Angel Down (winner Of The 2026 Pulitzer Prize For Fiction)

A stylistically bold and innovative, cinematic horror novel about greed and paranoia, set amongst the grit and mud of the trenches in WW1. Perfect for fans of Stephen Graham Jones and Alma Katsu.

A stylistically bold and innovative, cinematic horror novel about greed and paranoia, set amongst the grit and mud of the trenches in WW1. Perfect for fans of Stephen Graham Jones and Alma Katsu.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Whalefall, and the co-author of The Shape of Water alongside Guillermo del Toro.

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 and weaves a polyphonic tale of survival, supernatural wonder, and moral conflict.

VULTURE BEST HORROR BOOKS OF 2025 (SO FAR)

A thunderous gallop of a war novel, a new classic, a best-in-class example of speculative fiction. Mysterious and full of grace, rambling and ducking and shifting for 285 dizzying, blood-soaked, astonishing pages.
-New York Times

A bold and exceptional novel from the author of Whalefall. Kraus has taken the classic war story and crafted something completely unique.
-Library Journal (starred review)

[Angel Down] unfolds like a chant, in short paragraphs each beginning with the word and, and readers will quickly fall under Bagger''s narrative spell as they see the visceral and gruesome toll war takes on the entire planet. Is Bagger going to survive through a miracle or by luck? A brilliant novel that will encourage its readers to live their best lives, despite the horrors that surround them. For fans of John Milas'' The Militia House (2023) and thought-provoking tales that sow discomfort through story and narrative structure, such as Agustina Bazterrica''s The Unworthy (2025).
-Booklist (starred review)

A war novel for people who don''t like war novels.
-People magazine, Book of the Week

A vivid tale... 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.
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Disorienting and utterly sublime-a spiritually fulfilling literary gauntlet. This book is a miracle.
-Eric LaRocca

Kraus demonstrates what a seasoned author is capable of at the highest level of literary ambition. The most gripping, unforgettable account of war in recent memory-American war fiction is certain to be haunted by this book for years to come.
-John Milas

An absolute revelation, a hymn that sings of the humanity found within history''s horrors. Here is a novel that will restore your faith in what the written word is capable of capturing.
-Clay McLeod Chapman

A literary masterwork of unparalleled dexterity and ingenuity. One of the best things I''ve ever read. I''m absolutely blown away.
-Josh Malerman

Daniel Kraus