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Shadow Saga #2
Angel Souls and Devil Hearts
As the vampires of the world prepare to do battle with humanity, and each other, the possibility of a new life for those that remain becomes a primary driving force in their bloody quest. Reprint.
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
12 people are currently reading
587 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Golden
798 books2,963 followersCHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Road of Bones, Ararat, Snowblind, Of Saints and Shadows, and Red Hands. With Mike Mignola, he is the co-creator of the Outerverse comic book universe, including such series as Baltimore, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, and Lady Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Seize the Night, Dark Cities, and The New Dead, among others, and he has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot. Golden co-hosts the podcast Defenders Dialogue with horror author Brian Keene. In 2015 he founded the popular Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His work has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the Eisner Award, and multiple Shirley Jackson Awards. For the Bram Stoker Awards, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories. His original novels have been published in more than fifteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
November 27, 2019
This is the second novel in the Peter Octavian series.
At the end of the first book, Peter Octavian told his friends to find out what they are (the vampires), their true origin. For in this world, the Church has twisted the minds of vampires long ago, which trickled down the generations and altered their own understanding of themselves. And in this book, they finally find out the truth.
It's been 5 years since Peter dragged a certain sorcerer-priest through a gate into hell to save his friends. But now, Mulkerrin is back and more powerful than before (and he has an imaginary friend speaking to him). He's obviously learned a lot in that parallel dimension that we call Hell. Thus, the survivors of Venice not only have to deal with a certain traitorous vampire and some seriously crazy humans, they also have to face dragons and demons and undead spirits that possess human bodies.
While the question of what the shadows/vampires really are promised to be interesting in this different world the author has created, it wasn't enough to carry the entire book IMO.
I did love Cody (Buffalo Bill) and was therefore VERY motivated to find out what would happen to him, but Meghan annoyed the living hell out of me what with her "newborn" perfection.
The ancients were interesting, but I think I was never entirely sold on this version of the vampiric myth (them being everything at once, bloodsuckers and limitless shapeshifters and so much more).
However, the battles were once again very intense, everything happening at once (which is only realistic), and I appreciate the general speed of these stories (not too much baby fat so there is no drag) as well as at least a few of the twists/reveals.
I can't say much to what this book genre was like back in the day when this book was published; my view on the plot and characters is influenced by the other UF books and TV shows I know. Therefore, I don't know how new and revolutionary this or that plot twist or detail in the worldbuilding might have been. What I can say is that I was annoyed with perfect little Meghan and how a love triangle was prevented as it seemed uninspired. There were a few such things both in book 1 and book 2.
Nevertheless, I was entertained. Not enough to continue the series (also because it's only a matter of time until everyone except Peter will be dead), but I do recommend it to fans of the UF genre, vampires and stories full of demons and other nasties.
At the end of the first book, Peter Octavian told his friends to find out what they are (the vampires), their true origin. For in this world, the Church has twisted the minds of vampires long ago, which trickled down the generations and altered their own understanding of themselves. And in this book, they finally find out the truth.
It's been 5 years since Peter dragged a certain sorcerer-priest through a gate into hell to save his friends. But now, Mulkerrin is back and more powerful than before (and he has an imaginary friend speaking to him). He's obviously learned a lot in that parallel dimension that we call Hell. Thus, the survivors of Venice not only have to deal with a certain traitorous vampire and some seriously crazy humans, they also have to face dragons and demons and undead spirits that possess human bodies.
While the question of what the shadows/vampires really are promised to be interesting in this different world the author has created, it wasn't enough to carry the entire book IMO.
I did love Cody (Buffalo Bill) and was therefore VERY motivated to find out what would happen to him, but Meghan annoyed the living hell out of me what with her "newborn" perfection.
The ancients were interesting, but I think I was never entirely sold on this version of the vampiric myth (them being everything at once, bloodsuckers and limitless shapeshifters and so much more).
However, the battles were once again very intense, everything happening at once (which is only realistic), and I appreciate the general speed of these stories (not too much baby fat so there is no drag) as well as at least a few of the twists/reveals.
I can't say much to what this book genre was like back in the day when this book was published; my view on the plot and characters is influenced by the other UF books and TV shows I know. Therefore, I don't know how new and revolutionary this or that plot twist or detail in the worldbuilding might have been. What I can say is that I was annoyed with perfect little Meghan and how a love triangle was prevented as it seemed uninspired. There were a few such things both in book 1 and book 2.
Nevertheless, I was entertained. Not enough to continue the series (also because it's only a matter of time until everyone except Peter will be dead), but I do recommend it to fans of the UF genre, vampires and stories full of demons and other nasties.
November 27, 2019
Enjoying a nice revisit with the Shadow Saga, with evil Catholics and saintly Vampires!
Seriously, I'm both thrilled and a little disappointed in this second book. Mostly thrilled. I mean, I can do without some of the slowish bits, but with all the big explosions and military might chopping up the PoV changes, taking a trip to hell to save Peter, coming back to a massive blow-out with major demons walking the Earth, I really have NOTHING to complain about.
I think my main problem, on this re-read, is not the first two books at all, but the memory of the third. I hate losing my favorite characters. Peter is great and even though we barely see him in this one, he takes all the other stages in fine form. It isn't HIM that I love the most, though. I love almost all of them.
Read into that as you will.
But as for this book? I LOVE the twists and turns it takes. There are some really funny and awesome ideas floating around in here and the short-sharp-idea-jabs are the BEST.
I'm glad I did a re-read. It's just plain FUN. :)
Not perfect, mind you, but it is definitely courageous and genre-busting and willing to go all out. That's something I can appreciate. Big time. :)
Seriously, I'm both thrilled and a little disappointed in this second book. Mostly thrilled. I mean, I can do without some of the slowish bits, but with all the big explosions and military might chopping up the PoV changes, taking a trip to hell to save Peter, coming back to a massive blow-out with major demons walking the Earth, I really have NOTHING to complain about.
I think my main problem, on this re-read, is not the first two books at all, but the memory of the third. I hate losing my favorite characters. Peter is great and even though we barely see him in this one, he takes all the other stages in fine form. It isn't HIM that I love the most, though. I love almost all of them.
Read into that as you will.
But as for this book? I LOVE the twists and turns it takes. There are some really funny and awesome ideas floating around in here and the short-sharp-idea-jabs are the BEST.
I'm glad I did a re-read. It's just plain FUN. :)
Not perfect, mind you, but it is definitely courageous and genre-busting and willing to go all out. That's something I can appreciate. Big time. :)
June 9, 2024
This was a wild and crazy ride and mostly a lot of fun. Maybe it was too long and dragged at parts but those are minor complaints.
January 29, 2015
I can't believe it's been a little over four years ago that I first reread the first book in this series, Of Saints and Shadows. I'm not really sure why it's taken me this long to get around to rereading the second book, Angel Souls and Devil Hearts, but I hope it doesn't take me that long to reread the third book. I read the first four books of this series when they first came out, and I fell in love with them. When Christopher Golden decided to continue on with it, they reissued the the first four books of the series, and I decided to read them again since I really didn't remember everything that happened in them. And since I really want to read what has happened after the fourth book ended, I need to get my ass in gear, read the next two books, then I can delve into the new material.
One aspect of this book, and of this series as a whole, that I did forget, is how perilous these characters lives are. None of them are safe, even the ones you think will never die, will die. It's always a little disconcerting to realize an author is willing to kill off any character they want, regardless of how much you like them, or how used you got to having them around. The body count in this one is rather staggering at times, and for the most part, a lot of them are characters I truly liked. Characters who shouldn't die do, and for the most, I loved so many of them. Even the first vampire of them all, who is introduced in this book, loses his life. John Courage is one of the characters who makes a grand entrance, makes a huge impact, imparts an even bigger secret, and then goes away. If you want in on that secret, pay attention to his initials. Let's just say that it's an interesting take on the origins of the vampire race.
One aspect of this book, and of this series as a whole, that I did forget, is how perilous these characters lives are. None of them are safe, even the ones you think will never die, will die. It's always a little disconcerting to realize an author is willing to kill off any character they want, regardless of how much you like them, or how used you got to having them around. The body count in this one is rather staggering at times, and for the most part, a lot of them are characters I truly liked. Characters who shouldn't die do, and for the most, I loved so many of them. Even the first vampire of them all, who is introduced in this book, loses his life. John Courage is one of the characters who makes a grand entrance, makes a huge impact, imparts an even bigger secret, and then goes away. If you want in on that secret, pay attention to his initials. Let's just say that it's an interesting take on the origins of the vampire race.
February 9, 2019
The first book in this series was enjoyable, story, characters, how the plot came together was all intriguing and held my interest...though the writing style sometimes made me feel as if I was wading through a swamp.
This book (the 2nd in the series), definitely picked up the pace, with the action and the inciting incident taking off from the very beginning.
Even in the prologue - the eternally dreaded prologue *groan* - I found myself fascinated my this mysterious stranger, who is eventually revealed around three quarters in.
I loved all the characters - despite the extended cast - my favourites being Will Cody, Rolf, Lazarus, and Allison (Meghan kind of got a bit on my nerves when she constantly had to proclaim that Alexandra was her "One true love" in her internal monologue).
All in all, apart from the plot and characters, I loved the author's take on the vampire's origin, and how he wrapped up this particular story arc, though left enough not dealt with to create even more chaos for the rest of the series.
(Not really a SPOILER, but whatever):
P.S. If you've read the first one, and want to know if Peter's fate was further explained...this book won't leave you hanging.
This book (the 2nd in the series), definitely picked up the pace, with the action and the inciting incident taking off from the very beginning.
Even in the prologue - the eternally dreaded prologue *groan* - I found myself fascinated my this mysterious stranger, who is eventually revealed around three quarters in.
I loved all the characters - despite the extended cast - my favourites being Will Cody, Rolf, Lazarus, and Allison (Meghan kind of got a bit on my nerves when she constantly had to proclaim that Alexandra was her "One true love" in her internal monologue).
All in all, apart from the plot and characters, I loved the author's take on the vampire's origin, and how he wrapped up this particular story arc, though left enough not dealt with to create even more chaos for the rest of the series.
(Not really a SPOILER, but whatever):
P.S. If you've read the first one, and want to know if Peter's fate was further explained...this book won't leave you hanging.
April 6, 2011
Absoloutely Brilliant! I was given the first book by the rep that we meet with at the store. And while I normally stick to reading and reviewing Young Adult and Children's books for the most part (being a childrens specialist bookseller), The first book captivated me so much that I rushed out to buy the second! And in my opinion it is actually better than the first. The storyline is stronger and you feel the main characters pain and misery as they are trying to overcome a very formiddable opponent. I like how Christopher Golden pushes through all of that and shows that no matter what your feeling are, war is war and there is no time to grieve for those that have fallen. There is only time to fight and help each other stay alive so that you will have a chance for vengance and also a chance to mourn later. I was extremely upset with how things turned out, however I understand that it ended in the only way that it could. Christopher Golden trully is a brilliant writer and I look forward to reading the next three in the series.
January 8, 2017
In the second Peter Octavian novel, the Shadows have been exposed as living amongst us and the ancient vampiric race now finds itself threatened by the most powerful demon of all: human prejudice.
In a world where the good are no longer distinguishable from the bad and where Shadows are indeed the saints, a holy war is about to begin, pitting humans and vampires together against the dark forces of Hell. And as they fight for their survival in the face of a betrayal by one of their own, the Shadows begin to discover at last the astonishing, long-hidden truth of what they are.
What they will learn about their mysterious origins is more extraordinary -- and more explosive -- than they could possibly have imagined.
In a world where the good are no longer distinguishable from the bad and where Shadows are indeed the saints, a holy war is about to begin, pitting humans and vampires together against the dark forces of Hell. And as they fight for their survival in the face of a betrayal by one of their own, the Shadows begin to discover at last the astonishing, long-hidden truth of what they are.
What they will learn about their mysterious origins is more extraordinary -- and more explosive -- than they could possibly have imagined.
April 17, 2016
Review to follow
August 9, 2020
I'm so very glad I continued with the Shadow Saga/Peter Octavian vampire series.
That first book in the series was Golden's first published book and I think it showed a little. I probably would have given up on the series all together if I hadn't already bought the next three books in the series. Also Golden's one of my all-time favorite authors, so I gave him a pass that I wouldn't normally give a series with a poor introduction.
Angel Souls and Devil Hearts draws from the first book a little, but builds it's own story around human villains and vampire villains on both sides of the spectrum. It's very philosophical in the origin of vampires. The world building in this book is absolutely crazy. At times I would wonder about certain aspects as if it were real. That is intense to bury myself in the world so unknowingly.
The book also had quite a few different point of view characters, but I felt like I understood every character, even the ones obviously painted as villains.
This book restored my faith in my old fave. Christopher Golden is one of the most underrated authors of this era. He's right up there with Stephen King for me.
I only hesitate with my recommendation due to some of the graphic sex scenes, which I understand may be a genre choice and not necessarily an author choice, but it still pulled me out of the story every time. There's a way to make it a choice and there's a way to do it just because you can. I felt like this book was more about the latter.
I am so glad I continued the series and I'm interested to find out where it goes. So ya, I'm going to continue eventually.
That first book in the series was Golden's first published book and I think it showed a little. I probably would have given up on the series all together if I hadn't already bought the next three books in the series. Also Golden's one of my all-time favorite authors, so I gave him a pass that I wouldn't normally give a series with a poor introduction.
Angel Souls and Devil Hearts draws from the first book a little, but builds it's own story around human villains and vampire villains on both sides of the spectrum. It's very philosophical in the origin of vampires. The world building in this book is absolutely crazy. At times I would wonder about certain aspects as if it were real. That is intense to bury myself in the world so unknowingly.
The book also had quite a few different point of view characters, but I felt like I understood every character, even the ones obviously painted as villains.
This book restored my faith in my old fave. Christopher Golden is one of the most underrated authors of this era. He's right up there with Stephen King for me.
I only hesitate with my recommendation due to some of the graphic sex scenes, which I understand may be a genre choice and not necessarily an author choice, but it still pulled me out of the story every time. There's a way to make it a choice and there's a way to do it just because you can. I felt like this book was more about the latter.
I am so glad I continued the series and I'm interested to find out where it goes. So ya, I'm going to continue eventually.
September 4, 2023
This was a fun read.
December 27, 2020
I read the first book of the series 5 years ago, and over the last 5 years my world view has changed a lot. I've become more aware of a lot of things, including the way female characters are portrayed in literature by male authors. I'm mentioning this because I honestly dont remember whether the first book had as much violence against women. This was written in the 90s so it does not surprise me. But it does ruin the experience for me personally. The mythos and world building I loved in the first book continues but for me it's tainted by the extreme violence to female characters throughout the book.
February 24, 2012
I'm not a big fan or reader of horror (which this definitely falls under), but as an outside genre reader, I thought that there was too much gut-and-gore type horror. Demons rip out body parts all over the place, which isn't scary... just plain gross. It was more thrilling to hear the thoughts of the villain, whose path to insanity is as easy as the path to Hell.
One of the reviews on the back of this book said that it was "funny and original." For a vampire book, it certainly original, but it wasn't funny in any sense (unless you find ripping out hearts and intestines hilarious, that is). Several of my favourite characters suffer horrible fates. Although I can see how it is plot-relevant or character-developing, it doesn't mean I have to enjoy it.
One of the reviews on the back of this book said that it was "funny and original." For a vampire book, it certainly original, but it wasn't funny in any sense (unless you find ripping out hearts and intestines hilarious, that is). Several of my favourite characters suffer horrible fates. Although I can see how it is plot-relevant or character-developing, it doesn't mean I have to enjoy it.
January 15, 2008
Amazingly, this novel was even better than the first in the series which I loved. I read this one first and went back to re-read it after getting and reading the first in this series. It continues the story of vampires battling their brainwashing at the hands of the Catholic church, the supernatural minions of the church, and each other.
July 11, 2010
Of Saints and Sinners, Angel Hearts and Devil Souls. The Shadow Saga. As the vampires of the world prepare to do battle with humanity, and each other, the possibility of a new life for those that remain is what spurs them on in their bloody quest...
I couldn't find "Of Saints and Sinners" in goodreads but it's part of the saga. If you're interested, you really should find it.
I couldn't find "Of Saints and Sinners" in goodreads but it's part of the saga. If you're interested, you really should find it.
October 31, 2010
Often doesn't matter if series books are read out of order, but now that I have started #1, I realize my enjoyment of this one suffered greatly from not having the background. But I enjoyed it enough to start #1, Of Saints and Shadows.
July 30, 2011
This was the book that hooked me into the series and started my fascination with vampires in general. The characters are real and full of depth, the story will suck you in and hold you tight and will stay with you long past the last page. Years later this still remains one of my most favored books!
February 27, 2013
I really liked the world and vampire mythos the author created, but this series is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. Sex and gore (sometimes at the same time) are not only present but described in what I consider to be an unnecessary level of detail.
February 23, 2021
Golden's vampires, aka Shadows. find themselves at war with demons. Shadows have had long history, even some famous names, unbeknownst, are Shadows. Maybe they need magic. Shadow, Peter Octavian, accepts leadership mantle.
January 12, 2008
Golden has an interesting take on the origin of vampires.
April 27, 2008
Not my favorite of the series, but still needed to move on to the next book.
July 21, 2010
A quick read, short on vocabulary, but a good plot. Has the feel of a vampire thriller. Good for reading on the run and travel, or easy thinking.
March 14, 2011
Really enjoyed reading this book.
May 16, 2011
Loved all of the twists and turns through this book! The author pulls no punches with characters, thoroughly enjoyed it! Diving into the third book tonight!
November 1, 2011
If you can't say something nice...I was tickled by the Lovecraft inspired demon names. And I like the gargoyle on the cover.
February 19, 2013
It was okay. Didn't keep my attention very well.
May 27, 2014
not as good as the first but I love this series all the same. brings me to tears almost every time.
Read
April 4, 2014Good series.
July 16, 2007
This may be the worst book I've ever read.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews