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Angel #1
Angel
When an avenging angel, determined to destroy all the fallen angels hiding on earth at any cost, begins to devastate San Francisco, two police detectives attempt to stop an epidemic of strange fires and wonder how to stop the unearthly being. Reprint.
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 3, 1993
1 person is currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Garry Kilworth
224 books118 followersGarry Douglas Kilworth is a historical novelist who also published sci-fi, fantasy, and juvenile fiction.
Kilworth is a graduate of King's College London. He was previously a science fiction author, having published one hundred twenty short stories and seventy novels.
Kilworth is a graduate of King's College London. He was previously a science fiction author, having published one hundred twenty short stories and seventy novels.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 26, 2017
I know the old adage about not judging a book by its' cover. But before we get to the review of Garry Kilworth's Angel we have to spend a minute discussing the cringe worthy cover art. It features an angel with wings, plus hair that is feathered and lethal. He has a kilt (for lack of a better word) of fire to conceal his naughty bits. This is the porniest angel I have ever seen. Ok, enough, onwards:
Garry Kilworth can write but on the whole I found Angel mediocre. A literal angel is running around the world incinerating fallen angels aka demons because he can. This is not a spoiler all these facts can actually be found on the back cover. Two San Francisco police officers figure this out and are faced with the task of killing the unkillable-before it kills them. How this is resolved I won't reveal, but I will say even though the resolution obeys the "rules" established in this book it still feels like a huge cop out. On the whole the concept of this book is interesting but the author paints himself into a corner and you can pretty much divide the book into two parts as a result. For the first half of the book no one has any idea what the hell they are going to do as they are facing an invincible adversary. In the second half that all changes and the book becomes sort of run of the mill as a result. There is a sequel but I don't care.
Garry Kilworth can write but on the whole I found Angel mediocre. A literal angel is running around the world incinerating fallen angels aka demons because he can. This is not a spoiler all these facts can actually be found on the back cover. Two San Francisco police officers figure this out and are faced with the task of killing the unkillable-before it kills them. How this is resolved I won't reveal, but I will say even though the resolution obeys the "rules" established in this book it still feels like a huge cop out. On the whole the concept of this book is interesting but the author paints himself into a corner and you can pretty much divide the book into two parts as a result. For the first half of the book no one has any idea what the hell they are going to do as they are facing an invincible adversary. In the second half that all changes and the book becomes sort of run of the mill as a result. There is a sequel but I don't care.
July 11, 2024
CW: Sexual Assault, casual period racism, ""dubious"" stereotypes
You need to want to read a fundamentally Early '90s Book to embark on the journey that is reading Angel in Anno Domini 2024+; if you accept that the book's less savoury descriptors are a reflection of the characters' own prejudices, genre conventions, and then-acceptable aphorisms, only then may you embark on a decidedly decent supernatural crime thriller that starts promisingly and ends without much surprise. I don't say this to Crucify the author, whose writing here in '93 included a positive depiction of an interracial couple (far from normative in fiction at the time), but you could really hit a lot of potential trigger points and discomforts here.
The only way to review this book without spoiling it is to echo what others have shared: there is a first and a second half to this book. The difference is not demarcated formally but it represents a change in its nature. As a supernatural crime thriller it does a good job asking a certain question.
Also, the books overuses a l'il trick. I feel like a little shit saying this but if you look around TV Tropes for something that rhymes with "Originator" you'll quickly see what I mean.
You need to want to read a fundamentally Early '90s Book to embark on the journey that is reading Angel in Anno Domini 2024+; if you accept that the book's less savoury descriptors are a reflection of the characters' own prejudices, genre conventions, and then-acceptable aphorisms, only then may you embark on a decidedly decent supernatural crime thriller that starts promisingly and ends without much surprise. I don't say this to Crucify the author, whose writing here in '93 included a positive depiction of an interracial couple (far from normative in fiction at the time), but you could really hit a lot of potential trigger points and discomforts here.
The only way to review this book without spoiling it is to echo what others have shared: there is a first and a second half to this book. The difference is not demarcated formally but it represents a change in its nature. As a supernatural crime thriller it does a good job asking a certain question.
Also, the books overuses a l'il trick. I feel like a little shit saying this but if you look around TV Tropes for something that rhymes with "Originator" you'll quickly see what I mean.
September 1, 2019
Dark and delightfully screwed.
Original take on what happens when angel falls. I mean truly falls and not all this YA pathetic attempts on the subject.
Original take on what happens when angel falls. I mean truly falls and not all this YA pathetic attempts on the subject.
January 30, 2010
Garry D. Kilworth takes readers on an interesting thrill ride in "Angel," the story that puts a new spin on the old notion of good vs. evil and angels vs. demons.
Danny and Dave are two detectives in San Francisco assigned to bring down the arsonist responsible for the recent onslaught of fires and murders in the city. What they don't know is that the killer is an angel trying to seek justice against the demons who now inhabit the Earth among us. The question really is: How do you kill an angel of justice?
I found the story interesting for the most part and liked the idea behind the storyline, but I found the main characters, the two detectives and their lives just a bit boring and lacking in the personality and action departments. There were moments where some of the characters were trying to seek redemption for past offenses, but it just kind of fell short in the end. The book was gritty and edgy and there were some suspenseful even laugh-out-loud moments, but all-in-all it just didn't come together as a good and/or thrilling read, in my opinion. If you're a reader who enjoys different ideas involving religion, death, and the uglier side of human nature, give this book a try but keep an open mind to the explanations and arguments made throughout the story!
Danny and Dave are two detectives in San Francisco assigned to bring down the arsonist responsible for the recent onslaught of fires and murders in the city. What they don't know is that the killer is an angel trying to seek justice against the demons who now inhabit the Earth among us. The question really is: How do you kill an angel of justice?
I found the story interesting for the most part and liked the idea behind the storyline, but I found the main characters, the two detectives and their lives just a bit boring and lacking in the personality and action departments. There were moments where some of the characters were trying to seek redemption for past offenses, but it just kind of fell short in the end. The book was gritty and edgy and there were some suspenseful even laugh-out-loud moments, but all-in-all it just didn't come together as a good and/or thrilling read, in my opinion. If you're a reader who enjoys different ideas involving religion, death, and the uglier side of human nature, give this book a try but keep an open mind to the explanations and arguments made throughout the story!
July 27, 2019
Fire are ravaging cities, arson, but the worst arson is being set by an angel as a battle between demons and angels spills over to earth. Two detectives work to discover the truth behind the mysterious and destructive fires. The distinction between good and evil begins to blur by the end of the book.
A hard-hitting detective novel combines with a supernatural plot. The plot is OK, the action is good, the characters are interesting. It's not my usual type of novel, but still a good read.
A hard-hitting detective novel combines with a supernatural plot. The plot is OK, the action is good, the characters are interesting. It's not my usual type of novel, but still a good read.
March 27, 2012
Selten war ich bei einem Buch so zwiegespalten wie bei diesem. Der erste Teil hat mir wirklich sehr gut gefallen und ich würde ihm vier Sterne geben. Aber der zweite Teil war wirklich sehr eigenartig um es noch nett auszudücken. Ein Erzengel landet mitten in London und keine Sau interessiert es oder wundert sich groß darüber. Man hat beim zweiten Teil wirkich das Gefühl, dem Autor wäre noch was für eine Fortsetzung eingefallen und er hat sich einfach noch irgendwas aus den Fingern gezogen, um ein zweites Buch auszufüllen. Sorry, aber ich habe schon bessere Fanfiction gelesen! Für den zweiten Teil also nur mit ganz viel Wohlwollen zwei Sterne.
April 25, 2013
The Good: I enjoy an interesting genre mashing and this late 90s book did well mixing biblical paranormal with dark police procedural. An angel gone bad, murdering humans, would have peaked my interest even if it hadn't been experienced through the eyes of detectives trying to solve the cases through mundane means.
The Bad: While the premise was unique enough, the execution was forgettable. Detectives Dave and Danny are bland characters who spend way too much time worrying about their own religious beliefs rather than facing what's actually going on.
The Bad: While the premise was unique enough, the execution was forgettable. Detectives Dave and Danny are bland characters who spend way too much time worrying about their own religious beliefs rather than facing what's actually going on.
June 15, 2009
This book was a huge surprise for me. I was looking schlock but instead found an engaging story with a rather original premise. Not sure why we don't have more books about angels as the bad guys, usually we can only find that in stuff in the Bible.
If you can find a copy, I highly recommend.
If you can find a copy, I highly recommend.
decided-not-to-read
March 6, 2011If you liked Lyda Morehouse's books (Messiah Node, etc.) you might like this one.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews