June 29, 2015
Steele wraps up his apocalyptic Angelus trilogy with a bang. As readers know from 2012’s The Watchers and 2013’s Angel City, a war has been raging for the “soul of man” after supernatural beings betrayed their mission to guide humanity in its designated role of caretakers of Earth’s life forms. The beings’ lust for female humans led to breeding with them, which introduced evil into the world. Impressively, Steele balances the high eschatological stakes with humor. For example, Jay Harper, who’s actually a being hiding in the form of a dead man, wonders, “How the hell did we superior creatures of light survive two and a half million years in paradise while spending great swathes of time not knowing what to do next?” Such passages are a welcome respite from the grim narrative, which places the globe on the brink of nuclear Armageddon. Steele also deserves credit for making the complex backstory easy for first-timers to follow. Agent: Georgina Capel, Capel & Land Ltd.