Angel Down

by Daniel Kraus

A stylistically bold and innovative, cinematic horror novel about greed and paranoia, set amongst the grit and mud of the trenches in WW1. Perfect for fans of Stephen Graham Jones and Alma Katsu.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Whalefall, and the co-author of The Shape of Water alongside Guillermo del Toro.

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 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.

Genres: Horror, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, War, Audiobook

367 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 29, 2025

About the author

“Kraus brings the rigor of a scientist and the sensibility of a poet.” – The New York Times

DANIEL KRAUS is a New York Times bestselling writer of novels, TV, and film. WHALEFALL received a front-cover rave in the New York Times Book Review, won the Alex Award, was an L.A. Times Book Prize Finalist, and was a Best Book of 2023 from NPR, the New York Times, Amazon, Chicago Tribune, and more.

With Guillermo del Toro, he co-authored THE SHAPE OF WATER, based on the same idea the two created for the Oscar-winning film. Also with del Toro, Kraus co-authored TROLLHUNTERS, which was adapted into the Emmy-winning Netflix series. His also cowrote THE LIVING DEAD and PAY THE PIPER with 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.

Kraus’s work has been translated into over 20 languages. Visit him at danielkraus.com.

Reviews

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

That may have been the longest sentence I’ve ever read. In fact, I'm sure of it! Have you ever read an entire book that consisted of one sentence? No? Me either. Daniel Kraus somehow pulled this off whilst creating an appalling and atmospheric novel of the Great War. I loved it!

When private Bagger is dispatched from his semi-safe bunker to silence, (by whatever means necessary), whoever it is that won't stop screaming on the battlefield, he discovers not a wounded soldier, but instead a wounded angel,

and one might think the soldier's trouble is over in life, but that is not the case, because the angel isn't screaming anymore and she emits a light, a light that makes her a target on the battlefield, which makes it difficult to protect her,

and everyone wants to feel that light, right, I mean who wouldn't want to marinate in the light of an angel, especially in a war zone, but it falls to Bagger to protect her, not only from his fellow soldiers, but from himself,

and I have to admit that stories about WWI or any war for that matter, just aren't my thing; I mean I have a few stories set during wartime that I love, but it's not something I would actively seek out, but I WILL seek out anything Daniel Kraus writes, because I think his work is amazing,

and this book is no exception, and the experimental device of writing the entire book in one long sentence-I think it was daring and it certainly must have been challenging, but no matter how it was written, the narrative itself sucked me in...the idea of a fallen angel on the battlefield leads to all kinds of questions, like how did she come to be there and angels can be injured,

and why wouldn't she stop the war if she was an angel, but maybe she does right, because you haven't read this book yet and it would be wrong of me to ruin it for you, but I do think that Daniel Kraus has written a winner here and if you want to find out what happens, you're going to have to read this book,

and I think you should, because I doubt you've ever read anything like it before, and nothing like it may ever be written again and because of this, I give Angel Down my highest recommendation, period.

*ARC from publisher

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title/Author: Angel Down by Daniel Kraus

Format Read: Audiobook/Libro FM

Pub date: July 29th, 2025

Publisher: Atria Books

Page Count: 304 page/audio: 8.5 hours

Affiliate Link: BOOKSHOP.ORG

What it's about: 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.

Recommended for readers who enjoy:

-War stories (gruesome details, just be aware) Battlefields (1914-1918 World War 1)

-Experimental, often lyrical prose in an unending stream of consciousness style

-Non-stop action/Cinematic/Historical fiction

-Military brotherhood

-Paranormal Activity

-Thought provoking

__

Minor complaints:

-It is RELENTLESS in its escalation and intensity

-The audiobook is AMAZING, a cinematic experience

Final recommendation: There is a potential for some special moments of reader discovery to be spoiled in reviews that give too much detail. I went into this audiobook almost blind. I knew it was a "war book" (which I don't typically enjoy) and I knew the men in the book find something on the battlefield that they have to rescue. A bookish friend told me that the prose is "stream of consciousness" (I also don't typically enjoy that style) so she recommended reading with my eyeballs rather than my ears. I decided to do the audiobook anyway and even though I don't like war books or experimental writing styles, I tried it because I love Whalefall and I kept seeing readers praise this book as their favorite of the year.

It is that good.

I was immediately absorbed. I was on that battlefield. I was in the trenches, I saw everything, felt it all. It is an insane amount of intensity that never relaxes (until the end) but it's worth the journey. I highly recommend it. I know I'll never read anything like it ever again.

Comps: I don't have comps, actually. It's totally and utterly set apart.

[Strega Di Gatti · Rating 5 out of 5]

For all those that found All Quiet on the Western Front too relaxing, too soothing, there's Angel Down. I don't mean to be insensitive about shellshock, but if there's a book about The Great War that could cause the trembles, it's this one. Daniel Kraus has crafted a novel that's technically one long sentence stuffed with evocative and visceral language. And by visceral, I mean that literal viscera is everywhere. Expect the kind of visual gore usually found in splatterpunk books with AI covers.

But, back to that real long sentence; is it difficult to parse it? Not at all. The text is chunked in neat paragraphs, and while the story is fast-paced, it never leaves us behind.

Like Whalefall, this is really the journey of one dude: Turn-of-the-century confidence man and preacher's kid Cyril Bagger. He's barely surviving as the U.S. First Army's least reliable 43rd division solider in the trenches of Bois de Fays, France. Thoroughly aware of his uselessness, Private Bagger has been left behind with a ragtag bunch of fellow Company P losers on a suicide mission to rescue an injured solider in No Man's Land. There's no time to say, "I have a bad feeling about this" before the situation goes to shit. Shit and mud, and blood, and all the best fluids, really!

Bagger is our POV for the entire novel and by the end you'll feel overwhelmed, but satisfied by the overall story arc. I'd even wager to describe it as somewhat uplifting? Now that's refreshing for a novel which merges two themes: "man's inhumanity to man" and "intergenerational religious trauma" - You know, the staples of modern horror books now classified as litfic (aka: Publisher allowed a fancy cover).

I gotta share more words about the writing in Angel Down, as I'm sure it's going to be much discussed among the ton! You know how sometimes a highly-praised writer's language is dense, stuffed with sketchy allusions, ill-fitting adjectives, and strained metaphors? The kind of writing where you squint and struggle to understand the author's intent?

Imagine instead the joy of reading paragraphs that are dense with allusions, over-the-top adjectives, and direct metaphors, but you actually understand what's going on. It's all so on point you feel like the narrator's emotions and observations are your own. How has this kind of a reading experience become a rarity? Yum, finally some good descriptive writing. And yes, it's frequently gross. Five stars!

[None Ofyourbusiness Loves Israel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cyril Bagger, a young American soldier during the First World War, comes from a strict religious household, with a father who preached judgment and punishment. Bagger carries that heavy sense of sin into the trenches of France, where he joins a squad of misfit soldiers – Lewis Arno, who clings to purity; Veck, who delights in destruction; Hugh Popkin, whose size and strength make him dangerous; and Vincent Goodspeed, a hustler always looking for profit. Their commander, General Lyon Reis demands miracles even as the war drags through mud, fire, and endless death. As artillery hammers the fields, Bagger delivers one.

During one mission, the soldiers discover something impossible: a winged woman who seems to be an angel. A glowing halo hovers above her head, and her cries carry a power that shakes the men.

Each soldier reacts differently. Some see a miracle, others a weapon, others a way to get rich. They bind her and drag her across blasted ground, through trenches, into villages choked with rubble, unsure whether they are carrying salvation or damnation. As they move deeper into war, the angel grows stranger, more terrifying, and harder to control.

The angel becomes the center of every conflict between faith and greed, between obedience and rebellion, between belief in God and belief in survival. The soldiers argue, fight, and betray each other as they struggle with what to do with her.

A crate they call the “Mercy Seat” becomes part of the mystery, a vessel for something too powerful to hold. By the end, the war and the angel twist together into a single ordeal that forces Bagger to face his own hunger for redemption and his own fear of judgment.

The book drives toward a conclusion that shocks, horrifies, and leaves questions about whether miracles belong to heaven or to men who try to own them.

Daniel Kraus drives language like shrapnel, searing, clotted, and glorious in its filth. His sentences swing between pulpit thunder and gutter slang, and the effect smears scripture across blood. War peddles miracles as coins, faith becomes commodity, and the divine curdles into a sideshow.

Some scenes can sit comfortably beside Goya’s horrific visions, yet the voice belongs to mud-soaked grunts hawking snake oil while dragging wings through muck. Every bargain carries a bill, every sermon doubles as a hustle, and every miracle can be caged until it decides to burst free when the halo flickers, when wings slice through flesh, when the crate slams shut. A commendable effort by Mr. Kraus.

[Becky Spratford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Review in the May 2025 issue of Booklist and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2025/05... (link will be live on 5/6/25 at 7am central)

Three words that describe this book: visceral, ambitious, reads like a chant.

I need to address the word ambitious. This book is ambitious as it sets out to put the horrors of war on the page without being literal like ALL’S QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, and it is visceral and difficult but also very readable and compelling.

The book is able to put the horror of war on the page, but also the humans who fight in it. The horror of war from the violence to the living conditions to the lives lost to....just all of it, is center stage here.

Everything is through Bagger's eyes and he is very clear from the start that he is a con-artist, a charlatan. He has avoided fighting by offering to dig graves and latrines. He holds a lot of shame and guilt from the second he was born (killing his mother in the process) and the way he parted with his dad before his death. He grew up the son of a Bishop, in the church, but is more spiritual than religious. He is a misanthrope in many ways, but in others-- he is not. His adoration for the young Arno is the best example. The boy is like the little brother he never had.

The book is structured and reads like a chant (religious or secular). Every paragraph begins with the word and. There are many commas and few periods. There are small horizontal bars at times, they are there for the reader to take a breath, a small pause and then keep going. (I felt that at least)

Kraus keeps this up for the entire book (except one key section) and it works. Readers fall Ito the rhythm, and I for one, couldn't imagine this book any other way. The pages themselves are striking to look at. But a straight narrative would not have worked here. Kraus needs to reader to fall under his and Bagger's spell, in order to make it through the VERY visceral depictions of war (what happens to a body destroyed by weapons). Readers need to be able to get through the gore of war to fall into the story he is crafting.

Following those who come into contact with the angel, and how they react, is as mesmerizing as she is herself. It allows the reader a peek into the other character's state of mind, what is most important to them, who they are at their most essential core, without taking the POV away from Bagger. Watching them allows Bagger to find himself.

And the overall message here is worth the trip-- yes it is about the horrors of never ending war, yes it is about the horrors of the things people do to each other, yes it is about the horrors we do to ourselves, yes it is about the horrors we humans inflict on the earth.....you could go on and on. This is not a happy ending book, but it is a book (much like Whalefall) that renews the readers faith in living their best life while alive-- despite the horrors around us.

This book is challenging-- not so much to read but to sit with. But it is also bare-naked honesty on the page.

Here is a note I took: Is Bagger's story driven by a miracle or luck? Does it matter? What does matter here is Kraus' awe-inspiring skill.

For fans of Whalefall and Rotters. The themes from those have grown over his career. I feel like this is part three in an unintended series.

Clearly influenced by W. Scott Poole's amazing nonfiction Wasteland: the Great War and the origins of modern horror. I also want to highly recommend the Graphic Novel The Great War: July 1, 1916: The First Day of the Battle of the Somme by Joe Sacco. I read this amazing book back in 2014 and did a review on my blog here:https://raforall.blogspot.com/2014/03.... I thought of it immediately as I began this novel.

Fiction wise, The Militia House by John Milas-- an amazing war horror novel set during the Afghanistan War.

But also I felt a kinship here to The Unworthy by Bazterrica (which I gave a star in LJ). As I was re-reading my review I saw the appeal was so similar. I will probably include it as a readalike in my review.

[Gyalten Lekden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suppose it is somewhat required to start any review discussing the uncommon narrative style, the decision to write the novel as a single sentence. The truth is, it worked for me. It wasn’t necessary for the story, but it would be dishonest to say it didn’t affect the reading experience. There was a constant breathlessness, a sense of urgency to the writing, and while there are other narrative devices that could elicit that feeling the artistic decisions felt appropriate here. The story doesn’t stop, it takes place in the middle of a battlefield and you feel the chaos and desperation. Building off of the narrative decisions was a dreadful sense of pacing, a constant moving that dragged you along. The story was really well-paced, in this regard; the narrative decisions and the setting and environment and the story being told all worked together seamlessly. The world-building and atmosphere were superb, really giving you the bone-tired weariness of the mud and guts and fetid hopelessness that pervaded the front lines four years into the Great War. There is a verisimilitude to the quotidian nature of violence and death that makes everything feel painfully and emotionally real. In addition, the characters, especially our main character, fit so well in this world. They are complicated and feel like they genuinely occupy space, physical and emotional, and the way they developed through the story was heartfelt and carried the story.

For all of its (not quite, but almost) gimmicky narrative devices, this story is exploring wildly important ideas. It isn’t concerned with faith as much as you might expect, given the main character is the son of a preacher and the whole narrative moves around him finding an angel in no man’s land. Instead, this is a story about humanity. About what you can live with, and what you can’t. About how violence and love and devotion and obsession don’t occupy neat, distinct places in our emotional landscape and we need to constantly hunt for the person we aspire to be. This is a story that cares about salvation, not of your soul but of your humanity, and suggests that is a hard thing to keep hold of during wartime. Friendship, loyalty, hope, reliability, perseverance and more are all investigated and tested. This novel reads really quickly, not coming close to overstaying is welcome (which is a genuine possibility when using novel narrative/artistic devices). Yet in its few pages it has a dedication to language, being really beautifully and thoughtfully written, and to emotion, always striking for the vital points. It can be a harrowing ride, at times, but was definitely one worth taking.

[LindaPf · Rating 2 out of 5]

A tale of literary hell — a book where the chapters are numbered with Roman numerals, and EVERY paragraph begins with the word “and.” And each of those paragraphs is just a run-on sentence, so the entire book is devoid of ANY periods, including the last page. WTH?

And this was SO disappointing since I truly enjoyed Kraus’ “Whalefall,” the story of a diver swallowed by a whale (those chapter headings were the amount of oxygen that was leftover). And I was so enticed by the teaser that a group of soldiers find a fallen angel and try to rescue her. And, yet it was a chore to eek out the story if I didn’t know about the angel in advance. And we know that the truly despicable main character, Cyril Bagger, is just barely surviving near the French frontline trenches of World War I, surrounded by death and gore, continuously musing about vulgarity, and considering himself lucky to be on burial duty. And his inner monologue is overwhelmingly depressing. And, and, and, are you annoyed yet?

I must note that the author forced me to look up the definition of “absquatulate” and I was inspired to do just that with the book. I absquatulated midway, did a speed reading through the next and, and, and chapters, read the last few in order to decide if I should go back, and decided that was enough. And an extravagant description of dead kittens was repulsive. And unnecessary. 2 stars.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy.

[Nick Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relentless, endearing, shocking... This story of WWI soldiers who find a celestial being on the battlefield is the literary equivalent of a one-shot war movie.

[Ken]

This was one of The New York Times "Top 10 Books of the Year." Wow.

I'll give it this -- it's unusual. Set in WWI in France in the heat of battle, it's filled with a bit too realistic images of death and carnage. Kraus almost luxuriates in descriptions of the many ways bodies can be cut, smashed, torn, ripped, disemboweled, blown up. As a reader, you almost become inured to the imagery.

The anti-hero, Bagger, resembles Billy Pilgrim in that he's one cynical dude. Only he happens to be the son of a bishop, so there's that dichotomy to remember.

One conceit in the book is the endless sentence. Look at me, Ma, no hands! So Kraus can say he wrote a one-sentence novel but, whatever. The reader just comma-splice pauses periods on whichever commas he wishes.

Depressing, but the angel angle finally gains traction in the last 50 pp. And you get rewarded with a twist. And you see how clever that title really is.

So, yeah. Enjoyed it begrudgingly. Hardly Chrismas season fare, but all's fair in war and literature, right?

[thevampireslibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that is just one sentence? A task of biblical proportions (see what I done there, cos angel? Biblical? OK yeah sorry I'll stop you geddit) but if anyone can pull it off (spoiler, he does) it's Daniel Kraus, I'm a big fan of his writing in general so was excited for this one, it's not an easy read, it's visceral and brutal but the rhythmic structure carries the reader through the dark trenches of humanity and war, its a special book, I'm sorry this review isn't more articulate but the man hasn't written a bad book, unique, ambitious and captivating

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this might be my second favorite book of all time. Holy shit.

[Casey Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am of the opinion that this book is a masterpiece. I can see it becoming required reading in schools. Becoming a classic. This is not an easy read, at all. I feel the same way about it that I felt about SGJ's The Buffalo Hunter Hunter.... it's difficult, in more ways than one, but beyond worth it. Written in one long sentence, which I questioned at first, but the first chapter provides insight into why, the book takes place during WWI. A group of soldiers discovers an angel shot down on the battlefield. This book is devastating. A harsh look at war, the power of violence, the devastation on a battlefield externally but also internally, and how to maintain humanity in its midst. These themes make it timeless, furthering my belief that it will become a classic. On top of that, it is expertly written. I am beyond impressed with this book. It's one of those that you sit in silence contemplating for a long time after. This one is going to stay with me for a long time.

[Stacy (Gotham City Librarian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“but a nagging voice insists it’s a miracle, which only pisses him off, he’ll be goddamned if he’s going to start believing in miracles here in hell”

There's a part of me that will always believe that Daniel Kraus heard the Lady Gaga song "Angel Down" and was inspired by Mother Monster to write this book. She is the most powerful muse of all. I have zero evidence to back this up, but it's my own personal canon. 

I was hesitant to take this one on, both because of the format and the subject matter. I typically don't read books or watch films about war. (I do play a lot of Fallout, which is about the aftermath. And as the games wisely say, "War never changes.") This novel is also one big long sentence, and I expected that to be monotonous. Though that whole thing is admittedly a bit of a cheat, as there are plenty of complete statements throughout that are simply left as run-on sentences instead and separated by commas. I figured I would be annoyed pretty quickly by the gimmick of every paragraph beginning with “and,” so color me surprised when it turned out to not be that tough. I also liked the abundance of white space, which made this easy to pick up and put down whenever I needed a break. The more I read, the more I got into the flow of the action and after a while I didn't even notice all the "and's." This turned out to be a bit of a challenge in the same way that reading Stephen Graham Jones' "The Buffalo Hunter Hunter" was a challenge, and both books were absolutely worth the effort.

The best part of this reading experience was the wildly vivid violence and imagery I haven’t seen elsewhere, such as a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it sentence in which a stoat is hauling around a human digestive system. (Subtle warning that there is gore.) Kraus's use of Magical Realism is skillful, and everything from his depiction of the Angel herself to the creepy and tragic shit that happens in her wake absolutely won me over. I don't know if everyone would call this a Horror novel, but I definitely would. Kraus has a way with prose and description that I admire. There’s a bit of the father/son relationship theme in here as an echo, reminding me of “Whalefall.” If this became a movie I think it would be directed by Alex Garland. It would be visceral, gross, bloody and upsetting but with gorgeous imagery.

I liked the friendship between Bagger and Arno. Though Bagger himself is not necessarily a great guy. It’s tough to root for a protagonist who’s racist and manipulative and frankly not as bright as he likes to think he is. Yet some of the best moments in the story were when I as the reader was alone with Bagger (and perhaps the Angel.) Example: When he’s carrying her through the aftermath of a massacre and playing a game with himself where every time he sees something horrifying he immediately tries to picture something nice instead. And I will say this for him: the guy is very resilient. 

Ultimately, some of the symbolism, (such as that men will always choose to weaponize religion for their own gain), was a bit on the nose. But there were more nuanced moments throughout as well, both magical and horrific. A strong stomach is needed for this book in order to wade through the viscera of war, but you will be properly rewarded with a story like nothing you've read before. I really liked "Whalefall" and now "Angel Down" was a delightful surprise for this reader of weird, dark fiction. I'm looking forward to whatever Daniel Kraus comes up with next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to the Publisher for offering me this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

Biggest TW: Racist language/Racism, Graphic gore, Graphic animal death, Mention of SA

[CYIReadBooks (Claire) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m a fan of Daniel Kraus, having loved The Living Dead (5 stars) and enjoyed Whalefall (3 stars), but Angel Down was a massive letdown. The writing style—endless run-on sentences with "and this, and that" structure—grated on my nerves from the start. It felt chaotic and lacked any sense of flow, making it impossible for me to connect with the story. The graphic, gory details were the only highlights, but even those couldn’t save the book. I couldn’t push through and had to DNF. Disappointing, given Kraus’s talent.

I received a DRC from Atria books through NetGalley, and an ARC from Atria Books. This review is my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

[Neil McRobert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have rarely read a novel that is so breathless and relentless. The conceit of this being written as a single 300-page sentence may sound like a gimmick, but in truth it’s a reflection of the awful momentum of war. I didn’t think Kraus could top WHALEFALL for linguistic acrobatics and verbal ingenuity, but he has. This is All Quiet on the Western Front for the speculative reader. Utterly awe-inspiring in prose and vision.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction fans will love it. Especially WW1 enthusiasts. Loved the author's writing style. Hell of a storyline!

[Rachaelbookhunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Private Cyril Bagger has so far manged to survive the horrors of the Great War, using his wits and swindling his fellow soldiers. He faces the ultimate test when he and four others are given the deadly mission of euthanizing a wounded comrade in No Man's Land.

What they find isn't a man in need of mercy but a fallen angel. 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.

The entirety of Angel Down is one sentence. It's not as crazy as it sounds. I believe it's written this way to direct the flow of the story and to convey the atmosphere of battle. It's broken up with chapters and paragraphs so it doesn't feel overwhelming.

Angel Down is very atmospheric. However the atmosphere is war, blood, and violence. It can be a lot at times. Some descriptions are on the grosser side.

There is meaning through all of it. I can't say I quite understood everything. The style of writing is different from previous books by the author which I have loved. I appreciate the creativity here, but Angel Down just wasn't for me. It's more of personal taste than anything so definitely check it out if you think it sounds good.

Thank you Atria Books for the ARC!

[Sjgomzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daniel Kraus delivers a mesmerizing, carnage filled tale from WW1, featuring some unlucky soldiers, a fallen angel, and an unflinching look at the horrors of war.

“What does it matter which nations win which wars? Future wars will reverse all gains. God is on no one’s side.”

[Sarah (menace mode) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you watched the WWI masterpiece ‘1917’ and thought damn, that was so good how could a one-shot first person POV story about a random soldier sent on an impossible mission be ANY better?? - I’m here to tell you IT GETS BETTER. I’m no connoisseur of wartime fiction, but I can appreciate a literary masterpiece when I read one and Angel Down is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. The prose is brutal and relentless, forcing your head into the brutality of trench warfare and effectively making you live the trauma with Bagger. Bagger is not your wartime hero - he barely wants to be alive, but he’s the perfect pair of eyes with which to see the horrors mankind has unleashed upon themselves and (not a spoiler it’s literally in the title) be the one to help rescue a fallen angel from the beasts of the battlefield within and without. Nothing about this book should work and it does and it’s so banger and I need everyone to start reading it ASAP please and thank you.

[♡ retrovvitches ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank you to the publishers for the ARC! this was beautifully written, following the story of soldiers finding an angel on the battlefield. lot of commentary on war and the selfishness of man. this was very very well written, the prose was so impressive. the only thing that wasn’t really for me was the format! every paragraph starts with ‘and’, and there’s no periods, only commas!! but i still enjoyed this plenty

[Matt M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daniel Kraus is a fantastic writer. I read his novel Whalefall and it was one of my favorite books that I read that year. It’s honestly one of my favorite books of the last several years.

When I heard about Angel Down, I was initially skeptical. A WW1 story told as essentially one sentence? Only a writer of Kraus’s caliber could pull something like this off without it feeling like a gimmick.

I’m happy to report that not only does he pull it off, but he wrote a modern classic.

Angel Down is a fascinating novel that puts you right into the trenches of France with Private Cyril Bagger, as he and other ragtag members are sent into No Man’s Land to “take care of” what seems to be a fallen solider. What they find instead is an angel who fell from the sky. Will the angel provide what is needed to end the war? Or will she tear apart the remaining company as they fight for her power?

Reading Angel Down is akin to riding on a freight train without brakes. It begins mid-sentence with an “and” and doesn’t let up. Kraus’s prose is rich and evocative. You will want to dedicate your full attention to this novel. The writing is gorgeous at once and grotesque at others as Kraus describes the real life horrors of war.

Does war ever end? Once it is started can it ever be stopped?

Angel Down is a bruising masterpiece of an American novel. Read it.

Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC.

[Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow….this one was SO unique with a different writing style than what I am used to. The whole book is written as a run-on sentence, and each paragraph starts with the word “and”. I was not sure how that would work for a novel but it honestly worked fine for me. I did go with the audio which was narrated by Kirby Harborne. His emotions throughout the book were spectacular and I think that it made the book so entertaining. 

This book is about Private Cyril Bagger and four other soldiers, during WW1, who are sent on a mission to euthanize a wounded comrade. But what they find isn't a human, but a fallen angel. If the soldiers can work together, this celestial being may know how to end the war. But they start to turn on each other as jealousy and greed take hold. 

This book is intense. The way war is depicted is definitely gory. It's vivid, descriptive, and horrific. Some of the descriptions were difficult to read/hear, but the story overall was just compelling. It shows the dark tendencies of humanity. It's very engaging and thought provoking. I will say this isn't an easy read per se, but well worth it in the end..


Thank you to the publisher and Suzy approved book tours for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unrelenting, crucifying, unsettling, brilliant,

those are the words that immediately come to mind,

in Cyril Bagger, Kraus has created the ultimate every man, vagabond, gambler, coward, brave, deeply flawed, perfect man,

I loved every word, comma, syllable of this modern work of breathless genius,

don’t miss it

That was my weak attempt at writing a brief review in one sentence, much like how this novel is written in, YES, one sentence. And before you say ew, no, that’s not for me, listen. It works. It works as more than a gimmicky, clever angle. This novel is set in war, during WWI, and the run on sentence makes the unrelenting horror of war that much more devastating and visceral. It left me breathless. It left me enervated. It left me destroyed.

I cannot say enough about how much I loved this book. I can’t remember the last time a story just made me FEEL. I felt everything. And the ending. Oh the ending. I will never get over it.

Like I said. Don’t miss it. Out July 29th, perfect for a day on the beach.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #atriabooks for the eARC of this excellent novel.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book broke my heart and also broke my brain. I don’t think I could write a review to do this book justice - it really is a masterpiece in my opinion. It was emotional, visceral, horrific, hopeful, and will change the way you think about not just war, but also life. It is not just about Cyril Bagger, but all of humanity - past, present, and future. I will be thinking about this one for a very long time and it might be my top book of the year.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

The nitty-gritty: Powerful, visceral and immersive, Angel Down explores war and angels, life and death, desires and miracles, in a surprising format that echoes the chaos of war.

After being blown away by Daniel Kraus’s last book, Whalefall, I was so curious to see what he would write next. Angel Down blew me away too, but it’s a much different beast. Kraus has taken some big risks with this book, and I can tell you it’s not going to work for everyone. First, there’s the format, which is almost a stream of consciousness style narrative with the entire story told in only one sentence. His writing style has more of a literary flair and mostly focuses on the internal dialog of the main character, and because of the setting—France during WWI—there’s a frantic edge that made this a rather exhausting reading experience, to be honest. This is a tough read, full of excruciating emotion and very graphic depictions of life in the trenches during wartime, and yet it’s both cleverly written and full of very dark humor. I suspect you will either love it or hate it, and luckily I fell on the side of “love,” especially when it comes to Kraus’s amazing writing skills and his ability to convey emotion through his characters and their experiences.

The plot itself is rather simple and takes place over the course of only a day or two. Private First Class Cyril Bagger signed up to serve in the war after seeing a poster of Uncle Sam, who looked suspiciously like his late father, Bishop Bernard Bagger. Now he’s fighting along side the Butcher Birds of the 43rd, although he’s mostly been relegated to burying the dead, which keeps him out of harm’s way. One day, a loud shriek pierces the normal sounds of war, a neverending sound of someone in pain. Major General Reis assigns Bagger and four others to investigate and “take care of him,” thinking the shrieker is a dying soldier who needs to be put out of his misery. But when they eventually arrive at the source of the horrible sound, they’re shocked to find not a man, but a woman tangled up in barb wire.

Giving off a bright light and sporting an actual halo, they decide that the woman must be an angel, and they decide to save her. And so begins a terrible journey, as the five men—Bagger, Arno, Popkin, Goodspeed and Veck—struggle through the war-torn landscape to safety. Each man, though, has different ideas about what the angel’s presence means and what they can gain from her, and so their journey back to General Reis is one fraught with danger.

Kraus’s story isn’t really about the angel at all, but instead is an intimate character study of Bagger and the other characters. Bagger is a conman who brings his grifting skills with him to France, giving him an edge when it comes to observing other people’s body language, and there are several times during the story, life or death moments, when these skills save his life. Kraus meticulously inserts personal bits of Bagger’s history into his story that are carried throughout, for example he has brought his dead father’s red leather Bible with him, not for spiritual comfort, but because it’s the only thing tying him to home. The Bible pops up over and over in surprising ways and becomes an emotional touchstone for Bagger. There’s also a wonderful element involving the book The Son of Tarzan that Kraus cleverly threads throughout his story. Bagger has a battered, mud-stained copy that he reads to Arno (a boy of only fourteen who can’t read), and I loved the way these passages show Arno’s innocence and the tender father/son relationship between them.

Kraus immerses the reader in the horrors of war and doesn’t pull any punches describing injuries from howitzers and mortar shells in excruciating detail (blood, viscera and body parts) as well as the horrible conditions of foot soldiers—lack of food, and mud-, urine- and feces-filled trenches. I loved the contrast of the angel, who appears to Bagger wearing an immaculate red dress and a blue cape, porcelain skin free of mud, and a dreamy, sleepy expression on her face. At first the angel is a figure of innocence in the midst of so much pain, although she changes into something else later in the book, as the author explores various versions of the angel in literature, art and the Bible.

There is a lot I haven’t mentioned and won’t, so you can experience it for yourself. But I will say you’ll never think about the game Rock Paper Scissors in the same way after reading this book...

I loved the way the angel’s story plays out in the end. Is she there to save humanity and end the war? Or is her purpose much darker? The last chapters have a surreal quality and don’t necessarily answer all the questions, due to some confusing and very weird scenes, but at that point I was willing to go wherever Kraus took me. Angel Down isn’t an easy book to read, but it’s an experience I won’t soon forget.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

[Shannon Miz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't quite know how to put Angel Down into words. It both was what I expected and also wasn't. It was brutal, which you can imagine being about WWI. Particularly, the two thirds of the book was so bleak that it was hard to read, especially knowing that all these horrors were, to some extent, real. Sure, the exact names and locales may differ slightly, but the crux of it? The atrocities? Yeah, they absolutely happened. And keep happening, because human beings just can't seem to stop killing each other.

The storytelling itself is one long sentence, though with appropriate breaks. It's mainly from the perspective of soldier Cyril Bagger, but it's third person so we see others too. Because of the structure, which I fully admit is genius, it feels like I presume the author wants us to understand that Bagger feels- bleak and like the horrors literally never pause. Again, it is so well done, almost too well done, because it was really hard for me to handle at certain points.

But the final third, oh, the final third absolutely hooked me. I appreciated the book so much more because of the final third, and the way it wrapped up left me feeling... well, I still don't have a glowing perspective of humanity, but it was slightly less bleak at points. But only slightly, and IMO, it absolutely fit the tone of the story. If you can handle the brutality, it is absolutely worth reading, but be prepared, and definitely think twice if you're in a bad mental space.

Bottom Line: The writing and structure is brilliant, the story brutal but breathtaking. Absolutely recommend if you've the stomach for it.

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

[nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

hiii this book REALLY worked for me!! some people are going to be put off by the runon sentence format but i actually adored it, it added to the urgency and chaotic atmosphere of the book's setting. it was every bit as nasty and dark as i was hoping for- you can totally tell where the book is going, yes it's about war and faith and the folly of man etc etc- but there's fun twists in here and great visuals along the way. it's absolutely a horror novel, and it's so much fun. i would recommend in a heartbeat to fans of nick cutter (little heaven especially!) and between two fires. this is great stuff, thank you daniel kraus you haven't let me down yet <33

[Maritza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful literary historical horror. The ending was so poetic and I tabbed sooo many lines.

[J Mazurek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader’s copy of Angel Down—quite possibly my favorite book of the year.

I’ve read a few of Daniel Kraus’s works before (Bent Heavens and The Living Dead are personal favorites), but Angel Down proves without a doubt that Kraus is a literary powerhouse. This novel feels like the culmination of years of writing, observing, and living—a work of pure, unfiltered genius.

Told in a single breathless sentence, with every paragraph beginning with “and” and the only period arriving at the end, Angel Down moves at a breakneck pace. It’s action-packed, emotional, violent, fantastical, and deeply human. Not once does it let up or allow you to come up for air.

I don’t typically go for war novels, but I was completely captivated. It’s gruesome and gnarly in all the right ways, placing you right in the trenches of WWI alongside the characters. The protagonist, Bagger, has insane character development that feels raw and natural.

But this isn’t your typical war story. Once the angel appears, the narrative veers sharply away from genre expectations and into something unexpected, shocking, and unforgettable.

Yes, it’s a challenging read—Kraus’s prose is verbose, and I had to look up more than a few words (I recommend reading it on an e-reader for that reason). But Angel Down is more than worth the effort. Give it a chance. You might be as surprised—and blown away—as I was.

Reviewed on NetGalley, Goodreads, Amazon, and Indigo Books.

[Denise Ruttan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book certainly won't be for everyone, if you get bored with books that are just vibes and beautiful sentences. This was more than just vibes to me; finally literary fiction that explores something other than sexually promiscuous sad girls in unhappy marriages or professors sleeping with students.

This book also wasn't beautiful sentences, plural, but one long beautiful sentence, singular, and yes you read that right. This book is a love letter to the Oxford comma, which authors always love to defend as if it is endangered.

I also wasn't sure I could read one long sentence that starts every paragraph with "and," and in this case I was grateful to have a physical ARC for the formatting. But I loved Whalefall so I was willing to give this author my trust, and boy did it pay off. This was kind of like reading a novel in verse, and the prose was lyrical and poetic as well.

It was also visceral in that it was frequently disgusting in the vein of Full Metal Jacket as it perfectly captured the unending ugliness of war.

Cyril Bagger is a swindler and a preacher's son who was forced into the infantry in the First World War. He has continued those activities as a soldier. One day in the trenches the men hear continuous shrieking, and they are tasked to investigate. The band of army rejects on this suicide mission finds a woman on the battlefield and they each see something different. A 14-year-old orphaned soldier whom Cyril takes to sees his mother. From that point they now find a mission bigger than themselves or the war in which horror mixes with the brutalities of war.

The long sentence also brought home the monotony of war punctuated with the everyday brutality and I had never seen this styled this way before. Above all else I was impressed that I not only hung in but dug in to this incredible sentence and the transformation of Bagger from a selfish con man to an unlikely hero.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.