-
See Our Best Book
Club Books of 2026!
Summary | Discuss | Reviews | More Information | More Books
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.
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (10/16/2025)
I just finally, finally made by way through Angel Fall by Daniel Kraus. Let me say I really like his writing in general. I don't think anyone could make the visuals from WWI any more startling or vivid than he does. His take on the angel and the meaning she took on for each of the doughboys is th...
-Connie_K
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (10/09/2025)
...It's the kind of read that moves along and is easy to put down and pick right up again. On the other hand, this week I'm still working my way through Angel Down by Daniel Kraus. The author is so talented, it's almost unbearable to read. (Kim, I'm wondering if I can get these emails earlier, as it is regarding week of 10/09 a...
-Connie_K
Anyone read WhaleFall by Daniel Kraus (2023)?
I have read both Whalefall and Angel Down. Daniel Kraus is a very inventive writer very character -driven and descriptive. Gore- filled but with a purpose to illuminate the settings of his story not gratuitious.
-Jolene_Blankley
What are you reading this week? (8/28/2025)
@Connie_K I'm glad to hear you're a fan of Daniel Kraus. I really enjoyed https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/5060/angel-down Angel Down and I hope you like it! I haven't read Whalefall but I plan to.
-kim.kovacs
"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)
"[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)
"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. A gripping and haunting read that will stay with you for a long time." —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
This information about Angel Down was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Daniel Kraus is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels and graphic novels. He coauthored The Living Dead with legendary filmmaker George A. Romero. 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. He has won two Odyssey Awards (for Rotters and Scowler), and The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch was named one of Entertainment Weekly's Top 10 Books of the Year. His books have been Library Guild selections, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults picks, Bram Stoker finalists, and more. His work has been translated into over twenty languages. Daniel lives with his wife in Chicago. Visit him at DanielKraus.com.
The Sister's Curse
by Nicola Solvinic
The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes
by Chanel Cleeton
The Vanishing Place
by Zoë Rankin
 (1).gif)
There is no science without fancy and no art without fact
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Can you name the title?
Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
