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Angels to Ashes
Barnabas, a Demon of Pride with the predatory heart of a salesman, defies the will of the Inferno.
Kalyndriel, an Avenging Angel, staggers beneath the weight of her own sin.
Walter, a damned human, witnesses the impossible, both on Earth and below.
Three unlikely allies unite against a terror beyond good and evil. Threads of desperation bind their worlds together: Hell, Heaven, and Earth. The emptiness before time gives birth to an abomination ... one who dreams of unraveling the tapestry of the God who abandoned His children.
Angels and Demons, alike, dance in the darkness as the world of man trembles beneath them. A mystery is born of a simple professor’s death: a trail that unveils the depravity in the souls of God’s firstborn.
All reap the wages of sin. All betrayals become inevitable over the course of eternity.
All is ashes.
Kalyndriel, an Avenging Angel, staggers beneath the weight of her own sin.
Walter, a damned human, witnesses the impossible, both on Earth and below.
Three unlikely allies unite against a terror beyond good and evil. Threads of desperation bind their worlds together: Hell, Heaven, and Earth. The emptiness before time gives birth to an abomination ... one who dreams of unraveling the tapestry of the God who abandoned His children.
Angels and Demons, alike, dance in the darkness as the world of man trembles beneath them. A mystery is born of a simple professor’s death: a trail that unveils the depravity in the souls of God’s firstborn.
All reap the wages of sin. All betrayals become inevitable over the course of eternity.
All is ashes.
- GenresFantasy
486 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2015
9 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 8, 2015
This was an excellent offering from a first time author. The editing was impeccable and the story engaging. I found myself drawn into the character's worlds, but in particular I found Barnabas fascinating. Mr. Foote presents an interesting world rife with intrigue, maneuverings, and outright warfare between the forces of heaven and hell, with Barnabas and Kalyndriel caught squarely between them.
You won't be disappointed if you pick this up.
You won't be disappointed if you pick this up.
June 8, 2015
(I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.)
I have been doing this review blog for over three years now, and off the top of my head, I can only think of three books that made me wish I had more than five stars to give. I would like to introduce you to the third: Angels to Ashes, by Drew Foote.
First off, I found the cover art beautiful. I rarely comment on this, but it was particularly striking to me. Secondly, the wonderful thing is that the writing meets expectations set by the cover. (It’s hard to see beautiful cover art on a book you don’t like too much.) There were lines in just the first couple of chapters so good, I read them out loud to my husband.
I wasn’t sure why our author felt the need to bounce between First and Third Person, I’ll admit, but I didn’t mind. It worked alright. I’m not sure I thought it was needed, but it didn’t detract from the story at all and that’s important.
Many, many years ago, I tried to read a book called God’s Demon. I don’t even remember who the author was. I loved the concept and it had a lot of ideas that were interesting, strong visuals, but I found the writing too thick and a little…self-important. I couldn’t finish it, either time I tried, but Angels to Ashes seemed to successfully do what that one wanted to: use the mythos behind the angels and demons, the Fall and so on, and give it life, richness and fullness.
This book works out of a biblical framework in all that, but it’s not religious and it doesn’t push the “agenda” of any religion. It just uses that backdrop as a means to bring you into an epic battle of good versus evil. And who doesn’t love a great good versus evil story?
This book brought in many things I love. It had strong female characters, particularly in Kalyndriel and Gabriele (just by virtue of Gabriel being a woman), both “good” and “bad,” and messages of equality. (The story of Adam and Eve in this one was great for that.) It had angels that weren’t all good and demons that weren’t all bad, which I loved.
There also seemed to be a lot of classical inspirations. The Void felt like a modern look at the Titan Chaos. The story of the Void and the Prime Mover felt allegorical to certain elements of history, though I don’t want to give anything away so I won’t say what history. I felt strong influences from The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats, which is a poem I love. I had been thinking that already, but then I read this quote that clinched it:
The beast was born and it did not slouch.
Characters themselves… Kalyndriel was great. I loved watching the journey she went on, yet it was a circle in a way. It was beautiful. And I loved her fighting style. Barnabas was hysterical, as good demons should be, I’d imagine. There was a certain feeling of Joss Whedon to the character’s humor, as well, that sort of poked pins into melodramatic moments. I highly approved. Orobas made me cry, twice. There is an image of Kalyndriel and Makariel that gave me shivers towards the end. Raziel’s power and majesty was incredible.
Simple lines like “Reality broke.” just really gave such strength to the prose.
I didn’t go to bed until freaking 1:30 in the morning because I could not stop reading. This is an unbelievably enthusiastic 5 Fireballs and I may have to make a Pyroblast rating.
I have been doing this review blog for over three years now, and off the top of my head, I can only think of three books that made me wish I had more than five stars to give. I would like to introduce you to the third: Angels to Ashes, by Drew Foote.
First off, I found the cover art beautiful. I rarely comment on this, but it was particularly striking to me. Secondly, the wonderful thing is that the writing meets expectations set by the cover. (It’s hard to see beautiful cover art on a book you don’t like too much.) There were lines in just the first couple of chapters so good, I read them out loud to my husband.
I wasn’t sure why our author felt the need to bounce between First and Third Person, I’ll admit, but I didn’t mind. It worked alright. I’m not sure I thought it was needed, but it didn’t detract from the story at all and that’s important.
Many, many years ago, I tried to read a book called God’s Demon. I don’t even remember who the author was. I loved the concept and it had a lot of ideas that were interesting, strong visuals, but I found the writing too thick and a little…self-important. I couldn’t finish it, either time I tried, but Angels to Ashes seemed to successfully do what that one wanted to: use the mythos behind the angels and demons, the Fall and so on, and give it life, richness and fullness.
This book works out of a biblical framework in all that, but it’s not religious and it doesn’t push the “agenda” of any religion. It just uses that backdrop as a means to bring you into an epic battle of good versus evil. And who doesn’t love a great good versus evil story?
This book brought in many things I love. It had strong female characters, particularly in Kalyndriel and Gabriele (just by virtue of Gabriel being a woman), both “good” and “bad,” and messages of equality. (The story of Adam and Eve in this one was great for that.) It had angels that weren’t all good and demons that weren’t all bad, which I loved.
There also seemed to be a lot of classical inspirations. The Void felt like a modern look at the Titan Chaos. The story of the Void and the Prime Mover felt allegorical to certain elements of history, though I don’t want to give anything away so I won’t say what history. I felt strong influences from The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats, which is a poem I love. I had been thinking that already, but then I read this quote that clinched it:
The beast was born and it did not slouch.
Characters themselves… Kalyndriel was great. I loved watching the journey she went on, yet it was a circle in a way. It was beautiful. And I loved her fighting style. Barnabas was hysterical, as good demons should be, I’d imagine. There was a certain feeling of Joss Whedon to the character’s humor, as well, that sort of poked pins into melodramatic moments. I highly approved. Orobas made me cry, twice. There is an image of Kalyndriel and Makariel that gave me shivers towards the end. Raziel’s power and majesty was incredible.
Simple lines like “Reality broke.” just really gave such strength to the prose.
I didn’t go to bed until freaking 1:30 in the morning because I could not stop reading. This is an unbelievably enthusiastic 5 Fireballs and I may have to make a Pyroblast rating.
July 1, 2015
More fantasy than horror, Drew Foote’s Angels to Ashes is long on description and short on everything else. The vast majority of the action takes place in Hell, Limbo, and more bizarre settings, where demons, angels, and other beings plot to either cause Armageddon or prevent it, depending on individual motivation. While the geography of Hell was interesting, the lack of connection to Earth didn’t make the apocalyptic stakes relevant: everything happened to other creatures in another dimension far removed from human experience. Add to that a cosmology that has more in common with Buddhism than Judeo-Christian mythology, and you have a very bright, very shiny, very loud story about incredible events in another universe.
When things happen in Angels to Ashes, they happen at full volume. For example, a lance doesn’t move quickly: it moves at blistering speed. Every single event has universe-shaking implications and consequences, which tended to blur after a while. If everything’s important, then nothing is. Yes, this is a novel about the apocalypse, but somehow the scope was missed. It’s hard to understand what someone’s saying when they’re always yelling at you.
There was some character development, but Foote handicapped his own narrative with the line, “Angels and Demons were no different from humanity, and no regret came with that realization.” That encapsulated one of the novel’s prime weaknesses: despite the incredible age of the characters, the forces that shaped and formed and moved them, they were indeed no different from regular people. They just had super powers. Lacking the depth and wisdom that might come with vast age, from being connected to the very machinery of the universe (even God), everyone seemed petty and shallow.
The cosmology was calculated to avoid offending anyone: there are angels and demons, but no judgmental God (or He is at least not helping); Eve didn’t eat the apple first, but rather ate at the same time as Adam; and there’s the judgment of Hell for some without the ascension to Heaven for others (so how do souls get to Heaven? Through worship? If so, of whom?). Add to this a kind of Buddhist-style universal cycle of death and rebirth, complete with one character believing that “Existence was suffering,” and you have a New Age sensibility trapped within a semi-Biblical framework. It didn’t fit well.
Foote’s imagination thrived in the descriptions of the demons, of the wheel of fire on Uriel’s back, the Doombringers and Word-Bearers. There’s enough celestial/infernal battle in the narrative to satisfy the appetite of even the most hard-core adrenaline junkie. Paimon’s beginnings and ethics were interesting, and the interplay between Demon Princes fun to read.
If you’re looking for an exciting, extremely light read about the end of the universe, Angels to Ashes is your book. Despite its flaws, it has a consistent theme, a clear plot, and characters who stay true to their natures.
(Review originally posted at Ginger Nuts of Horror: http://gingernutsofhorror.com/4/post/...)
When things happen in Angels to Ashes, they happen at full volume. For example, a lance doesn’t move quickly: it moves at blistering speed. Every single event has universe-shaking implications and consequences, which tended to blur after a while. If everything’s important, then nothing is. Yes, this is a novel about the apocalypse, but somehow the scope was missed. It’s hard to understand what someone’s saying when they’re always yelling at you.
There was some character development, but Foote handicapped his own narrative with the line, “Angels and Demons were no different from humanity, and no regret came with that realization.” That encapsulated one of the novel’s prime weaknesses: despite the incredible age of the characters, the forces that shaped and formed and moved them, they were indeed no different from regular people. They just had super powers. Lacking the depth and wisdom that might come with vast age, from being connected to the very machinery of the universe (even God), everyone seemed petty and shallow.
The cosmology was calculated to avoid offending anyone: there are angels and demons, but no judgmental God (or He is at least not helping); Eve didn’t eat the apple first, but rather ate at the same time as Adam; and there’s the judgment of Hell for some without the ascension to Heaven for others (so how do souls get to Heaven? Through worship? If so, of whom?). Add to this a kind of Buddhist-style universal cycle of death and rebirth, complete with one character believing that “Existence was suffering,” and you have a New Age sensibility trapped within a semi-Biblical framework. It didn’t fit well.
Foote’s imagination thrived in the descriptions of the demons, of the wheel of fire on Uriel’s back, the Doombringers and Word-Bearers. There’s enough celestial/infernal battle in the narrative to satisfy the appetite of even the most hard-core adrenaline junkie. Paimon’s beginnings and ethics were interesting, and the interplay between Demon Princes fun to read.
If you’re looking for an exciting, extremely light read about the end of the universe, Angels to Ashes is your book. Despite its flaws, it has a consistent theme, a clear plot, and characters who stay true to their natures.
(Review originally posted at Ginger Nuts of Horror: http://gingernutsofhorror.com/4/post/...)
September 14, 2015
All is ashes.
This book was really intense and very interesting. It took a subject that I've read a lot about because I love reading about angels and demons - I love theology period- and twisted it in a way that I have never read before. So many books says something that usually sparks questions in my head and this book did just that. This book definitely twisted everything together and around each other and it was very exciting. Plus, look at that gorgeous cover!
Barnabas is a demon of pride out to gather as many souls as he can because that's what they do. Walter is one of the souls that he gathers and he is the soul that turns everything upside down. Kalyndriel - Kaly, is an avenging angel out to do her job as well. She is on Earth to do justice against a demon that took a soul by force when things go bad for her. She is asked to check out a Nexus when her discovery is the thing that brings so many beings to Barnabas' door. Her discovery gets her cast out of Heaven by Uriel and makes her team up with Barnabas, his assistant Art and Walter to figure out what is going on. Will they be able to find out what they need before the end of the world?
I love the amount of detail that went into writing this story. Hell was described with such detail that it was like it was laid out in front of me. Everything was described in that way which I absolutely love in a book, I want to feel like I'm standing right beside the characters. The characters were also described in this manner - Drew Foote, has a fantastic imagination to create this world.
Kaly was so tough, I guess she had to be since she was an avenging angel but geez she kicked ass! But she did have a temper on her and that doesn't always help a situation. Barnabas wasn't the bravest person I ever read about - he did have to call for help a lot at the beginning, Kaly being one of those people. I'm sure that was a proud moment for him since he was a demon calling on an angel to save his butt.
The story did get a little stale for me at one point, it was like I was waiting for something big to happen but it wasn't happening. Once Paimon's character was explained more because Kaly knew who he used to be I think it picked up more for me. That part was really interesting to me! There were so many things told like that, that made me really think about things I've learned in the past. Yes, I'm aware this is fiction so it's not really meant to change my views and it didn't but it did make me think for a second.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I think everyone should read it. If you like theology then this should be on you TBR list because it's worth the read.
This book was really intense and very interesting. It took a subject that I've read a lot about because I love reading about angels and demons - I love theology period- and twisted it in a way that I have never read before. So many books says something that usually sparks questions in my head and this book did just that. This book definitely twisted everything together and around each other and it was very exciting. Plus, look at that gorgeous cover!
Barnabas is a demon of pride out to gather as many souls as he can because that's what they do. Walter is one of the souls that he gathers and he is the soul that turns everything upside down. Kalyndriel - Kaly, is an avenging angel out to do her job as well. She is on Earth to do justice against a demon that took a soul by force when things go bad for her. She is asked to check out a Nexus when her discovery is the thing that brings so many beings to Barnabas' door. Her discovery gets her cast out of Heaven by Uriel and makes her team up with Barnabas, his assistant Art and Walter to figure out what is going on. Will they be able to find out what they need before the end of the world?
I love the amount of detail that went into writing this story. Hell was described with such detail that it was like it was laid out in front of me. Everything was described in that way which I absolutely love in a book, I want to feel like I'm standing right beside the characters. The characters were also described in this manner - Drew Foote, has a fantastic imagination to create this world.
Kaly was so tough, I guess she had to be since she was an avenging angel but geez she kicked ass! But she did have a temper on her and that doesn't always help a situation. Barnabas wasn't the bravest person I ever read about - he did have to call for help a lot at the beginning, Kaly being one of those people. I'm sure that was a proud moment for him since he was a demon calling on an angel to save his butt.
The story did get a little stale for me at one point, it was like I was waiting for something big to happen but it wasn't happening. Once Paimon's character was explained more because Kaly knew who he used to be I think it picked up more for me. That part was really interesting to me! There were so many things told like that, that made me really think about things I've learned in the past. Yes, I'm aware this is fiction so it's not really meant to change my views and it didn't but it did make me think for a second.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I think everyone should read it. If you like theology then this should be on you TBR list because it's worth the read.
July 12, 2015
Let's get the bad over with:
1. Too many adverbs. It makes the narrative a bit clunky, overdone, and contrived. I feel like the author could have cut 10 to 20% of the narrative and still had a solid book.
2. A few things were odd. For example, Adam said he refused to be "a puppet". I didn't know there were puppets in the Garden of Eden.
3. The "villain" was introduced a bit too early on. The Void is introduced in the third chapter or so, which sort of gives it all away. There's a point at roughly the half-way mark where it would have made the PERFECT reveal. Up until that point, it's all angels versus demons. It would have been amazing to reveal that the ultimate villain was the Void at that point.
4. The interludes were a bit unnecessary.
5. Head hopping issues. When it's from the demon's POV, it talks about the angel's feelings, and vice versa.
Now for the good:
I love anything that takes a different approach to "common belief". This concept of Heaven vs. Hell, good vs. bad was brilliant! The way some of the demons are actually "good" or "doing right" and the angels are "bad" or "doing wrong" was very well done, and I loved how the author wasn't afraid to turn Christian beliefs upside down or inside out and look at it from another angle.
I cannot say how much I LOVED the descriptions of demons and angels. The depiction of Heaven was a bit iffy, but Hell was VERY well done. I loved how the different angels and demons were portrayed.
The perspective on the Fall of Man was highly intriguing. I won't say more to give it away, but it was definitely food for thought.
In this book, Armageddon is presented in a unique way I found both surprising and enjoyable.
All of the characters in this book were well written, with no cutout or two-dimensional characters. Even the demons--the ones you encounter randomly throughout--have depth to them.
DEFINITELY a book worth reading!
1. Too many adverbs. It makes the narrative a bit clunky, overdone, and contrived. I feel like the author could have cut 10 to 20% of the narrative and still had a solid book.
2. A few things were odd. For example, Adam said he refused to be "a puppet". I didn't know there were puppets in the Garden of Eden.
3. The "villain" was introduced a bit too early on. The Void is introduced in the third chapter or so, which sort of gives it all away. There's a point at roughly the half-way mark where it would have made the PERFECT reveal. Up until that point, it's all angels versus demons. It would have been amazing to reveal that the ultimate villain was the Void at that point.
4. The interludes were a bit unnecessary.
5. Head hopping issues. When it's from the demon's POV, it talks about the angel's feelings, and vice versa.
Now for the good:
I love anything that takes a different approach to "common belief". This concept of Heaven vs. Hell, good vs. bad was brilliant! The way some of the demons are actually "good" or "doing right" and the angels are "bad" or "doing wrong" was very well done, and I loved how the author wasn't afraid to turn Christian beliefs upside down or inside out and look at it from another angle.
I cannot say how much I LOVED the descriptions of demons and angels. The depiction of Heaven was a bit iffy, but Hell was VERY well done. I loved how the different angels and demons were portrayed.
The perspective on the Fall of Man was highly intriguing. I won't say more to give it away, but it was definitely food for thought.
In this book, Armageddon is presented in a unique way I found both surprising and enjoyable.
All of the characters in this book were well written, with no cutout or two-dimensional characters. Even the demons--the ones you encounter randomly throughout--have depth to them.
DEFINITELY a book worth reading!
May 26, 2015
Excerpt from my Amazon review:
I'm giving this debut novel 5 stars to assure you that you *must* read it. The cover caught my attention, and the book blurb caught my trigger finger. "The emptiness before time gives birth to an abomination."
To quickly characterize, I would call it "Good Omens" meets "Dragonball Z" meets Dante meets "Lord of the Rings" meets the "Matrix Trilogy."
Drew Foote opens his authoring career with a novel of such sweeping scope that all comparisons pale. Set in Heaven and Hell, this tale of Powers and Principalities encompasses a panorama which includes the Book of Revelation as a mere aspect, a facet of a much larger drama—a tale of Apocalypse and betrayal which dwarfs any. The author takes on his shoulders perhaps the greatest undertaking of literature. St. Paul wrote, quoting Isaiah, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." Drew Foote aspires to describe what Paul said of the heavens that we cannot conceive, and to my eye, as an author who has also endeavored in this quest, he succeeds grandiosely. But there's more than that...
I'm giving this debut novel 5 stars to assure you that you *must* read it. The cover caught my attention, and the book blurb caught my trigger finger. "The emptiness before time gives birth to an abomination."
To quickly characterize, I would call it "Good Omens" meets "Dragonball Z" meets Dante meets "Lord of the Rings" meets the "Matrix Trilogy."
Drew Foote opens his authoring career with a novel of such sweeping scope that all comparisons pale. Set in Heaven and Hell, this tale of Powers and Principalities encompasses a panorama which includes the Book of Revelation as a mere aspect, a facet of a much larger drama—a tale of Apocalypse and betrayal which dwarfs any. The author takes on his shoulders perhaps the greatest undertaking of literature. St. Paul wrote, quoting Isaiah, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." Drew Foote aspires to describe what Paul said of the heavens that we cannot conceive, and to my eye, as an author who has also endeavored in this quest, he succeeds grandiosely. But there's more than that...
April 27, 2015
Demons and angels cross party lines as they race to save the universe in this apocalyptic fantasy.
Barnabas, a minor demon, and Kalyndriel, an avenging angel, find themselves reluctantly working together as a mysterious evil disrupts the passage of souls to the afterlife. Senior demons and angels seem to be involved in an unprecedented conspiracy to bring about a final Armageddon.
Good characters and a touch of humour make this dark fantasy very readable. The writing is decent and well edited throughout. The theology is reminiscent of Good Omens, in that God remains absent (and ineffable), and the demons and angels are fairly traditional.
No romance, no religion.
Barnabas, a minor demon, and Kalyndriel, an avenging angel, find themselves reluctantly working together as a mysterious evil disrupts the passage of souls to the afterlife. Senior demons and angels seem to be involved in an unprecedented conspiracy to bring about a final Armageddon.
Good characters and a touch of humour make this dark fantasy very readable. The writing is decent and well edited throughout. The theology is reminiscent of Good Omens, in that God remains absent (and ineffable), and the demons and angels are fairly traditional.
No romance, no religion.
May 8, 2015
What a wonderful read. It's very easy to get caught up in the narrative and enjoy the ride. The take on heaven and hell and limbo is a nice change of pace. Even when you think you know the outcome it'll give you twists and turns and still engage you for the ride. The imagery is astounding and you'll find yourself rereading passages to comprehend the ideas. This was a real page turner to me and I think if you'll give it a chance you'll get lost and maybe even rethink some approaches to understanding.
April 2, 2015
Not your average Angels and Demons Armageddon story with a very interesting look at the difficulties of being an eternal being.
April 13, 2015
Unique
I love a good metaphysical story and the depth and detail of this one is impressive. It leaves you thinking.
I love a good metaphysical story and the depth and detail of this one is impressive. It leaves you thinking.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews