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The Angel Within
by Kracken

The Angel Within is the published work of author Della Boynton, which was released under her pseudonym of “Kracken”. Kracken has been a long-time, not to mention well known, member of the fan fiction¹ community and has contributed a number of stories to multiple subjects. The majority of which fall under the Yaoi² and Angst genres.

Kracken’s The Angel Within tells the story of Sunnie of Truheart clan, a native of the planet Geranto, and a boy who just isn’t able to conform to the expectations of his community. From conception to adulthood, Sunnie remains different and apart from his fellows. Sunnie was born into his family at a time when the majority of his siblings were already considered young adults by the community’s standard or already had families of their own. Because society viewed sex as a necessary sin only undertaken to sire children, Sunnie’s father found himself having to explain exactly why he felt the need to have yet another child so late in his life to the strict and hard-nosed priests. This marked the first of many times that Sunnie did not meet the standards of his strict and highly religious community.

Sunnie, despite his best efforts, completely fails to be stoic and pious like his dark skinned and haired brothers. Instead this bright-eyed, blond haired youth always has a smile on his face and never fails to lighten the moods of those around him. In this austere society, where a religion that is comprised of the more extreme aspects of modern-day religions, such as Type IV FGM,³ Sunnie’s inability to smother the “angel within” him brings him nothing but pain, misery, and ultimately leads to his banishment.

Kracken does do a rather good job of allowing Sunnie’s actions, and the happenings around him, to describe and add depth to his character rather than implicitly dictating the character’s actions and thoughts. Likewise, the antagonist Scott Rohan, whose cunning and duplicity is abhorrent, is handled in the same manner. Sadly though, the main love interest of the story, Rhani Jhai, is handled in a much less skillful way which results in a rather flat and unbelievable hero.

A rather common trait of fan fiction writers is the assumption that all readers of the works are fans who are very well-versed in the subject’s canonical universe. As a result, fan fiction writers may not delve too deeply into character design, the mechanics of the setting and universe, or any other factors which may be perceived as a “given”. This is not to say that fan fiction writers are inept or lacking; in fact one has to agree that, in these instances, to do otherwise may very well border on the redundant. With regards to original fiction however, these are very important elements that simply cannot be ignored or skimmed over.

Kracken’s style of writing in this novel leans more towards a fan fiction-based style of writing. The Angel Within is the only source of a reader’s knowledge of the world (or rather worlds) that Sunnie and the others reside in. Readers do not have prior knowledge of the technology used, the characters and their background, or the political and governmental structures. While Kracken does take the time to explain most aspects, there still remain a number of times where no explanation is given and readers are left fumbling to picture just how it fits and looks in their heads. The most prominent example of this is Dr. Rhani Jhai.

Jhai plays a pivotal role in the story, as he is the source of the protagonist’s rescue and salvation, and yet very little depth is given to the character. Indeed, as a reader, I had an easier time connecting and understanding the natives of the planet Kevare, who are introduced towards the end of chapter eighteen, and make brief appearances in chapters twenty-one and twenty-two. A handful of pages were used to introduce Raul Aganaren and Aranit Tyreya Kri, of which only Kri makes a second and third appearance, and yet I found myself connecting with and understanding these two characters in a way that was simply not possible with Jhai’s character. Ironically enough, despite my understanding and sympathizing with these characters, they provide yet another example where the author took the reader’s ability to understand the inner machinations of the author’s universe for granted.

When the Kevarians are first introduced Sunnie comments on their appearances and notes that five veiled Kevarian council members are present. Readers are informed through Sunnie’s recollections that the purpose of the veils is to give the council members anonymity so that they may remain impartial. In the same mental-breath however Sunnie refers to Aganaren as the Chi’ n’Chi of the High Chi Family and Kri as Soldier of Kri. These are clearly titles of some importance since, after the initial introduction, Aganaren is only referred to as “the Chi’ n’Chi” and yet no detail or explanation of these titles and their importance is given. In fact, with the exception of the council, the Kevarian’s ruling structure is completely unknown. Because the Kevarians help provide a pivotal turning point one would expect a little more attention to be given to them. In the end, the Kevarian subplot is shunted to the side and wrapped up far too quickly. Blink and you’ll miss it.

Another aspect I found disappointing was the rushed and subsequently unbelievable romance between Sunnie and Jhai. Sunnie is a horribly confused man-child from a backwards planet who has been uprooted from his home after having been banished for committing sins he didn’t commit by a man who sees Sunnie and something to dominate and own. The knowledge of the worlds he possesses, the new confidence he has in himself, and security of loving relationship have all been given to him by the very man who stole him away from his previous home, Scott Rohan. It’s easy to see that Rohan is Sunnie’s everything. He rescued him from a home that wasn’t a home, he gave him everything he has, and loves him. When this loving relationship falls apart and turns into an abusive one it is easy to understand how Sunnie wouldn’t be able to leave. In fact, given his upbringing and insecurities, it makes a great deal of sense that leaving would make no sense at all in Sunnie’s mind because he “deserves” it and it is all he knows. This is seen every day in abusive relationships.

Despite this, Jhai manages to convince Sunnie to not only leave Rohan but attempt to turn him in to authorities and he does this all in one conversation. It should also be noted that at this point of time Sunnie has had very limited contact with Jhai – they are little more than acquaintances. On top of this, Sunnie and Jhai’s relationship develops into a sexual one with a budding romance and it occurs within a very short time frame to boot. I have a very hard time believing that anyone who has been sexually, mentally, and physically abused over a lengthy time can not only leave their abuser but also enter into a healthy romantic relationship in the span of a few weeks. It just doesn’t fly. At this point any credibility the characters had is completely shot.

The story is not all bad however, The Angel Within does boast an interesting and intriguing premise while subtly raising questions and challenging aspects of society and religion as a whole. The first half of the book also has a steady build up that slowly but surely grasps the reader and keeps them turning pages. However the flatness of prominent characters, the confusing and oft unexplained aspects of the world that the characters move in, and the hurried romance and healing of Sunnie and Jhai will leave readers feeling as though they missed several somethings and incapable of truly connecting with the story. Frankly, the most captivating part of the story revolved around Sunnie’s time on his home planet and initial life with Rohan, and the Kevarians. Loved the Kevarians.

Joana’s Rating: (2 out of 5 stars)

1. Fan fiction (alternately referred to as fanfiction, fanfic, FF, or fic) is a broadly-defined term used to describe stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator. Works of fan fiction are rarely commissioned or authorized by the original work’s owner, creator, or publisher; also, they are almost never professionally published. Fan fiction, therefore, is defined by being both related to its subject’s canonical fictional universe and simultaneously existing outside the canon of that universe. Most fan fiction writers assume that their work is read primarily by other fans, and therefore tend to presume that their readers have knowledge of the canon universe (created by a professional writer) in which their works are based. -Wikipedia [↩]
2. Yaoi is a popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by female authors. Originally referring to a specific type of doujinshi (self-published works) parody of mainstream anime and manga works, yaoi came to be used as a generic term for female-oriented manga, anime, dating sims, novels and d?jinshi featuring idealized homosexual male relationships. -Wikipedia It should also be noted that not all manga and novels are billed as “Yaoi”. The term “Yaoi” is beginning to become a catch-all phrase for stories that revolve around homoerotic and homoromantic fiction. However, traditionalists do still make the distinction that “Yaoi” references material that revolves around fiction that focuses on the erotic content while “Boys Love” (also known as “Shounen-ai”) contains works that give more focus on the relationship of the characters that may contain little to no erotic content. [↩]
3. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is defined by the World Health Organization as: all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural, religious or other non-therapeutic reasons. -Wikipedia [↩]