In the first installment of Thomas E. Sniegoski’s new line of adult urban fantasy novels, private detective Remy Chandler is simply trying to live a normal human life, except that Remy isn’t exactly human. Remy, short for Remiel, is a member of the Heavenly Choir of Angels known as The Seraphim. After the war between Lucifer The Morningstar and The Almighty, Remiel deserted his post amongst The Seraphim and chose to live on Earth amongst God’s most favored creation, mankind. In order to do so, Remiel, now Remy, has had to bury his angelic nature deep, only retaining a tiny amount of his full angelic power and glory. After thousands of years of life amongst humanity though, a danger unlike any ever faced by God’s creation has arisen, and it all has to do with the Angel of Death, Israfil, deserting his duties and attempting to do what Remy has done. Not all angels are capable of handling the sensory overload, intoxicating exuberance, and simple mortal power of being human though. When a choir of Seraphim, jealous of mankind’s favor before The Almighty, use Israfil’s disappearing act to attempt to usher in The Apocalypse, Remy will have to face the choice of standing aside and letting it run its course, or re-embracing his angelic nature and stemming the tide. But with his aging wife facing her final rest soon, does he even have the will to stop The Apocalypse’s onslaught?

Sniegoski crafts a solid urban fantasy tale in the vein of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files novels, and while this first installment of Remy Chandler’s adventures doesn’t live up to Wizard Harry Dresden’s latest adventure, Butcher’s first Dresden adventure wasn’t nearly as good, or displayed nearly the amount of promise one would expect from a series that has become the best written of all urban fantasy series. Like Butcher’s popular string of novels, Sniegoski’s world is populated with many varying groups and factions of supernatural beings. Unlike Butcher’s novels, where vampires, werewolves, vicious and nasty fairies, wizards, and Holy Knights comprise the supernatural community, the supernatural beings in Sniegoski’s world are all different derivations of the supernatural race of angels. From those nearest the throne of God with their wholly inhuman look, to The Fallen with their demonic-like countenances, and all the many varying levels in between, angelic beings (outside of God and Lucifer themselves) look to be the only supernatural players. As Remy’s adventures continue though, and we get to see more of what Sniegoski has in store for his readers, who knows what type of supernatural beings might show up over time.

Regardless of what type of supernatural heroes and villains are at work in A Kiss Before The Apocalypse, the action, adventure, mystery, thrills, and chills abound in this well paced introductory story to the world of angelic warfare meets detective fiction. Urban fantasy novels like the aforementioned Dresden Files novels, and now Sniegoski’s Remy Chandler series are a breath of fresh air in the world of fantasy novels in general. While Twilight and New Moon might be best sellers and rake in the cash at the box office while making teenage girls swoon, they’re really not intended to be action-adventure types of novels with fantasy elements. They are romance novels with fantasy elements mixed in. For readers who aren’t into romance novels, and are a looking for a lighter read than Ann Rice’s incredibly dense and literary supernatural novels, The Remy Chandler Novels, are just what you’re looking for. They will also appeal to the type of reader who might have an interest in Christian Mythology, but doesn’t particularly feel like being preached to or force fed a conservative Christian outlook, like is often the case with Frank Peretti’s novels.

Overall, A Kiss Before The Apocalypse is a promising start to what will be another line of urban fantasy novels that will appeal to readers looking for more than what a teenage romance novel with plastic fangs has to offer.