Rating: 
Summary: Somtow¿s best book since "Moondance"
Review: A Civil war fantasy about slavery, racism, class structures and power (of all sorts) revolving around Phoebe, a woman who can change into a leopard and believes herself to be "some kind of Negro messiah." Filled with stories within stories, "Darker Angels" conjures up voodoo and creatures of the night, and places historical figures like Walt Whitman, Edgar Allen Poe, Lord Byron and Marie Laveau in the middle of it all. The result is Somtow's best book since "Moondance" (an historical western involving werewolves). You'll be turning pages long after midnight. (from the "Des Moines Register," copyright 1998)
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Summary: Daker Angels Shines Through!
Review: I've read MOONDANCE some years ago and was totally capitivated by the story. Now several years later, I come across Darker Angels (though out of print, I got from the used section at Amazon and the service was EXCELLENT!). Here, Somtow weaves another fabulous tapestry of horror, fantasy and history all in one! (Just reading the other better reviews is proof positive.) We even get to see the origin of the most foul Cordwainer Claggett [sic] a villain we met in MOONDANCE. In Darker Angels, the multi-level narration by the different players is fantastic (though at times tricky but works out well in the end). Just a word of warning, this book is not for the faint of heart or the easily offended. I look forward to more from this author. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining historical horror novel
Review: In 1865, the corpse of President Lincoln lies in public view in New York. Widow Paula Grainger pays her respect to her country's assassinated leader. She meets Walt Whitman and his companion Zachary Brown. The two males, along with Paula's servant Phoebe, tell her a strange story starring her late husband, Aloysius and similar beings. Aloysius apparently won the African Phoebe in a card game. The woman is one of the DARKER ANGELS with the ability to change into a leopard. In spite of having attained the mysterious Phoebe, Aloysius failed in his efforts to reanimate Paula's dead children. However, the one-eyed shaman Joseph apparently tasted success as a necromancer who ultimately planned to raise the dead black Civil War soldiers. DARKER ANGEL is a metaphysical horror tale that takes readers on a dark tour on nineteenth century America. The story line switches narrators, giving it a short story feel inside a featured length novel. This technique will divide readers as some will find it distracting from the main story line while others will feel the subplots have an opportunity to fully develop. The historical side of the tale shows that S.P. Somtow did his homework so that his supernatural creatures fit in a world populated by authentic known people of the era. If you prefer non-stop action, this tale is a bust. If you relish an eerie surreal novel, this tale is a cause to celebrate.
Rating:
Summary: Historical horror
Review: In his earlier novel, MOON DANCE, Somtow created a nightmarish American epic: a tale of the clash between European and Native American werewolves. In DARKER ANGELS he makes a triumphant return to his alternate history where magic and shape-shifters (were-leopards this time around) are real. At about 200 pages less than MOON DANCE, DARKER ANGELS is in many ways the more successful novel. I must also note that it contains one of the most successful uses of a non-linear narrative I have yet to encounter. This is not a book for anyone looking for a light and easy horror/dark fantasy read. It deals unflinchingly with war, slavery and homosexuality. But I highly recommend it for readers who aren't afraid to brave the darkness to find the riches therein. DARKER ANGELS may be a work of fiction, but there is more truth in its pages than in many non-fiction history books.
Rating:
Summary: Historical horror
Review: In his earlier novel, MOON DANCE, Somtow created a nightmarish American epic: a tale of the clash between European and Native American werewolves. In DARKER ANGELS he makes a triumphant return to his alternate history where magic and shape-shifters (were-leopards this time around) are real. At about 200 pages less than MOON DANCE, DARKER ANGELS is in many ways the more successful novel. I must also note that it contains one of the most successful uses of a non-linear narrative I have yet to encounter. This is not a book for anyone looking for a light and easy horror/dark fantasy read. It deals unflinchingly with war, slavery and homosexuality. But I highly recommend it for readers who aren't afraid to brave the darkness to find the riches therein. DARKER ANGELS may be a work of fiction, but there is more truth in its pages than in many non-fiction history books.
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Summary: Explore the "Darker" angels of our nature
Review: It would be easy to say this book is simply Somtow doing for the Civil War what he did for the West in "Moon Dance." But this novel is so much more than that, despite the fact both books share such themes as shape-shifting and a raw, unflinching interpretation of history. The complex narrative, which turns backward upon itself bears careful reading, but the rewards are rich. "Darker Angels" is beautiful and disturbing, like all of Somtow's work.
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Summary: Other Reviews
Review: Just wanted to point out that (pace Kirkus) a lot of reviewers have loved the ending of this book: here for instance is an excerpt from Edward Bryant's LOCUS review: "In a novel that grapples with redemption and the renewal of life and hope, one is tempted to suspect that voodoo magic and the deceased President Lincoln will eventually converge. But, of course, how is the author going to handle the reality of recorded history? He provides a climax which is both unexpected and plays fairly with the audience. In doing so, Somtow performs another brave writerly act. I was reminded of such novels as David Morrell's Testament and Song of Kali by Dan Simmons. In both those exemplary novels, the authors built tensely dramatic plots that seemed to demand a conventional climax. In both cases, the writers crafted appropriate, satisfying, but utterly unpredicted conclusions. Somtow knows how to narrow the focus of what might conventionally have been a wildly pyrotechnic--but ultimately improbable and silly--ending, and carefully focuses its still considerable power. It's not an easy accomplishment--but then little about this complex and ambitious work would seem to have been a snap. "
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Summary: Somtow's biggest and most ambitious novel since "Moon Dance"
Review: Like "Moon Dance," Somtow's epic-sized tale of werewolves and the American West, "Darker Angels" is an unique and compelling mixture of history and horror, blending the horrors of the Civil War with the mysteries of voodoo. Abraham Lincoln, Walt Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe, and Marie Laveau, the witch-queen of New Orleans, all have a part to play in this very special book.
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Summary: One of the best novels of the year!
Review: SP Somtow is one of the greatest novelists of our time!! This is one of the best historical novels/zombie novels I've ever read!! You must read this book!
Rating:
Summary: A Pleasurable Alternate Reality Tale
Review: Unexpectedly, I found myself drawn into the tapestry of Somtow's multi-narratated story. One difficulty was trying to keep track of who exactly was telling the story in the "current" time. I believe the furthest remove the narration achieves is four. What's interesting is the entire book essentially takes place in one house. I highly recommend this book for those looking to find fantasy a bit askew from the traditional tales.
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