Angel Down

By: Daniel Kraus

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

“A thunderous gallop of a war novel, a new classic, a best-in-class example of speculative fiction.” —The New York Times Book Review

The critically acclaimed author of the “crazily enjoyable” (The New York Times) Whalefall returns with an immersive, cinematic novel about five World War I soldiers who stumble upon a fallen angel that could hold the key to ending the war.

Private Cyril Bagger has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of the Great War through his wits and deception, swindling fellow soldiers at every opportunity. But his survival instincts are put to the ultimate test when he and four other grunts are given a deadly mission: venture into the perilous No Man’s Land to euthanize a wounded comrade.

What they find amid the ruined battlefield, however, is not a man in need of mercy but a fallen angel, seemingly struck down by artillery fire. This celestial being may hold the key to ending the brutal conflict, but only if the soldiers can suppress their individual desires and work together. As jealousy, greed, and paranoia take hold, the group is torn apart by their inner demons, threatening to turn their angelic encounter into a descent into hell.

Angel Down plunges you into the heart of World War I and weaves a polyphonic tale of survival, supernatural wonder, and moral conflict.

Confusing

Liked the initial concept. But the story is overwritten. Far too many adjectives that don’t add to plot.

Sticks With You

Unique in a way that will separate the audience. If you’re locked in, to the very end, then you experienced something special. Thanks to the author

There were several hopeful parts, but too fee. Too much gore and heartache

See above comments. It became confusing and dark. Left me annoyed that I paid for it.

Writing got in way of story

This book had a really interesting narrative arc, and the author is obviously a brilliant writer. But there is a big difference between using your talents in service of the reader and using it as an experiment to see how many adjectives you can use in one paragraph. The first one-third of the book has grotesque descriptions of the most graphic sort concerning war, and war is hell, I get it, but it is hard to see the story through descriptions of pus-filled mouths, exploding heads, dangling eyes, etc. that go on seemingly forever. In addition, the writer never uses a one syllable word when four will do. To top it off, the book ends with the word “and” repeated well over 50 times. This book was written for the author, not readers.

Fantastic

This was fantastic from start to finish! I highly recommend this book and the narrator is extremely talented!