ROGUE ANGEL: PROVENANCE by Alex Archer

SYNOPSIS:  Trouble seems to find archaelogist Annja Creed.  A relic is being sought after by various factions, each believing it has mystical powers.  Annja's skills are in demand as several different groups want her to recover the relic for them.  Just who does have PROVENANCE of this relic?  What paths will Annja's search lead her on in her latest quest?

MY THOUGHTS:  PROVENANCE is a book that offers a mixed bag of reactions.  On one hand, it is a fascinating, action packed journey in which Annja is left questioning how appearances and extremism can cause such division.  Alex Archer writes a tale that is chock full of adventure with nary a dull moment.  In fact, it's hard to stop turning the pages as the reader wants to know exactly what and who will end up with the relic.  The mysteries that unravel sometimes leave more question than answers.  In fact, it is the journey itself that is the real heart of the matter in this tale.

Annja Creed is a character I've grown to love over the course of the Rogue Angel series.  PROVENANCE is an intriguing story in itself, but the characterization of Annja was a bit disconcerting.  Annja has always been a bit of a feminist heroine but in PROVENANCE she seemed almost a caricature of herself.  The focus seemed to be more on her appearance, her emotions, almost a more girly approach rather than the strong heroine of the past books.  Several scenes seemed to be geared more to a male audience.  Annja was not the only character who seemed to be a stereotype but hers was the most distressing as she is a heroine that readers have grown to expect more from.

Politics, both international and domestic, play a repeated role in PROVENANCE.  The author obviously wants to make some points but there were times when the comments jolted me out of the story. The comments weren't historical but only focused on current day events and since Annja usually focuses on both, it came across as a rant rather than anything else. It's not a question as to whether one agrees or disagrees with the comments as political commentary in fiction is common and have an incredible impact when well done.  Instead, it was that the comments didn't always seem consistent with the character of Annja as she has grown throughout the series and the fact that the author had to repeatedly insert details in places where they didn't flow smoothly.

Readers first entering the Rogue Angel series will probably appreciate PROVENANCE.  However, those who have been reading this continuity series may find themselves a bit surprised by the discrepancies in Annja's character.  Overall, PROVENANCE is a difficult book to rate as the fast paced action makes it a thrilling read.  Unfortunately, my disappointment in how Annja was treated as a character made this one an average rather than the brilliant read it could have been.

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