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Angel Down
The critically acclaimed author of the “crazily enjoyable” (The New York Times) Whalefall returns with an immersive, cinematic novel about five World War I soldiers who stumble upon a fallen angel that could hold the key to ending the war.
Private Cyril Bagger has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of the Great War through his wits and deception. 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. 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.
Private Cyril Bagger has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of the Great War through his wits and deception. 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. 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.
304 pages, ebook
First published July 29, 2025
About the author
Daniel Kraus
65 books1,647 followers“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. His novel Angel Down was the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner, a New York Times Top 10 Book of 2025 ,and a national bestseller. His novel Whalefall received a front-cover review 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. He 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, and more.
Kraus’s work has been translated into over 25 languages. He lives with his partner in Chicago. Visit him at danielkraus.com.
DANIEL KRAUS is a New York Times bestselling writer of novels, TV, and film. His novel Angel Down was the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner, a New York Times Top 10 Book of 2025 ,and a national bestseller. His novel Whalefall received a front-cover review 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. He 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, and more.
Kraus’s work has been translated into over 25 languages. He lives with his partner in Chicago. Visit him at danielkraus.com.
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February 7, 2026A great premise: During World War I, an angel is apparently shot from the heavens and crashes into No Man's Land, where her unearthly shrieking unsettles the soldiers in the trenches. Cyril Bagger and a group of other army misfits and ne'er-do-wells are sent to "take care" of the problem, i.e. find the shrieker and either save them or put them out of their misery.
The finding of a literal angel, as one might expect, complicates their mission.
The book contains some of the most beautiful and horrific descriptions of war that I've ever read. Kraus makes it feel visceral and real. As other reviewers have noted, you have to prepare yourself for the author's stylistic narrative choice of writing the novel as one long run-on sentence, without periods and with each paragraph starting with "and." We are told at the beginning that this style is a metaphor for the war itself, which goes on and on like a never-ending sentence:
". . . just like the war won’t ever end, like the carnage won’t ever end, it’s a sentence in a book careening without periods, gasping with too many commas, a sentence that, once begun, can’t ever be stopped, a sentence doomed to loop back on itself to form a terrible black wheel that, sooner or later, will drag each and every person to their grave . . ."
Kraus commits to the bit for the entire book, and while I didn't mind it and indeed got used to it fairly quickly, I can see why it might put off some readers. The ending is also, shall we say, open-ended -- the sort of conclusion that does not conclude, and will either leave you saying, "Wow, that was mind-blowing" or will compel you to hurl the book across the room.
I am still processing, but I found the book absolutely worth reading. Fantastical elements don't feel out of place in this story of war, which is already a surreal environment, and it left me wondering what is more terrifying -- the wrath of heaven or the wrath of humanity.
The finding of a literal angel, as one might expect, complicates their mission.
The book contains some of the most beautiful and horrific descriptions of war that I've ever read. Kraus makes it feel visceral and real. As other reviewers have noted, you have to prepare yourself for the author's stylistic narrative choice of writing the novel as one long run-on sentence, without periods and with each paragraph starting with "and." We are told at the beginning that this style is a metaphor for the war itself, which goes on and on like a never-ending sentence:
". . . just like the war won’t ever end, like the carnage won’t ever end, it’s a sentence in a book careening without periods, gasping with too many commas, a sentence that, once begun, can’t ever be stopped, a sentence doomed to loop back on itself to form a terrible black wheel that, sooner or later, will drag each and every person to their grave . . ."
Kraus commits to the bit for the entire book, and while I didn't mind it and indeed got used to it fairly quickly, I can see why it might put off some readers. The ending is also, shall we say, open-ended -- the sort of conclusion that does not conclude, and will either leave you saying, "Wow, that was mind-blowing" or will compel you to hurl the book across the room.
I am still processing, but I found the book absolutely worth reading. Fantastical elements don't feel out of place in this story of war, which is already a surreal environment, and it left me wondering what is more terrifying -- the wrath of heaven or the wrath of humanity.
May 5, 2026
WINNER OF THE 2026 PULITZER PRIZE for fiction!
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
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
August 27, 2025
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!
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!
May 11, 2026
Quando comecei a ler o vencedor do Pulitzer de ficção deste ano, achei que o e-book estava estragado. O primeiro capítulo arranca a meio de uma frase, assim mesmo: “and Cyril Bagger considers himself lucky, he ought to be topped off, gone west, bumped, clicked it, pushing daisies…”
E depois percebi que não. Percebi que Daniel Kraus acabara de me largar, impiedosamente, à bruta, no meio de um sítio, de um tempo, de uma história, e que eu agora tinha de correr com ela, sem me esbardalhar. E que sítio, que tempo, que história: estamos num campo de batalha em França, durante a I Guerra Mundial; o caos, o horror, o sangue, a lama, está tudo à nossa frente, à nossa volta, em cima de nós. É um salve-se quem puder que Kraus nos serve de forma literalmente imparável: todo o livro é uma longa frase, da primeira à última página, toda ela vírgulas e “ands”… e a técnica funciona mesmo.
A premissa é esta: um grupo de soldados é encarregado, após uma batalha, de encontrar o dono de um grito contínuo e suplicante, para nele darem o tiro de misericórdia. Acontece que o grito não é de um homem - é de um anjo, aparentemente atingido no seu voo. Mais não pode ser revelado: Angel Down é uma absoluta loucura de livro, uma ansiosa rajada de palavras, emoções, violência e surpresas, com um lado satírico pacifista afiado que o aproxima de Dr. Strangelove, mas com uma explosiva mistura de brutalidade e sobrenatural etéreo que fazem dele uma experiência única. Mas aviso já: é uma empreitada tão intensa e avassaladora, que, no fim, eu estava extenuado. O bom tipo de extenuado.
E depois percebi que não. Percebi que Daniel Kraus acabara de me largar, impiedosamente, à bruta, no meio de um sítio, de um tempo, de uma história, e que eu agora tinha de correr com ela, sem me esbardalhar. E que sítio, que tempo, que história: estamos num campo de batalha em França, durante a I Guerra Mundial; o caos, o horror, o sangue, a lama, está tudo à nossa frente, à nossa volta, em cima de nós. É um salve-se quem puder que Kraus nos serve de forma literalmente imparável: todo o livro é uma longa frase, da primeira à última página, toda ela vírgulas e “ands”… e a técnica funciona mesmo.
A premissa é esta: um grupo de soldados é encarregado, após uma batalha, de encontrar o dono de um grito contínuo e suplicante, para nele darem o tiro de misericórdia. Acontece que o grito não é de um homem - é de um anjo, aparentemente atingido no seu voo. Mais não pode ser revelado: Angel Down é uma absoluta loucura de livro, uma ansiosa rajada de palavras, emoções, violência e surpresas, com um lado satírico pacifista afiado que o aproxima de Dr. Strangelove, mas com uma explosiva mistura de brutalidade e sobrenatural etéreo que fazem dele uma experiência única. Mas aviso já: é uma empreitada tão intensa e avassaladora, que, no fim, eu estava extenuado. O bom tipo de extenuado.
December 7, 2025
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.
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.
Read
May 5, 2026This 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, and blown up. As a reader, you almost become inured to all the red 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 into whichever commas he wishes. Adjustments are made, in other words, and the show-offy becomes ordinary.
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?
MAY 2026 UPDATE: This angelic blood and gore won a Pulitzer. Look, Ma! No hands!
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, and blown up. As a reader, you almost become inured to all the red 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 into whichever commas he wishes. Adjustments are made, in other words, and the show-offy becomes ordinary.
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?
MAY 2026 UPDATE: This angelic blood and gore won a Pulitzer. Look, Ma! No hands!
May 4, 2026
Star Review in the May 2025 issue of Booklist and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2025/05...
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.
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.
May 4, 2026
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.
ADDENDUM: This was my worst book of the year, and it was just awarded the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. OK. To each their own.
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.
ADDENDUM: This was my worst book of the year, and it was just awarded the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. OK. To each their own.
December 19, 2025
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.
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.
May 18, 2026
May 4th update: Pulitzer for Fiction 2026! Very cool choice, much respect.
When a novel’s initial talking point is its unending sentence structure, you might prepare yourself, as I did, for an inexorable reading experience. Much to my surprise, the pages of Angel Down flipped as if taken by the wind. This is to say, Angel Down is a novel that takes a schtick and justifies itself throughout the reading.
Looking back to Kraus’s first novel, the excellent Whalefall, the man has a predisposition to writing viscerally and writing about viscera that carries over into Angel Down. The WWI setting is brought to grimey, gore-splattered life through Kraus’s evocative prose. There’s nothing quite like a sentence where whispers are soft like stirring a vat of syringes and it’s this grotesque style that, to me, makes his novels worth reading.
What’s more, Kraus has a crackerjack plot here. The most miserable and unfortunate members of a squadron are sent off to determine the source of an unending scream. As you may have surmised, the lads find a downed angel on the battlefield and have to get her back to camp. The characters here are memorable and the horrors visited upon them remarkable for their thematic weight.
Here we come to the truly impressive bit of the novel: it’s one that demands a second reading. This first reading is all about what was going to happen next as I was awash in filthy-good prose. I think there’d be more time to read up on biblical references that passed far over my head on a second go-around.
Honestly, this is a serious contender for the best thing I’ve read so far in 2026. The NYT best fiction picks have steered me in the right direction before, and I’m happy to start the 2025 list with such a banger. Highly recommended!
When a novel’s initial talking point is its unending sentence structure, you might prepare yourself, as I did, for an inexorable reading experience. Much to my surprise, the pages of Angel Down flipped as if taken by the wind. This is to say, Angel Down is a novel that takes a schtick and justifies itself throughout the reading.
Looking back to Kraus’s first novel, the excellent Whalefall, the man has a predisposition to writing viscerally and writing about viscera that carries over into Angel Down. The WWI setting is brought to grimey, gore-splattered life through Kraus’s evocative prose. There’s nothing quite like a sentence where whispers are soft like stirring a vat of syringes and it’s this grotesque style that, to me, makes his novels worth reading.
What’s more, Kraus has a crackerjack plot here. The most miserable and unfortunate members of a squadron are sent off to determine the source of an unending scream. As you may have surmised, the lads find a downed angel on the battlefield and have to get her back to camp. The characters here are memorable and the horrors visited upon them remarkable for their thematic weight.
Here we come to the truly impressive bit of the novel: it’s one that demands a second reading. This first reading is all about what was going to happen next as I was awash in filthy-good prose. I think there’d be more time to read up on biblical references that passed far over my head on a second go-around.
Honestly, this is a serious contender for the best thing I’ve read so far in 2026. The NYT best fiction picks have steered me in the right direction before, and I’m happy to start the 2025 list with such a banger. Highly recommended!
March 22, 2026
If I had known the central device of this book (one single sentence) I would never have touched it in my life. But I listened to the audiobook, which is the only reason you are seeing this review. That style is still clear on audio, and I really struggled with the first hour or two. It felt so dense and sometimes I had a hard time following. I can't say audio is an ideal format for the novel, because I generally recommend audio for things where it won't kill you if you miss a few seconds. But it is a unique novel and a unique reading experience.
Kraus completes the most important part of the assignment, which is to write a war story that doesn't glorify war. Reading it during yet another war is not a fun or enjoyable task, but there is value in understanding and validation and seeing that yes, it has always been like this, and if after thousands of years of progress we are doing more of it and killing more people with less reason, why should any angel save us?
Quite gory, Kraus gets as minute and frequent in his descriptions of gore as his use of words that you have definitely never seen or heard before. The man really used the full dictionary on this one.
Kraus completes the most important part of the assignment, which is to write a war story that doesn't glorify war. Reading it during yet another war is not a fun or enjoyable task, but there is value in understanding and validation and seeing that yes, it has always been like this, and if after thousands of years of progress we are doing more of it and killing more people with less reason, why should any angel save us?
Quite gory, Kraus gets as minute and frequent in his descriptions of gore as his use of words that you have definitely never seen or heard before. The man really used the full dictionary on this one.
August 5, 2025
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.
July 14, 2025
I think this might be my second favorite book of all time. Holy shit.
May 7, 2026
Whoosh. This year’s Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner. And goddamn. Funnily enough, I had bought a copy this past Saturday, so I was lucky enough to be able to start the book right away. No, I did not have a premonition that it would win the Pulitzer (I did not see that coming at all, who did?) but it had been on my radar because it sounded fantastic.
And fantastic it definitely was. What a nonstop adrenaline-fueled, violent, ferocious, spiritual, philosophical-tinged, psychological, antiwar novel. You may have heard about its selling point: the story is written as one extremely long sentence. I’ve read a few books with that style, but here, the sentence is broken up into bite-sized paragraphs so it’s a lot more aesthetically pleasing than just seeing full blocks of text on the page. I gotta admit this formatting adds to the rhythmic vibe.
In a nutshell, the story is about a Private Cyril Bagger trying to survive the atrocities of World War 1 so he can gleefully return to his life of scheming. ”grievers make the best marks and postwar America's going to be lousy with grievers” He and four other soldiers are tasked with euthanizing a wounded soldier. However, what they discover is not a mere mortal but a fallen angel who has supposedly been struck down by the artillery fire. And the narrative goes off from there.
I blasted through this thing. Pun intended. It is immediately addictive and enveloping. I predict that several naysayers are going to be quite impressed with this author’s writing style. The prose, the prose, the prose is outstanding. Brutally vivid, metaphoric, allegorical, playfully mischievous, even Faulknerian. It’s an in-your-face genre mashup: literary, horror, supernatural, thriller, war epic, character study. It keeps you on your toes with an always pulsating plot, yet still pondering important questions and talking points: the pointlessness of war, beliefs in higher beings or higher callings, disillusionment with life and the state of the world, taking a look at one’s own moral compass, reflecting on one’s inner demons.
Some threads that kept fascinating me during my reading experience: 1) It was interesting seeing the different ways these five soldiers planned on possessing the angel; they each had their own agendas and self-interests. 2) For me, the angel could’ve been a thematic allegory for weaponry and mass destruction. An interesting contrast considering angels are emblems of purity. // My brain was in free fall. My analytical mind was always in overdrive despite the excitement of also wanting to race through the plot.
“you see what you need to see”
Yeah, this was totally deserving of this year’s Pulitzer. (I also loved the two other finalists, just as experimental as this one; it’s a great trio). A story that is steeped in greed, paranoia, blood thirst, survival, chance, faith. A blast, a mindfuck, a wordsmith delight, a fever dream, a genre mashup of the gods. Okay, I can finally take a breath.
And fantastic it definitely was. What a nonstop adrenaline-fueled, violent, ferocious, spiritual, philosophical-tinged, psychological, antiwar novel. You may have heard about its selling point: the story is written as one extremely long sentence. I’ve read a few books with that style, but here, the sentence is broken up into bite-sized paragraphs so it’s a lot more aesthetically pleasing than just seeing full blocks of text on the page. I gotta admit this formatting adds to the rhythmic vibe.
In a nutshell, the story is about a Private Cyril Bagger trying to survive the atrocities of World War 1 so he can gleefully return to his life of scheming. ”grievers make the best marks and postwar America's going to be lousy with grievers” He and four other soldiers are tasked with euthanizing a wounded soldier. However, what they discover is not a mere mortal but a fallen angel who has supposedly been struck down by the artillery fire. And the narrative goes off from there.
I blasted through this thing. Pun intended. It is immediately addictive and enveloping. I predict that several naysayers are going to be quite impressed with this author’s writing style. The prose, the prose, the prose is outstanding. Brutally vivid, metaphoric, allegorical, playfully mischievous, even Faulknerian. It’s an in-your-face genre mashup: literary, horror, supernatural, thriller, war epic, character study. It keeps you on your toes with an always pulsating plot, yet still pondering important questions and talking points: the pointlessness of war, beliefs in higher beings or higher callings, disillusionment with life and the state of the world, taking a look at one’s own moral compass, reflecting on one’s inner demons.
Some threads that kept fascinating me during my reading experience: 1) It was interesting seeing the different ways these five soldiers planned on possessing the angel; they each had their own agendas and self-interests. 2) For me, the angel could’ve been a thematic allegory for weaponry and mass destruction. An interesting contrast considering angels are emblems of purity. // My brain was in free fall. My analytical mind was always in overdrive despite the excitement of also wanting to race through the plot.
“you see what you need to see”
Yeah, this was totally deserving of this year’s Pulitzer. (I also loved the two other finalists, just as experimental as this one; it’s a great trio). A story that is steeped in greed, paranoia, blood thirst, survival, chance, faith. A blast, a mindfuck, a wordsmith delight, a fever dream, a genre mashup of the gods. Okay, I can finally take a breath.
May 13, 2025
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.
May 20, 2026
What an amazingly wild and creative ride!! What started as a war story transformed into something(s?) completely different, continuing to develop and morph until its totally original and satisfying conclusion.
Wow.
WOW!!
To give too many details away here would make me a spoiler of narrative delights, and I want zero part of that, so I'll just say that this story rewards the suspension of disbelief(s?) and honors wonderful stretches of one's imagination in fantastic(fantastical?) and surprisingly life affirming ways.
Getyousomeofthisrighthereyo
4 1/2 Wondrous Stars
Wow.
WOW!!
To give too many details away here would make me a spoiler of narrative delights, and I want zero part of that, so I'll just say that this story rewards the suspension of disbelief(s?) and honors wonderful stretches of one's imagination in fantastic(fantastical?) and surprisingly life affirming ways.
Getyousomeofthisrighthereyo
4 1/2 Wondrous Stars
May 24, 2026
And the five most useless, dispensable men in the 43rd Division are sent to euthanise a shrieking soldier who is causing troops to go insane, instead they find an angel trapped in barbed wire who was shot from the heavens,
And much like the movie 1917 which is filmed in a continuous shot, this novel is written in one continuous sentence, making the reader feel the pressing relentlessness and urgency of being on the dirty frontlines of war,
And the poetic prose and the gloomy mood make is clear why this book won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, much like the last winner in the horror category, 2007’s The Road the plot’s bleakness and the short choppy paragraphs leave you feeling emotionally exhausted when you turn the last page,
And now I need to go return this to the library because of course there are dozens of holds waiting for this,
and and and and
And much like the movie 1917 which is filmed in a continuous shot, this novel is written in one continuous sentence, making the reader feel the pressing relentlessness and urgency of being on the dirty frontlines of war,
And the poetic prose and the gloomy mood make is clear why this book won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, much like the last winner in the horror category, 2007’s The Road the plot’s bleakness and the short choppy paragraphs leave you feeling emotionally exhausted when you turn the last page,
And now I need to go return this to the library because of course there are dozens of holds waiting for this,
and and and and
May 24, 2025
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
June 18, 2025
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.
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.
February 19, 2026
This audio version was full of violence and insanity!
July 8, 2025
“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
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
July 11, 2025
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.
July 28, 2025
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!
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!
December 31, 2025
I imagine the pitch for this book looking like a room with the author and some other people in it and he’s like “hey guys I want to write a book in World War I where they FUCKING KILL EACH OTHER INTENSELY and it’s one sentence long and every other word is fuck or poop” and they’re all like wow that sounds kind of very generic to be honest and he’s like “well I can put an angel in if that makes it better” and they’re all like ok.
March 14, 2026
One of those books where I understand and even somewhat appreciate what the author was doing, I just really didn't enjoy the process of reading it.
Five World War I soldiers, widely considered to be the worst in their division, are tasked with "taking care of" someone screaming in No Man's Land. The someone turns out to be something -- an angel. I like that in this novel, Kraus very much subscribes to the philosophy of "every angel is terrifying." I even somewhat liked his protagonist, Bagger, a con man who keeps being tempted toward being a better person, in spite of himself.
What I didn't like was the graphic violence, which is both Kraus' point -- that war is truly hell -- and excessive, too close to being gloried in. Similarly, Kraus has chosen to write this novel in one long sentence, strung together by endless ands. This is a decision rooted in an obvious metaphor -- the war feels unrelenting to Bagger -- but boy, is it exhausting to read. Which I know is the point, but.
Like I said -- I admire Kraus for going for ideas! Themes! Style! I would rather a big swing that doesn't work than a tepid effort. But this was still a bit of a whiff for me.
Five World War I soldiers, widely considered to be the worst in their division, are tasked with "taking care of" someone screaming in No Man's Land. The someone turns out to be something -- an angel. I like that in this novel, Kraus very much subscribes to the philosophy of "every angel is terrifying." I even somewhat liked his protagonist, Bagger, a con man who keeps being tempted toward being a better person, in spite of himself.
What I didn't like was the graphic violence, which is both Kraus' point -- that war is truly hell -- and excessive, too close to being gloried in. Similarly, Kraus has chosen to write this novel in one long sentence, strung together by endless ands. This is a decision rooted in an obvious metaphor -- the war feels unrelenting to Bagger -- but boy, is it exhausting to read. Which I know is the point, but.
Like I said -- I admire Kraus for going for ideas! Themes! Style! I would rather a big swing that doesn't work than a tepid effort. But this was still a bit of a whiff for me.
August 16, 2025
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.”
“What does it matter which nations win which wars? Future wars will reverse all gains. God is on no one’s side.”
unable-to-finish
May 17, 2026I tried for 10% of the audiobook and can't focus. Not for me.
September 11, 2025
Historical fiction fans will love it. Especially WW1 enthusiasts. Loved the author's writing style. Hell of a storyline!
June 2, 2026
Certain works of fiction make me doubt my own taste. Sometimes a work is beloved by audiences and critics alike and I interact with it and end up absolutely detesting it. Were I slightly more confident, I’d simply say the masses are wrong and I’m correct, but generally I put a great stock in criticism and want to at least understand where my opinion differs. Adding to my angst is the fact that often these works are sophisticated and do end up growing on me over time. Sometimes I am too quick to judge and do eventually come around to thinking the popular consensus is the right one (Paul Thomas Anderson’s film, for example, were incomprehensible to me when I first interacted with them and now are among my very favorites). Other times of course, I come to think that my initial opinion is the correct one after all and that, for whatever reason, other readers/viewers are simply wrong. The other option, to take quality as subjective and throw up one’s hands, is not available to me as I simply don’t believe it. Ultimately taste may be subjective but I don’t think quality is, leading to my crisis of confidence in my own taste.
All this to say, I am currently struggling to make sense of Daniel Kraus’s Angel Down, a pulitzer-prize winning historical horror novel that has near unanimous praise from critics and readers alike. I began the book with optimism, drawn in by its flashy premise and interesting central gimmick. But by the midway point I was tired of it and by the end, I truly detested it. I’m at a bit of a loss to explain why one of the best reviewed books of last year is one of the worst things I’ve read in five years. But here’s my very best attempt; please enjoy.
Angel Down’s concept is simple: toward the end of World War One, a cowardly grifter named Bagger serving as an army grave digger is tasked with finding the source of a piercing, otherworldly scream in the no-man’s land between trenches. This source turns out to be a glowing, haloed woman caught in the barbed wire, seemingly a downed angel. In trying to rescue her, Bagger must face his own moral bankruptcy as well as the horrors of war. The book has a formal gimmick: the story is told as one continuous sentence (in practice this just means that each paragraph begins with the word ‘and’ and ends with an ellipsis). In the first chapter we’re told overtly this format is supposed to symbolize the unending horror of war and also the unending scream of the angel. So far so simple.
Seemingly the flashpoint for criticism has been the format of the book: with its one run-on sentence being viewed by many as disconcerting or hard to read. In practice, it’s not that hard to get past which actually highlights my main issue with it: it’s not really serving any purpose. It’s not actually a run on sentence in the traditional sense but instead a lack of punctuation. It’s like saying your book is entirely composed of questions but then simply replacing every period in the book with a question mark: it’s technically true but doesn’t add anything. As to the thematic importance, there’s nothing to it beyond a shallow nod towards the shattered mental state of the character (something that would be equally well accomplished by the prose were it better written but we’ll get to that in a moment). Ultimately the structure didn’t bother me much in practice but it does seem arbitrary and silly.
What did bother me was Kraus’s deeply overwritten prose. Let’s take a look at a passage drawn more or less at random from the first pages of the book:
What actually happens in this passage is simple: Bagger breathes in which makes him realize his face is covered in dried blood but the language makes it seem epic and impactful. And if the passage ended at ‘rain’ it might be poignant but instead we get a further clause to remind us of what we already know which is that we’re in a hellish warscape (and that blood is worse if it dries quickly?). It's overwrought and self-important, using too many words to say too little. Writing like this can be effective if it provides some sort of emphasis, but every single bit of the book is written like this: nothing just happens, it’s so weighed down in adjectives and similes that the action of the book can never breathe.
I’ve seen the writing defended as being stream-of-consciousness, and I suppose it is, but from whose perspective? There’s no world in which the shell-shocked private Bagger uses language like this so it’s the narrator, seemingly trying to create a mood of prolonged madness and exhaustion but it's too flowery and verbose to sound exhausted and instead seems to revel in describing the carnage. There are writers who can get away with purple prose but it requires a wit and mastery of language that Kraus simply doesn’t have. Instead his authorial voice is artless but exuberant, relishing in ten-cent words, modern cursing, and strange similes. I fear some readers are under the false apprehension that big word and flowery language are akin to good writing but they're not. You need a voice, a goal, a reason to use the language you use to evoke something, anything about your story or characters. Kraus has none.
These stylistic concerns would be more forgivable if the novel underneath were more structurally sound, but alas, it isn’t. The theme of the book is incredibly simple: war is hell. It gets this point across first with cartoonish violence (smashed intestines, piles of heads, dismembered bodies, etc.). The elaborate descriptions of gore are so extreme and silly that I legitimately doubt any of it is physically possible (at one point a character puts on a severed horse head as a mask making one wonder if Kraus understands that there would be a skull in the way). It’s disturbing enough but ultimately too extreme to read as anything but childish, as if the author lacks the skill to actually frighten and disturb with a well-placed detail so instead goes for a volume business in numbing the reader with a never-ending cavalcade of Loony Tunes horrors.
The characters are paper thin and ultimately a bit nonsensical. Introduced as broad wartime stereotypes (the coward, the brute, the kid, the shell-shocked veteran, etc.), they rarely go beyond that into any sort of characterization. And ultimately the characters are forced into whatever shape happens to fit Kraus’s plot. For example, Bagger himself has an endless (of course) inner monologue about his relationship with his religious father and his own unwillingness to fight. He avoids violence at all costs and is only inspired to any sort of bravery out of love for the Angel. However, towards the book's end, he suddenly becomes violent and angry, eager to kill the enemy at all costs without any explanation. Suddenly the major vice he needs to overcome is not cowardice but wrath. The other characters don’t generally have enough of an inner life implied to really have characterizations at all. They each serve their purpose by being ugly and broken and then, in the presence of the angel, insane. The officer character who eventually functions as main villain makes so little sense, I kept wondering if he too was going to be revealed to be a supernatural figure.
As to the angel itself and the fantasy-horror conceit of the book, it lacks the consistency needed to provide a compelling plot. The angel is at first a victim to be saved, then a manipulator, then a genie of sorts, and then perhaps the devil? The angel is helpless when Kraus needs his characters to act bravely and then all powerful when it needs them to be rescued or killed: it’s a literal deus ex machina. And where does all this lead but to a painfully unreadable passage of overt polemic anti-war piece masquerading as religious vision. Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut managed to get their points across without having to come out and say ‘war is bad and never ending’, Kraus seemingly lacks this subtlety. All this leads to an ending that is to me more incomprehensible than it is moving. What exactly happens in the final chapter is up for debate, something I might credit as purposeful ambiguity, had I more faith in the author’s writing chops.
I think some fans might say I missed the point at every turn: Kraus is using his language and his characters to show how fundamentally war breaks down coherence, rendering men as brutes and the world as a gory hell. But I can see this goal clearly, it’s simply buried under the bad structure and incomprehensible language of a bad writer. There’s no consistency to this message, no purpose to the bizarre plot turns and supernatural occurrences: it’s a novel of nonsense willing to pretend like nonsense is the point. When the book reaches its conclusion, with Bagger standing in for all of humanity and making a choice to be pacifistic and save us or be violent and damn us, I rolled my eyes because this plot turn would only make sense if Bagger were more of an everyman and not an ex-religious con-artist coward as the book had spent so much time setting up. Angel Down is completely at odds with itself though you’d be forgiven for not-noticing under the soggy weight of Kraus’s writing.
The term pretentious is thrown around a lot to denigrate work that aims for any sort of intelligence or significance--i.e. if I didn't understand it, it must be pretentious. But the actual meaning of pretentious is to express a possession of importance, worth or stature one doesn’t actually have. And Angel Down is to me a hugely pretentious work. It's a novel that frustrates me by how badly it wants to be important, stylish, creative, and impactful while possessing none of the intelligence and skill necessary. Perhaps in this case I will be comfortable simply going against the grain and saying this is indeed, a very bad book, pulitzer prize be damned.
All this to say, I am currently struggling to make sense of Daniel Kraus’s Angel Down, a pulitzer-prize winning historical horror novel that has near unanimous praise from critics and readers alike. I began the book with optimism, drawn in by its flashy premise and interesting central gimmick. But by the midway point I was tired of it and by the end, I truly detested it. I’m at a bit of a loss to explain why one of the best reviewed books of last year is one of the worst things I’ve read in five years. But here’s my very best attempt; please enjoy.
Angel Down’s concept is simple: toward the end of World War One, a cowardly grifter named Bagger serving as an army grave digger is tasked with finding the source of a piercing, otherworldly scream in the no-man’s land between trenches. This source turns out to be a glowing, haloed woman caught in the barbed wire, seemingly a downed angel. In trying to rescue her, Bagger must face his own moral bankruptcy as well as the horrors of war. The book has a formal gimmick: the story is told as one continuous sentence (in practice this just means that each paragraph begins with the word ‘and’ and ends with an ellipsis). In the first chapter we’re told overtly this format is supposed to symbolize the unending horror of war and also the unending scream of the angel. So far so simple.
Seemingly the flashpoint for criticism has been the format of the book: with its one run-on sentence being viewed by many as disconcerting or hard to read. In practice, it’s not that hard to get past which actually highlights my main issue with it: it’s not really serving any purpose. It’s not actually a run on sentence in the traditional sense but instead a lack of punctuation. It’s like saying your book is entirely composed of questions but then simply replacing every period in the book with a question mark: it’s technically true but doesn’t add anything. As to the thematic importance, there’s nothing to it beyond a shallow nod towards the shattered mental state of the character (something that would be equally well accomplished by the prose were it better written but we’ll get to that in a moment). Ultimately the structure didn’t bother me much in practice but it does seem arbitrary and silly.
What did bother me was Kraus’s deeply overwritten prose. Let’s take a look at a passage drawn more or less at random from the first pages of the book:
and it's only through the motions of inhaling that Bagger feels a brittle tightness, his face is glazed in dried blood, clearly not his own, and he orders himself not to imagine whose, it's best when blood has no deeper meaning than rain, especially in the Argonne where so few trees remain to block the October wind that flash-dries blood so rapidly to your skin,
What actually happens in this passage is simple: Bagger breathes in which makes him realize his face is covered in dried blood but the language makes it seem epic and impactful. And if the passage ended at ‘rain’ it might be poignant but instead we get a further clause to remind us of what we already know which is that we’re in a hellish warscape (and that blood is worse if it dries quickly?). It's overwrought and self-important, using too many words to say too little. Writing like this can be effective if it provides some sort of emphasis, but every single bit of the book is written like this: nothing just happens, it’s so weighed down in adjectives and similes that the action of the book can never breathe.
I’ve seen the writing defended as being stream-of-consciousness, and I suppose it is, but from whose perspective? There’s no world in which the shell-shocked private Bagger uses language like this so it’s the narrator, seemingly trying to create a mood of prolonged madness and exhaustion but it's too flowery and verbose to sound exhausted and instead seems to revel in describing the carnage. There are writers who can get away with purple prose but it requires a wit and mastery of language that Kraus simply doesn’t have. Instead his authorial voice is artless but exuberant, relishing in ten-cent words, modern cursing, and strange similes. I fear some readers are under the false apprehension that big word and flowery language are akin to good writing but they're not. You need a voice, a goal, a reason to use the language you use to evoke something, anything about your story or characters. Kraus has none.
These stylistic concerns would be more forgivable if the novel underneath were more structurally sound, but alas, it isn’t. The theme of the book is incredibly simple: war is hell. It gets this point across first with cartoonish violence (smashed intestines, piles of heads, dismembered bodies, etc.). The elaborate descriptions of gore are so extreme and silly that I legitimately doubt any of it is physically possible (at one point a character puts on a severed horse head as a mask making one wonder if Kraus understands that there would be a skull in the way). It’s disturbing enough but ultimately too extreme to read as anything but childish, as if the author lacks the skill to actually frighten and disturb with a well-placed detail so instead goes for a volume business in numbing the reader with a never-ending cavalcade of Loony Tunes horrors.
The characters are paper thin and ultimately a bit nonsensical. Introduced as broad wartime stereotypes (the coward, the brute, the kid, the shell-shocked veteran, etc.), they rarely go beyond that into any sort of characterization. And ultimately the characters are forced into whatever shape happens to fit Kraus’s plot. For example, Bagger himself has an endless (of course) inner monologue about his relationship with his religious father and his own unwillingness to fight. He avoids violence at all costs and is only inspired to any sort of bravery out of love for the Angel. However, towards the book's end, he suddenly becomes violent and angry, eager to kill the enemy at all costs without any explanation. Suddenly the major vice he needs to overcome is not cowardice but wrath. The other characters don’t generally have enough of an inner life implied to really have characterizations at all. They each serve their purpose by being ugly and broken and then, in the presence of the angel, insane. The officer character who eventually functions as main villain makes so little sense, I kept wondering if he too was going to be revealed to be a supernatural figure.
As to the angel itself and the fantasy-horror conceit of the book, it lacks the consistency needed to provide a compelling plot. The angel is at first a victim to be saved, then a manipulator, then a genie of sorts, and then perhaps the devil? The angel is helpless when Kraus needs his characters to act bravely and then all powerful when it needs them to be rescued or killed: it’s a literal deus ex machina. And where does all this lead but to a painfully unreadable passage of overt polemic anti-war piece masquerading as religious vision. Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut managed to get their points across without having to come out and say ‘war is bad and never ending’, Kraus seemingly lacks this subtlety. All this leads to an ending that is to me more incomprehensible than it is moving. What exactly happens in the final chapter is up for debate, something I might credit as purposeful ambiguity, had I more faith in the author’s writing chops.
I think some fans might say I missed the point at every turn: Kraus is using his language and his characters to show how fundamentally war breaks down coherence, rendering men as brutes and the world as a gory hell. But I can see this goal clearly, it’s simply buried under the bad structure and incomprehensible language of a bad writer. There’s no consistency to this message, no purpose to the bizarre plot turns and supernatural occurrences: it’s a novel of nonsense willing to pretend like nonsense is the point. When the book reaches its conclusion, with Bagger standing in for all of humanity and making a choice to be pacifistic and save us or be violent and damn us, I rolled my eyes because this plot turn would only make sense if Bagger were more of an everyman and not an ex-religious con-artist coward as the book had spent so much time setting up. Angel Down is completely at odds with itself though you’d be forgiven for not-noticing under the soggy weight of Kraus’s writing.
The term pretentious is thrown around a lot to denigrate work that aims for any sort of intelligence or significance--i.e. if I didn't understand it, it must be pretentious. But the actual meaning of pretentious is to express a possession of importance, worth or stature one doesn’t actually have. And Angel Down is to me a hugely pretentious work. It's a novel that frustrates me by how badly it wants to be important, stylish, creative, and impactful while possessing none of the intelligence and skill necessary. Perhaps in this case I will be comfortable simply going against the grain and saying this is indeed, a very bad book, pulitzer prize be damned.
July 16, 2025
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.
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.
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