Strange Angels

by Kathe Koja

Book Overview

A freelance photographer accompanies an artistic young schizophrenic into the disturbed periods of his life and, further, into an exploration of altered states that promises complete madness of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 044021498X
• ISBN13: 9780440214984
• Release Date: February 1995
• Publisher: Dell
• Length: 356 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 0.8" x 4.0"

Customer Reviews

Spiritual Emergency

This novel intrigued me with its premise but I was disappointed by its pessimistic conclusion. Shamans are said to gain spiritual gifts after a period of psychosis but the author does not appear to have done any research into shamanism because there were no references to that in the story. An obvious source of inspiration would be the visionary poet William Blake who saw angels but the only artist mentioned in the book is Francis Bacon. I'm puzzled as to what the author was driving at. The main character yearns to see the world through the eyes of a visionary artist but he would need to have some experience himself to motivate that mad ambition. Instead he seems mysteriously insightful in seeking something transcendent from schizophrenics. The novel also appears to be written from the wrong perspective and does not venture to fully imagine the transformation that is being sought even though there are plenty of books written about the change that a "spiritual emergency" is meant to bring about. I would guess that the author was working through a spiritual crisis herself and unconsciously wrote something that curiously mirrors the shamanic initiation without using the usual references or symbolism.

A Great Novel!

Perhaps Kathe Koja is misplaced in the genre horror and therefore is misunderstood by the reviewers and some readers. This book is contemporary fiction. It is one of those rare books wherein the characters stayed with me not only all day, but for many years past reading. In my first reading I was concerned about them and could not wait to get home to the book to be with them. Now almost ten years past reading the images of these Strange Angels are with me as clear as the first time I encountered them. Ultimately this book is a true tragic novel, in line with the best contempory fiction and classics. Had Dostoevsky knew modern psycharity he may have written this book.

strange attraction

after reading Skin by Kathe Koja i found Strange Angels. Skin hit home on a level i had not previously known. so many outside people exploring the limits of the flesh. Strange Angels explores the limits of sanity and the pursuit of the holy. not a benign and loving holy divinity, but some sort of holy that has existed since before the written word. what is it that people labeled with various disorders really see? what do they really experience? are they really seeing a version of reality that is completely invisible to the rest of us? this book explores the boundaries of sanity. the characters are complelling and disturbing. you can see the end coming as clearly as a train read to end you life...and it doesn't chnge course. i've heard many compare her to Barker, Burroughs, Poe and Lovecraft. but all of those previously mentioned have no idea of the depths of human limits when compared to Kathe. another one to look for in hardback as you'll want it's diminutive size on your shelf like the seed of the tree of life waiting to take root and take over the entire bookcase.

strangest of angels

THIS BOOK BLEW ME AWAY THE FIRST TIME I READ IT, SO I READ IT AGAIN. AND AGAIN. FOUR TIMES IN ALL!!! I FOUND IT AS GOOD OR BETTER AS "THE CIPHER," "BAD BRAINS" AND "SKIN."THE ATMOSPHERE IS EXTREMELY SURREAL, MAGICAL, NOT AT ALL REALITY. (I LOST MYSELF IN KOJA'S WORLD COMPLETELY.) THAT'S PROBABLY THE PART I LIKE BEST ABOUT THE BOOK, IT CAPTURE'S ONE'S IMAGINATION/ATTENTION THROUGHOUT AND COMPLETELY). IT MAKES ME, A WRITER MYSELF, WANT TO WRITE SOMETHING A STRANGE AS THIS!FURTHERMORE, THE READER FEELS SO INTIMATE WITH EVERY CHARACTER IN "STARNGE ANGELS." THE CHARACTERS ARE SO VERY WELL-DEVELOPED, AS WITH ALL OF KOJA'S CHARACTERS IN ALL OF HER BOOKS. THE DOWNFALL OF THE NARRATOR AND HIS (SCHIZOPHRENIC? MANIC-DEPRESSIVE? OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE? SPIRITUALLY "HIGHER"?) "ANGEL" ROOMATE, AND THEIR GIRLFRIEND IS STUNNINGLY TERRIFYING, TERRIFYINGLY "PERMENANT."A MUST READ BOOK FOR ALL HORROR/THRILLER FANS AND THOSE OTHER READERS WHO JUST LIKE AN INTRGUING PSYCHOLOGICAL CONUNDRUM !

Sad & Beautiful

Excellent writing. It's the first book I've read by Kathe Koja, but she's made a new fan. Dark and strange, I would recommend this to everyone.