The Dirty Streets of Heaven

Well-plotted, well-executed UF, really, really well-written–great quotable lines, more than it's fair share of dazzling sentences. And I just didn't like it.

Why? Because the angels aren't all that...angelic, for lack of a better word. Honestly, the demons aren't terribly demonic, either. Demons are pretty much your typical UF bad guys, just ugly, and we're told really, really evil; the angels act almost identically to them, but they're prettier. Amoral, promiscuous, substance abusing...and honestly, not that powerful aside from their ability to see the recently departed and each other's supernatural natures.

If we can do vampires that aren't that human, lycanthropes that aren't terribly human, why do we have to have angels that are? Sure, coming up with heroes that are wholly (holy?) good–and keeping them interesting is challenging. But it can be done. If Williams had done that, I'd have been all in. But, ugh. Bobby Dollar and co. are nowhere close–and I'm all out.