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Angel Country
Not yet published
Expected 20 Oct 26In an alternate early 1900s, a scientist hunts down her former research partner after he steals her life’s work before his greed reshapes the world in this darkly wondrous cosmic horror—perfect for fans of The Starving Saints and Ring Shout.
One morning in 1904, scientist Ada Franklin wakes up in her own grave. After clawing her way out, she discovers her lab abandoned and her research partner gone—along with her life’s work: a prototype designed to enable human-angel communication.
Angelic infestations have kept the original thirteen colonies from expanding for generations, but Manifest Destiny is a growing force in the new century. Whoever controls Ada’s invention may gain the power not only to communicate with angels, but to command them.
With no one else to trust, Ada resurrects her former lover, now monstrously altered by the entities they once studied. Together they pursue the man who betrayed her across a country warped by celestial horror, where angelic contact remakes both flesh and mind. But the closer Ada comes to reclaiming her work, the more she suspects humanity’s greed could prove more terrifying than the divine.
A fever dream mash-up of alternate history, dark fantasy, and eldritch horror, Angel Country delivers a morally complex tale that asks a chilling question: when faced with unimaginable power, who is truly the monster?
One morning in 1904, scientist Ada Franklin wakes up in her own grave. After clawing her way out, she discovers her lab abandoned and her research partner gone—along with her life’s work: a prototype designed to enable human-angel communication.
Angelic infestations have kept the original thirteen colonies from expanding for generations, but Manifest Destiny is a growing force in the new century. Whoever controls Ada’s invention may gain the power not only to communicate with angels, but to command them.
With no one else to trust, Ada resurrects her former lover, now monstrously altered by the entities they once studied. Together they pursue the man who betrayed her across a country warped by celestial horror, where angelic contact remakes both flesh and mind. But the closer Ada comes to reclaiming her work, the more she suspects humanity’s greed could prove more terrifying than the divine.
A fever dream mash-up of alternate history, dark fantasy, and eldritch horror, Angel Country delivers a morally complex tale that asks a chilling question: when faced with unimaginable power, who is truly the monster?
447 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 20, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 5, 2026
I ended up at 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
For about 80% of this novel, I genuinely had no idea what was happening. I've seen Angel Country compared to Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy, but I think it's closer to Dead Astronauts than Annihilation, not that the comparison is even necessary. They're all undeniably "weird" fiction, but that label only goes so far. If you're expecting the creeping ecological horror and gradual clarity of Southern Reach, this isn't quite that.
One aspect I really appreciated was Alex T. Singer's take on the mad scientist. Science fiction is full of brilliant, obsessive men pushing ethical boundaries, but far fewer women occupy that role, and Franklin makes for a fascinating addition to that tradition. She was easily the most compelling part of the novel for me.
Unfortunately, the narrative itself was a much tougher sell. Franklin is an extremely unreliable narrator and I understand why Singer chose such a disorienting style. Still, there were long stretches where the story felt like it was trying a little too hard to be strange and opaque. Rather than drawing me in the constant uncertainty often left me feeling disconnected, and there were multiple points where I questioned whether the eventual payoff would be worth the effort.
Thankfully, the final 10% or so finally brought many of the pieces together. Learning more about Franklin's prototype and seeing some of the novel's mysteries click into place elevated the experience considerably. Without that ending, this would have been a solid 3-star read for me.
Ultimately, Angel Country is an ambitious work of weird fiction with some genuinely compelling ideas and a memorable central character, but its relentless ambiguity made it a difficult reading experience. Readers who enjoy experimental, highly abstract narratives may find much more to love here than I did.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
For about 80% of this novel, I genuinely had no idea what was happening. I've seen Angel Country compared to Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy, but I think it's closer to Dead Astronauts than Annihilation, not that the comparison is even necessary. They're all undeniably "weird" fiction, but that label only goes so far. If you're expecting the creeping ecological horror and gradual clarity of Southern Reach, this isn't quite that.
One aspect I really appreciated was Alex T. Singer's take on the mad scientist. Science fiction is full of brilliant, obsessive men pushing ethical boundaries, but far fewer women occupy that role, and Franklin makes for a fascinating addition to that tradition. She was easily the most compelling part of the novel for me.
Unfortunately, the narrative itself was a much tougher sell. Franklin is an extremely unreliable narrator and I understand why Singer chose such a disorienting style. Still, there were long stretches where the story felt like it was trying a little too hard to be strange and opaque. Rather than drawing me in the constant uncertainty often left me feeling disconnected, and there were multiple points where I questioned whether the eventual payoff would be worth the effort.
Thankfully, the final 10% or so finally brought many of the pieces together. Learning more about Franklin's prototype and seeing some of the novel's mysteries click into place elevated the experience considerably. Without that ending, this would have been a solid 3-star read for me.
Ultimately, Angel Country is an ambitious work of weird fiction with some genuinely compelling ideas and a memorable central character, but its relentless ambiguity made it a difficult reading experience. Readers who enjoy experimental, highly abstract narratives may find much more to love here than I did.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Saga Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC
Cosmic Horror carried by vibes and rage
In a world where horrifying Angels - of the 'biblically accurate'-meme type - have descended on earth, several scientists are willing to give everything to find the secret of communication with these beings. When our ruthless protagonist is betrayed and murdered by her equally ruthless colleagues, she finds out death is not quite permanent for her. Together with her resurrected dead former lover (whom she murdered herself months before) she sets out on a quest of vengeance while cosmic horrors ravage every place they go to.
This is Cosmic Horror but also most definitely Psychic Horror. I read a lot of Horror, but not a lot of the Cosmic variety - I enjoyed this one a lot however! Angelic entities shed what's called 'Grace', which can infect humans. Our narrator, Ada Franklin, has been infected long before the story starts, and as such she is an extraordinarily chaotic and unreliable narrator. You get kept in the dark from a lot of the backstory which is slowly revealed whenever Ada dignifies us with insights. I like unique perspectives and framing devices, but I have to admit the early chapters were hard to follow, as research notes, flashbacks, paper clippings and present-day narration follow in rapid succession. Once you've got a few chapters under your belt however, it begins to click into place and I easily found the rhythm in the text, even when our narrator gets more feverished as her condition worsens.
Our main character is not always a sympathetic character: she's ambitious, ruthless and as single-mindedly consequences-be-damned as her adversaries. But that's...compelling. Simultaneously she's the victim of so many injustices -many of them related to the patriarchy- that you can not help but feel her rage deep inside your own chest. And there is the star of the book: not just the vibes, but the specific feelings of betrayals, regrets and anger that emanate from many scenes.
In this grim world, there's only a few truly sympathetic characters. Blake, the musician and former lover of Ada is one, and the Saint called the Lighthouse Keeper is another. Blake & Ada's initial romance is well written and believable, their continued devotion feels somewhat more like a plot necessity - then again, what else are you going to do when you're an undead horror except help your very murderer on her quest for vengeance?
I was somewhat wary of how the book was going to treat the Native American plotlines. The blurb mentions the arrested expansion west of the United States in this alternative world, and the continued existence of tribal states across most of the continent into the 20th century. In my first gut reaction, I felt uncomfortable with the idea that it is horrors specifically modelled after the religion of the colonialist force that somehow keep the native tribes from being overrun. It seems a denial of agency, that even in the 'good' outcome, it was an external force that saves the natives. The idea that the Native Americans were less affected by the Angel infestation because they knew how to live along side it, perhaps reflects some noble savage stereotypes. In the end though, the book hardly treats with Native American culture at all. The situation is mentioned, as are some of the bordering tribes and the expansionist sentiment among some American characters, but without much detail beyond the geopolitical. Even though our secondary protagonist, Blake, is Native American, the only real hints to that are his long hair and his rarely plot-relevant contacts with the native Nations. The lack of cultural references is explained away by him being raised in one of the infamous boarding schools, which apparently still were a thing in this timeline. All in all, the superficial treatment is better than an actively offensive treatment, although one does wonder why it should be part of the story at all then?
As the truth of the story is slowly unveiled, we end the book with a major confrontation. Even during this final chapter, there are two major plot twists to turn things on their head, and create a satisfying climax. One of them I liked, one of them I'm less sure about. (Major spoiler!)
Most importantly: I just really enjoyed the book.
Cosmic Horror carried by vibes and rage
In a world where horrifying Angels - of the 'biblically accurate'-meme type - have descended on earth, several scientists are willing to give everything to find the secret of communication with these beings. When our ruthless protagonist is betrayed and murdered by her equally ruthless colleagues, she finds out death is not quite permanent for her. Together with her resurrected dead former lover (whom she murdered herself months before) she sets out on a quest of vengeance while cosmic horrors ravage every place they go to.
This is Cosmic Horror but also most definitely Psychic Horror. I read a lot of Horror, but not a lot of the Cosmic variety - I enjoyed this one a lot however! Angelic entities shed what's called 'Grace', which can infect humans. Our narrator, Ada Franklin, has been infected long before the story starts, and as such she is an extraordinarily chaotic and unreliable narrator. You get kept in the dark from a lot of the backstory which is slowly revealed whenever Ada dignifies us with insights. I like unique perspectives and framing devices, but I have to admit the early chapters were hard to follow, as research notes, flashbacks, paper clippings and present-day narration follow in rapid succession. Once you've got a few chapters under your belt however, it begins to click into place and I easily found the rhythm in the text, even when our narrator gets more feverished as her condition worsens.
Our main character is not always a sympathetic character: she's ambitious, ruthless and as single-mindedly consequences-be-damned as her adversaries. But that's...compelling. Simultaneously she's the victim of so many injustices -many of them related to the patriarchy- that you can not help but feel her rage deep inside your own chest. And there is the star of the book: not just the vibes, but the specific feelings of betrayals, regrets and anger that emanate from many scenes.
In this grim world, there's only a few truly sympathetic characters. Blake, the musician and former lover of Ada is one, and the Saint called the Lighthouse Keeper is another. Blake & Ada's initial romance is well written and believable, their continued devotion feels somewhat more like a plot necessity - then again, what else are you going to do when you're an undead horror except help your very murderer on her quest for vengeance?
I was somewhat wary of how the book was going to treat the Native American plotlines. The blurb mentions the arrested expansion west of the United States in this alternative world, and the continued existence of tribal states across most of the continent into the 20th century. In my first gut reaction, I felt uncomfortable with the idea that it is horrors specifically modelled after the religion of the colonialist force that somehow keep the native tribes from being overrun. It seems a denial of agency, that even in the 'good' outcome, it was an external force that saves the natives. The idea that the Native Americans were less affected by the Angel infestation because they knew how to live along side it, perhaps reflects some noble savage stereotypes. In the end though, the book hardly treats with Native American culture at all. The situation is mentioned, as are some of the bordering tribes and the expansionist sentiment among some American characters, but without much detail beyond the geopolitical. Even though our secondary protagonist, Blake, is Native American, the only real hints to that are his long hair and his rarely plot-relevant contacts with the native Nations. The lack of cultural references is explained away by him being raised in one of the infamous boarding schools, which apparently still were a thing in this timeline. All in all, the superficial treatment is better than an actively offensive treatment, although one does wonder why it should be part of the story at all then?
As the truth of the story is slowly unveiled, we end the book with a major confrontation. Even during this final chapter, there are two major plot twists to turn things on their head, and create a satisfying climax. One of them I liked, one of them I'm less sure about. (Major spoiler!)
Most importantly: I just really enjoyed the book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"So that perhaps in death, you may finally know what woman perhaps lurked in this shifting form."
When I read the description, I knew it would be right up my alley. And it was.
If you enjoy biblically accurate angels, body horror, women's wrongs and women in STEM, and music, you will probably enjoy this as well.
Since I read an ARC of this book, the delivery of the story was challenging at times due to unpolished formatting, but the foundation was there and it was working very well. It's a written account done in the style of an intimate research report with footnote interjections with helpful information as well as direct communication to the reader (to the protagonist's reader, specifically). There are special interjections between the chapters delivered like the report of tests that also further the story while giving us little details and hints about how everything and everyone is tied together.
"They had no way of knowing my brand of stubbornness transcended mortal law."
Ada Franklin, the protagonist, was a wonderful character to hear the story from. Her perspective is interesting, her own emotions add to her view of the events, and she is perfectly imperfect. Just enough of a the independent type (a woman with fierce intelligence and ambitions that she is not afraid to chase) to satisfy the desire to see a driven woman take control of things while not tipping towards some strange, oddly flawless being who everyone must bow down to (or fall in love with). Through the twists of past and present, her perspective left nothing to be desired. It delivered wonderfully and I legitimately sat back in my seat when some things became clear towards the end of the book because the build up had been done so well.
There are villains, of course, but there is also moral ambiguity which I love. I enjoy traditional tales of heroes vs. The Big Bad, but I also thoroughly adore complex characters and scenarios and what it means to be human (or, at least, human-esque). Everyone in the book has their own unique goals that sometime clash and sometimes work together and Singer makes us confront what we want in our own lives as well as how far is too far in getting what we want. This mixes perfectly with the setting and underlying commentary of a budding America that yearns to expand West but clashes with the angels and the First Nations who have been learning to live around them.
I really would love to say more, but I think going into the story without knowing more will allow it to unfold the best. With the published version, I am sure the formatting will be perfectly clear and maybe some of the reveals will seem more obvious than that had to me (though that's some of the joy in twists and reveals because I love seeing all the little hints that seemed innocuous before through a new (Fresnel) lens).
"Horns blared. People shouted. Angels sang."
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Rating 4.25
Angel Country is one of those ambitious genre novels where atmosphere and concept matter just as much as, if not more than, the plot itself. That gives the book a powerful identity before you even turn the first page. The premise feels both cinematic and literary, which is a rare combination: angels as invasive horrors, scientists experimenting with divinity, and a woman clawing her way out of her own grave.
What impressed me most was that Singer avoids a simple “good versus evil” framework, choosing instead to explore morally gray territory. I especially appreciated how the horror comes less from monsters attacking humanity and more from humanity trying to comprehend forces that should perhaps remain unknowable.
What surprised me most, though, was how emotional the story becomes beneath all the cosmic terror. The relationship between Ada and her transformed former lover gives the novel a painful humanity that prevents the larger supernatural elements from feeling cold or abstract. Even at its most grotesque, the narrative carries an undercurrent of longing.
That said, the novel’s ambition occasionally works against it. At times, the dense worldbuilding overshadows character development, and the heavy mythology combined with the emphasis on atmosphere over momentum can affect the pacing. Still, Angel Country is immersive, unsettling fiction that prioritizes mood, mystery, and psychological unease over straightforward action.
Overall, Angel Country is the kind of novel that leaves you staring at the ceiling afterward, feeling as though something vast and incomprehensible has just brushed against the edge of human understanding. It feels destined to become a future cult classic.
Angel Country is one of those ambitious genre novels where atmosphere and concept matter just as much as, if not more than, the plot itself. That gives the book a powerful identity before you even turn the first page. The premise feels both cinematic and literary, which is a rare combination: angels as invasive horrors, scientists experimenting with divinity, and a woman clawing her way out of her own grave.
What impressed me most was that Singer avoids a simple “good versus evil” framework, choosing instead to explore morally gray territory. I especially appreciated how the horror comes less from monsters attacking humanity and more from humanity trying to comprehend forces that should perhaps remain unknowable.
What surprised me most, though, was how emotional the story becomes beneath all the cosmic terror. The relationship between Ada and her transformed former lover gives the novel a painful humanity that prevents the larger supernatural elements from feeling cold or abstract. Even at its most grotesque, the narrative carries an undercurrent of longing.
That said, the novel’s ambition occasionally works against it. At times, the dense worldbuilding overshadows character development, and the heavy mythology combined with the emphasis on atmosphere over momentum can affect the pacing. Still, Angel Country is immersive, unsettling fiction that prioritizes mood, mystery, and psychological unease over straightforward action.
Overall, Angel Country is the kind of novel that leaves you staring at the ceiling afterward, feeling as though something vast and incomprehensible has just brushed against the edge of human understanding. It feels destined to become a future cult classic.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and to Simon & Schuster for this advanced copy of Angel Country!
After reading the summary of this book, I went into reading it with excitement and high expectations. Immediately you're thrown into this world full of questions that the author does not answer for you, letting you go down the ride of mystery and mania alongside the main character, Ada, who knows all but reveals almost nothing. She's as guarded and unreliable a narrator that you can find, and for good reason. Through the book you're putting puzzle pieces together by reading medical journals, flashing back to Ada's childhood, and through the whirlwind of action and horror that the characters face as they try to find the mysterious prototype that was stolen from Ada before she was murdered in the time before the book begins.
The tone of the book was excellent, and I felt myself going through the descent of Ada's madness with her as her desperation leads to redemption. I thought this book was excellent and I'm excited to see more conversations when it's released!
After reading the summary of this book, I went into reading it with excitement and high expectations. Immediately you're thrown into this world full of questions that the author does not answer for you, letting you go down the ride of mystery and mania alongside the main character, Ada, who knows all but reveals almost nothing. She's as guarded and unreliable a narrator that you can find, and for good reason. Through the book you're putting puzzle pieces together by reading medical journals, flashing back to Ada's childhood, and through the whirlwind of action and horror that the characters face as they try to find the mysterious prototype that was stolen from Ada before she was murdered in the time before the book begins.
The tone of the book was excellent, and I felt myself going through the descent of Ada's madness with her as her desperation leads to redemption. I thought this book was excellent and I'm excited to see more conversations when it's released!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.75 stars
What if the a woman was a mad scientist? What if biblically accurate angels existed and were uncontrollable like natural disasters? Both of these are the premise of Angel Country. This is a bit of horror, a bit of sci-fiction, and a lot of creativity. I really liked that there was an author interview at the end to help clarify some things.
This is an alternate universe where the thirteen original colonies did not expand westward. Instead, the world was invaded by biblically accurate angels affect the environment and people around them. Our FMC, Ada, is a woman who is a xenobiologist who has always been fascinated by angels and has made it her life's mission to study them, despite being a woman. She navigates these things despite the usual frustrations. Ada is determined to find a way to communicate with angels. The only way humans currently know how to handle them is with music. Unfortunately for her, her male colleagues have killed her and stolen her prototype and she is determined to get it back, no matter how much damage she causes to those around her.
This will not be for everyone. It was a slower read for me but I still enjoyed it overall. It jumped around in time to provide backstory to the current situation. Ada is likeable and not likeable at the same time. I found the beginning really difficult mostly because there was a lack of worldbuilding. This was done purposefully but it still hindered my ability to truly grasp everything. But as I continued to read, the puzzle pieces fell into place and it was fun.
What if the a woman was a mad scientist? What if biblically accurate angels existed and were uncontrollable like natural disasters? Both of these are the premise of Angel Country. This is a bit of horror, a bit of sci-fiction, and a lot of creativity. I really liked that there was an author interview at the end to help clarify some things.
This is an alternate universe where the thirteen original colonies did not expand westward. Instead, the world was invaded by biblically accurate angels affect the environment and people around them. Our FMC, Ada, is a woman who is a xenobiologist who has always been fascinated by angels and has made it her life's mission to study them, despite being a woman. She navigates these things despite the usual frustrations. Ada is determined to find a way to communicate with angels. The only way humans currently know how to handle them is with music. Unfortunately for her, her male colleagues have killed her and stolen her prototype and she is determined to get it back, no matter how much damage she causes to those around her.
This will not be for everyone. It was a slower read for me but I still enjoyed it overall. It jumped around in time to provide backstory to the current situation. Ada is likeable and not likeable at the same time. I found the beginning really difficult mostly because there was a lack of worldbuilding. This was done purposefully but it still hindered my ability to truly grasp everything. But as I continued to read, the puzzle pieces fell into place and it was fun.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Tore through this in the span of three days, and this is a hell (pun unintended) of a debut novel. We get a woman who wakes up dead and buried in a ditch, and slowly find out that she is a scientist studying angels. It's slowly revealed that this is an alternate history where because of biblically accurate angels (aka body horror nightmares, hell yes), the US never expanded beyond the East Coast, and most of what is now the United States instead still belongs to indigenous Americans (specific divergence points - Louisiana Purchase fails, Lewis and Clark's expedition ends in failure), and the 13 colonies never grew beyond their original borders). Manifest Destiny is still being preached though, and our protagonist gets caught up in larger political machinations as she also embarks on a revenge quest. The world building here is really thoroughly done, to terrifying effect when describing the biblically accurate angels; size and nature. I also like all the literary references in the naming (Tennyson, Dolokov, Blake, etc). Comes out in October, and highly recommended when it does.
August 20, 2026
Angel Country is a really impressive debut with great writing and super rich lore. I loved the female mad scientist angle and found Ada really interesting to follow. She is ambitious, morally gray, and an intriguing unreliable narrator. Seeing biblically accurate angels explored through a horror lens was such a cool idea and very well executed.
That being said, the story got pretty chaotic and disorienting at times, which made it a little hard to stay fully locked into the mystery and kept me from connecting with the characters as much as I wanted to. But the last 10 to 20 percent was so good it made the slower parts worth it. this is a very a solid debut and I will definitely be checking out whatever Alex T. Singer writes next.
thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book earlier in exchange for an honest review.
That being said, the story got pretty chaotic and disorienting at times, which made it a little hard to stay fully locked into the mystery and kept me from connecting with the characters as much as I wanted to. But the last 10 to 20 percent was so good it made the slower parts worth it. this is a very a solid debut and I will definitely be checking out whatever Alex T. Singer writes next.
thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book earlier in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Angel Country is a captivating read with a unique premise and intriguing narrative.
My motivation for reading this book was the fact that it focused on a female scientist. Ada was my favorite since her volatile perspective intensified the story’s mystery and tension. The book was also well-written, fast-paced, and included great side characters. The best part, the author also delivered a unique premise perfectly.
Overall, Angel Country is an incredible read. I highly recommend it to fantasy and horror fans.
Thank you, NetGalley and Saga Press for the ARC(advanced reader copy) in return for an honest review.
My motivation for reading this book was the fact that it focused on a female scientist. Ada was my favorite since her volatile perspective intensified the story’s mystery and tension. The book was also well-written, fast-paced, and included great side characters. The best part, the author also delivered a unique premise perfectly.
Overall, Angel Country is an incredible read. I highly recommend it to fantasy and horror fans.
Thank you, NetGalley and Saga Press for the ARC(advanced reader copy) in return for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
First of all, thank you to Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for the free e-copy of Angel Country by Alex T. Singer for review. Angel Country was a wonderfully unique sci-fi/fantasy novel with a horror edge. The novel is a very slow read because it throws so much context and background information to make the main plot come alive and imbue it with atmosphere. Ada was an engaging main character, and I was completely engaged with her quest to retrieve her prototype. Pick up Angel Country if you love slow-burning and unique dark sci-fi.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
First off, many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this novel as an eARC!
What an interesting concept! I really loved the angels-as-horror element, you don't see that super often. I didn't get super attached to the characters, but the writing itself was lovely, so that's okay!
Honestly, this might've been a five-star read, were it not for the fact that it's told in first-person, which I personally can't stand. I'm sure people who enjoy first-person will enjoy it, though! It's a very good book!
Four stars out of five for Angel Country!
What an interesting concept! I really loved the angels-as-horror element, you don't see that super often. I didn't get super attached to the characters, but the writing itself was lovely, so that's okay!
Honestly, this might've been a five-star read, were it not for the fact that it's told in first-person, which I personally can't stand. I'm sure people who enjoy first-person will enjoy it, though! It's a very good book!
Four stars out of five for Angel Country!
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