Beneath Ceaseless Skies #351, March 10, 2022
“The Angel Azrael Encounters the Revelation Pilgrims and Other Curiosities” by Peter Darbyshire
“A Nickel For The Burlap Man” by Patty Templeton (not reviewed, not speculative fiction)
Reviewed by Kevin P Hallett
The 351st issue of Beneath Ceaseless Skies has two short stories, one of which is a novelette, and the other wasn’t reviewed because it wasn’t speculative fiction.
“The Angel Azrael Encounters the Revelation Pilgrims and Other Curiosities” by Peter Darbyshire
Fallen angel Azrael tries to get lost in this fantasy novelette. He carries with him his angel’s bible, one of the most coveted and powerful things in the world. It can drive an ordinary person mad just by being too close to it.
He wanders the badlands on his dead horse, seeking nothing when he encounters the remains of an ambushed family. Only one of them still breathes. Though close to death, she begs Azrael to take her journal to her daughter in Jerusalem’s Sorrow.
Against his better judgment, Azrael accepts her request. However, he soon runs into a cadre of half-angels and a group of revelation pilgrims. These two warring factions fight to capture Azrael’s bible, catching him in the middle where they outgun him.
This novelette was the latest installment of the Angel Azrael stories. The prose was slow initially and didn’t pick up pace until the final third.
You can follow Kevin P Hallett’s writing on www.kevinphallett.com