Angelology

A Novel

By: Danielle Trussoni

Narrated by: Susan Denaker

Length: 21 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

A thrilling epic about an ancient clash reignited in our time - between a hidden society and heaven's darkest creatures.

"There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them." - Genesis 6:5

Sister Evangeline was just a girl when her father entrusted her to the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in upstate New York. Now, at 23, her discovery of a 1943 letter from the famous philanthropist Abigail Rockefeller to the late mother superior of Saint Rose Convent plunges Evangeline into a secret history that stretches back a thousand years: an ancient conflict between the Society of Angelologists and the monstrously beautiful descendants of angels and humans, the Nephilim.

For the secrets these letters guard are desperately coveted by the once-powerful Nephilim, who aim to perpetuate war, subvert the good in humanity, and dominate mankind. Generations of angelologists have devoted their lives to stopping them, and their shared mission, which Evangeline has long been destined to join, reaches from her bucolic abbey on the Hudson to the apex of insular wealth in New York, to the Montparnasse cemetery in Paris and the mountains of Bulgaria.

Rich in history, full of mesmerizing characters, and wondrously conceived, Angelology blends biblical lore, the myth of Orpheus, and the Miltonic visions of Paradise Lost into a riveting tale of ordinary people engaged in a battle that will determine the fate of the world.

©2010 Danielle Trussoni (P)2010 Penguin

Incredible book and superb narrator!!

I have listened to this book at least ten times and it NEVER gets old. The plot is incredible and no matter how many times I listen I find new details. Definitely 10 out of 10!!!

Annoying narrator and way too much exposition.

If you're a Dan Brown fan, you'll probably like this book. If you're not, you probably won't.

I found the narrator distracting and a bit precious. Her repeated mispronunciation of "Renault" is like fingernails on a chalkboard - especially since one of the characters is a nun who speaks French and the narrator manages to read her French dialogue with a passable accent.

Speaking of dialogue -- the author gets a bit carried away with exposition. When she has a very old nun describe Mrs. Rockefeller's pearls "nestled in her grizzled neck, buttery orbs glinting in the dim light" My first thought was "Huh? Grizzled? Gristled?" Did the woman have a gray streaked beard or did the author mean "gristly" like a piece of tough meat? My second was, "Buttery orbs? Who talks like that?"

This isn't literature, but it would probably be a good beach read - buy the book and supply your own narration. And please, it's "Reh-no", pas "Ruh-nalt".

Loved this Book!!

i absolutely loved this book!!!!!

i am a avid listener to audio books and most reviews i read are about the narrator. i think you should spend more time listening to the book than the person speaking the words!!!

i would deifinately recommend this one!

Very Pleasant Divine Suprise

I debated getting this book for at least a month, due to the negative reviews, and the low star rating. But I was intrigued by the premise for the book. I AM SO GLAD THAT I DOWNLOADED IT. I loved this book, the plot, the characters. I hope the sequel comes soon. This would be a great series to replace the endless Vampire based books. A Saga of Angels on earth, count me in. I have to apologize to the narator, I ripped her for the naration of The Eight by Kathrine Nevile....She completly redeems herself with this naration.

Slow but worth it

Angelology is a great combination of biblical and mythical lore with deep, rich characte development. Though slow at times, it's engrossing.If you like Dan Brown's books, you'll love this!

Rich, smart, and utterly entertaining.

I'd read the book some time ago and recently decided to pick it up again, but this time as an audiobook. It was as masterful as the first time I read it. And now I can dive straight into the sequel.

What?

Greek mythology and Biblical fiction...pretty fun and entertaining. I read somewhere "Angelology is Da Vinci Code meets Raiders of the Lost Ark." Thought that was a good description.

promising but not quite there yet

I will begin with what I liked. First, the narrator was excellent. She made the characters come alive and each character voice was distinct and consistent. The second half of the book had a good deal of action and plot twists that kept you listening. The basic concept of the Nephelim is intriguing. I enjoyed the imaginative world of the story. The central human characters are engaging.

As to the negatives, I agree with many of the points raised in other reviews and will not repeat them here. However, the greatest weakness of the book is the handling of the Nephelim. They are cardboard characters who act like psychopaths. An entire species of psychopaths could not survive, especially when their main defense is bluster, smoke and mirrors. There is no real complexity to any of the Nephelim characters, even Percy and his sister, who offer some hint of depth, act like confused adolescents and never develop beyond caricatures. It is frustrating.

The author would have benefited from a tough editor who told her that she had a good idea and plenty of talent but that the story needs more work before it is ready for publication. The story is set up at the end for a sequel. I like the basic idea of the story and if the author does a sequel I will probably give it a read/listen in the hope the author addresses the weaknesses of this promising but ultimately disappointing first effort.

Great Idea but Unravels

I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to others. It starts off very well - love that there is a perspective from a nun! That's something fresh and new. However, as the story goes on it begins to unravel a bit and becomes a little anti-climatic by the end. It loses a bit of steam. However, Susan Denaker does a great job bringing all the characters to life with her voice. I wonder if there will be a sequel.

Thankful for Audible

I bought this book on the sale rack at a major bookstore. I was having a difficult time reading the book, getting bogged down in terms I did not know or could not pronounce. I bought the audible version to read along with the book and the words came alive on the page. I loved this one so much I bought the next in the series right away. I wholly recommend it.