Private Cyril Bagger has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of the Great War through his wits and deception, swindling fellow soldiers at every opportunity. But his survival instincts are put to the ultimate test when he and four other grunts are given a deadly mission: venture into the perilous No Man’s Land to euthanize a wounded comrade.

What they find amid the ruined battlefield, however, is not a man in need of mercy but a fallen angel, seemingly struck down by artillery fire. This celestial being may hold the key to ending the brutal conflict, but only if the soldiers can suppress their individual desires and work together. As jealousy, greed, and paranoia take hold, the group is torn apart by their inner demons, threatening to turn their angelic encounter into a descent into hell.

Angel Down plunges you into the heart of World War I in a polyphonic tale of survival, supernatural wonder, and moral conflict

Daniel Kraus is a New York Times bestselling writer of novels, TV, and film. His latest novel, Whalefall, received a front-cover review in the New York Times Book Review, won the Alex Award, was an L.A. Times Book Prize Finalist, and was a Best Book of 2023 from NPR, the New York Times, Amazon, Chicago Tribune, and more.

NWS Host Audrey Irontree is a fiction writer, developmental editor, ghostwriter, teacher, and the education director of the National Writers Series. After attending Brown University, she received her Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from Northwestern University. Her fiction has appeared in several publications, including Portland Review and Meridian, and was selected for the 2027 Driftwood Anthology.

Event Details

The livestream will begin with a slideshow at 6:50 p.m. Please note this slideshow will have no audio. The programming will begin at 7:00 p.m., a great time to test your audio. If you have any problems please double check the troubleshooting tips in your confirmation email. If that still doesn't help email marketing@nwstc.org. Please make sure your browsers or mobile apps are up to date before joining the livestream.

Virtual attendees may participate in the Q&A via moderated chat. You must be logged into YouTube via a Google account to chat, or email questions to marketing@nwstc.org.

Contact the host of Daniel Kraus (Virtual Event)