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

Angelology

I enjoyed to this book after I got used to the narrator's voice. The beginning was a little slow and sometimes complexed facts. But the story line was interesting and made you think about how true this could be. The individuals in the story are strong and draw you into the unusal world that ingulfs you. I hope that this is not the only book in regards to Angelology.

2/3 good, 1/3 Meh!

I struggled with the first third of this one. Then it got a bit interesting and continued to get better as time went on. I agree with another person that said,"Could have used a bit of editing." The ending left a little to be desired until I realized that it was the first of a reported trilogy. I am kind of looking forward to hearing the next book in the series. Characters where "OK" but the new mythology was very interesting.

A Guilty Pleasure

The most difficult thing about writing a book about angels is doing something different that separates you from the crowd. In this case, the "something different" is simply keeping them in context instead of sparkling them up and making them all cutesy for modern audiences like their vampire or mermaid counterparts. The angels and their nephalim spawn are given to the audience wrapped in a sense of both wonder and terror. Suffice to say, I approve.

Trussoni's story is told largely in terms of discovering secrets, unveiling them not just a little at a time, but in large swaths that serve to drive the story forward and propel the sense of mystery. The best way I can describe it is this: imagine if Dan Brown's storytelling and depth of character actually rose to the level of his punchy prose style. I pick on Brown mercilessly for just that reason, but I still like the style he tries to tell. Trussoni succeeds for the most part in keeping the pages turning, though she doesn't use a breakneck speed to do it. The quality of her prose is thoughtful and unrelentingly beautiful at times, reminding me quite a bit of Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian. The styles are similar at times, but not... if that makes sense. Trussoni's depth of character is nothing less than impressive. You get to know the main characters very well, and even those secondary and tertiary characters become a rich part of the tapestry that is weaved here. For a debut novel, it's convinced me she's one to watch. If they could keep the prose of the narration, this would make a fantastic movie (and yes, the book will still be better).

I read this in hardback first a while back, not really expecting much (it is angel fiction, after all), and I had a lot of fun with it. It was a guilty pleasure when I picked it up because I do actually enjoy angelology as a subject matter. At the time I finished it, a little thing about the endgame bugged me, but I let it go because it ultimately served the story. And what a story it was! The second time through via Audible, same thing, but I was having too much fun to care. The audiobook serves to make that endgame more urgent, whereas the book almost encourages you to take your time with it. Funny how that works. I won't spell it out as it is spoilerific, and hopefully you won't be asking "what if" questions when you get there.

The question I will ask that's only a minor spoiler to the backstory is this: if a nephalim survived the flood by disguising himself as Noah's son, wouldn't God and the Archangels have noticed this? Admittedly by asking this, it reveals a whole house of cards that should rightfully come crashing down, but again, it serves the story, so I just let it go. I'm glad I did. And theologically you can having fun explaining it from a Gnostic POV even if you can't explain it from a Catholic or Protestant POV. I love novels that make me chew on the big questions and see things from a completely different perspective.

Susan Denaker is absolutely amazing. Not only does she give different voices to the various characters, she brings a full-scale performance from beginning to end. Her accents are enough to sell it without being over the top, and the personalities she brings to the characters... well, she clearly had a lot of fun with this despite (or perhaps because of?) the seriousness of the tale. This is my first book with her narrating, and I look forward to seeing if she's just as enthusiastic with her other deliveries.

Very enjoyable

Although there were some aspects of the narration that were flawed, I found the reading acceptable and at times captivating. The story was an exciting mystery of the Dan Brown type, giving the impression of scholarship. Although complicated, it was fairly easy to stay with and hard to put down. Moreover, the characters were developed fairly well and memorable. In all I had a good deal of fun reading it. I have read some of the ancient texts referenced in the story in their original languages, which probably provided greater interest for me in these areas than for others unfamiliar with historical references to Nephilim and ancient beliefs about angels. The story, however, was not reliably faithful to the ancient references, but provided enough scholarship to pretend. I did enjoy the book and recommend it.

Can't wait for the next one

Other stories have constructed fictions around the notion that fallen angels walk among us today, but this book is a little different in that it creates a science of angelology through which modern detectives work to discover the fallen angels plans for mankind. My only real criticism is that sometimes it seems a little overly detailed in its descriptions of this science. But I was hooked early on, and am looking forward to the next installment. I also think it would make a good movie.

Both Intelectual and Dramatic

Angelology is fascinating and captures my attention from the very first sentence. The book is well written and well read. It moves along to a really imagination stimulating conclusion. I hope Danielle writes a sequel to this most artistic and interesting novel. I will be the first in line to buy it. I am nearly seventy Y/O (eye sight)so I am so greatful that this book is in Audibles library.

Excellent

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. Looking forward to reading the next book in series.

slow start

Once it gets started it's a wonderfully woven tail of love and betrayal. A good book.

Good yarn

Unlike the prior reviewers, I really enjoyed this book. It is very much in the same vein as Angels and Demons. Good plot, nice action, and very interesting premise (angels on earth). It has a nice romantic sub-story as well. I enjoyed the author's casual allusions to Milton's Paradise Lost, as well as various mythological tales and the old and new testaments. The narrator nicely made it clear who was speaking, and did a good job. The only minor quibble I had with the book is that the conclusion had a few loose ends - enough for a sequel, likely.

You will enjoy it!

This is a good book. The narrator does an excellent job in defining her characters. The only critique would be the author's choice of name of Evangeline. I thought the narrator was saying "If Angeline" and couldn't make sense of the sentence . Silly, but true. As for the critique on Renault, dictionary.com has both pronunciations. (See http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/renault)