A Kiss Before the Apocalypse--Thomas E. Sniegowski

A Kiss Before the Apocalypse features an angel detective whose routine work on a divorce case rapidly escalates into a much more serious matter--indeed the matter glossed in the title.  The premise is intriguing, but I wasn't persuaded by the handling of the topic.  Too many liberties were taken (it seems to me) both with the concept of angels and the concept of War in Heaven.  Additionally, I was struck by the essential misunderstanding of the Fall--I kept wanting to say--"They FELL, they weren't pushed or thrown."

Setting aside my reservations about Angelology, I had some problems with the story just trying much too hard to involve me and make me go with our protagonist.  There were just too many disjunctions for me.

All of that said--the story is fast-paced and for those more forgiving of some of the defects I've outline above is likely to be engaging and interesting.  It falls into that large genre of "regularizing" the supernatural, and as such, thought distasteful to me, may be fairly successful at what it attempts. 

***--Need some light reading, why not give it a try?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Robert de Boron and the Prose Merlin

There are so many wonderful things about the internet: there was a time when a scholar had to order through ILL and wait for weeks or months before he or she could set eyes on such works as Geoffrey of Monmouth's Vita Merlini or Robert de Boron's Prose Merlin . No more. from Prose Merlin Robert de Boron Full wrothe and angry was the Devell, whan that oure Lorde hadde ben in helle and had take oute Adam and Eve and other at his plesier. And whan the fendes sien that, they hadden right grete feer and gret merveile. Thei assembleden togedir and seiden: "What is he this thus us supprisith and distroyeth, in so moche that oure strengthes ne nought ellis that we have may nought withholde hym, nor again hym stonde in no diffence but that he doth all that hym lyketh? We ne trowed not that eny man myght be bore of woman but that he sholde ben oures; and he that thus us distroyeth, how is he born in whom we knewe non erthely delyte?" Than ansuerde anothir fende and seide
Read more

Another Queen of Night

I post this because whenever I recommend to anyone the Queen of Night, I always recommend it in the Lucia Popp rendition.  It's a matter of personal taste, but what I love about this is that it is somewhat slower than the other versions and as a result, it would seem to me somewhat more difficult to perform and sustain--those high notes in which the Queen's voice becomes the Magic Flute itself are rounded, full, and deep while remaining light and airy. I have read some rather severe criticism of this ritardando; and while it may or may not reflect Mozart's intent, it is certainly within the options for staging.  It creates a real vocal showpiece from what is already a magnificent example of same. It really is an amazing example of a virtuoso composition sung by a virtuoso voice.  All of which should not be taken to mean that I do not truly appreciate the version posted earlier by Diana Damrau, it's just nice to see what a difference tempo can make. I think we can take
Read more