In doing so, she creates an intriguing universe which the reader definitely wants to see more of. Fenn does a good job of filling us in on this backstory by seeding the information into the text naturally, not relying on info-dumps. Humanity broke free of their control and apparently destroyed them but, as the title of the series indicates, this may not be the case. Fenn does an effective job of distinguishing and motivating these individuals, although the focus is firmly on the two main characters (who alternate POV chapters for much of the novel).Ī thousand years before the events of the novel, mankind was ruled by an alien species, the Sidhe. Other major characters include the Minister himself, the Angel Nual and detective/info-broker Meraint. Elarn is a more civilised character, out to do the right thing but trapped in a situation not of her own making, one which could have severe repercussions for the entire human race. Taro lives in an underworld of crime and exploitation, but is idealistic, which leads him into becoming an agent for the Minister, the city's enigmatic ruler.

Principles of Angels, the debut novel by Jaine Fenn and the first in her loosely-linked Hidden Empire sequence, is a far-future SF novel centred on two contrasting protagonists: Taro, a male prostitute trying to avenge his murdered aunt, and Elarn, a high-class singer who has been blackmailed into travelling to the city to commit a heinous crime. When an Angel is brutally murdered, it falls to her nephew, Taro, to learn the reasons why.

The city is a democracy by assassination, where unpopular politicians can be removed by official killers known as Angels.

It is a city of contrasts, with the rich and powerful living on the luxurious surface and the poor and downtrodden forced to live in the Undertow. It features interlinked stories set in the universe of her Hidden Empire series.Khesh City floats above the uninhabitable surface of the planet Vellern. In 2012, Fenn published the short story collection Downside Girls. The third book, Guardians of Paradise (2010) brings together threads from the first two and the fourth and fifth, Bringer of Light (2011) and Queen of Nowhere (2013) take the story in a new direction. Her second novel, Consorts of Heaven, published in June 2009, mixed elements of fantasy with science fiction and was not a direct sequel. Her debut novel, Principles of Angels was published in June 2008 (United Kingdom) and is the first of the Hidden Empire series. Fenn has had several short stories published in various magazines and anthologies.

Principles of Angels by Jaine Fenn