A Hundred Words for Hate

Remy Chandler #4

by Thomas E. Sniegoski

As an angel, Remy possesses powers he puts to good use in his profession as a PI. And when the Garden of Eden suddenly reappears, he needs them more than ever. Because there are those who want him to find a key that will open the Gates of Eden, and those who will do anything to keep them closed. Desperate for help, he turns to a very old acquaintance-a fallen angel who is sometimes friend, sometimes foe, and always deadly.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Angels, Mystery, Fiction, Paranormal, Science Fiction Fantasy

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 4, 2011

About the author

Thomas E. Sniegoski, often credited as Tom Sniegoski is the author of more than two dozen novels for adults, teens, and children. His teen fantasy YA series Fallen was adapted into a trilogy of monstrously successful TV movies by ABC Family Channel. His other books for teens include Sleeper Code, Sleeper Agenda, and Force Majeure, as well as the upcoming series The Brimstone Network. The author's first adult novel, A Kiss Before the Apocalypse, hit the shelves in 2008, with its sequel, Dancing on the Head of a Pin to be released in 2009.

Sniegoski's work for younger readers includes Billy Hooten: Owlboy, and the fantasy quartet OutCast, which he co-authored with Christopher Golden. OutCast is in development as a film at Universal. Sniegoski and Golden have also collaborated on the adult dark fantasy series The Menagerie, and multiple creator-owned comic book series, including The Sisterhood, which is being prepped for a feature film by InterMedia, and Talent, currently in development at Universal after a major bidding war.

As a comic book writer, Sniegoski's work includes Stupid, Stupid Rat Tails, a prequel miniseries to international hit, Bone. Sniegoski collaborated with Bone creator Jeff Smith on the prequel, making him the only writer Smith has ever asked to work on those characters. Sniegoski and Golden also wrote the graphic novel BPRD: Hollow Earth, a spinoff from Hellboy.

Sniegoski was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his wife LeeAnne and their Labrador Retriever, Mulder. Tom recently completed the new young adult novel, Legacy, which is set to be released in October of 2009.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Hundred Words for Hate
By Thomas E. Sniegoski
Another wonderful and entertaining book with my favorite angel, Remy, and his quest to find a key. There are great characters and love the world where fallen angels and Remy live. Where Remy has his best friend, Marlowe, a dog that can communicate with.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angel lovers beware. You should avoid this book. You will probably end up addicted to angel books after reading it. (Like I need more literary addictions!) As you can tell, I really enjoyed this.

Reviewed for Bitten by Books: http://bittenbybooks.com.

[Lianne Pheno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avis tiré de mon blog :

Encore un tome vraiment sympa et qui augure du meilleur pour la suite.

J'ai beaucoup aimé l'histoire de ce tome. Elle est à la fois indépendante et liée aux précédents.
Lors qu'il s'avère que le Jardin d’Éden dérive de plus en plus proche de la terre, nombreux sont ceux qui souhaitent en profiter, et Remy aura du travail pour démêler tous les nœuds des différentes conspirations qui s'articulent autours de cet événement. Le tout avec un ennemi surprise !

Difficile d'en dire plus sans spoiler.
Finalement ce tome est assez léger quand on essaye de le résumer, mais c'est parce qu'une grande partie est consacrée à Rémy et à son problème constant de conflit entre les deux parties de sa personnalité, celle qui souhaite rester humain, et le pouvoir inhumain du séraphin qui lui n'a qu'une envie c'est de ressortir pour continuer à se battre pour son dieu.

Remy reste un personnage vraiment intéressant et surtout on ne peux pas s’empêcher de l'apprécier. Il y a une telle douceur et limite naïveté dans ses sentiments et sa gentillesse, malgré le fait qu'il soit sur terre depuis si longtemps. Il n'a jamais perdu ce coté foncièrement bon et calme qui le caractérise, il ne tome jamais dans la violence ou la haine.
C'est un personnage totalement intemporel et pourtant il arrive à évoluer au fil des tomes.

Une des caractéristiques de la série c'est le fait qu'on n'est pas du tout dans le coté romantique et beauté des anges, non. Ils sont même pour la majorité totalement monstrueux, totalement éloignés des humains et incapable de les comprendre.
Ce ne sont jamais des êtres magnifique et ils sont d'ailleurs totalement perdu depuis la disparition de dieu. En fait ils sont incapable de nuance, pour eux tout est bon ou mauvais, le tout dans une mentalité dure et sans concession. Les seuls capables de nuance sont justement Rémiel et les rares autres qui comme lui ont passé une partie de leur vie intégré aux humains.
Et même parmi ceux qui ont passé volontairement ou exilés une partie de leur vie sur terre, pour eux les humains ne sont que des parasites, et ils n'ont absolument aucun pitié.

Au final c'est surtout l'ambiance et le personnage principal que j'aime dans cette série. Aucun des tomes n'est un coup de cœur mais ils restent une très bonne lecture qui passe en un éclair et j'en veux toujours plus à chaque fois que je referme un tome.

17/20

[Anthony · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm growing increasingly disappointed in the Remy Chandler books. I love, love, love the concept of an angel who willingly leaves Heaven after The War is over, choosing to walk among humans and behave as one, who then gets pulled back into all manner of battles that are epically Biblical in nature. I love Remy/Remiel's divided nature (Seraphim vs. Human personalities). I love the basic concepts Sniegoski comes up with to fill Remy's life with adventure: the return of the Four Horsemen, the real fate of Lucifer, and now the possible return of the Garden of Eden. I've enjoyed the author's twists on Biblical folks like Samson, Delilah, Noah and others.

But somewhere in the last two books, I've discovered that Sniegoski's execution of those concepts just doesn't work for me. I finished this book because it's a Remy Chandler book and I love the character -- but I felt none of the excitement, drama, and concern that I should have felt considering the concept of the book overall and the twists it puts in place for the main series characters (Remy and his cop friend Steven Mulvehill most of all, and also Remy's dead angel friend Francis/Fraciel). Largely, this felt like a place-holder book, a moving of chess pieces: the events surrounding Francis spew directly from the end of the previous book, and the events involving Mulvehill seem intended to set up his character arc for the next book ... and in Mulvehill's case particularly it feels like what happens to him has little or no bearing on the actual main plot or even a secondary plot.

So why is Sniegoski's style not working for me? A few reasons, I think. One is that his style just feels too sparse. To me, the books feel like they'd rather be television episodes. The scene changes (especially those that occur mid-chapter and jump from one character to another) feel like there should be commercial breaks inserted, or at least dramatic-close-up-theme-music being played over a brief fade to black. The dialogue is occasionally repetitive (and more than once, exact phrasing is repeated in describing two different characters, something an editor should have caught) and feels perfectly detective-show-cliche. I'm okay with sparse scenery descriptions that allow the reader to imagine what things look like, but Sniegoski goes beyond sparse into bare-minimum in a way that works against my mental picture instead of allowing it to form.

Another reason might have to do with one of my pet peeves about series fiction. I find that typically authors go to one extreme or the other -- they either tell us too much about the events of previous books, thus bogging down the current book's pace, or they tell us too little to remind us of where the characters are coming from in relation to the new book, so that we have to struggle to determine if what we're seeing is character growth or just inconsistency on the author's part. This time, Sniegoski falls into that latter group. If an author is going to use a book's b-plot to make major changes to a character's status quo, we need enough detail to understand why that change is important, and I don't feel like we got that in the case of either Francis or Mulvehill -- both of whom have life (or after-life)-changing experiences in this book.

Finally, there's the fact that my reaction to most of what happens in the book is to ask "why should I care about this moment, this supporting character? Should I be trying to place it all in context with the previous books? Is it worth the effort?" After a while, I gave up trying to tax my brain, and I gave up caring very much. I don't want to give up completely, but I suspect I will not rush to read the next Chandler book as soon as it comes out.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice modern myth, in a way. Personally, I'd rather read a noir mystery about Remy and his side-kick Marlowe, but that obviously isn't really what the author has in mind for the series, it's more about variations on angles gone wrong. I just find it a bit depressing, because in this mythology pretty much all of the angels are either mindless Heavenly warriors, some form of fallen angel, or Remy. But he has a lot of fun ideas, and writes them very well, as always. It's just a matter of mood for me more than anything, he still remains one of my favorite authors. He really excels at writing dogs (although we didn't get to see much of it in this installment) and love, capturing Remy's grief and abiding love with rare poignancy.

I wonder if this will be the last book in the series? It wraps with Remy reaching a bit more peace of mind about his situation than he's had since the series began. I don't think I've seen a Sniegoski series go beyond 4 books, plus the loss of his dog, Mulder, must make writing Marlowe, who is modeled on him, rough. Either way, I'm looking forward to reading books based on Sniegoski's new boy, Kirby. Our pets may not make us human, but they sure can help!

[Garrett Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Hundred Words For Hate picks up the pace where the first three Remy Chandler novels left off, and shifts it into high gear, taking all of the good and fantastic elements of the previous installments and multiplying them exponentially. Remy's development as a character, as a Seraphim—as a human—is wonderful to witness. The psychological struggles he faces are many, but he emerges the stronger. Supporting characters are also developed in ways not seen before, adding depth, personality, and life to Remy's world. The plot is the most twisted yet, but is also the most fun, centering around much of the development, yet also bringing aspects from previous novels into play—an attractive attribute for a series such as this.

All in all, this is my favorite Remy novel. Tom, if you read this, thank you for sharing your story with us, and here's hoping for many more revelations of the wondrous worlds of Remy Chandler.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, let me state that I am a huge fan of this series. Normally I am turned off by books about angels, as they are either of the extremely evil variety, or so holy they do not belong on this plane of existence. However, the angels as depicted in this series are aware of their failings and, for the most part, are likable people. There are a few that often turn out to be bad, either from the beginning rebellion of the Lightbringer (another term for Satan) or through the long eons since have drifted from their pure beginnings.

One thing I do appreciate is that the author does not try to pin down the actual timeframe since the beginning. Theologians have been arguing that one with scientists for many years, and neither accepts the other's idea of when the world was created or when it first had humans. However, the author brings us a story revolving around those first humans, Adam and Eve, and their flight from the Garden of Eden, and the long history of distrust between their offspring - the Sons of Adam and the Daughters of Eve.

Eve is dead, and Adam is nearly so. He has one last wish – to return to the Garden of Eden to breathe his last and to be buried there among the beauties of his earliest memories. The story revolves around making his wish a reality, and involves the Sons and Daughters, some reluctantly, some willingly.

However, Adam is not the only one who wishes to find the Garden. The Morningstar (another nickname for Satan) once tried to take over the Garden, and in this story he tries again, with help from a few disenfranchised angels. In addition, the Garden wants to be found, and is sending out distress signals to aid in that effort.

Our hero, Remy aka Remiel, was the one who sealed the Garden and set it loose to wander, and he is called upon by the disparate groups to bring it back and reopen the gates. Part of what he, and they, search for, are the keys, which we are given clues to (simple to discern), and various attempts to locate allies leads to some interesting encounters.

This fascinating story, in my opinion the best of the series, takes us from a strong beginning to a haunting close, while still leaving tendrils to burgeon into a new story, bringing in characters from previous stories, and starting a possible new chapter in the life of Remiel / Remy Chandler, angel and human. This small side plot allows a 3-dimensional side to the story, without detracting from the main plot.

I was impressed by the way that the author does not try to represent all the angelic forces as beautiful. The insane Guardian of the Garden is awesome, but not beautiful. Other angelic creations include Franciel (Francis) whose role is pivotal in this story, instead of serving as a sidekick as he has in others, and there are many more new characters as well as involvement by others from past stories.

Even though the story did vaguely refer back to previous works, it stands alone, allowing each character some room to grow and change, keeping the storyline fresh and evolving, and exciting to read.

If I had any reservations about the story itself, it would be, where are the other "good guys"? And where will this story take us next?

I gave it only 4.5 stars because the part I didn't like was the way the author handled Maddy. She died in an earlier book, and here is seen as what at first appears to be a ghost. Then we are told she is really a figment of Remy's imagination. I would prefer her to be a ghost.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Hundred Words for Hate is the fourth book in the Remy Chandler series by Thomas E. Sniegoski. Remy is part angel (Seraphim Remiel), and part human who works as a private investigator out of Boston, Mass. Remiel long ago turned his back on Heaven to live among humans. Remy has had some recent difficulties with remaining human, and not allowing his Angel side to take over completely.

It all started after his one true love of his life, Madeline, died after being together for 40 years. It has been a year since she passed, but Maddie still plays a role in this story and in his life. It seems that Remy has created his own fugue state where she is real, and gives him excellent advice about matters of the heart, and of the soul, including telling him it is okay to date others like Linda Somerset who he met after he thought Frances was dead. She also plays a really important role when it seems as though the Seraphim is ready to fall victim for an evil that wants to destroy Eden and Heaven.

Remy’s sidekick Marlowe, the black Labrador retriever, is still around as well, and I love the fact that Remy and he often “speak” and understand each other. In fact, Remy can pretty much speak to most animals that he meets, including a frisky cat he comes in contact with while helping an elderly woman locate something she claims to have either lost, or misplaced.

The Sons of Adam also ask Remy for assistance in finding the key to the Garden of Eden. They are the actual descendants of the first human made by God, and have been trying to find a way to bring his body back to Paradise. Meanwhile, there's the Daughters of Eve who have A Hundred Words for Hate they use when dealing with Adam’s son. The Daughters haven't forgiven Adam's boys since Eve died. Naturally, in order for the gate to actually open, the Sons need the assistance from the Daughters.

Meanwhile in Tartarus, the place built to keep those angels who betrayed the Allfather, Frances is alive and well, and being tortured for information by the Angel Malachi. France, it seems, somehow survived his ordeal when the Morningstar reawakens, and starts redesigning Tartarus for his own use.
Frances also holds the key to finding the key to opening the Gardens gates.

There are, of course, questions that remain to be answered. One of which is how was Frances able to survive, and what deal did he make with the Morningstar when it came time to save the Garden of Eden from Malachi and his evil creation. The next question is whether or not Remy is actually going to be able to keep Linda as a love interest without something happening to her as well. And, lastly, what will actually happen to Remy’s friendship with Detective Steven after he was nearly killed by the Shaitan saving Fernita Greens life.

The one thing that you can count on when reading these books is that Thomas tends to use biblical characters and references when writing this series. This time, of course, it is the Garden of Eden.

This book is definitely not for the YA readers since there is no 3 way love affair, or teenaged angst running amok throughout the story. This is about an Angel who makes hard choices while finding his way in the world as a mortal.

There obviously has to be more books in the series because those of us who have read from the first book forward, want to see the end game that the Morningstar is playing out with the Allfather, and what role Remy will have in it.

[Karissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the Remy Chandler series. It was a wonderful addition to the series and dealt a lot more with Remy's angelic nature than previous books in the series have.

Remy is called to investigate something by the Sons of Adam; these are the actual descendants of Adam who have a facility where they keep Adam's body alive. The Sons of Adam want Remy to find the Key to the Garden of Eden so that when Adam passes he can be laid to rest there. There is also a Guardian of Eden that is killing various people and for reasons of his own he also wants to obtain Adam and open the Garden. Meanwhile Francis struggles in Hell; gaining back memories and finding out who he really is/was. Somehow all of this is tied together an unless Remy can figure out how..and fast the Garden of Eden may unleash horrible creatures onto Earth.

This book was an excellent addition to the series. Remy is forced to work with his Seraphim side and struggles be at peace with it. Remy also reenters the world of dating and finally seems willing to start living his life again.

We learn a ton about the version of the creation myth in this world and are given a lot of back story especially about Francis. Where previous books have focused mainly on an investigation with some angelic aspects; this book focused almost entirely on Remy's angelic aspect. It was a change of pace and an excellent one. The plot was complex, moved fast and was fun to read about.

We meet some new characters and they were good ones. I especially liked Remy's new love interest, although I wish she had been in the story more.

There was only really one thing I didn't like about this book and that was the fact that the viewpoint changed so often. We basically read the story from more than five viewpoints; Remy and Francis are the main ones but there are many other characters we hear from as well. This was okay but there were many viewpoints per chapter and that made the story a bit fractured and made it harder to get into the story.

As with previous book Sniegoski ends things with a huge angelic battle, similar to the formula he has used for previous books. I am curious to see what he does next with these characters, especially with Francis.

Overall a solid addition to the Remy Chandler series. I enjoyed that so much time was spent with the angels and that we got to delve deep into their history. The book was fast-paced and engaging and the new characters introduced intriguing. I did not enjoy the rapid changes in viewpoint, I thought it broke up the story too much. That being said this has been an enjoyable and solid fantasy series and I look forward to reading future books in it.

[Kati · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could barely finish the book and I think this is the last one I'll read in the series. The plot itself wasn't half bad, but I didn't like the execution. There were, like, ten plotline threads, cut together in an almost staccato rhythm. Sometimes the scenes were only half a page long, set in the present time or in the past, on Earth, in Hell or who-knows-where. In end result, the book felt fractured and all over the place. Also, I was getting slightly fed up with Remy's "woe is me, I'm a Seraph" attitude. What I did like was Izzy and Jon and the way they got stuck together in Eden, his "Not that I'm not flattered..." That was funny.

[Paul Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much anticipated, and it did not fail to deliver. Feels very much like it should have been the 3rd, rather than the 4th, book of the series, given that the 3rd book didn't really touch on the Big Story going on. Greatly enjoyed it, and look forward to the next chapter of Remy Chandler's life.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just gets better and better! I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, it promises to be just as good!

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is fourth in the Remy Chandler series, which consists of A Kiss Before Apocalypse, Dancing on the Head of a Pin, Where Angels Fear to Tread, A Hundred Words for Hate, In the House of the Wicked, and Walking in the Midst of Fire at present.

Remy (Remiel) has finally listened to his friend's advice and begun to date once more, though he is still fighting with his grief over Madeline's death. He is forced to stand up his new belle, however, when he is contacted by one of the Sons of Adam...literally, one of Adam's direct descendants, who have survived through the centuries as an extremely long-lived cult whose sole purpose is to guard Adam, who is still alive thousands of years after his exile. As we immediately wonder, and are answered fairly quickly, "What about the Daughters of Eve?" Well, they turn out to still be around, as well, though they hate the Sons with a passion which has not dimmed through the millenia.

The author blends old Judeo Christian mythology about angels and the battle of Lucifer and his Fallen into the weave of this tale quite skillfully, and perhaps blasphemously, but it really turns out to be a marvelous story, with plenty of backstabbing and double-dealing from perhaps everyone but Remy.

It seems that the Garden of Eden, Man's original home, was cut loose from contact with earthly reality after the Fall of Man, and has been drifting out of contact ever since, but the signs and portents indicate that it is about to return, and be accessible once more. Each faction has some reason or use for the Garden, and Remy, who as it turns out was the angel assigned to seal the Garden away from everyone back at the time of Lucifer's rebellion, is caught up in the swirling mix of agendas, trying to do his angelic duty without assuming his angelic form and nature once more.

Another fine story in the series.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I'll be! I got into the Remy Chandler series about 5 years back, with the latest book I read in 2019. Now after a 3-year hiatus due to COVID closing the libraries, I finally got to read the 4th installment of the series here! Remy believes it is time to be done mourning the lose of his wife and his friend, Francis, who did a heroic sacrifice back in the 2nd novel. Still living under the guise of a human, he struggles with dating life again with Linda, whom Francis had admired from afar before his disappearance. While coping to see how Linda would fare in his love life, Remy gets a call from one of the Sons of Adam, who are looking towards bringing their father back to the Garden of Eden. Meanwhile, another fallen angel is out for vengeance, and this time, he is out for dominion over both Earth and the other heavenly angels with his latest creation. Remy must find stop this new abomination, believing it is linked with the lost Garden, before the creature vanquishes all life on the planet.

Since my hiatus, I was a little worried that I wouldn't remember much when I picked this up. Luckily, my fears were wrong, the style is the same as the predecessors and writing is smooth enough to still hook my interest, though still very text-heavy and full of details this time around. In which, it took me a little longer than usual to finish this, despite being around the usual number of pages of other books I had picked up in its absence. I liked what I read though, having all the same qualities that got me hooked in the first place and keeping up with the lore that Sniegoski had built upon. The same flaws that were in other books, were still here, of course, but there's not much to complain about. Now that I returned to this series, I hope I can finish the last three books with no trouble and in due time, something I really look forward to!

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Hundred Words for Hate is the fourth book in Remy Chandler series written by Thomas E. Sniegoski. It stars Remy Chandler, an investigator, who just happens to be a former angel.

The Sons of Adam, who watch over the first man until he's allowed entrance to heaven, hire Remy to help them find the long-lost key to the Garden of Eden, in the form of a descendant of Eve. Along the way, Remy fights a violent cherub, encounters the archangel Malachi, and finally begins dating again.

A Hundred Words for Hate is written rather well. Sniegoski nicely juggles a large cast and throws in some touching moments and humor to balance the epic violence. Once again, Sniegoski text is rather heavy and in some places rather rough to get through, but it a great narrative regardless.

All in all, A Hundred Words for Hate is written rather well and is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series, which I plan to continue in the very near future.

[Adam Coe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sniegoski's 4th installment of the Remy Chandler novels is a solid three star. This is a drop from his first three, but there is still quite a few interesting ideas in this book. Spoilers ahead.......

I really enjoyed how he tied in the story of Samson and Delilah. His take on their story was definately enjoyable. Another great take by Sniegoski is his writing on the Garden of Eden. As usual the character of Remy Chandler is enjoyable, his battle between his Angelic nature and his attempt at humanity is key to the success of the story. However, a few of the minor plots of the book left something to be desired. The story of Frances "Fraciel" had a great ending to it, learning that he was a father in the line of Eve's daughters. However the lead up to it, seemed to take forever.

Bottom line, solid 3 star story. Still good, but not as good as his previous novels.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfectly fine urban fantasy series where the main protagonist is an angel turned PI. It's better than that makes it sound, but not the best thing I've ever read.
This, the fourth book, is a little more complex than the previous entry (and not better for it, in my view) with multiple points of view and a plot involving the descendants of Adam and Eve and the return of the garden of Eden from whence it was sent when the gates were shut during Lucifer's war with God.

[Katy Lohman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great, dire adventure with Remy, the angel who quit Heaven's drama. This time, he is called to help the Sons of Adam - yes, that Adam - as the Garden of Eden is returning to Earth. Adam wants to die in Eden. She (the garden is a she) has been away for a long time, and is coming back in need of help. Add in some crazed angels, a thought-lost angel and some women with mysteries, and I had a story that I couldn't stop reading until I found out how it all ended.

Great. It ended great.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourth in the angelic urban fantasy series, Remy Chandler, based in contemporary Boston.

My Take
Sniegoski gives us a different perspective on the battle between God and Lucifer as well as the angels' feelings towards humans, those monkeys God loves so much. Although this particular story has a different focus, Sniegoski still demonstrates how "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely"…a strong counterpoint to Remy's exploration of being human versus his angelic self's determination to battle.

It becomes more interesting as Remy starts his comeback to humanity and makes peace with his angelic counterpart in A Hundred Words for Hate. For a while, I was worried that this might be the end of the series for Remy/Remiel.

God is still not a part of this story, and I am very curious as to just where he's gone and how he would feel about the activities of his angels. All his angels. The ones operating the Thrones, the ones rebelling in Tarturus, Remiel's embrace of the human, the flaring of Eden's life, the cockiness of those who think they know better than the Creator and no, it's not just the fallen who are so all-knowing.

It can be difficult to figure out the good from the bad in this story as they seem to weave back and forth from character to character — even the ending has left some loose ends waving in the breeze. Upon which side of the line will Francis fall? What will be the outcome between Linda and Remy? Will Steve recover from his exposure? How will Remy/Remiel reconcile their new realizations?

There's a bit of a joke on the concept of the original Adam and Eve at the end, which the Garden appears to appreciate…at least it enjoys the feeling behind it.

The Story
At Madeline's and Steven Mulvehill's insistence, Remy's got a date with Linda Somerset. A date he survives with a pinch of guilt…as though he were cheating on Madeline.

Dying, Francis lies watching over the clashing, groaning prison of Tartarus as it both dies and is reborn, sparked by the fight Remiel led in Where Angels Fear to Tread , 3. A fight that resulted in the resurrection of Lucifer Morningstar and the liberation of the fallen angels from their prison. Dying that is until Francis comes to in a cave to find his wounds bound but the worst yet to come.

Adam is on the brink of death these many thousands of years later and wants desperately to be buried in the garden. A promise Malachi makes though he has no idea of the Garden's location since its existence was severed from Man's plane of existence during the battle between Lucifer and Heaven.

But sinister forces are at work…naturally…a renegade angel has plotted to take over from God using the Garden of Eden but he needs the key to both find and re-enter it. A maddened Cherubim whose mind can no longer determine the good guys from the bad has resurrected and is a threat to those protecting the Garden. And an old lady whom Remy has befriended is suddenly under attack.

The Characters
Remy Chandler is both private investigator and seraphim who chooses to live and be among man. Marlowe is his Labrador who is able to speak with Remy due to Remy's angelic gifts. Madeline is Remy's beloved, and dead, human wife ( A Kiss Before the Apocalypse , 1).

Linda Somerset is a waitress at the Piazza in whom Remy is interested…and with whom Francis, a friend and Fallen Angel who is serving a penance on Earth, catching bad little demons, was falling in love.

Detective Steven Mulvehill is in Homicide with the Boston PD. He and Remy became friends when Remy saved his life in A Kiss Before the Apocalypse .

Malachi is the first archangel ever made and has made Adam a promise. Lucifer Morningstar is the Fallen Angel who led the rebellion against Heaven.

The Sons of Adam are…
…a group of extremely long-lived humans directly descended from the original Adam with whose care they are charged. But Adam is on the brink of death these many thousands of years later and wants desperately to be buried in the missing Garden of Eden (missing since its existence was severed from Man's plane of existence during the battle between Lucifer and Heaven.

The Cover and Title
It's appropriate — Remy is holding a blazing sword and, with Marlowe, is guarding the Gates to the Garden of Eden. I suspect Marlowe is to represent the humanity that joined with Remiel to beat back the surging Shaitan.

The title is an interesting interpretation of the belief that the Eskimos have 100 words for snow.

[David Szatkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book in the series. I do recommend the series as a great read, but not for theology. As the author has gone to a great deal of trouble to create an internally consistent narrative, I do recommend reading the books in order.

[Stan · Rating 2 out of 5]

the book is told from too many voices to maintain any real flow . In one chapter alone there are six different voices old present old lady past crazy angel Remy franix past and francis present/

[Jan Norton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the first 3. It was strange with the Garden of Eden theme.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad.

[essentiallyconnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than Book #3. Author just cannot write fight scenes; the ones here were like Michael Bay's "Transformers" on steroids.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am really disappointed in the overwhelming number of cliches in the first 30 pages. It is slightly/increasingly unbearable.

[Janel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the premise of the book.

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Excellent way to bring a new love interest in: not a perfect, model who lights up a room and has all the men falling at her feet but a normal, very human woman with her own awkward moments.

Too much telling but the dying angel is interesting. I don't understand how Adam is still alive and Eve is dead.

There are no women in this so far except the potential girlfriend and the dead wife who is just his imagination and the elderly hoarder with Alzheimer's. It was noted that the sons of xxx had a falling out with the daughters of eve. Eve is again vilified as the evil temptress, nothing about Adam taking responsibility for his own actions. Seriously, if this happened to a couple down the road we'd say they were both equally guilty.

This is kind of boring. It's totally obvious where this is going to go and it already pisses me off. Can we go back to the dog?

Okay some scenes are excellent. The old woman, the cop--although a total stereotype, it's done well--, and the gay man, and Remy's total acceptance of him, it wasn't even a question in his mind. It was heart wrenching but good.

There's too much going on at once that I don't even have a moment to try to figure it all out. Part of it is really interesting and part of it is boring. The rebelling of the biblical stories particularly so although the author is really good at making everything feel biblical and real. He described the cherubim and their terrible dangerousness beautifully. When he describes Remy's inner seraphim, it's powerful and angry and hard like the bible stories not like what you learn in Sunday school.

Although here comes one of the many contradictions in the bible. (I'm not saying anything about it or the religion or how various people interpret it or anything.) Lucifer supposedly hated humans and hated that God gave them free will which the Angels didn’t have. So he rebeled and started a war. Okay, is he saying God planned that all along? Or is his definition of free will different than the dictionary's?

This is confusing and complicated and people are multiple places at the same time (judging from what they're saying about what is happening elsewhere where they are also) and I don't know what the plot is and army is barely in it and the dog almost not at all. I like the positive gay thing but other than that, this is a chore to get through.

Way way too many POVs. I'm 2/3rds through and just recounting quickly I've come up with 13 There may be more but I can name 13 if you count Remy's seraphim form separately which you kind of do since they're always fighting and this time they actually have a face to face argument.

Jon
Fraciel/Francis
Remy
Remiel
Marlowe
Linda
Malachi
Zophiel
Eliza/Fernita
Izzy
Bob
Gregson
Mulhoney
Taranushi

And that's just a fraction of the characters. I do like Linda though.

Choke chain?? He can literally speak to his dog and he needs a choke chain?? Anyone who thinks a choke chain is humane should try putting one around his or her neck and just moving quickly. Oh and don't get me started on prong collars. A dog doesn't have to pull to have that hurt. And yes they feel pain. They just know they can't do anything about it so they aren’t the big whiners we are. That loses the book half a point.

[Fangs for the Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adam, the first man, is breathing his last, even his extremely long life is coming to an end and he has one dying wish – to be buried in the garden of Eden, a wish that his descendants, the Sons of Adam, wish to make real, even if they have to consume the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge itself to bring Eden back to Earth

Unfortunately he’s not the only one who has designs on the garden. Before Eden was sealed, Lucifer sought to use the garden as a beachhead from which he could invade Heaven – prevented only by Remiel – Remy Chandler – sealing the garden. Worse, someone else is abusing the garden – possibly even killing Eden in the process, to use its divine power to their own dark ends.

Remy Chandler has a mission with the remaining Sons of Adam to try and find the Daughters of Eve who have the second key to opening the gates to Eden. But they do so under constant attack from the garden’s raging and insane Cherubim guardian – and all of their actions may be being directed by a far older, far greater puppet master.

In this time of conflict, a new dark force may be rising, the Shaitan, a creation that may be far worse than all the legions of Hell.

This story continues to bring the epic. The world in the balance, fate of humanity , good vs evil, the whole nine yards of epic storytelling with everything riding on the outcome. This is one thing this series has always done well – and this is no exception. The sheer amount resting on the actions of the characters was never lost or distracted from and always forefront in all of the action since then.

Part of this means not having any side plots – that can make stories linear but this managed to tell the story from several points of view with different aspects all moving together. So, by following Remy and his investigations, Francis in Hell and Mulvehill with Fernita it prevented the story being linear while making sure it didn’t deviate off the importance of the main plot line.

The action scenes were well written, exciting and truly got a sense of the forces involved, including the awesomeness that the angel’s represent and the power and fear that goes with them. This is difficult to carry so consistently and especially difficult to keep fresh with so many different action scenes throughout the books. It keeps being exciting, keeps being fresh, keeps being fun to read. The pacing was excellent, without the down times for angst or distractions that bothered me in previous books – everything was relevant to the story and the plot of all 3 storylines moved forward together, intertwined and naturally flowing from one to the other.

I really liked the insights into Francis and Fernita’s past, again, without derailing the main story or detracting from the epicness of it. It added a much more human element to Francis as we saw what he was pushed to do to seek redemptions. It’s nice to see him as more than a repentant angel who kicks arse.

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[chucklesthescot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review contains spoilers that may ruin your enjoyment of book 2 in the series and this book.

Remy has finally asked Linda out on a date but has anxiety issues over whether he is betraying his wife's memory. It does not help when the Sons of Adam ask Remy to help find the key to unlock the Garden of Eden to let Adam die in his former home. To open it a Daughter of Eve must help and they must forgive each other for past events. Zophiel, a former Eden guardian is determined to stop them and Malachi is equally determined to open the gates.

This was certainly better than the last book which I didn't enjoy at all. The Eden story was quite interesting and with so many people wanting one thing or another, it made the story a bit more complex, making me wonder who was actually on the side of God and who was evil. I had my own thoughts on this early on and I did piece it together quickly-not sure if the author intended that but it was satisfying to be right for once! This story gave us a few interesting flashbacks to what was happening during the Angel Wars and who was fighting who, which again was quite interesting and important to this plot.

However, what I really did enjoy about this book was the look back into Francis and his story. He was sent as an assassin to kill a woman, who Malachi tried to persuade him to save. We see the lengths that Francis was willing to go to to save this woman, and discover that he has felt the kind of love that Remy has recently lost. It adds whole new depths to Francis and what he has been through and this story is mixed up with what he is currently enduring in Hell. The whole story was a bit heartbreaking and every time it moved away from this subplot I was desperate to know what was going to happen next.

The joy at Francis still being alive and having a part to play in the series felt great to start with and I looked forward to Remy finding out about his friend. But that scene did not sit well with me as it seems to suggest that Francis has sold his soul and that I did not like that at all. Again I felt cheated just like I did with the second book and it was frustrating and annoying. I felt that this development betrays everything that Francis was and fought to be and that was the last straw for me with this series. I'm done with it.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series. If you have not read the Remy Chandler novels by Thomas Sniegoski, then you are in for a treat. They are dark and gritty detective tales with a difference: the detective, Remy Chandler, is a Seraphim, a warrior angel who left heaven in search of his own humanity. Remy's angelic nature (and his wings!) are firmly held in check, until occasionally required - generally in battle. One delightful side benefit of an angelic nature is that Remy can speak every language on earth, including that of animals. He has great conversations with Marlowe, his black lab, and occasional (snobby) cats that he comes across. Remy's relationship with Marlowe is well done, and touching, as is his relationship with his best friend, Steven, a matter of fact cop who struggles to adjust to the idea of a supernatural world. But, A Hundred Words for Hate, the fourth in the series, was my least favorite. The premise is great - a direct descendant of Adam hires Remy to find the keys to unlock the garden of Eden, and along the way, Remy tries to work out a detente of sorts with his angelic alter-ego. However, I had difficulty following the plot since the point of view jumped back and forth constantly, the bad guy was just a bit too weird to imagine, and my favorite supporting characters (Marlowe the awesome, enthusiastic dog & Steven) were not featured in the story as much as I would have liked them to have been. It could be that I was just not in the right mood to follow the complicated plot. I am not giving up on the series yet.