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Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Spotlight of Angel Down by Daniel Kraus


PHOTO CREDIT:
TYPORAMA
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ANGEL DOWN
DANIEL KRAUS
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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS TAKEN FROM THE PUBLISHER'S WEBPAGE. 
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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.

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July 29
Atria Books
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PRAISE FOR ANGEL DOWN:

"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.” New York Times Book Review


"A bold and exceptional novel from the author of Whalefall. Kraus has taken the classic war story and crafted something completely unique." Library Journal (starred review)


"[Angel Down] unfolds like a chant, in short paragraphs each beginning with the word and, and readers will quickly fall under Bagger’s narrative spell as they see the visceral and gruesome toll war takes on the entire planet. Is Bagger going to survive through a miracle or by luck? A brilliant novel that will encourage its readers to live their best lives, despite the horrors that surround them. For fans of John Milas' The Militia House (2023) and thought-provoking tales that sow discomfort through story and narrative structure, such as Agustina Bazterrica's The Unworthy (2025)." Booklist (starred review)


"A vivid tale...Kraus ramps up the tension with the relentless cadence of his prose, offering no breaks from the action but finding room for glorious lyrical flights...With this vigorous narrative, Kraus breathes new life into the war novel." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)


"Disorienting and utterly sublime — a spiritually fulfilling literary gauntlet. This book is a miracle." —Eric LaRocca


"Kraus demonstrates what a seasoned author is capable of at the highest level of literary ambition. The most gripping, unforgettable account of war in recent memory -- American war fiction is certain to 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 literary masterwork of unparalleled dexterity and ingenuity. One of the best things I've ever read. I'm absolutely blown away." Josh Malerman


"Daniel Kraus has done it again. Angel Down is a dark and frenzied tale, set on the hellish landscape of WW1 France--where amid mayhem and death, something unexpectedly miraculous happens that will change the lives of several men, forever. Kraus writes with a prose that is at once witty in its observations and searing in its depictions, offering glimpses of humanity amid the brutally inhumane theatre of war. This is a story of the supernatural. But it is also a reminder that the horrors we most often face are the ones we create ourselves." —P. Djèlí Clark, author of Ring Shout


"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, New York Times bestselling author"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.” New York Times Book Review


"A bold and exceptional novel from the author of Whalefall. Kraus has taken the classic war story and crafted something completely unique." Library Journal (starred review)


"[Angel Down] unfolds like a chant, in short paragraphs each beginning with the word and, and readers will quickly fall under Bagger’s narrative spell as they see the visceral and gruesome toll war takes on the entire planet. Is Bagger going to survive through a miracle or by luck? A brilliant novel that will encourage its readers to live their best lives, despite the horrors that surround them. For fans of John Milas' The Militia House (2023) and thought-provoking tales that sow discomfort through story and narrative structure, such as Agustina Bazterrica's The Unworthy (2025)." Booklist (starred review)


"A vivid tale...Kraus ramps up the tension with the relentless cadence of his prose, offering no breaks from the action but finding room for glorious lyrical flights...With this vigorous narrative, Kraus breathes new life into the war novel." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)


"Disorienting and utterly sublime — a spiritually fulfilling literary gauntlet. This book is a miracle." —Eric LaRocca


"Kraus demonstrates what a seasoned author is capable of at the highest level of literary ambition. The most gripping, unforgettable account of war in recent memory -- American war fiction is certain to 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 literary masterwork of unparalleled dexterity and ingenuity. One of the best things I've ever read. I'm absolutely blown away." Josh Malerman


"Daniel Kraus has done it again. Angel Down is a dark and frenzied tale, set on the hellish landscape of WW1 France--where amid mayhem and death, something unexpectedly miraculous happens that will change the lives of several men, forever. Kraus writes with a prose that is at once witty in its observations and searing in its depictions, offering glimpses of humanity amid the brutally inhumane theatre of war. This is a story of the supernatural. But it is also a reminder that the horrors we most often face are the ones we create ourselves." —P. Djèlí Clark, author of Ring Shout


"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, New York Times bestselling author


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ABOUT THE ANGEL DOWN:

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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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Kraus is a New York Times bestselling writer of novels, TV, and film.

His novel Whalefall received a front-cover review in The New York Times Book Review, won the Alex Award, was an LA Times Book Prize Finalist, and was a Best Book of 2023 from NPR, The New York TimesChicago Tribune, and more.

With Guillermo del Toro, he coauthored The Shape of Water, based on the same idea the two created for the Oscar–winning film.

Also with del Toro, Kraus coauthored Trollhunters, which was adapted into the Emmy-winning Netflix series. His also 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, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, and more. 

His work has been translated into over twenty languages. He lives with his wife in Chicago.

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