Nancy A. Collins is perhaps best-known for her pop-culture vampire novels, particularly the Sonja Blue series. Angels on Fire takes the reader from Heaven to Hell, detailing an amazing array of creatures and the havoc they can wreak on humans who stumble across them.

Lucy Bender thinks her hick life in Seven Devils is all in the past once she moves to New York City, struggling to make a name for herself and her art. Unfortunately, her bad luck seems to have packed its bags and followed hot on her heels. It's while contemplating her misfortune in love, art and life in general on the roof of her apartment building that an angel literally falls at Lucy's feet. She soon discovers her life wasn't nearly as messed up as it becomes once the angel Joth enters her life and involves her in the eternal struggle between Heaven and Hell over the soul of a fallen angel.

Collins' writing is witty and hip, full of sarcastic commentary on city life and brutally honest observations on the nature of love. Underlying the major plot events is a wrenching examination of Lucy's ability to deal with her mother's death and the ensuing sense of dislocation she feels. Lucy is an extremely likeable heroine -- spunky, witty and caring. Ezrael, an angel who fell and chose to stay on Earth, provides a stable and knowledgeable backbone to Lucy's emotional decisions. He also tells one of the most beautiful love stories I've ever read. Thom Ang's beautiful illustrations add a visual element to the novel, highlighting each chapter's main ideas. Angels on Fire is a pleasingly dark fantasy-romance from beginning to end.

[ by Audrey M. Clark ]