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, 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. 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.
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“A thunderous gallop of a war novel, a new classic, a best-in-class example of speculative fiction. Mysterious and full of grace, rambling and ducking and shifting for 285 dizzying, blood-soaked, astonishing pages.”
The New York Times
“INCANDESCENTLY ANGRY.”
The Washington Post
“This is a war novel for people who don’t like war novels — and a moral lesson for the ages.”
People Magazine
“[STAR] A bold and exceptional novel with echoes of Clive Barker and Cormac McCarthy. Kraus has taken the classic war story and crafted something completely unique.”
Library Journal
“[STAR] A brilliant novel that will encourage its readers to live their best lives, despite the horrors that surround them.”
Booklist
“[STAR] Kraus ramps up the tension with the relentless cadence of his prose… With this vigorous narrative, Kraus breathes new life into the war novel.”
Publishers Weekly
“[STAR] Kraus has a clear grasp on our worst impulses — an impressive and surprising take on war-story tropes.”
Kirkus Reviews
“It’s not only a strikingly original horror novel; it’s a piece of perfectly executed literary gymnastics. A stunner.”
Vulture
“Even more audacious than Whalefall. Kraus’s prose boldly resembles a prayer.”
Chicago Tribune
“Undeniably powerful and disturbing.”
Winnipeg Free Press
“A moving 300-page prose poem.”
The Center for Fiction
“It may just be Kraus’ magnum opus, and it’ll stick with you long after you turn the final page.”
Geek Vibes Nation
“9.5/10. The most literarily ambitious, beautiful, biblical, wholly unholy, horrifying torrent of cosmos and violence and militarized trauma that I’ve ever read.”
FanFiAddict
“An undeniable masterpiece.”
Capes & Tights
“The novel’s breakneck pace might be untenable in some other work of fiction, but here the frenzied voice seems completely apt.”
Highbrow Magazine
“This captivating war thriller will entertain at every turn. “
Chicago Review of Books
“Kraus’s sensory-soaked story reminds that the best fiction conjures the tactile, what’s heard and smelled, touched and tasted, not just what’s seen and thought.”
Hudson Review
“Angel Down concludes in a remarkable crescendo of word and image. An emotionally demanding, revelatory fable.”
The Anniston Star
“5/5. Kraus’s prose is so glorious and his descriptions so alive that the entire book is a marvel.”
Book Browse
“Intense, surreal, and utterly gripping.”
Bibliolifestyle
“A profound meditation on humanity’s capacity for both salvation and damnation when faced with the divine.”
BookClub
“A searing, frenzied, and haunting reminder that the horrors we most often face are the ones we create ourselves.”
P. Djèlí Clark
“This novel leaves you breathless. You can’t guess where it’s going, or how it’s going to get there. Just, let it take your hand, pull you through these trenches, this war, this century, this . . . this life.”
Stephen Graham Jones
“A literary masterwork of unparalleled dexterity and ingenuity. One of the best things I’ve ever read. I’m absolutely blown away.”
Josh Malerman
“A masterpiece.”
Ally Wilkes
“Disorienting and utterly sublime. This book is a miracle.”
Eric LaRocca
“The highest level of literary ambition, and the most gripping, unforgettable account of war in recent memory. American war fiction will be haunted by this book for years to come.”
John Milas
“An absolute revelation, a hymn that sings of the humanity found within history’s horrors. Here is a novel that will restore your faith in what the written word is capable of capturing.”
Clay McLeod Chapman
“A brutal, brilliant prayer for the damned.”
Ginger Nuts of Horror
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