Visitants: Stories of Fallen Angels and Heavenly Hosts

Jones lines up heavy hitters for this anthology of reprints dating back to 1914 as well as original tales about decidedly non-Hallmark angels. In Neil Gaiman's "Murder Mysteries," an angel is charged with solving a murder in Heaven before the Word creates our universe. Peter Crowther's "Things I Didn't Know My Father Knew" has a Twilight Zone feel, while Chelsea Quinn Yarbro places avenging human-angels on Earth in "Thy Spinning Wheel Compleat." Robert Silverberg's angels enter the digital age in "Basileus." All blend modern takes with traditional elements, though not always where one might expect. This wide-ranging anthology has something for every taste, from the light to the horrific, and is nicely completed by Jones's introduction, which traces the history of angels in religious lore and modern fantasy. (Dec.)