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The Descended #1
Plague of Angels
Nyx is Queen of Hell and ruler of the Angels who were banished there – the Descended.
And when the rest of the Angels are called home, Nyx finds herself stuck on the Earth with the Son of God. To her surprise, she learns that he is no happier than she. God's son thought he was sent down to judge humanity. Instead, he becomes a sacrifice for a cause he does not believe in – their redemption.
After his mortal body dies, the Son of God makes Nyx an offer: a new paradise on Earth if she will help him destroy humanity.
With two of her fellow Angels by her side, Nyx launches a thousand-year campaign of violence, sex, betrayal and intrigue to bring down God's people and have them worship her instead. From the back streets of Jerusalem to the palaces of Rome, from the temples of Egypt to the Pope's bedchamber, Nyx and her companions work to destroy the worshippers of God.
But not all is as it seems. And the Son of God has bigger plans than any of them imagine...
And when the rest of the Angels are called home, Nyx finds herself stuck on the Earth with the Son of God. To her surprise, she learns that he is no happier than she. God's son thought he was sent down to judge humanity. Instead, he becomes a sacrifice for a cause he does not believe in – their redemption.
After his mortal body dies, the Son of God makes Nyx an offer: a new paradise on Earth if she will help him destroy humanity.
With two of her fellow Angels by her side, Nyx launches a thousand-year campaign of violence, sex, betrayal and intrigue to bring down God's people and have them worship her instead. From the back streets of Jerusalem to the palaces of Rome, from the temples of Egypt to the Pope's bedchamber, Nyx and her companions work to destroy the worshippers of God.
But not all is as it seems. And the Son of God has bigger plans than any of them imagine...
358 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2013
183 people are currently reading
7016 people want to read
About the author
John Patrick Kennedy
13 books803 followersJohn has always had a taste for wanderlust and adventure. As a young man, he travelled the world with little but what he could carry on his back. He has climbed Denali, hiked the Amazon, and even spent a year in Japan, teaching English and feeding deer in the famous Nara Park. His love of Asian history and philosophy has led him to become a master at Jeet Kune Do and a practicing Taoist.
John now divides his time between two homes, one in New York City, the other in London. He is married with a beautiful little girl who inspires and captivates him. They share their homes with a loyal, loving, German Shepherd. A man of many interests and talents, John has been a world-ranked tennis pro, a ballroom dancer, chef... and of course, he remains, and always will be a writer. All of John's many interests and adventures have inspired his writing. In addition, his imagination is so vivid and dear, it is almost as if he lives part-time within a third home in his mind, an inner world his readers glimpse when they read his novels.
Unfortunately, he's still unable to get verified on Twitter and Facebook.
johnpatrickkennedy.net
twitter.com/JohnPatKennedy
facebook.com/AuthorJohnPatrickKennedy/
John now divides his time between two homes, one in New York City, the other in London. He is married with a beautiful little girl who inspires and captivates him. They share their homes with a loyal, loving, German Shepherd. A man of many interests and talents, John has been a world-ranked tennis pro, a ballroom dancer, chef... and of course, he remains, and always will be a writer. All of John's many interests and adventures have inspired his writing. In addition, his imagination is so vivid and dear, it is almost as if he lives part-time within a third home in his mind, an inner world his readers glimpse when they read his novels.
Unfortunately, he's still unable to get verified on Twitter and Facebook.
johnpatrickkennedy.net
twitter.com/JohnPatKennedy
facebook.com/AuthorJohnPatrickKennedy/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
May 5, 2018
Well I just finished reading this book and the first thing that comes to mind is: I hope John Patrick Kennedy didn’t sell his soul to N... the Devil in return for the power to pen an intriguing book. The second thing that comes to mind is: why the hell didn’t I think of this great idea first!?
Read it. Read it now.
Kennedy does a fantastic job creating a wicked setting for his tale about an epic struggle for Heaven and Hell. In fact, I believe the only people who won’t love this book are those who are easily offended. The scenes depicting sex and violence are equally matched with graphical descriptions that left me cringing in my chair and adjusting my pants as I read. I hope it’s not a sin to admit that.
How this book has yet to be picked up by a major publishing house is beyond me.
P.S.- Waiting for Book 2 of The Descended to be released is going to be pure Hell.
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2rlijnH
Read it. Read it now.
Kennedy does a fantastic job creating a wicked setting for his tale about an epic struggle for Heaven and Hell. In fact, I believe the only people who won’t love this book are those who are easily offended. The scenes depicting sex and violence are equally matched with graphical descriptions that left me cringing in my chair and adjusting my pants as I read. I hope it’s not a sin to admit that.
How this book has yet to be picked up by a major publishing house is beyond me.
P.S.- Waiting for Book 2 of The Descended to be released is going to be pure Hell.
Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2rlijnH
March 4, 2014
I just finished reading Plague of Angels by John Patrick Kennedy. Talk about a page turner! This book took me by surprise, as I expected a story whose main characters are angels with the backdrop of heaven, hell and earth to be too far removed from reality to make for an interesting read. This book went well beyond my expectations. Kennedy takes a very difficult context with some very challenging protagonists, such as Saint Michael, God and a character called the Nyx, who is the self proclaimed ‘Queen of Hell’. The menagerie of characters and interplay with historical events keeps the story interesting as it progresses.
The story, as can be expected, is well interwoven with some well known traditional biblical stories and traditions, but it does not venture into becoming religious diatribe. The author avoids imposing a specific theological doctrine upon the reader, but instead weaves an entertaining adventurous tale involving a host of brethren angels involved in conflict among themselves and mankind, allowing the reader to formulate their own message from the contest.
As a reader I found myself in a love-hate relationship with the lead character Nyx, as she engages in vile and cruel behavior, but at the same time crosses over into an occasional fleeting moment of compassion as she reflects on the paths she has taken. At times she gives you the creeps, but also ensnares you conspiratorially into her sinister plotting.
Overall the story moves along at a good pace, inclusive of a lot of action intermixed with the right amount of surprising moments, keeping a great balance. The author has done a marvelous job with a very difficult subject to craft into a work of fiction, and it will leave you with the desire to read the next book in the series. Well worth the read.
The story, as can be expected, is well interwoven with some well known traditional biblical stories and traditions, but it does not venture into becoming religious diatribe. The author avoids imposing a specific theological doctrine upon the reader, but instead weaves an entertaining adventurous tale involving a host of brethren angels involved in conflict among themselves and mankind, allowing the reader to formulate their own message from the contest.
As a reader I found myself in a love-hate relationship with the lead character Nyx, as she engages in vile and cruel behavior, but at the same time crosses over into an occasional fleeting moment of compassion as she reflects on the paths she has taken. At times she gives you the creeps, but also ensnares you conspiratorially into her sinister plotting.
Overall the story moves along at a good pace, inclusive of a lot of action intermixed with the right amount of surprising moments, keeping a great balance. The author has done a marvelous job with a very difficult subject to craft into a work of fiction, and it will leave you with the desire to read the next book in the series. Well worth the read.
October 4, 2015
1.5 Stars
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
I wanted to like this book. I honestly did. I'd won it in a BookLikes giveaway and I'm always hoping those are good books, and the synopsis sounded really interesting. However, immediately from the start the book and I didn't get along.
Nyx is queen of the underworld after being expelled from heaven. While she's waiting for her loved one to return she's tormenting a lot of people on earth.
Okay, I really didn't like it. It's been a while since I disliked a book this much. I'm not completely sure what it is exactly, because at times I wanted to know what was happening but overall, it couldn't really hold my interest and it took me a lot of time to finish it. I was really glad when I eventually managed to finish it.
I was warned up front by the author that the book was not for the weak of heart, easily offended people, but I'm not one of those. When I feel there's a reason for something in a book I don't mind it. I think this is what bothered me most in this book. There is a lot of violence and sex in this book that just seems to be there for the sake of it. It's not advancing the plot in any way. I'd say there was not enough plot for me to fill the book. I didn't like the characters either.
Most likely it was just really not for me and there might very well be people who will enjoy reading it. It certainly had some originality to it. But I will pass on the rest of the series.
Plague of Angels is the first book in The Descended duology, the second book is Scorn of Angels.
I received a free copy of this book through a BookLikes giveaway.
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
I wanted to like this book. I honestly did. I'd won it in a BookLikes giveaway and I'm always hoping those are good books, and the synopsis sounded really interesting. However, immediately from the start the book and I didn't get along.
Nyx is queen of the underworld after being expelled from heaven. While she's waiting for her loved one to return she's tormenting a lot of people on earth.
Okay, I really didn't like it. It's been a while since I disliked a book this much. I'm not completely sure what it is exactly, because at times I wanted to know what was happening but overall, it couldn't really hold my interest and it took me a lot of time to finish it. I was really glad when I eventually managed to finish it.
I was warned up front by the author that the book was not for the weak of heart, easily offended people, but I'm not one of those. When I feel there's a reason for something in a book I don't mind it. I think this is what bothered me most in this book. There is a lot of violence and sex in this book that just seems to be there for the sake of it. It's not advancing the plot in any way. I'd say there was not enough plot for me to fill the book. I didn't like the characters either.
Most likely it was just really not for me and there might very well be people who will enjoy reading it. It certainly had some originality to it. But I will pass on the rest of the series.
Plague of Angels is the first book in The Descended duology, the second book is Scorn of Angels.
I received a free copy of this book through a BookLikes giveaway.
January 3, 2015
This book really had the potential to be awesome, because, let's face it for those of us who aren't religious the "son of God" meekly submitting to his fate is boring, but the son of God being pissed and partnering with the queen of hell to get revenge is awesome. Unfortunately, the execution of the novel is not awesome -the fight scenes read like Michael Bay fan fiction and take up way too much of the plot, the sex and debauchery likewise add nothing to the story. Nyx is creatively imagined, as is her relationship with Persephone, Ishtar, and humankind but their dialogue needs improvement. The comparison to Game of Thrones is apt in one regard- you read just to know what happens, not because you're necessarily enjoying the experience.
Kennedy has a chance to delve deep and get interesting with some key themes-free will, compassion, the meaning of existence but instead went for the pulp, which is disappointing. I wish an editor had handed him the 20 or so excellent pages that skim the surface of those ideas and told him to start over from there. Oh well, more proof that sex sells triumphs over potential for genius....
Kennedy has a chance to delve deep and get interesting with some key themes-free will, compassion, the meaning of existence but instead went for the pulp, which is disappointing. I wish an editor had handed him the 20 or so excellent pages that skim the surface of those ideas and told him to start over from there. Oh well, more proof that sex sells triumphs over potential for genius....
December 20, 2014
Holy Hell's Balls Batman! Most of the time reading this book... "I was like... WHOA." You know, like the song? Ok, maybe you don't. I digress. This book is pretty dark.
I would not recommend this book for people who are: closed-minded, afraid of blood, adverse to reading about torture, uptight, very religious, shy away from cussing, or looking for a light-hearted book. You will probably be very disappointed. Trust me.
If you can get past all of these, then I would highly recommend you read this book. It's so different from anything I have ever read before. (Granted, I read very few dark books.) I love the way the author weaved actual history into the story and came up with such a great plot.
I did not like the fact that the angels spoke in modern English, when the story takes place many centuries before America was even discovered. I found it annoying. I am intelligent enough to understand that the author really didn't have a choice in this. How else is he supposed to tell his story? The use of the f-word throughout so much of this book was unnecessary. There are plenty of other ways to convey the same intensity or emotion.
I literally laughed out loud that people have tagged this book as "Romance". Are you kidding me? There is NOTHING romantic about this book. (Thank goodness!) All in all though I have to say I quite enjoyed how the story played out. I would definitely recommend this book to most of my friends. But some should definitely shy away.
I would not recommend this book for people who are: closed-minded, afraid of blood, adverse to reading about torture, uptight, very religious, shy away from cussing, or looking for a light-hearted book. You will probably be very disappointed. Trust me.
If you can get past all of these, then I would highly recommend you read this book. It's so different from anything I have ever read before. (Granted, I read very few dark books.) I love the way the author weaved actual history into the story and came up with such a great plot.
I did not like the fact that the angels spoke in modern English, when the story takes place many centuries before America was even discovered. I found it annoying. I am intelligent enough to understand that the author really didn't have a choice in this. How else is he supposed to tell his story? The use of the f-word throughout so much of this book was unnecessary. There are plenty of other ways to convey the same intensity or emotion.
I literally laughed out loud that people have tagged this book as "Romance". Are you kidding me? There is NOTHING romantic about this book. (Thank goodness!) All in all though I have to say I quite enjoyed how the story played out. I would definitely recommend this book to most of my friends. But some should definitely shy away.
January 18, 2014
Plague of Angels is a captivating fantasy with a plot based on what we all know to traditionally be "Heaven and Hell". I was completely amazed with the imagination and detail that was put into every single line of this story! I was also impressed with the accuracy of the historical aspect which inspired the writing. The plots continued to grow with unexpected twists and I was feeling like I couldn't get to the next page quick enough. Any author with the ability to pull off a modern-day fantasy combined with religious history, is pure geneous!
January 14, 2014
Controversial, challenging, dark and imaginative, first time author John Patrick Kennedy is introduced with his first novel Plague of Angels (The Descended). It gives a twisted re-imagining of the relationship between God and his angels. Devout Christians will no doubt find it insulting, historians will shudder at his impressments of true figures and events into his world, but in all cases he challenges your view of faith and Christianity.
The lead character is a fallen angel, Nyx, who was a leader in the angelic rebellion against God. The Bible tells us Lucifer led the rebellion, but in Plague of Angels, Lucifer is merely a captain while Nyx is the real leader of the angels that rose up against God. In the viewpoint of Nyx, the rebellion against God had been one of free will – the angels should have the same free will as God himself. Defeated, Nyx and the surviving “Descended” take over Hell.
The main story really begins when the Son of God is born of Mary, and Nyx, still compelled by the Word, is chosen by God to tempt him for 40 days in the desert. Jesus the man continues his ministry until his crucifixion, but the Godly spirit that filled the body of Jesus – called Tribune in Plague of Angels, continues on. The remaining 250 pages follows Nyx as she reacts to the development of the new religion of Christianity, and an on again, off again, but in all ways very provocative relationship with Tribune.
In Kennedy’s world there is no true good – God is a manipulative presence – and definitely there is no true evil. Nyx may be a bitchy underworld figure but she reckons she ended down in Hell by the unfair and unfriendly minions of the draconian system of heaven.
The truly tantalizing parts in Plague of Angels are how Kennedy crafts in historical events. His evil characters of Persephone and Ishtar, led by Nyx, corrupt the Catholic hierarchy in a bid to wrest control of God’s new religion. It is a book with twists and turns and an astonishing finale. It is a book where no one can be trusted, from Heaven or Hell. Kennedy shows a delightful and crafty imagination in the complications of his plotting.
The secondary characters needed better development. Nyx and Persephone are three dimensional and delightfully nuanced, even with a few rough edges. Many of the other characters, especially Tribune and Ishtar, needed more depth. But then this is Kennedy’s first novel, and obviously the first of a series, so I expect that Nyx will re-emerge again. I’ll be looking forward to the time when this wronged angel returns.
The lead character is a fallen angel, Nyx, who was a leader in the angelic rebellion against God. The Bible tells us Lucifer led the rebellion, but in Plague of Angels, Lucifer is merely a captain while Nyx is the real leader of the angels that rose up against God. In the viewpoint of Nyx, the rebellion against God had been one of free will – the angels should have the same free will as God himself. Defeated, Nyx and the surviving “Descended” take over Hell.
The main story really begins when the Son of God is born of Mary, and Nyx, still compelled by the Word, is chosen by God to tempt him for 40 days in the desert. Jesus the man continues his ministry until his crucifixion, but the Godly spirit that filled the body of Jesus – called Tribune in Plague of Angels, continues on. The remaining 250 pages follows Nyx as she reacts to the development of the new religion of Christianity, and an on again, off again, but in all ways very provocative relationship with Tribune.
In Kennedy’s world there is no true good – God is a manipulative presence – and definitely there is no true evil. Nyx may be a bitchy underworld figure but she reckons she ended down in Hell by the unfair and unfriendly minions of the draconian system of heaven.
The truly tantalizing parts in Plague of Angels are how Kennedy crafts in historical events. His evil characters of Persephone and Ishtar, led by Nyx, corrupt the Catholic hierarchy in a bid to wrest control of God’s new religion. It is a book with twists and turns and an astonishing finale. It is a book where no one can be trusted, from Heaven or Hell. Kennedy shows a delightful and crafty imagination in the complications of his plotting.
The secondary characters needed better development. Nyx and Persephone are three dimensional and delightfully nuanced, even with a few rough edges. Many of the other characters, especially Tribune and Ishtar, needed more depth. But then this is Kennedy’s first novel, and obviously the first of a series, so I expect that Nyx will re-emerge again. I’ll be looking forward to the time when this wronged angel returns.
April 10, 2014
ARC was given for an honest review
3.5-4 Stars
This isn't the type of book I would usually read and it took me a good few weeks as I kept picking it up and putting it down, I just couldn't decide whether I liked it or not, so I decided to look at it objectively and note my likes and dislikes (hence we have 4 stars.)
Likes
1) It was very well written and I found the writing style interesting.
2) I loved Nyx... I can't put my finger on why, but someone who simply decides she's the Queen of hell... Well, she's my kind of woman. She's compassionate but cruel and she makes many a questionable decision.
3) We didn't fall into a load of B.S. about religion in what could have been a book rife with religious speculation and interpretation (which would, incidentally, have been one ginormous snooze-fest)
4) It was fast paced, in some moments completely enraptured, at others I found myself just simply not caring.
Dislikes
1) There were errors in editing, I found a few missing words, a few extra words. Perhaps someone partially edited the first half then didn't bother so much with the second half?
2) It was a little too gory for my taste, I guess if you like that kind of thing then it will definitely work for you but I generally attempted to skim those parts.
3.5-4 Stars
This isn't the type of book I would usually read and it took me a good few weeks as I kept picking it up and putting it down, I just couldn't decide whether I liked it or not, so I decided to look at it objectively and note my likes and dislikes (hence we have 4 stars.)
Likes
1) It was very well written and I found the writing style interesting.
2) I loved Nyx... I can't put my finger on why, but someone who simply decides she's the Queen of hell... Well, she's my kind of woman. She's compassionate but cruel and she makes many a questionable decision.
3) We didn't fall into a load of B.S. about religion in what could have been a book rife with religious speculation and interpretation (which would, incidentally, have been one ginormous snooze-fest)
4) It was fast paced, in some moments completely enraptured, at others I found myself just simply not caring.
Dislikes
1) There were errors in editing, I found a few missing words, a few extra words. Perhaps someone partially edited the first half then didn't bother so much with the second half?
2) It was a little too gory for my taste, I guess if you like that kind of thing then it will definitely work for you but I generally attempted to skim those parts.
March 3, 2014
Literally blew my mind. Word of warning, this book is not for those who are easily offended as the content is graphic and controversial.
But, if you are ready for a dark adventure into the world of Hell on earth, then this book is for you.
Nyx, the queen of Hell, has a mission to make mortals turn away from God and worship her so that one day earth would become her Paradise...and she has 1000 years to do it. This plan was planted in her head by a force more powerful than her, one who is looked upon as the epitome of all that is Good... but is He really?
The author delicately weaves the evilness in Nyx the fallen angel with layers of vulnerability and self doubt which makes for an intriguing and rich character.
Plague of Angels challenges Christian religious beliefs retelling biblical history in a never before seen light. The writing is sharp and vivid, never lacking of action or description. Kennedy's style is refreshing, creative, and completely out of the box.
A definite favourite for me despite moments when I had to shake some of the graphic images from my mind. Themes in the story made me reflective of what evilness is happening now in society and wondering who or what is behind it all.
A resounding 5 out of 5 stars. Can't wait to read book 2!
But, if you are ready for a dark adventure into the world of Hell on earth, then this book is for you.
Nyx, the queen of Hell, has a mission to make mortals turn away from God and worship her so that one day earth would become her Paradise...and she has 1000 years to do it. This plan was planted in her head by a force more powerful than her, one who is looked upon as the epitome of all that is Good... but is He really?
The author delicately weaves the evilness in Nyx the fallen angel with layers of vulnerability and self doubt which makes for an intriguing and rich character.
Plague of Angels challenges Christian religious beliefs retelling biblical history in a never before seen light. The writing is sharp and vivid, never lacking of action or description. Kennedy's style is refreshing, creative, and completely out of the box.
A definite favourite for me despite moments when I had to shake some of the graphic images from my mind. Themes in the story made me reflective of what evilness is happening now in society and wondering who or what is behind it all.
A resounding 5 out of 5 stars. Can't wait to read book 2!
August 11, 2016
John Patrick has some serious imagination, action, and description going on in this book. While I read, I could imagine each scene playing out in my mind. It’s fiction about Dark Angels, better known as the Angels that fell from Heaven during the revolution (tribulation, the second coming), but takes a completely different spin. Nyx is the queen of Hell and Lucifer is her second in command. Angels have always fascinated me, so when presented with Plague of Angels, I couldn’t resist. I will say this. If you’re a Christian and don’t understand the difference between the Bible and a fictional piece of literature for the sake of reading, or perhaps cinematic appeal in the future, then don’t read this book. It spins everything upside down on its head and I won’t say anything more due to spoilers.
All I can say, is I hope to God I go to heaven, and not the hell that John Patrick describes in Plague of Angels.
All I can say, is I hope to God I go to heaven, and not the hell that John Patrick describes in Plague of Angels.
May 23, 2014
I'm not wasting a bunch of words on this book. With an amateur writing style and cringe-worthy dialogue, this felt like an attempt at being edgy but ended up being downright silly at times. I'm very surprised by all the good reviews here.
October 18, 2016
A very interesting twist on God, angels, demons, heaven and hell. If you are easily offended, and can not handle blasphemy, this book if not for you. It's a wild, evil fun read.
July 1, 2018
Who knew
Who knew stories of Angels could be so gory, although one should expect that from the descended angels that have anything to do with Lucifer and hell. While I found this quite an enjoyable read I also found some scenes just a little too gory. But once past those, this story really does drag you down into the hellfire.
Who knew stories of Angels could be so gory, although one should expect that from the descended angels that have anything to do with Lucifer and hell. While I found this quite an enjoyable read I also found some scenes just a little too gory. But once past those, this story really does drag you down into the hellfire.
January 7, 2014
This book seems to be an alternative religion/mythology imposed on the first eleven hundred years of humanity following the birth of Christ. In general the writing style is easy to read, although there are an unfortunate number of typos/editing issues. Generally speaking, I am very tolerant of a small number of these, but I found the frequency here to be irritating. Two cautions must also be mentioned. First, this is actually the first of a series, but I did not find that out until the end. The ending is a cliff-hanger of sorts. It is a reasonable ending in its own right in one sense, but it resolves nothing, in part because there was no clear issue to be resolved. The second caution is for those of delicate disposition: the book contains excessive sex and violence, sadomasochism and torture. Be prepared. The language is cut back so that the effect depends on visualization. Thus we have "angels" that can grow giant scaly penises, and you will see text along the lines, she screamed as she was torn apart. She would, wouldn't she? If you are prone to visualizing what you read, this could be a rather torrid read. You have been warned.
The basic story follows Nyx, a fallen angel and the Queen of Hell, who roams Earth. For the record, Nyx was the Greek goddess of darkness and had exceptional power so that even Zeus avoided angering her but she was not evil. She was the mother of a number of deities, including Death, but also of sleep, dreams, etc. Anyway, this Nyx is the serpent who tempts Cristus, here named Tribunal, and is also Mary Magdalene, and copulates several times with Tribunal. Tribunal has not come to save the world; he has come to judge them, and he finds them as failed. He is crucified, he reports to God and recommends humanity be eliminated. God then decides to go away, ignore Tribunal, and close the gates of Hell and Heaven, except that three dark angels can be present. Tribunal now coaxes Nyx to carry out his plan, which is seemingly to eliminate humanity. The sequence of torture of poor Judas is both graphic and extended, although it is far from clear what Judas did wrong. Had he not pointed to Cristus, would the Roman soldiers shrug their shoulders, go away and have a cup of tea? Or just simply take the lot away and crucify them all? Maybe Judas saved all the disciples!
The plot, such as it is, is that Nyx spends a little under 1100 years supporting Tribunal's plan, however it was far from clear to me how what she was doing would help it. In general, the outcomes of history are followed, the history is chaotic, and accordingly Nyx's actions to help bring about these outcomes are, to me, confusing. Some confusion is inevitable. The father and the son is a confusing concept in Christianity, but at least they are pursuing a common objective. Here, the father is the son, but the father is elsewhere (maybe) and the son is plotting a rebellion. Against himself? Perhaps all this will be resolved in some future book, and as a writer who has published a trilogy, I know the first book has problems, but I think the first book should nevertheless have a clear objective, even if it is not completed. The rules are a further source of confusion. Thus God has forbidden Nyx to become directly involved, and at one stage when she tries she is blown away, but later she does much worse with no ill-effect. As a source of further confusion, the demons fornicate and torture generally, but find this behaviour intolerable in humans. Why? The absence of a clear plan or a clear objective left me wondering why all this was going on. Perhaps later books will resolve this but I for one would have preferred some concept on which to pin the various actions of Nyx.
Two final minor points. The Roman Princeps: Tiberius Julius Caesar August. The "August" is clearly a typo. Tiberius may have permitted Augustus to make him a Julian, but once Princeps there is no evidence he did not remain a Claudian. On his coinage, he avoids both the Julian and the Claudian gens. The Praetorian who may or may not have smothered him was Macro, not, as written here, Marko.
The basic story follows Nyx, a fallen angel and the Queen of Hell, who roams Earth. For the record, Nyx was the Greek goddess of darkness and had exceptional power so that even Zeus avoided angering her but she was not evil. She was the mother of a number of deities, including Death, but also of sleep, dreams, etc. Anyway, this Nyx is the serpent who tempts Cristus, here named Tribunal, and is also Mary Magdalene, and copulates several times with Tribunal. Tribunal has not come to save the world; he has come to judge them, and he finds them as failed. He is crucified, he reports to God and recommends humanity be eliminated. God then decides to go away, ignore Tribunal, and close the gates of Hell and Heaven, except that three dark angels can be present. Tribunal now coaxes Nyx to carry out his plan, which is seemingly to eliminate humanity. The sequence of torture of poor Judas is both graphic and extended, although it is far from clear what Judas did wrong. Had he not pointed to Cristus, would the Roman soldiers shrug their shoulders, go away and have a cup of tea? Or just simply take the lot away and crucify them all? Maybe Judas saved all the disciples!
The plot, such as it is, is that Nyx spends a little under 1100 years supporting Tribunal's plan, however it was far from clear to me how what she was doing would help it. In general, the outcomes of history are followed, the history is chaotic, and accordingly Nyx's actions to help bring about these outcomes are, to me, confusing. Some confusion is inevitable. The father and the son is a confusing concept in Christianity, but at least they are pursuing a common objective. Here, the father is the son, but the father is elsewhere (maybe) and the son is plotting a rebellion. Against himself? Perhaps all this will be resolved in some future book, and as a writer who has published a trilogy, I know the first book has problems, but I think the first book should nevertheless have a clear objective, even if it is not completed. The rules are a further source of confusion. Thus God has forbidden Nyx to become directly involved, and at one stage when she tries she is blown away, but later she does much worse with no ill-effect. As a source of further confusion, the demons fornicate and torture generally, but find this behaviour intolerable in humans. Why? The absence of a clear plan or a clear objective left me wondering why all this was going on. Perhaps later books will resolve this but I for one would have preferred some concept on which to pin the various actions of Nyx.
Two final minor points. The Roman Princeps: Tiberius Julius Caesar August. The "August" is clearly a typo. Tiberius may have permitted Augustus to make him a Julian, but once Princeps there is no evidence he did not remain a Claudian. On his coinage, he avoids both the Julian and the Claudian gens. The Praetorian who may or may not have smothered him was Macro, not, as written here, Marko.
December 30, 2013
I’m rating this at 4 stars because of the rating system. I would have given it three and a half. I will get into why further down below.
First the positive.
Kennedy, writes a brilliant story line, Jesus (or Tribunal) as a bad guy? I would have never thought to check that side of the coin. Sure why wouldn't he be pissed over being a sacrifice. Kennedy did a great job on the research of the story throughout history, or at least as far, I know he did. I'm not exactly a history buff, however he writes it in a way that makes me think he worked his ass off before doing the story.
Also, his writing style is very well done, and easy to read. With a few minor things that hurt, his writing (again see below.) Otherwise, it was a joy to read through, plus his action scenes were very well thought out even if they were considerably more graphic then I would personally prefer. Again, the story he is telling is amazing.
Now for the stuff I really didn't like, sadly it might outweigh the positive, however most of it a personal preference. So for people that enjoy this type of story these could very well be pluses rather than negatives.
First off, without a doubt the first half of the book or so is one sex scene after another, and I kind of feel that the author was trying to hook me with all of the sex. Or to cover up the fact that the first half of the book is fairly dull and slow. I mean there is story in there; I enjoyed how Nyx was both the devil so to say and Mary Magdalene. As I said, there was a lot of story in there but there was also in my opinion way too much sex. I understand for this type of book the sex was needed but I think he could have dialed it back and not hurt the story any.
Second was the sheer volume of errors I ran into while reading the book, from simple typos to missing words, extra words and a ton of others. In a way, it felt like the editor of the book got bored half way through and then just didn't finish. Most of the errors seemed to be after the half way mark, prior to that they were scarce.
Along with the errors, I was a little jarred by Kennedy’s use of the word "flesh" I can’t say how many times I saw it but it was by far the most used word that I noticed. I don't think he used any other synonyms for the word at all.
Now that that's out of the way. A final note that I want to pass on is that story is really good and definitely deserves to be read. If the reader can stomach the sex and gore. While this wasn't my cup of tea so to say I can easily see the value in the writing and the story as I said, if you can stomach the sex and gore.
First the positive.
Kennedy, writes a brilliant story line, Jesus (or Tribunal) as a bad guy? I would have never thought to check that side of the coin. Sure why wouldn't he be pissed over being a sacrifice. Kennedy did a great job on the research of the story throughout history, or at least as far, I know he did. I'm not exactly a history buff, however he writes it in a way that makes me think he worked his ass off before doing the story.
Also, his writing style is very well done, and easy to read. With a few minor things that hurt, his writing (again see below.) Otherwise, it was a joy to read through, plus his action scenes were very well thought out even if they were considerably more graphic then I would personally prefer. Again, the story he is telling is amazing.
Now for the stuff I really didn't like, sadly it might outweigh the positive, however most of it a personal preference. So for people that enjoy this type of story these could very well be pluses rather than negatives.
First off, without a doubt the first half of the book or so is one sex scene after another, and I kind of feel that the author was trying to hook me with all of the sex. Or to cover up the fact that the first half of the book is fairly dull and slow. I mean there is story in there; I enjoyed how Nyx was both the devil so to say and Mary Magdalene. As I said, there was a lot of story in there but there was also in my opinion way too much sex. I understand for this type of book the sex was needed but I think he could have dialed it back and not hurt the story any.
Second was the sheer volume of errors I ran into while reading the book, from simple typos to missing words, extra words and a ton of others. In a way, it felt like the editor of the book got bored half way through and then just didn't finish. Most of the errors seemed to be after the half way mark, prior to that they were scarce.
Along with the errors, I was a little jarred by Kennedy’s use of the word "flesh" I can’t say how many times I saw it but it was by far the most used word that I noticed. I don't think he used any other synonyms for the word at all.
Now that that's out of the way. A final note that I want to pass on is that story is really good and definitely deserves to be read. If the reader can stomach the sex and gore. While this wasn't my cup of tea so to say I can easily see the value in the writing and the story as I said, if you can stomach the sex and gore.
December 24, 2014
Reading this book has been an experience!! WOW!!! I never expected to read something like this. To take the common understanding of Heaven and Hell and the Jesus story and twist it in this wonderful way!! I have no qualms in saying that the moral police should take a hike!
This is a modern day take on the traditional stories we grew up with. Nyx, the Queen of Hell, makes the ultimate mistake of falling in love with the Angel who is sent down to live as Jesus! They hatch a plan to destroy God and to live in their own paradise. This means thousands of years of patiently plotting and changing the dynamics of life, belief and history as we know it. But the biggest twist is whether God's own son is who we think he is?
Worlds collide, groups clash and the story rages. For thousands of years Nix, with her Angels, Ishtar and Persephone fight to make one belief come true. When Nyx has to do the one impossible thing, her world collides and comes to a standstill. The end is something i HAD NEVER EXPECTED!
I think this story is so very well done. The characters, the storyline is all so believable. It is like a parallel Universe of possibilities of what happened before reported history, opened up for me! I enjoyed reading this so much. In the end, or almost at the end of the book, I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe. I just had to read. And find out what happened next!!
Nyx is the Queen of Hell but I loved her character. The author has done a phenomenal job of layering the characters because each character is not just a pale shadow or a textbook-definition one. You can see their thoughts, their mind behind the smile or words and every character has a shade of gray. That is something I really appreciate.
This has to definitely be one of the FINEST books I have read by an Indie Author. As for the series, I want the NEXT ONE NOW!!!
A MUST READ!!
This is a modern day take on the traditional stories we grew up with. Nyx, the Queen of Hell, makes the ultimate mistake of falling in love with the Angel who is sent down to live as Jesus! They hatch a plan to destroy God and to live in their own paradise. This means thousands of years of patiently plotting and changing the dynamics of life, belief and history as we know it. But the biggest twist is whether God's own son is who we think he is?
Worlds collide, groups clash and the story rages. For thousands of years Nix, with her Angels, Ishtar and Persephone fight to make one belief come true. When Nyx has to do the one impossible thing, her world collides and comes to a standstill. The end is something i HAD NEVER EXPECTED!
I think this story is so very well done. The characters, the storyline is all so believable. It is like a parallel Universe of possibilities of what happened before reported history, opened up for me! I enjoyed reading this so much. In the end, or almost at the end of the book, I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe. I just had to read. And find out what happened next!!
Nyx is the Queen of Hell but I loved her character. The author has done a phenomenal job of layering the characters because each character is not just a pale shadow or a textbook-definition one. You can see their thoughts, their mind behind the smile or words and every character has a shade of gray. That is something I really appreciate.
This has to definitely be one of the FINEST books I have read by an Indie Author. As for the series, I want the NEXT ONE NOW!!!
A MUST READ!!
September 17, 2024
This one really had the potential to be something great but the execution failed both the premise and the author. It read as a cold retelling with choppy bits and no flow, and the excessive capitalization of Tribunal's pronouns gave me a headache.
In a story where the son of a god is a mc, do you know how many times his pronouns are used? too many for each one to be capitalized, that's for sure.
I also didn't like how POVs change between scenes breaks without mentioning which character it is, some phrases are repeated and not in a catchphrase kinda way, and how the general atmosphere wasn't set properly therefore neither of the descended nor the angels sounded right. We're talking about celestial ancient beings and they talked like lower level gang members, especially Nyx.
The way JPK told the story did not invoke strong emotions from me unfortunately, the least I could've felt was awe for these outer beings and the most I did let out was an eww for the twisted and dark gore details. Kudos to the author on that front.
Sadly, I do not feel inclined to get the sequel because of the aforementioned reasons and the fact that I liked Tribunal's path more than Nyx.
In a story where the son of a god is a mc, do you know how many times his pronouns are used? too many for each one to be capitalized, that's for sure.
I also didn't like how POVs change between scenes breaks without mentioning which character it is, some phrases are repeated and not in a catchphrase kinda way, and how the general atmosphere wasn't set properly therefore neither of the descended nor the angels sounded right. We're talking about celestial ancient beings and they talked like lower level gang members, especially Nyx.
The way JPK told the story did not invoke strong emotions from me unfortunately, the least I could've felt was awe for these outer beings and the most I did let out was an eww for the twisted and dark gore details. Kudos to the author on that front.
Sadly, I do not feel inclined to get the sequel because of the aforementioned reasons and the fact that I liked Tribunal's path more than Nyx.
March 3, 2014
Incredible story, great writing!
Nyx is the Queen of Hell and a dark, descended angel sent to earth to destroy Christianity. Her companions in this mission are a couple of self-serving Goddesses and nearly an entire race of self-serving humans. Not to mention the son of God himself, yes, that's right -- Jesus is the big baddie in this paranormal retelling of history.
As evil as Nyx is, the reader learns to respect and yes, even to love her in her quest to bring Christianity and humanity to their knees (to bow before her, of course!) She is a well-drawn character with multiple facets; conflicted between the her evil nature and the honest love she has first for her lover (sorry, can't give his name away)... and later, even for the humanity she has been ordered to destroy. Despite the conflict, she might succeed, unless something more powerful than her hatred of man gets in the way...
Plague of Angels does an absolutely stellar job of taking the events of Christian history and warping them into a thoroughly enjoyable mind-f***. Full of violence, lust and blasphemy, it is neither for the faint of heart nor the devoutly Christian. However, for the open-minded lover of fantasy and paranormal metaphysics this book is a must! Even for the moderately curious -- I highly recommend Plague of Angels. I am not, on the whole, a lover of fantasy, but I could not put this book down.
Nyx is the Queen of Hell and a dark, descended angel sent to earth to destroy Christianity. Her companions in this mission are a couple of self-serving Goddesses and nearly an entire race of self-serving humans. Not to mention the son of God himself, yes, that's right -- Jesus is the big baddie in this paranormal retelling of history.
As evil as Nyx is, the reader learns to respect and yes, even to love her in her quest to bring Christianity and humanity to their knees (to bow before her, of course!) She is a well-drawn character with multiple facets; conflicted between the her evil nature and the honest love she has first for her lover (sorry, can't give his name away)... and later, even for the humanity she has been ordered to destroy. Despite the conflict, she might succeed, unless something more powerful than her hatred of man gets in the way...
Plague of Angels does an absolutely stellar job of taking the events of Christian history and warping them into a thoroughly enjoyable mind-f***. Full of violence, lust and blasphemy, it is neither for the faint of heart nor the devoutly Christian. However, for the open-minded lover of fantasy and paranormal metaphysics this book is a must! Even for the moderately curious -- I highly recommend Plague of Angels. I am not, on the whole, a lover of fantasy, but I could not put this book down.
February 4, 2014
Plague of Angels is a book so well written and engaging that I found myself completely engrossed from the beginning to the end. Each chapter is full of intrigue and imagery. I enjoyed the tale of Nyx, a fallen angel, that calls herself the Queen of Hell. In this story, she hopes that Lucifer, whom she describes as inferior to her, will return Hell back to her. For now though, she will haunt the human race in her many forms. The author crafts this story so skillfully and full of biblical mythology that you find yourself wanting to reference the bible for some of the fascinating tales spun in this novel. Nyx is a dynamic character. You want to find her evil, and yet you relate to her when she feels pity for the suffering of innocent children. There are so many levels in this story, that you will dwell on the words for long after you've completed the final chapter. Highly recommended. This book is intelligently written, and a true treasure.
February 8, 2014
Plague of Angels has it all! The first night I opened this book I thought I would sit down and read for maybe fifteen to twenty minutes before bed at most. I started reading and looked at the clock and an hour and a half went by! I couldn't put it down! I was sucked in by the words that I consider mentally visually stunning. John Patrick Kennedy is a talented writer who knows how to kick your imagination into overdrive with his eloquently written words and book packed with just the right amount of intensity, violence, seductiveness and suspense! You feel involved with the characters and can just sit back and lose yourself so easily in this sexy fantasy! Do yourself a favor and spend some time escaping in the pages, of Plague of Angels! I highly recommend this book, you will not be disappointed! I can’t wait to read more work from this highly talented and imaginative author!
January 29, 2014
With a story line involving fallen angels, and plots to bring down humanity. The characters in the novel are interesting, and this book provides a different look at history. In the book the Son of God makes a pact with Nyx to destroy humanity, who he hates. It’s an interesting twist in a story that many of us know well. But individuals who are extremely religious may find this book slightly offensive due to this twist. I really enjoyed reading this book because it is so different from the norm, and the author has developed a story that is hard to put down. And since this is the first in a series, I am looking forward to the next book.
December 22, 2017
Ich hatte mir eine Geschichte erhofft, die Angelfall ähnelt, aber noch dunkler und erwachsener ist. Dunkel und erwachsen trifft auf dieses Buch zu, aber ansonsten wurde ich enttäuscht. Der ganze Plot ist ein einziger Müll, wobei man sich tatsächlich auch darüber streiten kann, ob überhaupt so etwas wie ein Plot existiert.
Das außergewöhnlich gute Rating des Buches, kann ich mir nur dadurch erklären, dass manche Leute anscheinend einfach auf sinnlose Gewalt stehen und dabei über den fehlenden Inhalt hinwegsehen.
Das außergewöhnlich gute Rating des Buches, kann ich mir nur dadurch erklären, dass manche Leute anscheinend einfach auf sinnlose Gewalt stehen und dabei über den fehlenden Inhalt hinwegsehen.
September 11, 2016
Nyx. The banished angels. The suspense. The thrills. The mystery. The gruesomeness. Demons. War. Fantasy. Plot twists. Controversy.
Enough said.
This book was recommended to me, and now I'm recommending it to you.
Enough said.
This book was recommended to me, and now I'm recommending it to you.
April 16, 2020
“Plague of Angels” is a great narrative. Even though, for me at least, there are many issues in development and characterization , I couldn’t put the book down. Kennedy is a great storyteller and if there is something he did right, it is the narration. He shows this especially in the ending. The final pages of this book left me on the edge of my seat. He is also a fantastic writer of battles.
However, even though I love the last part of this book, almost to the point of urging me to leave a better review, I couldn’t leave behind the problems that, for me, affected my enjoyment of the story. I don’t mind the “blasphemy” (I’m not a religious person at all) or the violence. Actually, something that I enjoyed about the characters was that the “fallen angels” were really evil bastards, not misuderstood proponents of freedom.
The major issue I’ve found here was Kennedy’s lack of interest in creating a mythology for his fantasy world. Of course, he borrowed a lot from the Christian/Hebrew myths (among few others), people may say this is enough , but, really, it is not. Even if there are elements borrowed from certain(s) mythologies, when a writer creates an unique world for his characters, he/she should develop it fully, with history, mysticism, creatures, realms, physical laws and so on. This is what fullfills our imaginations in the fantastic literature. Kennedy shows only hints of these (the “pagans gods” were fallen angels, etc) , but it is not enough. I know the core of this book is Nyx and Co, but the lack of development of the mythological world may fail to bring new readers in the future . Of course, he may develop it in other books, you never know.
Also, the book establishes “rules” that may be broken at will. For example, in the beginning it is said the angels cannot interfere with human matters. Humans have free will, they are free to choose their own fate. They may manipulate, but not interefere. However, a few pages later we read Nyx doing the exact opposite. It is easy to force your will on someone when you bully, fool and threaten them and their loved ones. The book could have showed us Nyx cleaverly manipulating people around her, telling a twisted true and playing with their desires and weakenesses. That would have been great. But would have beeen way too complicated. It is easier to fool someone pretending to be a god or a “good” angel, threatening torture, death on them or their lovers. I didn’t enjoy the “easy way out” for the protagonist in this matter. And easy is what the characters in this book have it on their way until near the end.
The lack of conflict in this book is really annoying. There is some sort of antagonist planning something behind the curtain, but he is way too far from the main characters to be nothing more than a distant danger. For the most part of the book we don’t really feel any fear for the fate of the protagonists (that is, if you like them). Nyx and friends always have their way, always win, and nobody even tells them what hypocrites they really are. Because, boy, it is really weird read them complaining about the “evil” of mankind (an angel, as an example, shows how rotten humans are from birth when she shows, MY GOD! A child hitting another. Really?) when what they do is as evil as the worst of us. And you can bet a lot of evil humans thought they were punishing evil people while torturing them. The same way our angels do.
And those angels are flat and unidimensional. Yes, even Nyx. Basic storytelling says people need to relate to the main character(s) to feel connected to the story. Of course, not every book should follow this rule, or any others rules for that matter. But this is not “high literature” or some sort of breakthrough work . This is escapism. This is fun. And Kennedy knows this. As you know, the main character in a relly evil fallen angel. There are many ways to make an evil protagonist relatable. The author uses an old and easy trick for this. She is “less evil” than the others, shows some brief flashes of “humanity” and doesn’t torture children . And no, that doesn’t make the character “deep” or multidimensional. Nyx personal history, her doubts, fears, feelings, desires (I mean, besides being with her “love” and rule Earth) are barely touched upon in this book. Of course, she does have some “doubts”, but they are shown very superficially. And don’t even ask about the villains.
The story is basically about Nyx and friends torturing and killing people, “manipulating” (I wish!) historical figures and her obsession to rule Earth with her “love”. Of course there are some disagreements with one of her friends, dealt in their usual way and which seems a waste of time since there are no hard consequences out of it. And that’s it. Near the end, things change though. Kennedy also uses another old trick to make Nyx more likable. Such obvious one I almost stopped reading when I read it. However he did write this part quite well and it was the only part where I actually could relate to Nyx, even though I was aware of the “trick’. Because of that people will finish this book feeling for her way more than she really deserves.
People may argue I need to read the other books to get the "full' story. But I reviewing this book alone. I may change my opinion when the series is over. And yes, I want to read the other book. As I said, Kennedy is a great storyteller and I think he has a lot of pontential.
However, even though I love the last part of this book, almost to the point of urging me to leave a better review, I couldn’t leave behind the problems that, for me, affected my enjoyment of the story. I don’t mind the “blasphemy” (I’m not a religious person at all) or the violence. Actually, something that I enjoyed about the characters was that the “fallen angels” were really evil bastards, not misuderstood proponents of freedom.
The major issue I’ve found here was Kennedy’s lack of interest in creating a mythology for his fantasy world. Of course, he borrowed a lot from the Christian/Hebrew myths (among few others), people may say this is enough , but, really, it is not. Even if there are elements borrowed from certain(s) mythologies, when a writer creates an unique world for his characters, he/she should develop it fully, with history, mysticism, creatures, realms, physical laws and so on. This is what fullfills our imaginations in the fantastic literature. Kennedy shows only hints of these (the “pagans gods” were fallen angels, etc) , but it is not enough. I know the core of this book is Nyx and Co, but the lack of development of the mythological world may fail to bring new readers in the future . Of course, he may develop it in other books, you never know.
Also, the book establishes “rules” that may be broken at will. For example, in the beginning it is said the angels cannot interfere with human matters. Humans have free will, they are free to choose their own fate. They may manipulate, but not interefere. However, a few pages later we read Nyx doing the exact opposite. It is easy to force your will on someone when you bully, fool and threaten them and their loved ones. The book could have showed us Nyx cleaverly manipulating people around her, telling a twisted true and playing with their desires and weakenesses. That would have been great. But would have beeen way too complicated. It is easier to fool someone pretending to be a god or a “good” angel, threatening torture, death on them or their lovers. I didn’t enjoy the “easy way out” for the protagonist in this matter. And easy is what the characters in this book have it on their way until near the end.
The lack of conflict in this book is really annoying. There is some sort of antagonist planning something behind the curtain, but he is way too far from the main characters to be nothing more than a distant danger. For the most part of the book we don’t really feel any fear for the fate of the protagonists (that is, if you like them). Nyx and friends always have their way, always win, and nobody even tells them what hypocrites they really are. Because, boy, it is really weird read them complaining about the “evil” of mankind (an angel, as an example, shows how rotten humans are from birth when she shows, MY GOD! A child hitting another. Really?) when what they do is as evil as the worst of us. And you can bet a lot of evil humans thought they were punishing evil people while torturing them. The same way our angels do.
And those angels are flat and unidimensional. Yes, even Nyx. Basic storytelling says people need to relate to the main character(s) to feel connected to the story. Of course, not every book should follow this rule, or any others rules for that matter. But this is not “high literature” or some sort of breakthrough work . This is escapism. This is fun. And Kennedy knows this. As you know, the main character in a relly evil fallen angel. There are many ways to make an evil protagonist relatable. The author uses an old and easy trick for this. She is “less evil” than the others, shows some brief flashes of “humanity” and doesn’t torture children . And no, that doesn’t make the character “deep” or multidimensional. Nyx personal history, her doubts, fears, feelings, desires (I mean, besides being with her “love” and rule Earth) are barely touched upon in this book. Of course, she does have some “doubts”, but they are shown very superficially. And don’t even ask about the villains.
The story is basically about Nyx and friends torturing and killing people, “manipulating” (I wish!) historical figures and her obsession to rule Earth with her “love”. Of course there are some disagreements with one of her friends, dealt in their usual way and which seems a waste of time since there are no hard consequences out of it. And that’s it. Near the end, things change though. Kennedy also uses another old trick to make Nyx more likable. Such obvious one I almost stopped reading when I read it. However he did write this part quite well and it was the only part where I actually could relate to Nyx, even though I was aware of the “trick’. Because of that people will finish this book feeling for her way more than she really deserves.
People may argue I need to read the other books to get the "full' story. But I reviewing this book alone. I may change my opinion when the series is over. And yes, I want to read the other book. As I said, Kennedy is a great storyteller and I think he has a lot of pontential.
December 29, 2013
`I'm a creator of worlds with words.'
John Patrick Kennedy starts his career as a writer with a deliciously controversial book. Brooklyn born of Irish ancestry, he seems to have inherited the Irish genes for wild tales and has the courage to make his own stories challenging to the conservative readers with such a flair for showmanship that the result of his courageous wanderings through myth, religion, and those oh-so-sacred stories that form our concept of a universe that makes sense (read `creationism') in such a way that within the scope of a prologue and first chapter he has everyone testing his talents assured that here is a new writer of style that is uniquely his own. There is not much in the way of biographical data about this movie star good-looking young man except for the following, gleaned from his blogs: `I enjoy art (painting and illustrations are my favs), reading other authors, cooking, writing (obviously), tennis [a former Wimbledon champion!], fitness, and almost anything that doesn't involve politics. I've gotten about 300 messages about who I am. I'm just the guy who wrote awesomely sick book w/evil angels. Read it if you like angels :).'
PLAGUE OF ANGELS opens with a prologue that introduces the situation that started it all - the schism among angels and God and the focus on Nyx, Queen of Hell and ruler of the Angels who were banished there - aka the Descended. Kennedy's description of Nyx offers a suggestion of what is to follow: `Nyx was tall. Her hair was silver, and sparkled as if diamond dust were infused within each strand. When she was not disguised, her body was wrapped in back armor, scaled like a snake, that clung to her like a second skin, leaving nothing to the imagination from the hard tips of her breasts to the cleft between her legs.' Nyx had led the rebellion against God. Nyx thought the angels should have free will, as God had free will. But when God calls the angels home, Nyx is left on earth to deal with the Son of God (the Jesus name is not used, just Tribunal), and in chapter one again Kennedy shows his skill by making Nyx the embodiment of the prostitute turned clean Mary Magdalene as she converses with the disillusioned and angry Son of God during the crucifixion and follow-up. Nyx and Son of God join forces to destroy humanity. Thus is launched the alliance between the Son of God and Satan et al and the novel focuses on Nyx's lengthy campaign - a thousand-year campaign of violence, sex, betrayal and intrigue to bring down God's people and have them worship her instead. But oh, it doesn't end there..
PLAGUE OF ANGELS will offend some, anger others, and entertain others. Whether or not the reader can deal with the story content, it is obvious the author has a keen way with characterization, dialogue, and warped fantasy. He writes very well and this is a book that will most assuredly be talked about!
Grady Harp
John Patrick Kennedy starts his career as a writer with a deliciously controversial book. Brooklyn born of Irish ancestry, he seems to have inherited the Irish genes for wild tales and has the courage to make his own stories challenging to the conservative readers with such a flair for showmanship that the result of his courageous wanderings through myth, religion, and those oh-so-sacred stories that form our concept of a universe that makes sense (read `creationism') in such a way that within the scope of a prologue and first chapter he has everyone testing his talents assured that here is a new writer of style that is uniquely his own. There is not much in the way of biographical data about this movie star good-looking young man except for the following, gleaned from his blogs: `I enjoy art (painting and illustrations are my favs), reading other authors, cooking, writing (obviously), tennis [a former Wimbledon champion!], fitness, and almost anything that doesn't involve politics. I've gotten about 300 messages about who I am. I'm just the guy who wrote awesomely sick book w/evil angels. Read it if you like angels :).'
PLAGUE OF ANGELS opens with a prologue that introduces the situation that started it all - the schism among angels and God and the focus on Nyx, Queen of Hell and ruler of the Angels who were banished there - aka the Descended. Kennedy's description of Nyx offers a suggestion of what is to follow: `Nyx was tall. Her hair was silver, and sparkled as if diamond dust were infused within each strand. When she was not disguised, her body was wrapped in back armor, scaled like a snake, that clung to her like a second skin, leaving nothing to the imagination from the hard tips of her breasts to the cleft between her legs.' Nyx had led the rebellion against God. Nyx thought the angels should have free will, as God had free will. But when God calls the angels home, Nyx is left on earth to deal with the Son of God (the Jesus name is not used, just Tribunal), and in chapter one again Kennedy shows his skill by making Nyx the embodiment of the prostitute turned clean Mary Magdalene as she converses with the disillusioned and angry Son of God during the crucifixion and follow-up. Nyx and Son of God join forces to destroy humanity. Thus is launched the alliance between the Son of God and Satan et al and the novel focuses on Nyx's lengthy campaign - a thousand-year campaign of violence, sex, betrayal and intrigue to bring down God's people and have them worship her instead. But oh, it doesn't end there..
PLAGUE OF ANGELS will offend some, anger others, and entertain others. Whether or not the reader can deal with the story content, it is obvious the author has a keen way with characterization, dialogue, and warped fantasy. He writes very well and this is a book that will most assuredly be talked about!
Grady Harp
January 23, 2017
Everything we think we know about history and the Bible is wrong. The first fallen Angel is Nyx, Queen of Hell, and she was the lover of Jesus. Who was not a savior, but a judge that determined mankind was corrupt and should be wiped from existence. God refused to carry out the sentence, instead leaving mankind to make its own destiny. This infuriates Tribunal (supposed real name of Jesus), and he sends Nyx to corrupt humanity against the rising Christian Church.
Several other bloggers I work with had been raving, so I figured I'd give it a chance, even though I passed on it first go round.
What I liked:
The book is well written, especially for a debut novel. The author certainly knows the craft, and the plotting is also pretty strong. It's written in 3rd person limited, with some head hopping, but pretty well executed. The basic premise is certainly unique, and at once the novel's greatest strength and greatest weakness.
What I didn't like:
As I said, the premise ... even knowing it going into the book, it still leaves a little bit of a sour taste. The spiteful, negative picture it paints of Christ is shocking, but moreover, it paints a negative picture of all humanity. Our protagonists conclude all mankind is vile and should be destroyed. No matter what your religious views, that's a bit disturbing. Which kind of leads into the greater problem. Our anti-hero, Nyx, is, for the most part, about as likable as one would expect for the Queen of Hell. She continually rapes and tortures even those close to her, she is driven by reprehensible motives, and unlike most anti-heroes, is never really driven by motivations we can care about. At times I started to like her, as she began to come around. One can almost forgive twisted actions if they are done for understandable reasons. But she always swayed back to darkness.
One further warning ... Nyx is given a thousand years to destroy the Christian Church. The vignettes of her doing so are often brief, jumping years ahead. So brief, in fact, that anyone not well versed in history might be unaware of the significance of many of them. It might have worked better to give more focus to fewer events (In fairness, some do get enough focus to gather your bearings).
Who I recommend this for:
This was a hard book to rate. I was never bored nor really tempted to stop reading. At the same time, reading it didn't leave me too eager to go further, save for the semi cliff hanger ending. Obviously it's not for any one likely to be offended by the basic concepts. For those not bothered by such things, it does have some strong points.
Several other bloggers I work with had been raving, so I figured I'd give it a chance, even though I passed on it first go round.
What I liked:
The book is well written, especially for a debut novel. The author certainly knows the craft, and the plotting is also pretty strong. It's written in 3rd person limited, with some head hopping, but pretty well executed. The basic premise is certainly unique, and at once the novel's greatest strength and greatest weakness.
What I didn't like:
As I said, the premise ... even knowing it going into the book, it still leaves a little bit of a sour taste. The spiteful, negative picture it paints of Christ is shocking, but moreover, it paints a negative picture of all humanity. Our protagonists conclude all mankind is vile and should be destroyed. No matter what your religious views, that's a bit disturbing. Which kind of leads into the greater problem. Our anti-hero, Nyx, is, for the most part, about as likable as one would expect for the Queen of Hell. She continually rapes and tortures even those close to her, she is driven by reprehensible motives, and unlike most anti-heroes, is never really driven by motivations we can care about. At times I started to like her, as she began to come around. One can almost forgive twisted actions if they are done for understandable reasons. But she always swayed back to darkness.
One further warning ... Nyx is given a thousand years to destroy the Christian Church. The vignettes of her doing so are often brief, jumping years ahead. So brief, in fact, that anyone not well versed in history might be unaware of the significance of many of them. It might have worked better to give more focus to fewer events (In fairness, some do get enough focus to gather your bearings).
Who I recommend this for:
This was a hard book to rate. I was never bored nor really tempted to stop reading. At the same time, reading it didn't leave me too eager to go further, save for the semi cliff hanger ending. Obviously it's not for any one likely to be offended by the basic concepts. For those not bothered by such things, it does have some strong points.
March 21, 2014
– WARNING – Content is extremely graphic, and those who would be offended by a different perspective on religion – all religion, but especially Christianity - should not read. Now to the Good Stuff!
John Patrick Kennedy goes Old Testament on the history of Christianity, Mankind, Angels, Demons, Heaven and Hell. With a little bit of Divine Comedy thrown in for good measure. This dark fantasy is bathed in blood, eroticism and brutal history.
The Angel, Nyx, and her army, challenged God for the right to free will, and were thrown into Hell as punishment. There, the Angels were slowly twisted into dark caricatures of their former glory as God compelled them to the task of judging and punishing the evil souls of mankind who fell into the Lake of Fire.
Nyx is the most brutal of all the fallen Angels, and she rules Hell with a Sword and Whip of Hellfire. Cloaked in black armour and a horned crown, she is as seductive as she is evil.
God compels her to Earth to tempt his son, Jesus Christ, but instead, it is Nyx who finds herself enraptured by the son of God. In a twist on the Passion of Christ, Jesus is not alright with his impending death, and he hatches a plot to defy God and destroy the evil that is mankind, but only with the help of Nyx can he accomplish his goals.
Now the Queen of Hell is loose on Earth and she is seeking revenge for the death of her lover! She has vowed to destroy Christianity. If she can succeed in her task within a thousand years, the son of God will return to her, and they will rule side-by-side in a new paradise created from the wreckage of the earth.
But, her lover is not who he seems. And Lucifer has taken over Hell in her absence. And as more and more humans turn away from Christ to worship at her feet, Nyx begins to feel stirrings of her old self, a remembrance of when she was a true Angel and not one of the Fallen.
Kennedy takes us on a journey through the bloodiest biblical events and recorded history, as lived by his most bad-ass Angel, Nyx. You will be riveted as you follow the journey of a Fallen Angel, who seeks only to save her lover, and regain a place in paradise, no matter the cost to mankind.
John Patrick Kennedy goes Old Testament on the history of Christianity, Mankind, Angels, Demons, Heaven and Hell. With a little bit of Divine Comedy thrown in for good measure. This dark fantasy is bathed in blood, eroticism and brutal history.
The Angel, Nyx, and her army, challenged God for the right to free will, and were thrown into Hell as punishment. There, the Angels were slowly twisted into dark caricatures of their former glory as God compelled them to the task of judging and punishing the evil souls of mankind who fell into the Lake of Fire.
Nyx is the most brutal of all the fallen Angels, and she rules Hell with a Sword and Whip of Hellfire. Cloaked in black armour and a horned crown, she is as seductive as she is evil.
God compels her to Earth to tempt his son, Jesus Christ, but instead, it is Nyx who finds herself enraptured by the son of God. In a twist on the Passion of Christ, Jesus is not alright with his impending death, and he hatches a plot to defy God and destroy the evil that is mankind, but only with the help of Nyx can he accomplish his goals.
Now the Queen of Hell is loose on Earth and she is seeking revenge for the death of her lover! She has vowed to destroy Christianity. If she can succeed in her task within a thousand years, the son of God will return to her, and they will rule side-by-side in a new paradise created from the wreckage of the earth.
But, her lover is not who he seems. And Lucifer has taken over Hell in her absence. And as more and more humans turn away from Christ to worship at her feet, Nyx begins to feel stirrings of her old self, a remembrance of when she was a true Angel and not one of the Fallen.
Kennedy takes us on a journey through the bloodiest biblical events and recorded history, as lived by his most bad-ass Angel, Nyx. You will be riveted as you follow the journey of a Fallen Angel, who seeks only to save her lover, and regain a place in paradise, no matter the cost to mankind.
June 26, 2015
I pretty quickly realized that this book is not for me. That's a shame really because I was really looking forward to reading it since I love the overall theme. Angels, devils, playing with biblical themes, turning them all upside down, like Jesus hating humanity, that's good. But I just didn't feel like this was executed well.
The character Nyx for me was flat and one-dimensional. Really, I could have made her up myself, and I'm not reading a book for that. I never really felt any kind of connection to the characters, no love, no hate, just plain boring nothing.
Same with the style of writing and telling the story. Jumpy, uninspired, bland.
Then the book is very graphic when it comes to sex and violence. I have no problem with graphix sex in the slightest, I read slash, haha. I just felt that it was often used as a method to grab attention, useless for the overall progress of story and relationships and well, that's not good style. I can watch porn for that. I'm not that good with very graphic violence though. Especially rapes and torture. I can handle it when I feel it deserves its place in the story -like in Game of Thrones- but I don't feel like forcing my way through it when it just comes up again and again, random and without cause and -again- for attention. Someone seems to be really disappointed with the world and really angry.
So, yes, I was really disappointed with this book. If I hadn't stopped maybe the story would have gotten me back into it but I just didn't feel like going through so much useless attention-whoring to find the tiny flickers of story.
The character Nyx for me was flat and one-dimensional. Really, I could have made her up myself, and I'm not reading a book for that. I never really felt any kind of connection to the characters, no love, no hate, just plain boring nothing.
Same with the style of writing and telling the story. Jumpy, uninspired, bland.
Then the book is very graphic when it comes to sex and violence. I have no problem with graphix sex in the slightest, I read slash, haha. I just felt that it was often used as a method to grab attention, useless for the overall progress of story and relationships and well, that's not good style. I can watch porn for that. I'm not that good with very graphic violence though. Especially rapes and torture. I can handle it when I feel it deserves its place in the story -like in Game of Thrones- but I don't feel like forcing my way through it when it just comes up again and again, random and without cause and -again- for attention. Someone seems to be really disappointed with the world and really angry.
So, yes, I was really disappointed with this book. If I hadn't stopped maybe the story would have gotten me back into it but I just didn't feel like going through so much useless attention-whoring to find the tiny flickers of story.
September 4, 2015
Soooooooo disappointing! Had to put this one down and call it a DNF. I'm not super religious and so the whole anti Christian and and evil God/Jesus thing didn't bother me really. Nor did the excessive violence, rape, and other "vile" actions that happen quite frequently throughout this book. I was actually quite intrigued. This book had so much potential but didn't deliver in my opinion. I absolutely could not STAND Nyx -_- I mean seriously you can have an evil protagonist and still make them likable to the reader. I was annoyed from the begging when Nyx goes as far to say, and I quote, " It was as if all the elements that made a human face beautiful had combined together to form hers." Really? Like really, did she just say that? I understand being queen of hell gives you a certain level of confidence but damn and that isn't the only instance of her self appreciation. Alongside Nyx's insufferable love of herself, all of the torture and defaming, rape, and malice seemed like it was thrown In there to just shock you. Like hey let's throw in some anal, and disembowlment, while we're at let's whip with invisible whips from the sky for 3 days..... Idk..... A little too put on for me I guess.... I like my torture more methodical and sadistic, skillfully planned out. I really wanted to like this book and judging by the other reviews the majority of others have, just wasn't my cup of tea.
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