The Angel Theory


Fiction - Science Fiction
369 Pages
Reviewed on 01/12/2023
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

John Morelli served as a Municipal Court Judge for twenty years and as a trial attorney for 40 years. He has authored The History of the Municipal Courts which appeared in New Jersey Lawyer magazine as well as articles on Lincoln the Lawyer and book chapter in the New Jersey Municipal Court Practice Manual. The Angel Theory is his third novel.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Maria Victoria Beltran for Readers' Favorite

The Angel Theory by John Morelli is about Bill Arena, a man disgusted with and depressed by the law. Now aged 55, he is in the middle of a crisis in his career, marriage, and supporting his children. An old friend from his high school, now a genius physicist, asks Bill for help. Peter Swanteck has made time travel possible, but using it might have unwanted consequences for the world. Peter convinces Bill to help him, and eventually, the control of the project is passed to Bill. With the time machine under his command, he opens Pandora’s box of chaos that slowly destroys his life and everyone around him. Bill Arena has to make a hard choice - destroy the machine before it can be used as a weapon or allow himself to be consumed by self-interest.

John Morelli’s The Angel Theory is an interesting, exciting, and well-written novel that hooks you from the start. While the narrative is partly science fiction with the element of time travel, Morelli grounds his narrative through its main protagonist - Bill Arena. Morelli zooms in on the vividly detailed world of Bill as he goes through various twists and turns that challenge his morals. His focus on characters rather than the quirks of time travel allows Morelli’s novel to expand organically. Through Bill, we realize that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction and probably more complex than we think. This allowed me to engage in a what-if conversation with myself, giving me a better understanding of Morelli’s writing style. This is a cleverly written work that is a must-read for fans of science fiction and thriller narratives.

Scott Cahan

The Angel Theory by John Morelli is a time travel story that focuses more on the consequences of going back in time than on the actual process. The plot revolves around the main character named Bill. He had an old friend who has invented the world’s first time travel machine. Although Bill is initially wary of getting involved with such a machine, he eventually gets so immersed that his life changes in drastic ways. The tale delves deeply into the time-altered events in Bill’s life and how they affect him, his family, and many others. This isn’t so much a repetition of the butterfly effect that most time travel books focus on. It's more about how the power that comes from being able to go back in time is irresistible and will have a far-reaching impact on anyone who chooses to use the time machine.

The Angel Theory by John Morelli is a well-thought-out, well-written chronology of one man’s experiences with time travel. The author’s attention to detail concerning finances, security, and legal matters is quite impressive at times. The book also does a good job of describing Bill’s complex relationships with his wife and adult kids. The science used in describing the time travel machine and its development is also well presented and is just detailed enough to make it all sound plausible. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading an intelligent, exciting tale about time travel and its effects on the time traveler. Overall, this is a great story.

Keith Mbuya

When Bill Arena, an attorney in New Jersey, accepts an invitation from his high school friend Peter Swanteck, a physicist in California, he does not know what is involved. Peter, a professor at CalTech, was secretly working on a research project involving time travel. While he had made enormous breakthroughs in his research, no one else knew about the project except his research assistant. Peter shares his research with Bill. However, before deciding what to do, Peter and his research aide die suddenly. Before Bill can process this, he finds himself the beneficiary of billions of dollars, an inheritance in the form of a trust. Bill’s marriage had been close to hitting rock bottom, and his children had difficulties building their careers. Will his suddenly acquired fortune improve things for his family? He also faces a tough choice: destroy a working time machine, or share it with the world. What will he do? Find out in John Morelli’s The Angel Theory.

John Morelli’s engrossing The Angel Theory is a must-read steeped in legal battles, deception, blackmail, loyalty, secrets, family, relationships, Hollywood life, and so much more. Morelli’s use of the first-person perspective made the reading experience real as he drew me into a magnificent world of creativity. He deftly captures the mood and setting of the scenes with vivid depictions. His prose had me at its mercy, continually mounting suspense as I tried to guess what would come next in the story. He narrates with a remarkable depth of sentiment, allowing me to experience the emotions of the wonderfully developed characters. Morelli brilliantly portrays characters, making them easy to connect with and comprehend their choices. The Angel Theory is a great read and I loved it.