Kill All Angels: The Vicious Circuit, Book Three

The Vicious Circuit #3

by Robert Brockway

The concluding volume in the humorous punk rock adventure that began with The Unnoticeables and The Empty Ones.

After the events of the first two books of the Vicious Circle series, Carey and Randall reached LA during the early '80s punk scene, which was heavily mixed up with Chinatown. A young Chinese girl with silver hair is the Empty One that seems to run things there, and her ex-lover, an Empty One named Zang, has apparently turned against them and may or may not be on Carey's side.

In modern times, Kaitlyn and company have also returned to LA because her powers have been growing and she has been having visions that may be telling her how to kill all of the angels. The downside being that they have to find a new one, first--and LA is the only place they know where to do that.

Steeped in the LA punk scene in the '80s, Chinatown, sunken suburbs, the ocean and gargantuan things that swim in it, Kill All Angels is everything that fans of Robert Brockway's irreverent humor have been looking for to end the series with a bang.

The Vicious Circuit Trilogy
The Unnoticeables
The Empty Ones
Kill All Angels

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Humor, Science Fiction, Monsters

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 26, 2017

About the author

I am Robert Brockway. I wrote The Vicious Circuit trilogy from Tor Books. I wrote Rx: A Tale of Electronegativity. I wrote Everything is Going to Kill Everybody. I am but a man.

Reviews

[Bookwraiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.

Kill All Angels is the concluding volume of Robert Brockway’s humorous, punk rock horror series The Vicious Circuit. If you’ve read the first two installments you definitely know each of them build upon one another (which means I recommend reading The Unnoticeables and The Empty Ones before picking this one up) and prepare you for the unique reading experience this final book serves up.

Continuing the past/present intertwining story lines from the first two volumes, Carey and Randall are now in Los Angeles during the early 1980s punk scene. Soon, these two are pulled into more “Empty Ones” drama . This time it is in Chinatown where a young Chinese girl turns out to be one of these beings. Horrific, sarcastic mayhem follows, of course.

Meanwhile, in 2013, Kaitlyn and companions are heading back toward Los Angles at the direction of her visions. Kaitlyn’s growing powers resulting in her feeling that she might be able to kill all the “angels” once and for all if she can only find the right one. And where else should one look for angels except in the City of Angels.

At its core, The Vicious Circuit’s premise is a simple one: punk rock infused horror. And this installment does just that, not afraid to mix gore and dark humor into nearly every scene, even as it highlights the punk rock culture of decades ago. This blending of all these diverse elements producing a unique setting where Robert Brockway is able to continue the character arcs of Carey, Randall, and Kaitlyn. Each of these people dealing with the unique problem of Empty Ones and Angels in their own way. And to add another wrinkle, the author even spends time introducing and developing the person of one of the actual bad guys, tricking readers into understanding and empathizing with them before then showing them in all their brutal, maniacal horror.

Usually, this is the point in my review where I list any criticisms or problems I have with a novel, but I don’t really feel the need to so with Kill All Angels. After two books, I went into this read understanding exactly what I would be getting from the author and this story, and it delivered just that. So no criticisms.

Gritty. Gory. Humorous. Immersed in punk rock influences. All these descriptions help paint a mental picture of the kind of story Kill All Angels and The Vicious Circuit delivers. New readers should definitely begin their journey with book one of the trilogy however. As for frequent readers, this is exactly the nice conclusion to the trilogy that they have waited for, because this horror story rocks!

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

[Angela Groves · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole series is messed up, brilliant, gross and fricking hilarious. Kill All Angels is no different. I am gonna miss Carey.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our main characters return from Mexico and head back to L.A., for perhaps a final showdown with the angels. Carey is still a sexist asshole and his actions often had me laughing out loud. Pretty hard to write about this one, but if you are still reading the series, you will not be disappointed. Our MCs are joined by an old enemy/friend of Carey in L.A., an old Empty One from 150 years ago who still has some touch of humanity, and further, hates the angels as much as anyone. Once again, we are treated to flashbacks of Carey and Brockway does an excellent job plotting out the finale. The ending was more melancholy than I would have expected.

[Sue and her books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Punk rock, Hollywood and Cosmic horror? Yes, please! Robert Brockway's 'The Unnoticeables' trilogy is a chaotic, violent and darkly hilarious ride.. It's not every day that a book (let alone a whole trilogy) pulls me into its universe this quickly and with so much intensity.

The first book sets the tone: two timelines, two main characters - Carey, a grimmy, foul-mouthed punk living the rebellious life in 1977, New York; and Kaitlyn, a struggling waitress/stuntwoman in 2013, LA. They both find themselves entangled in a horrifying cosmic mystery involving a hierarchy of monsters:

🧌The Tar Men (aka The Sludges) - man-shaped monsters made of black acid;
♟️The Unnoticeables (aka The Husks) - purposely forgettable, hollow shells that look human, but lack identity and empathy;
🔥 The Angels (aka The Flares) - glowing devices 'employed' by the mysterious Mechanic (God? Algorithm? Something worse?)

These entities distort reality - and people - with cold, mechanical precision. They aim to 'maintain the ever-pumping engine of the universe', erasing and transforming humans as they see fit. What follows is a gritty, surreal and sometimes shocking emotional journey of survival and resilience.

I really enjoyed Brockway's writing style - raw, vivid, brutal and hilarious. His portrayal of the punk culture of the 70s is thoroughly entertaining. The trilogy perfectly and unexpectedly blends this punk rock energy with hollywood culture and cosmic dread - broken but brilliant, these characters will summon every ounce of strength and defiance for the fight of their lives.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fitting, punky end to a great trilogy about Angels and space whales...

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Tor Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

The concluding chapter to this gory, gritty, horror series! I highly recommend picking up books one and two (THE UNNOTICEABLES and THE EMPTY ONES) because this is not a standalone. I read this entire trilogy right in a row and I loved every page of it.

Carey and Randall have now made it to LA during the height of the 80's punk scene. They get mixed into Chinatown and they encounter a young Chinese girl who is an Empty One. She runs things in this area and Zang, an Empty One and her ex-boyfriend, is turning against her. Carey and Randall need to determine whether or not he is on their side.

Kaitlyn, Carey, and Jackie have returned to LA. Kaitlyn has been having visions telling her to kill all of the angels - but in order to do so they need to find a new angel. Will they be able to find them and be able to kill them all?

I don't want to give away too much more for those that haven't read the series or that are waiting to read book three. This series got better and better! I said it in my other reviews and I'll say it again, the unique premise is what had me hooked from page one (in book one!). This book doens't hold back with the gore, grit, and dark humor that the other two have. Talk about a way to go out in a series.

Overall, if you've read books one and two, then what are you waiting for? If you're debating picking this series up, I have one question. Do you like a funny side to your horror stories? If you said yes, then go get book one!

I give this one 5/5 stars!

[Daniel James · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you made it this far you know what to expect by now.

Carey’s violent and snarky odyssey continues with him in 80’s LA, fighting the good fight and drinking the cheap rotgut. This remainder of his messy but oddly noble history concludes with him meeting up with bad-ass stuntwoman, and now angel killer, Kaitlyn in modern day LA.

The second thread of the story deals with Kaitlyn’s visions of the true cosmic power behind the angels and the universe itself. Hoping to put an end to their struggles once and for all, she, Carey, Jackie, and new guy, psychotic frenemy Zang, take the fight to the enemy.

A satisfying conclusion to a very enjoyable trilogy of punk rock, fisticuffs, monsters, excess alcohol and space whales.

[David Blaylock · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a slog getting to a satisfying ending.

[El · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I've ever read. This trilogy is amazingly unique, interesting, and well written. This final instalment kept me engaged throughout, I didn't want to put it down. This writer is now in the category of greats like Stephen King.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read the second book in this trilogy ("The Empty Ones"), I felt like it had an awful lot of recap. Anticipating the same for the third book, I waited a year to read it. That way the recap would feel welcome instead of like filler. My plan worked.

Reading "Kill All Angels" felt like a great final reunion with my awesome friends Carey and Jackie and their boring third wheel Kaitlyn. As with the previous two books, I was fascinated with Carey's aging punk-rocker dirtbag with a (deeply buried) heart of gold, but left wanting by Kaitlyn's troubled "chosen one" arc.

"Kill All Angels" introduces an awesome new character in Zang, an Empty One who retains a small part of his humanity, making him a "good guy." Or at least not a full-on bad guy. Watching his otherworldly blankness interact with Carey's gritty fuck-'em-all persona was really a treat.

On the other hand, as is necessary for the plot, Kaitlyn moves farther away from humanity, and in the process, farther from being engaging. She spends a lot of time in her head, learning about the bigger picture in spacey trance-like vignettes. The visions are important to move the story forward, but scenes of someone being shown revelations by an infinite space presence are never as interesting as humans interacting with each other.

As with the previous two books, the thing that made me really enjoy this story was the human characters and their relationships against an overwhelming supernatural enemy. I loved getting a deeper look into Carey's mind, and more especially into his emotions that never make it to his crusty surface. I also felt like we really connect with Kaitlyn's best friend Jackie in this one, both comically and tragically. I would totally read a spin-off series with Carey and Jackie as a paranormal crime-fighting duo.

All in all, I'm happy with the ending of the trilogy. I did get a little teary eyed at the end, which is always a sign the writer is doing their job.

[Horror DNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been on this alcohol-infused punk rock road-trip nightmare with Robert Brockway for three years now, each year hungrily devouring a new entry in a trilogy aptly titled “The Vicious Circuit.” Starting in 2015, I tore through The Unnoticeables like a fat stoner with a THC chocolate bar, at the end feeling almost bereft, licking the imagined crumbs from the empty, crumpled wrapper and quietly jonesing for the more that would come in the form of The Empty Ones in July of 2016 and then again at the end of 2017 with the book I’m talking about now, Kill All Angels. And the collective experience of the series has served to leave me with the intensely strong opinion that author Robert Brockway is one of the greatest modern humorists of our genre, standing tall alongside the likes of Max Booth III and David Wong and even approaching the level of the great Jeff Strand, a writer I consider to be one of the funniest guys on the planet.

You can read Shane's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Farhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect ending to a most amazing triology. This book in itself was amazing too.. and it beautifully ties in with the 2 previous ones. I will miss all the characters of the series. I am amazed no-one thought of turning this into a TV mini series yet!!

[John Sawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been struggling to figure out how I wanted this review to go, which really shouldn't be all that difficult for the third book in a trilogy. If you've read the first two, you should absolutely pick this one up, you won't be disappointed, and you mostly know what to expect in terms of your reading experience. If somehow you happened on this review before reading the Unnoticeables, start there.

So instead I'll talk about Zang and the other Empty Ones. Zang (real name unknown) quickly tore a place in my heart. Zang is one of the principal characters in KAA and an Empty One. He gets more screentime than Marco ever has and a more in depth look at his personality. The opportunity we get for a deep dive into the psyche of a human who has had all personality removed except some small bits of illogic (or insanity) is a look into a scary, alien place that's just a little too familiar to be comfortably filed away with other, more traditional, horror monsters. But just like all the other Empty Ones, he can put on that human face long enough to lull us into thinking there's something normal, something relatable in there. Nope!

And Brockway knows exactly which levers to pull and buttons to push. We end up falling for the facade over and over again, getting to like the guy all the way up until *oops* he's an insane amoral superpowered creature again. And I love it! All throughout, it's a perfect blend of comedy and horror that delivers both simultaneously without reducing the impact of either.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must confess. I listened to this trilogy. I did not read. - yes the dreaded audiobook. It began as a convenience in the car, but quite quickly - the production, voice acting and effort put into the production of this audiobook series elevate it way beyond what you can take away with the written word. I have never once heard an audiobook with multiple voice actors, personas and emotion.


The characterization was superb. The balance between humor and emotion was always apparent and had me laughing and tearing up at the same time. This isn’t a trilogy for everybody - especially the astute who enjoy a ‘ hard read’ - but I am in the school of thought that it takes a lot of work to make something ‘low brow’ that is also high quality .... while still executing a masterful form of writing; and this trilogy hits finds its spot right there. If you enjoy coarse humor, odd symbolism and heart wrenching plot twists - this book is for you. (It’s raunch, coarse and at many times vulgar - but you also get a sense of real care for the characters that the author has)

My only criticism is the grand finale - and only because I want more, and because like any trilogy or TV show, things get bloated and a bit unbelieveable once you hit the climax. The author does sum things up well - but also, I still was left for a want for more (- A 4th book?)

Overall, this would be a great book to read (especially the third) but I truly urge you to go on amazon and try out the audiobook. Simply amazing!

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m terrible at reviews but this book deserves one no matter how incoherent it is. Kill All Angels is the final book in the Punk rock, sci-fi, horror/comedy series, The Vicious Circuit. The series follows Carey a punk rocker in the 1970s-1980s who spends his time getting drunk, going to shows, and taking down trans-dimensional monsters with his friends. The series also takes place in the present with a character named Kaitlyn who is attacked by these monsters that Carey refers to as angels. The Angels see humanity as unnecessary code that needs to be “solved” AKA killed. When an angel kills a human, they either use that energy to prevent a star from burning out, an asteroid from hitting a planet, or anything that can benefit the universe or they turn them into more angels. Some humans can’t be solved so they split into Empty Ones and Tar Men. The empty ones look like regular humans but they lack everything that makes someone human. They also worship the angels as gods and help them solve humans. Tar men pretty much just melt humans. Kaitlyn learns about her role in this and helps Carey Kill All Angels! It sounds complicated and I’m 100% not doing this series justice but trust me, it’s amazing.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not often you can say that the third entry of a trilogy is the best one but that is definitely the case here. I blew through Kill All Angels in two sittings; I didn't want to put it down.

Brockway maintains the fast pace of the previous entries but still finds time to cram in a ton of pathos for his characters, especially Carey. Carey really develops into more than the 1-note, over-the-hill punk who's always trying to get laid. The new characters, Zang and Jie, really stood out for me as interesting in their own respective ways. Especially Zang.

Endings are hard. But the ending here is satisfactory, if not amazing. It certainly had me looking back at certain characters and re-evaluating how I saw them.

The Vicious Circuit is a series that, in my humble opinion, deserves to be more popular. It's fun and memorable with some great characters and set pieces. It has some unique ideas and is both genuinely scary and funny. It's the kind of series that, as soon as I finished reading it, I wanted to go back and start over from the beginning. Nothing but the highest praise from me.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, this series was never quite able to grab me. Even after the final showdown in this book, I kind of had a 'meh' feeling to it. Bits of humour were present but with the reality of what the showdown might mean, feeling of maudlin took over instead. For a series that markets itself to the JDATE series, it doesn't have the humour or completeness of the series. Also, the fact that most of the main characters become transient of that the titular character is never fully explained or even given a reason beyond 'revenge' for why it has become his mission to follow through with this. Not really worth going over the plot because it all has to do with everything from prior books and the title is basically what its about. The premise/conceit of the book, was never really intriguing to me so hence I just feel ambivalent about it at the end.

[Tony Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yo. Bruh. Duuuuuude. What in the....The Vicious Circle Trilogy has been added to my list of favorite trilogies. The climax is perfectly amazing, redemptive, heartbreaking, and full of monster killing and crass swearing. But, man. I haven’t read an ending that satisfying and angering since The Dark Tower. I will never NOT read a book that this dude publishes.


If you have any doubt about whether or not you want to read this book, let me tell you that you do. I know that because you’re not a psycho that starts a trilogy at the end. I hope. If that’s the case then you already read at least one and if you haven’t and you’re reading this then chances are good that you’ve read the reviews of the two previous books which ipso facto, ergo, dominos nabisco you’re interested and you need to quit wasting time reading this review and start reading these books! GO! SHOO!

[Rachael Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Kill All Angels’ is the last installment of The Vicious Circuit trilogy and it couldn’t be a better ending to a grimy frantic punk-rock adventure. Once again, the protagonists play off of each other perfectly. Carey, the aging homeless punk, has his sarcasm and gallows humor point of view countered by Kaitlyn’s strong-willed optimism. The mythos of the Empty Ones and the angels is further expounded upon by Zang, a character who was tragic, horrifying, and hilarious all at once. The whole book was full of absurdity and brutal violence, but it also had stark moments of deep pathos. Once the story made you realize how cosmically awful everything was, it made you laugh by letting you know that Carey would go down fighting, trying to destroy all crotches.

[Adrian Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

I jumped into the series at a time where I wanted some horror and some laughs... there's something about the ending that makes me cry but in a good way, in a way I hadn't since My Best Friend's Exorcism but my tears come from the ending... I won't spoil it.

Reading through this series was one hell of a ride and I am grateful to have t0ok up this trilogy when I had the chance. This was a conclusion I wasn't expecting but one that was meant to happen. And I love the book for it.

Im sorry, I am not saying much in this review but... I just love what it does. It's a culmination from The first and second book, with all the existential dread and humor rolled in to make the trip all worth it...

[Wren Handman · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED the conclusion to this trilogy! This was the first book where I felt like I was more invested in the past storyline than the present one. I sort of knew exactly what was going to happen in the present, until the very end, and there wasn't as much plot as I was expecting. Carey's past storyline, on the other hand, was really powerful and moving, and made me really understand the character and how he had gotten where he was. Very well done! It was also less gruesome than the second book, which I appreciated.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I put this one off for a while because I didn't want to say goodbye to the characters. It felt heavier than the first two without losing its sense of humor. As the story goes on, you see the price everyone involved in this fight has had to pay and start to get the idea that the cost is going to be even greater at the end. Doesn't make it any less of a punch in the gut, but you understand. I really dug this trilogy.

[Caitlin MacEwan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book series almost fits perfectly into my favourite niche of increasing bizarre, funny sci-fi/horror with slightly morally dubious characters. So it was always going to be pretty well liked by me.

Really enjoyed the ending of this book series particularly, but the whole series was very consistent, delivered what you would expect, and had characters I really enjoyed developing over the 3 books.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is only one thing that I didn't like about Kill All Angels is that it is the final book in the Vicious Circuit trilogy. As with the previous books, we time jump between the 80s and the present. We meet some new Empty Ones, some new antagonists and those assisting our heroes.

We also follow Kaitlyn as she gains more power, possibly enough to stop the Angels permanently. But can she channel that power without turning into that which she is trying to destroy?

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not enthused that every book I seem to pick up these days is #1 of a series. But then again, there have been some real treasures and this series was one of them.

I loved the horror, the humor, and the creative creatures, although the space whale was a bit hard to wrap my head around. Lol. As I was getting towards the end I started to doubt that I would like the ending. Nope, not the case. The ending was satisfying and proper. Well done!

[Brett Heyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this series and have no idea how it has not received more mainstream acclaim. I would say that this was the least accessible of the three - the inner angel stuff got pretty ethereal and difficult to follow - but it was still one of the most fun horror books I've ever read. I could easily see this being a movie and it played out thusly in my head. A+ on the gore and repulsiveness of 90% of the people/things in the series.

[Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such an amazing ending in my opinion— the balance of pure insanity and gutting, heartbreaking characters put my head and heart through the most bittersweet whirlwind of thoughts and feelings. Carey’s character will be an all time favorite, and I felt for him deeply throughout the entirety of this book. This was an unreal series in the best ways and it will definitely be missed— wish I could reread it for the first time all over again😭❤️

[Sissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raw, fun, entirely weird, definitely gross, and able to pull on your heartstrings between the overly graphic, yet precisely needed depictions of monster killings throughout the decades. What actually make humans human? Not the question I thought I would be asking, but pleased I get to after being fully entertained.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I began to find Jackie insufferable in the second book. She only gets worse. I read the first two thirds of this book in about a week, I stopped enjoying it and put it down for more than a month. I'm glad I finally finished it though as I found the end perfect. If only the characters in Kaitlyn's story were as interesting and heartwarming as Carey's.

[Bill Philibin · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2.25 Stars)

The book/series wasn't bad... but it wasn't really that good either. At least for me. I feel like a lot happened, and there were a lot of really interesting plot elements. It just never really went anywhere.

I think I would try another book by the author, but I have to be honest that I am glad this series is complete.