Angelology

I was at the local library the other day, working on my writing and decided to take a break by browsing through titles. I was immediately taken by the title of the book, "Angelology." It's a novel by Danielle Trussoni. It's the story about man's epic battle with the fallen angels' descendants, the Nephilim.

I finished reading it in about three days. The plot is not too bad and some of the writing could be better. As one reviewer put it, it's collegial writing at best, showing a one-paragraph excerpt of the earlier part of the book. He writes:

In reality, however, the simplistic narrative has the hallmark of a collegiate writing school, based on text released by the publisher:


"Pausing to dip her index finger into a fount of holy water, Sister Evangeline blessed herself (forehead, heart, left shoulder, right shoulder) and stepped through the narrow Romanesque basilica, past the fourteen Stations of the Cross, the straight-backed red oak pews, and the marble columns. As the light was dim at that hour, Evangeline followed the wide central aisle through the nave to the sacristy, where chalices and bells and vestments were locked in cupboards, awaiting Mass. At the far end of the sacristy, she came to a door. Taking a deep breath, Evangeline closed her eyes, as if preparing them for a greater brightness. She placed her hand on the cold brass knob and, heart pounding, pushed. The Adoration Chapel opened around her, bursting upon her vision.”



Continue reading on Examiner.com Fallen angels, crouching agent: movie plus sequel equals ’Angelology’ - Albuquerque Contemporary Literature | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/contemporary-literature-in-albuquerque/fallen-angels-crouching-agent-movie-plus-sequel-equals-angelology#ixzz1OXs6hk37
The novel's draw, however, is not the actual writing but the conceptual framework. It is fascinating and Trussoni draws on many mythic references, synthesizing them together to make her tale. There's the myth of Orpheus, Prometheus, the Giants from the Book of Enoch. She even bases the cave in her book where the fallen angels, referred to as "monstrous creatures," have been imprisoned, from an actual place in Bulgaria where her husband is from.

As I've said, conceptually, the work has a lot of potential. However, the primary drawback that I felt the book had was the characters were undeveloped. There was more focus on plot. I almost felt like it was written specifically so that it would be a movie, with a lot of action. It almost felt Dan Brownesque.

Would I read the next installment, Angelopolis? I sure will...