Scorn of Angels (The Descended) Paperback – March 10, 2015

Trigger warning: These novels (both Plague of Angels and Scorn of Angels) contain subject matter some will find incredibly disturbing.The Descended series is philosophically complicated. A lot of atheists would likely loathe it, a plethora of Christians would likely want to burn it, and some agnostics might well say "heck yeah!" Your reaction will likely depend on your personal religious or philosophical beliefs. And those who would be most moved to outrage are the least likely to make it to the end of the second book before tossing them down and declaring them, "stupid!"John Patrick Kennedy isn't writing "stupid" or for the stupid. He's writing a nuanced, well crafted fictionalization of many of the well known and beloved religions and philosophies. Are there problems with accuracy? Yeah. I can overlook it.Scorn of Angels is not a stand alone novel. You should absolutely read Plague of Angels first because, even though it is the less brilliant of the two novels, it is the one that sets everything up. It is also the more offensive and triggering of the two novels. All that said, I absolutely loved them. Rarely have I read work from a new writer that so thoroughly captured my attention and imagination that I almost feel compelled to make everyone I know read it. I can't really do that with these novels, simply because of the subject matter. Which is, well, complicated.Absent the articulation of religion, looking simply at the story itself... It's a pretty decent story. The plot is occasionally predictable, occasionally his side characters are a bit one dimensional, and sometimes the dialogue is a bit pedestrian but it's not at all painful. Some of the devices he uses to demonstrate the Bad Person-ness of a character, no matter how shocking or appalling it is, gets a bit repetitive. But making the horrific mundane is sort of the point, I think.

These types of book (extreme fantasy, sci-fi, dark fiction) are often overwritten or so heavy-handed that they aren't enjoyable to read, and yet Kennedy manages to nail a tone and a plot that is a perfect balance of philosophy, fiction, sex, violence, scheming, and even humor. After reading the first book in the series, I was bound to pick up the second, and I'm very glad that I did. I think that Nyx is one of my favorite new villains that I love to hate, and instead of being a one-dimensional "destroy the world" type baddie, she has a real personality and a sinister aura that Kennedy clearly enjoyed writing. Delving into the imagined battles between angels and devils is hardly a new approach to fiction, but this is something quite unique, in that we see the sides of good and evil, but also the grey area in between, where one side occasionally dips their toes for their own ends. Kennedy gave these larger than life characters insecurities, fears, ambitions, and emotions just like humans, and then lets them play out their epic quests for power in a book that will keep you riveted to a chair until the very last page. It's hard to create an imaginary war between potentially imaginary beings and have readers still be able to engage and care, but Kennedy managed to really grab me by the throat and never let me go. The tongue-in-cheek humor and sexy elements were unexpected, but delightful, surprises in this book, and I will certainly be picking up more of Kennedy's writing in the future.

Scorn of Angels, by John Patrick Kennedy, is a fitting book for those that love a combination of fiction, fantasy and great suspense. It by no means exemplifies the biblical role of God, Jesus, and the angels, though the realities of hell would embrace a common agreement. I describe John Patrick Kennedy's writing as a forerunner and taking fantasy to another level. Using his past, his imagination, and passion for writing, he has succeeded in developing a plot that begs the reader to want to know how the drama will play out.This story depicts the conflict between heaven and hell, where good and evil clash. God's Son called Tribunal (Jesus) has put Nyx, Queen of hell in a box where she is continually tormented. Housed in the lake of fire it is Nyx that desires to escape this torment and devises a plan. With striking detail the reader will enter into the heart of dark angels, learning of their motives and plans.The action and suspense is ongoing where Tribunal, along with Lucifer and the descended Angels devise schemes to destroy humanity. It has mature themes woven throughout but will become an enjoyable book if no parts are taken literal but merely as a highly creative work of fiction.