[A] thunderous gallop of a war novel ... The conclusion is a stunner, although I’m not sure if a book that ends with a comma rather than a period can be said to conclude at all. The war continues; other wars will follow ... Mysterious and full of grace.
Kraus draws readers into a story about the barbarity of human action in language reminiscent of a religious text but still conveying the dread and endless despair of warfare ... Bold and exceptional.
Kraus structures the novel as an extended run-on sentence (with paragraph breaks), giving the story a relentless and intense rhythm. As a veteran horror writer, he’s gifted at depictions of blood and guts and knows how to keep a story moving, but in its latter stages the novel is a philosophical one as well, concerned with humanity’s seemingly inborn need to wage war and what might counter it. The identity of the woman Cyril calls an angel is vague, but Kraus has a clear grasp on our worst impulses. An impressive and surprising take on war-story tropes.
Kraus ramps up the tension with the relentless cadence of his prose, offering no breaks from the action but finding room for glorious lyrical flights. With this vigorous narrative, Kraus breathes new life into the war novel.
