Of Love and Evil

The Songs of the Seraphim, Book Two

By: Anne Rice

Narrated by: Paul Michael

The second book in nationally bestselling Songs of the Seraphim series is a gripping metaphysical thriller in which angels partner up with assassins, from the author of Interview with the Vampire.

Barely recovered from his previous divine mission, former contract killer Toby O'Dare is once again summoned by the angel Malchiah to investigate the poisoning of a prominent nobleman and stop the haunting of a diabolical dybbuk. Together, they travel back to fifteenth-century Italy—the age of Michelangelo, the Holy Inquisition, and Pope Leo X—and this time Malchiah has Toby pose as a lute player sent to charm and calm this troublesome spirit. But Toby soon discovers that he is in the midst of plots and counterplots, surrounded on all sides by increasingly dangerous threats as the veil of ecclesiastical terror closes in around him.

Critic reviews

"Ghosts and angels aside, Of Love and Evil transcends the metaphysical thriller label through its grounding in historical fact...[Toby’s] sense of wonder proves infectious for the reader as well...[Rice] not only explores a battle against evil, but asks what it means to be evil and who gets to define it. Above all, Of Love and Evil is simply good entertainment."
—Carmela Ciuraru, The Boston Globe

"Rice tells a good story, nicely balancing the profound and the profane."
—Judith Chettle, Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Rice knows how to tell a story, and this one’s a lot of fun. . . Rice’s knock-your-socks-off cliffhanger ending leaves no doubt that this series has wings."

—People magazine (3½ stars out of 4)

"Rice is remarkable in her ability to breathe life into another place, another time."
—The Associated Press

"Present, as always, is the author’s ability to craft dreamlike prose to lull readers into believing every heavenly scenario she puts forth without a whiff of disbelief."
—Andrea Hoag, The Denver Post

“A bullet of a book—and an absolute bull’s eye.”

—Kirkus (starred)


“Readers who enjoy Rice’s larger-than-life tales and elegant writing will find much to appreciate here, and the cliff-hanger ending will leave fans eager for the next installment.”

—Kristine Huntley, Booklist

Wow!! Bravo!!!

Wow!!
Bravo!!!
This one tops the first in Rice’s new Angel series. I can’t wait for more!!!

Not My Favorite

The story is good. I’m a huge AR fan but this isn’t my favorite series. Glad I listened-but would I listen to it again? No

Definitely disappointing.

What did you like best about Of Love and Evil? What did you like least?

I loved the period Toby was sent to. The references to Michaelangelo, and Rafael was great. Unfortunately, the reason why he was sent was so uninspiring it was boring. Toby was a great assassin, and very little of his skills were used in this mission.

What was most disappointing about Anne Rice’s story?

I wanted to see more of Toby's skill as an assassin in this story. All he did was reconize a flower, and accuse the brother of murder.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Toby was first sent to Italy. Anne Rice really knows how to put you in the environment.

Could you see Of Love and Evil being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Nope.

Amazing over all

Loved this one. It was so well done. Wish Anne Rice could have wrote another. This was such a uplifting story with a great message.
Thank you Anne Rice

Thi is a new genre for Anne Rice

An interesting story line as are all Anne Rice stories. All of her main characters are flawed but this one is a human and not a supernatural.