Book Review: Darker Angels

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Darker Angels     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
S. P. Somtow
Class/Genre:   Fantasy
Tor, Nov 1999, $14.95, 384 pp.

In 1865, the corpse of President Lincoln lies in public view in New York. Widow Paula Grainger pays her respect to her country’s assassinated leader.

She meets Walt Whitman and his companion Zachary Brown. The two males, along with Paula’s servant Phoebe, tell her a strange story starring her late husband, Aloysius and similar beings. Aloysius apparently won the African Phoebe in a card game. The woman is one of the DARKER ANGELS with the ability to change into a leopard. In spite of having attained the mysterious Phoebe, Aloysius failed in his efforts to reanimate Paula’s dead children. However, the one-eyed shaman Joseph apparently tasted success as a necromancer who ultimately planned to raise the dead black Civil War soldiers.

DARKER ANGEL is a metaphysical horror/dark fantasy tale that takes readers on a dark tour on nineteenth century America. The story line switches narrators, giving it a short story feel inside a featured length novel. This technique will divide readers as some will find it distracting from the main story line while others will feel the subplots have an opportunity to fully develop. The historical side of the tale shows that S. P. Somtow did his homework so that his supernatural creatures fit in a world populated by authentic known people of the era. If you prefer non-stop action, this tale is a bust. If you relish an eerie surreal novel, this tale is a cause to celebrate.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner