Customer Reviews

A Kiss Before the Apocalypse: A Remy Chandler Novel (Remy Chandler Series)

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3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Remy Chandler is a Boston-dwelling private eye, with a black labrador named Marlowe, and a current case tailing an unfaithful husband - all in all fairly typical fare. Everything changes, however, when the man shoots his lover, and then himself, but fails to die, catapaulting Remy into a far more important case, and one which reunites him with kindred he thought he had left behind long ago, for Remy Chandler is really Remiel, one of the seraphim, the greatest of God's angels, who abandoned Heaven in guilt and disgust after fighting, and killing, his brethren in the war against Lucifer, and has been wandering the Earth in human form ever since. Soon, Remy is on the hunt for the missing Angel of Death, and the five scrolls in his possession that will permit the unleashing of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and bring about the end of the world.

Having an angel - not one who has Fallen, but who has voluntarily left Heaven - as a protagonist is the twist in Sniegoski's new series, which he populates with other beings from Biblical tales and Angelography. This is an interesting new theme in urban fantasy, if not an entirely original one (one only has to think of the 1995 movie 'The Prophecy', for example, which has many of the same ideas about angelic conflict and jealousy of humanity). Remy/Remiel makes an appealingly conflicted hero, struggling to be true to his humanity, to be part of the mortal world, while in reality being nothing of the kind, and his relationship with his failing human wife, and pet dog, to whom he can speak, that being one of his angelic powers, lends him a touching air of vulnerabilty. Although Sniegoski doesn't have the skill with description of, say, Jim Butcher, the plot moves along at a fair rate and, the occasional flashbacks to the war in Heaven, and Remiel's past on Earth, before becoming Remy, make interesting reading.I can only hope that we see more of these in the sequel, Dancing on the Head of a Pin: A Remy Chandler Novel, which I'll definitely be giving a go.

Are there ever enough novels in the urban fantasy field? Novelist Thomas E. Sniegoski would like to think: no. In other books and by other writers, we've already been treated to witches, wizards, vampires, werewolves, and elves making a living in these contemporary times, rubbing elbows with us just plain folks. So I think it's kinda neat that we hear from the heavenly hosts.

Sniegoski introduces Remiel, a mighty warrior angel of the Seraphim, who long ago participated in the bloody celestial war waged between the armies of God and of Lucifer Morningstar. Sickened by the resulting carnage and destruction, Remiel turned his back on Heaven. Cut to unmentionable years later, to the present, where Remiel now walks around in human guise as Remy Chandler, a Boston private eye. He's been content the past few decades, having met and married the wonderful Madeline, who is privy to all his secrets. But Madeline is only human, and, as such, only has a finite span on earth. Madeline today is old and wasting away from cancer in her nursing home. Remy sorrowly counts down the days. Meanwhile, the shamus business keeps him occupied.

Some possible plot SPOILERS now.

His latest gig is mundane enough, spying on a hubbie suspected of that old thing. Until the case abruptly escalates into a murder-suicide. But when the two corpses keep on breathing, Remy begins to get that uneasy feeling. Soon, word spreads of people around the globe who should now be dead but who refuse to give up the ghost. Shortly after, Remy is visited by his old brethren, the Seraphim, who task him with tracking down Israfil, the Angel of Death. Israfil, it seems, had gone missing and, worse, had shed his responsibilites. Souls are not being taken. Souls who should've passed on are agonizingly locked in their mortal coils. Including Remy's wife, Madeline. Remy takes the case.

There are also five scrolls missing, scrolls which, if unfurled, grant the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse license to cut loose and usher in the end of days. Naturally, there are any number of supernatural creatures who desire this calamity. The Grigori, for instance, are a heavenly host originally charged with safeguarding humanity's development (a job they rather thorougly bollocksed). As punishment, the Grigori were exiled on Earth, their wings torn off. Might the Apocalypse, they wonder, be a quicker way to reconcile with the Almighty? Then there is the Black Choir, angels who played both sides of the Conflict and whom neither God nor the Morningstar wants. The Angel of Death himself has an ulterior motive. Demons and fallen angels, trusted friends and sworn enemies, Remy has to sift thru his list of suspects, and quickly. Because the Four Horsemen have just manifested on Earth. Not a banner day for humanity.

End SPOILERS.

A KISS BEFORE THE APOCALYPSE is yet another dark and gritty urban fantasy. But, more to the point, it's another very good dark and gritty urban fantasy. It's fast-paced and action packed enough for the bloody minded, but with a core of melancholy and a humanity to lend it some gravitas and added nuance. Remy Chandler is an intriguing character, striving so hard to be human, to feel the depths of emotions which only a mortal can feel. To do this, he's ever struggling to deny his powerful heavenly aspect. But as the reader might've guessed, it'll be a losing battle as Remy must unleash his true self to save the world.

Even more interesting is his sweet, heartbreaking relationship with his dying wife, whom he has to pass off as his mother to her caregivers. Then, there's Remy's awesome Labrador, Marlowe. Remy's powers include being able to communicate with animals, and, trust me, Remy's touching conversations with his innocent dog will make you fall in love with Marlowe. Several flashback passages flesh out these three even more. I really like the bit telling of how Marlowe, as a puppy, first met Remy.

Remy does spend more time taking in beatdowns rather than dispensing them (again, he's very reluctant to let out his inner halo). Like any good fiction detective, he takes a good licking and keeps on pressing. That just might be the definiton of hard-boiled. What makes this book a really gratifying read, though, is that flavor of heartache and bittersweet angst. For the grief he feels, Remy reduces himself to a human level, but elevates himself in the reader's eyes. Early in the pages, we know that Remy's primary source of happiness is about to be wrenched away from him. It's not his angelic powers which makes me root for him; rather, it's how he deals with this impending loss. I hope Sniegoski comes out with a sequel soon.

He was old before the earth was created. Archangel Remiel of the host of the Seraphim fought when Lucifer and his allies rebelled and though he was on the winning side, he witnessed the atrocities that angels committed. He left Heaven and came to earth. After several millennia as a hermit he hid his angleic personna to live amidst humans and even loved a human. He currently calls himself Remy Chandler, twenty-first century Boston private investigator.

His former Heavenly brothers, the Seraphim led by Nathanial visit him. Nathanuel asks on behalf of the Creator for Remiel to find Israfil, the Angel of Death who disappeared a week ago earth time. He has the five seals that would call up the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the fifth seal giving them permission to proceed with their mission. The Seraphim fear Israfil, like Remy, has taken human form, which means no one is collecting the souls of the dead leaving broken and dying but never dead people praying for release. To avoid the Apocalypse and to bring death back into salvation, Remy takes on the assignment, but finds traitors amongst the allies who supposedly aid him.

This reviewer prays there will be more novels starring Remy, a being who could return to Heaven any time he wants, but so far chooses to live amongst humans because he relishes the emotions that Heaven does not have. Not everyone will agree with his choice as many people strive on going to Heaven not running from heaven, but the audience will believe he is on earth for a reason as he does great things for humanity. This heartwrenching beautiful urban fantasy will grip readers with its potent emotional fervor.

Harriet Klausner

I've read most of Sniegoski's Fallen series, still waiting for the ridiculously high price on the final book to drop to an affordable price.
Hear that Amazon!! Get some price limits on some of your items!! But I digress. Sniegoski's newest novel once again focuses on the realm of angels, but not those from the Fallen. So for those thinking this is a story about an older Aaron Corbet, please re-read the product description. The new protagonist, angel-turned-human private investigator Remy Chandler, or Remiel, his angelic name, is the hero of this story. He has a labrador, much like Aaron, but Marlowe, Remy's dog is nothing like Gabriel, Aaron's dog.

I really miss Gabe's comments. I do. It's just not the same.

But that's the whole point. This isn't the Fallen's continuation as much as people want it to be, myself included. But this new story is truly fantastic, a new story that will bring fans back drooling for more. Remy's tale is more a detective story than a fantasy show-down between angels, like the Fallen was. Sniegoski brings up a lot of conflict with Remy's inner selves, his human half and his true angelic nature.

While I hope the stories of Aaron Corbet continue someday, Remy Chalndler can keep us all entertained with his stories. Sniegoski brings another ace story to the table.

Fans of hard-boiled detective stories and fans of the Fallen and Sniegoksi's other works should pick this book up as quickly as they can.

PARTY ON, DUDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The end of the world is coming, and only one man/angel can stop it. Remy is an angel who chooses to live on earth as a human private investigator. At the beginning of the story he is investigating an unfaithful spouse and hears gun shots. Quickly, he runs up to see what is happening, not really thinking about the danger. He walks in on a dead body and a crazed husband who shoots himself. But wait, they aren't really dead, and it turns out the husband was seeing visions of the end of the world. As the jacket says, the angel of death is missing, trapping souls here on earth, unable to move on. It's up to Remy to find the angel of death and set everything right before the world ends.

There is the summary of the book, here are my thoughts. The plot sure does sound interesting, but it falls short in my opinion. Without going into spoilers I can't say more, but the plot is very straightforward with no twists, no turns, no surprises. The constant mention of Remy's dying wife doesn't add much to my enjoyment either. Actually, when it came down to the end with the final standoff, I found my self skipping details, I wasn't very interested at that point. The story of the angel of death was interesting and I enjoyed Remy's conversations with his dog, but not much else. I just couldn't get into this story. The characters seemed boring and distant, and I didn't really care much what happened to any of them. If the above summary appeals to you though, by all means you should read this book. I wish I enjoyed it more than I did, something about it just didn't connect with me in any way.

Remy Chandler is a private investigator. Oh, and he's an Angel - radiant light, wings and all that. An angel does make a unique protagonist in an urban fantasy setting, especially one that is not fallen. Remy buries his angelic side beneath a human shell. It's not easy, and the angel within fights to get out, and does on occasion. It's a nice departure from the more common paranormals. And the plot possibilities have great potential. When the Angel of Death decides to try out humanity as Remy does, with the consequence that nothing can die, the end of the world really becomes a factor.

Though the idea is very good, I had two issues with the book. First is a problem I've encountered before when Angels are taken out of heaven. Usually, God is so glorious, so loving, so everything that it's punishment just to be away from His presence. Same here. Still, Remy chose to leave. Yes, Lucifer's war among Angels was horrifying. Yes, killing his brothers was shattering. But still, how can he bear to be away from God? It's almost a paradox. I think I would have preferred Remy be on Earth as punishment, curiosity, just about anything else. Like Francis. A fallen angel sent to Earth to suffer penance who becomes a hired hit man? Oh, the possibilities. Second problem is sometimes, just sometimes, I get tired of protagonists who are consumed by guilt or other issue that makes them depressing. It's hard to laugh when they crack jokes because you just don't believe they're capable of humor. Not only is Remy guilt-ridden, but his wife is dying. Angels don't age, but humans do. Plus, he doesn't carry weapons, resists using his angelic powers, and so got his butt kicked. Twice.

Despite these issues, the book does have a lot going for it. The world-building is well done, blending familiar angelic/religious lore with original ideas to create something new. Francis is a great character and with a little more fleshing out, Remy's cop friend will be too. It's cool that Remy can talk to animals. And if he ever gets to the point of self-acceptance, the angelic powers will be awesome. Overall, I was somewhat disappointed in the execution (and the climax dragged and dragged), but I became invested in the characters and story anyway. I have already started Dancing on the Head of a Pin: A Remy Chandler Novel. Recommended to urban fantasy fans.

Possibly the worst time to write a review of the first volume in a series is right after reading the second volume and experiencing something of a sophmore slump. I'm telling you this because 1) I did like this book, and 2) I don't want you to be made at me when you discover the next volume is less enthralling.

The plot idea is new to me, although Sniegoski has explored the idea of angels on earth before in The Fallen, which I missed out on entirely. Remy Chandler (AKA Remiel) is an archangel of the Seraphim who, disgusted by his part in the war against Lucifer, has retired to earth and is making his way in the guise of a human detective. Remy is intent on trying to understand why God so loved the human race and has totally suppressed his angelic side choosing to 'pass', even to the point of falling in love and marrying.

After a long period of happiness, the inevitable happens and his human wife is dying a slow death. In fact, she would be dead, excepth that suddenly everything has stopped dying. Israfel, the angel of death has vanished, and suddenly Remy has an assignment that comes all the way from the top. Find the missing angel and restore the natural cycle of birth and death. As you might expect finding angels is not an easy task. Especially when the detective is severely conflicted about his relationship with God, orther supernaturals, his wife and, yes, his dog.

Remy's journey will take you through any number of supernatural deniizens of the earth. Fallen angels, degenerate angels, and even some creatures a bit worse. His best companions are a police detective and the guardian of the door to hell. And his dog. The tale is violent, Remy is prone to mistakes, and very nearly brings on the apocalypse before he digs in his wings and does the job he has to do. The book is interesting (I never new there were that many kinds of angels), nicely written, and alternately humorous and trajic.

Now about the dog. Remy can talk with animals and Marlowe is his closest companion. I have to hand it to Sniegoski that Marlowe's conversation remains just what you would expect from a dog and faithful companion. Marlowe is the trigger that lets us seen into the soul of Remy, understanding the tragedy of a creature that wants to be human, but in the end, has no choice but remain bound to his angelic nature.

So, a good book. Let's hope that the third volume recovers what the next one lost.

My first encounter with Remiel "Remy" Chandler happened when I read Mean Streets, and I was so delighted to make the acquaintance of this hard-boiled but likable angelic detective that I hunted out the rest of the series.

And this series starts off with a bang. While investigating the whereabouts of a client's wayward husband, Remy finds himself dealing with a murder-suicide that's gone wrong in the strangest way. Neither person has died, and it appears that the Angel of Death has gone missing, and thus their souls could not leave their bodies. Nor can the souls of any other dying person be freed, including Remy's eldery, ailing wife. But what starts off as a "simple" disappearance, turns out to be just a small portion of a much bigger catastrophe looming on the horizon...

Thomas Sniegoski's unorthodox approach to the celestial realm is liable to throw some readers for an interesting loop, if not put some who have a rigid view of heaven and how it works into a tizzy: this is not your catechism or Sunday school version of heaven and earth, nor are the angels anything like the cuddly-wuddly nicey-nice New Age angels that have become the norm. These angels are closer to the biblical notion of God's warriors than a lot of depictions I've seen (case in point: "Touched by an Angel"), except perhaps in Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season or Constantine (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition), and it's refreshing to see someone continue this trend. Maybe the story is a little straight-forward and a teeny bit predictable, but the world-building is so unique, and the pacing is so balanced, tense action scenes with good/not-so-good battling evil/not-so-evil, balanced by heart-warming exchanges which give us an insight into Remy's unique outlook, which is a wonderful blend of youthful innocence and adult experience.

As a big fan of Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden Series, I was looking for something similar and was lucky to stumble upon this author. This is a throughly enjoyable read and I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out. The hero in this book is a former Angel who chose to live a mortal life but still has most of his angelic powers. Also, as a dog lover (I have two labs of my own) I loved his being able to talk to and understand his dog Marlowe. You'll never look at you dog the same way again. You won't be disappointed in this book!

The premise is fun. I will give it that. And I don't expect amazing writing from this sort of quick one-night read, so I wasn't disappointed by the extremely on-the-nose dialog, lack of scene-settings details, or lack of crucial backstory details. Those things would have been important in convincing me to read the SECOND book, but they wouldn't have stopped me from reading the first book halfway through.

But stop I did... I just went to sleep early, because that was less annoying than reading. You see, at about a quarter of the way through the book, we learn that he can turn invisible and plant hypnotic suggestions into people. And a bit later it turns out he can create holy swords out of any metal blade, which he uses to kill a horrific demonic creature. And then at about 65% in, at the pivoting scene of the story, he is attacked by ANGRY RHESUS MONKEYS (I kid you not) and these defeat him where demons couldn't. He is so overwhelmed that the only way he can survive is to tap into his primal angelic essence, which makes him cry. Well, if this moron had just remembered his ability to create energy blades, turn invisible, or plant hypnotic suggestions, he wouldn't have been IN this mess in the first place!

In the above example, I tried to use something that is not a big spoiler. But rest assured that this basic problem of "I am a god-like being, and the problems of this book would be trivial for me to solve, but for reasons that the reader doesn't really understand, I am fighting with one hand behind my back, even though the whole WORLD is on the line" runs through it.

I'll see if I pick it up to finish it tonight, but I doubt it.