A Madness of Angels – Kate Griffin

A madness of Angels is set in a London which is complete with magic, secret societies, magicians and Gods, but this is not a simple rip off of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, it’s more sophisticated than that. The violent but also screamingly funny story is centred around Matthew Swift, who happens to be a sorcerer.

After having been ripped to shreds by a mysterious shadow, an untimely end that most dead people would never forget, Swift is reborn two years after the event, Hell bent on vengeance.

Kate Griffin spins a magincal tale with some wonderful detail about some of the characters Swift encounters has he rampages around exacting an imperfect revenge. He has been brought back as something that is not quite the same as it was was, and the author addresses that mystery for just about the right length of time with some fantastic story telling.

Swift gets his energy from the environment in which he lives, devouring power from electrical cables, street lights and telephone lines. In the city, he’s a fully charged raving maniac, but in the countryside, he is almost useless.

Stick with it from the beginning and get yourself past the fact that Swift refers to himself as ‘we’ as although this is confusing to beging with, you will be rewarded in the end because it turns out to be central to the plot.

A Madness of Angels is highly recommended and is one of the best books you will read this year

Price: £5.59