Monday, March 15, 2010

Angelology

My name is Angelo, so a section of my library is devoted to novels and stories about angels-fallen, rebellious, or at least a bit 'skeptical. There's something for all tastes ...

In the BOOK OF ENOCH (apocryphal) you find the story of the rebel angels who descended to Earth to spy on humanity. They were the Watchers, or Grigori, in greek. Some of them shared their knowledge with humanity (a little 'like Prometheus, only that the Hebrew Prometheus was called Shemyiazha), and the Watchers impregnated some women and gave birth to Nephilim (mith only hinted at in Chapter 6 of Genesis) giants and famous heroes (like the Titans and the Greek heroes).

Milton's PARADISE LOST tells, the legend of Lucifer, his rebellion against God, his fall with his followers, the fallen angels (or demons) and a myth much more known though no less fascinating, and Milton as a poet, is decidedly better than Enoch, or whoever the author of the book. Isaiah also speaks of it "how low did you fall, Lucifer, morning star!")

Official angels are the archangels Michael, Raphael, Uriel and Gabriel, who announced, according to us Christians, the birth of Jesus to Mary and told, according to Muslims, the Koran to Muhammmad.

Draw near to our time

Anatole France wrote a delightful REVOLT OF THE ANGELS in the early '900 A book anticlerical, pacifist, with a gnostic flavour, and definitely a MUST for anyone interested in angelology.

Mikhail Bulgakhov wrote "THE MASTER AND MARGARITA", and Woland, Azazel (another name or a fellow of Shemyhaza) Korovev and the Black cat are fallen angels, and Margarita an angel in more ways than one

"THE REBEL ANGELS " by Robertson Davies (Guanda, 1993)is set in a Canadian University, and theb Rebel angel here is a famigerated John Parlabane, whose return, announced by the first line of the book, is a shock, and righty so, as he'll manage to scandalize the whole book University. Ironic, erudite, full of social, moral and satirical notations.

And then

-Realms of Fantasy, by Shayne Carmichael

romantic and sensual adventures of angels and demons in love with the
enemy! An intriguing read!

-Angels of the Deep, by Kirby Crow

A novel dramatic and dark about the tragedy of fallen angels, Nephilim, and human (and evil priests ), but also a
touching love story

-Wicked Gentlemen, by Ginn Hale

Another story dark, sardonic, which shows that angels and demons are of the same coin

-Mythangelus, By Storm Constantine

The author of the hermaphrodite Wraeththu,also author of the novel "Burying The Shadow" inspired by the legend of the Nephilim. Mythangelus is a wonderful collection of stories on the Nephilim and Fallen Angels topic.


-"Good Omens" by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

The angel Aziraphale and the Devil Crowley are apocalyptically funny!

- "Angelglass" by David Barnett

By the types of Immanion Press. It's a very intriguing story of two strange amnesiacs who come to Prague,, one today and one in the times of Emperor Rudolf of Habsburg. He comes in contact with a group of environmentalists (today) and a return mission from the Ottoman Sultan reporting to the emperor. Both stories are suffused of a dreamy melancholy,.In the meantime, in a shining city, a seemingly unrelated story takes place. This is a book that I very much appreciated, and I was amazed to discover who is the angel (rebel, of course) of the novel.

- "The Fallen" and "Demon Tears" by Joshua Dagon

From the types of Breur Press. Start in an alley outside a nightclub in Los Angeles (where else?) In which Nick, our hero, is suffering from a terminal crisis due to an overdose of drugs. There, Nick meets a supernatural being, a demon, (0r, if you like a fallen angel) This daemon saves Nick and gets to know (in human form, of course) Nick and his gay friends, Darren, Eddie, Theo, and others. Meanwhile, Bishop Patrick investigates the mysterious death of a young student, whose latest tape is a rambling story about demons .. From there develops a story intriguing, bizarre and original. The style is cool, very hip and ironic, sometimes sensual and dramatic.
This is a very interesting novel, written superbly, which interprets the myth of demons or fallen angels in a very original way.



-ANGELOLOGY, by Danielle Trussoni
I've been mesmerized by this novel, the strange life of Evangeline, the protagonist, the uncanny legends of the Watcers/grigori and the Nephilim are expounded in an athmospheric narration that reads like a dream. Strange theories about angels and demons, archaeological researches, the enclosed world of rhe monastery and the freedom of the outside, all is circumfused in a dreamy haze, like you're reading some ancient myth, only it's ambiented in modern New York,end of the last century. I loved it! Next to the Elohim of Storm Constantine (Burying the Shadow) and the angels and demons of Joshua Dagon (The Fallen and Demon Tears) here's another intriguing work on angelc lore.

The BOBBY DOLLAR TRILOGY by Tad Williams autor of Otherland and many fantasy sagas. Bobby Dollar is an advocate Angel who tries tho save souls from hell by perorating their cause against demons.He's a flawed very humane angel who questions the very establisment of Heaven on the verge of Apocalypse. Written in a noir style, it's a delight to read

The HUSH HUSH saga by Becca Fitzpatrick.  Nora has a new  desk mate at scool. He's disquietingly intriguing He is, you guessed it, a fallen angel...

And the comics!

- Fallen Angels by David Cantero

CAMP delightful, well designed, with alternation of dramatic and comic moments, this cartoon is really funny. three little angels are adorable, and the paradise from which is not exactly heavenly. This is certainly one of the best comics I've ever read...on gay angels!

- "Revelations" by Aguirre Sacasa
A book on the Angel X-Men. his youth and mutation. Anf there's an evil priest there, too.



How not to mention

"Angels with one wings only " Sciltian Gastaldi, on the tormented and innocents gay love of two boys and the difficulties they encounter?

No comments: