Visitants edited by Stephen Jones – review

Visitants isn’t the first anthology to feature the theme of angels; there was an anthology edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois entitled Angels! which was published in 1995. For all of its diversity, the fantasy genre seems, for some reason, to be a bit leery of angels as subject matter.  To the best of my knowledge, Visitants is the first anthology to be primarily geared to the darker aspects of the angelic realm; indeed, most of these stories seem to steer towards the darker, more terrifying aspects of these supernatural beings, rather than the fluffier, happier side of the spectrum.

Many of these stories were printed before this book was published, so some of them, particularly Neil Gaiman’s “Murder Mysteries” might be quite familiar to readers already.  In fact, I am priviliged to own the lovely, hardcover printing of the graphic novel adaptation drawn by  P. Craig Russell.  Don’t be alarmed, though, if you’re worried about ending up with a collection of stories that you’ve already gotten through other means, because the authors are far-flung enough that it would be very, very difficult to assmeble this collection of stories on your own.

The big question is, though, is there enough mythology and differing theology to allow for something interesting to materialize in a story?  The answer, very happily, is yes. These authors all treat the subject of angels very respectfully, even as they create their own unique take on the concept; there is clearly a high regard for the idea that angels are a part of human mythology, and, while they can be written convincingly in any number of ways in any kind of cosmos, they should be taken, if not seriously, than at least carefully.

The most traditional angels in the entire book are, oddly enough, from Neil Gaiman.  “Murder Mysteries” is the story of a crime that takes place in heaven.  Each angel has a specific purpose, even if they don’t have free will. Raguel was created to be the vengeance of the Lord, and when the story opens, he has done nothing but wait to serve his purpose.  When the body of an angel is found, it is finally time for Raguel to fulfill his destiny.  The framework of the story is a story within a story, but it never gets sidetracked or confusing, the way those kinds of stories sometimes do, and even though I remembered how the story was supposed to end, it was still well worth reading again.

“An Infestation of Angels” by Jane Yolen takes a far different approach from the popular view of angels.  Rather than beautiful, ethereal beings full of light, they’re actually terrifying, filthy, and predatory.  This story is set in Egypt and involves a group of workers, who are, essentially, slaves, who manage to outsmart the angels in order to win some concessions for themselves from the Pharoah.

Ian R. MacLeod contributed “The Second Journey of the Magus,” about the wise man, Balthazar, who brought myrrh to the birth of Christ.  This story takes place towards the end of Balthazar’s life, in a radically different vision of what might have happened had Jesus chosen to fight.  Balthazar makes a second pilgramage to Nazareth to see what has been happening since that momentous birth and ends up discovering more than he thought he would.

“Being Right” by Michael Marshall Smith is possibly one of the most heartbreaking stories about real love and marriage that I have ever read.  It’s also surprisingly beautiful.  A man goes on vacation with his wife.  She is very outgoing, and he is very quiet.  They have a disagreement, and he ends up going to a used bookstore, where he finds a book that contains a ritual to summon the Listening Angel, a spirit that will prove whether or not you are right.  Of course, he summons the angel and listens to the truth about his marriage, which isn’t necessarily as harsh as he expects, though he is forced to listen to some very difficult truths.

One of the most interestingly unique takes on angels comes from Robert Silverberg, in his story “Basileus.”  A computer programmer named Cunningham begins creating AI simulations of angels as a hobby after he works.  He sits with reference works and programs in several angels every night.  He also spends time talking to the angels in the evening.  Part of the programming involves assigning each angel its specific duties.  As he works, he loses interest in social contacts and his ordinary life.  Things change drastically when he begins programming in the angel Basileus.

There are other noteworthy authors with pieces in this anthology:  Jay Lake, Ramsey Campbell, and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro all have short stories included in the book.  The disparate artistic visions of angels are as unique as the authors writing them, but they are consistently quite good, and they all fit together in a very coherent collection.

I wouldn’t recommend this book for young adults, necessarily.  There are violent, disagreeable, and adult themes throughout this book, so it’s probably best avoided by the squeamish or easily put off.  Likewise, if toying with religious doctrines and the assumptions made because of them disturbs you, I would advise to you search elsewhere for reading material.  These stories can be quite disturbing, even while they range through funny, exciting, haunting, and heart-rending.

Visitants is one of those collections that will stick with you for years to come after you’ve read it.  It’s unusual, largely because of its subject matter (which I still feel is vastly underused in the realm of fantasy, even if I can kind of understand why authors might feel reluctant to use angels in any capacity as fodder for fiction), but it also contains stories of very high caliber.  I think, this has the potential to be one of those anthologies that people will continue to seek out for years to come and will garner slightly hushed murmurs of envy, in later years, when friends discover that you, in fact, have a lovingly preserved first edition.

If you don’t mind reading horror stories about angels–and bear in mind that many of these stories are very solidly horror stories rather than flirting with the boundaries of dark fantasy–then this is definitely an anthology that you should endeavor to own. Stephen Jones has done a very good job pulling these stories together into a collection for readers to enjoy.