen in a series, and it allowed for such superior story telling.
On top of this was a wonderfully creative and exceptional storyline that was truly impressive. The world building was outstanding, so in-depth, so much detail, from the background of the Mizraim, to the Sentinels, and all the history of the Angels, there was just so much information. And the storyline continues to be brilliant even into book 5, just when you think that it might have reached something, there is another piece of the puzzle, and you understand why something happened earlier. It was incredibly well written.
This is an amazing series, and a must read for any fan of Sci-Fi, regardless of the genre, but anyone who loves a good thriller will love this to. This series is just something special.
Leslie Howard has the perfect voice for Rachel Jordan, with an intelligent, soft spoken voice, that is also able to be commanding and quite powerful at times, Howard portrays the main character perfectly.
Even with this beautiful and soft spoken voice, she is however, able to create these incredibly powerful Male and Masculine voices for the other major characters.
Howard’s Narration is outstanding, totally mesmerising, you will find yourself getting totally absorbed into the story, and suddenly realising you have lost several hours listening to this truly amazing story being told by this brilliant Narrator. She speaks with such a clear and concise voice as well, so she is very easy to understand, and creates a wonderful array of voices, such that you can easily determine each of the characters from their vocal tones, without them having to be identified. She portrays such power and passion in their voices, really conveying important parts of the story, making it not just a reading of the story, but a full ‘telling’ of the story.
This is one of those series, where it is so much better to actually listen to the books, rather than read them.
Outstanding Narration for an Exceptional Series.

Not Morin's best, but still good

If you have become a fan of Morin's wonderful and funny characters, then this will be a let down. The characters take longer to get to know and only one main character breaks the stress of the drama with a lot of humor. I love listening to the Black Ocean books, so I was expecting something similar. It is similar, but lacks much of the humor that I have come to love so quickly.
This is still completely worth the read and I'm glad I bought the series.

Great world building, medium everything else.

There are a lot of interesting bits, but a lot of the plot gets bogged down in repetitive melodrama, especially for the first half.

So much promise

Leslie Howard did a wonderful job, along with parts of the story I loved, she kept me listening, at times against my will. I don't mind flawed or awful characters. I don't mind plot holes. I mind when we are told they are not and I disagree. I mind when cruel behavior and concepts are deemed acceptable, normal, or admirable.

There was a lot of thought put into the heart of this story. The authors did a fantastic job. I'm glad I stumbled accross the audiobook. I'd like to buy the physical books and make an abridged version, like I did with The Notebook. How angel of me. It would be one of my favorite books though.

didn't love it, but has potential

I had a hard time getting into this book. and I'm not exactly sure why. I thought it first thought it might have been the narrator, but I think instead it's the way the plot is delivered. not a bad book, just not for me

This is a solid 4/5 read

Darker, and grittier than other JS Morin's works, but a solid series with more than a few funny spots. Warning: Sex, violence, and gore