Happy Friday book pals! Thank you so much Simon Audio for the #gifted audiobook of Angel Down by Daniel Kraus! I appreciate it!
I guarantee this is a truly unique reading experience. This is a genre mashup of WWI historical fiction, literary fiction, moral conflict, survival, and the supernatural. The description of the trench warfare is visceral and you’ll understand why WWI was called the war to end all wars. The narrative is one long stream of consciousness run-on sentence from Private Cyrus Bagger. A con man turned soldier who doesn’t want to be a hero and just wants to survive the war. He is a complex, marvelous and unforgettable character. Bagger and a few other soldiers are sent into No Man’s Land to take care of what they believe to be a fallen soldier. What they find is an angel. Here’s the summary from the publisher:
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.
The concept, the wiring, and the characters are all exceptional. Kirby Heyborne’s narration is outstanding. Bagger experiences the horrors of war and then the wonder of the angel. He goes through so many emotions throughout the book and Hayborne brings it all to life.
Krause’s masterful storytelling will horrify you, fill you with wonder, make you think, and totally captivate you. This is a must read.
I’m finally home after being away for three weeks. I have a lot of catching up to do this weekend. What are you up to this weekend?
About the Author
Daniel Kraus is a New York Times bestselling writer of novels, TV, and film. His novel Whalefall received a front-cover review in The New York Times Book Review, won the Alex Award, was an LA Times Book Prize Finalist, and was a Best Book of 2023 from NPR, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and more. With Guillermo del Toro, he coauthored The Shape of Water, based on the same idea the two created for the Oscar–winning film. Also with del Toro, Kraus coauthored Trollhunters, which was adapted into the Emmy-winning Netflix series. His also cowrote The Living Dead and Pay the Piperwith legendary filmmaker George A. Romero. Kraus’s The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch was named one of Entertainment Weekly’s Top 10 Books of the Year. Kraus has won the Bram Stoker Award, Scribe Award, two Odyssey Awards (for both Rotters and Scowler), and has appeared multiple times as Library Guild selections, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, and more. His work has been translated into over twenty languages.
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