Angel Down: A Discussion with Daniel Kraus

Battles of the First World War Podcast

Mike Cunha

History

4.8 • 812 Ratings

🗓️ 1 October 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

NYT bestselling author Daniel Kraus comes on the podcast to talk about his novel set in the Meuse-Argonne battle “Angel Down.”

From Simon & Schuster:

Private Cyril Bagger has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of the Great War through his wits and deception, swindling fellow soldiers at every opportunity. But his survival instincts are put to the ultimate test when he and four other grunts are given a deadly mission: venture into the perilous No Man’s Land to euthanize a wounded comrade.

What they find amid the ruined battlefield, however, is not a man in need of mercy but a fallen angel, seemingly struck down by artillery fire. This celestial being may hold the key to ending the brutal conflict, but only if the soldiers can suppress their individual desires and work together. As jealousy, greed, and paranoia take hold, the group is torn apart by their inner demons, threatening to turn their angelic encounter into a descent into hell.

Angel Down plunges you into the heart of World War I and weaves a polyphonic tale of survival, supernatural wonder, and moral conflict.

Where to buy “Angel Down” in the UK -

https://titanbooks.com/72777-angel-down/

Where to buy “Angel Down” in the US -

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Angel-Down/Daniel-Kraus/9781668068458

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The
0:07.0	The The
0:23.6	The All right.
0:40.3	All right.
0:59.0	Hey folks, welcome to the Battles of the First World War podcast. So joining today, uh, excuse me, joining the podcast today is Mr. Daniel Krause here to discuss his latest novel, Angel Down.
1:08.0	Before we get into the book, here's some background on Mr. Krause, because if you're
1:13.1	recognizing the name, yes, it is that Daniel Krause. So from his website, Daniel cross.com,
1:21.1	quote, Daniel Krauss is a New York Times bestselling writer of novels, TV, and film. His latest novel, Whalefall, received a front cover review in the New York Times best-selling writer of novels, TV and film. His latest novel, Whalefall,
1:29.7	received a front cover review in the New York Times book review, won the Alex Award,
1:35.1	was an LA Times book prize finalist, and was a best book of 2023 from NPR, the New York
1:42.6	Times, Amazon, Chicago Tribune, and more.
1:46.4	With Guillermo del Toro, he co-authored The Shape of Water, based on the same idea the two created for the Oscar-winning film.
1:54.8	Also with Del Toro, Krause authored Troll Hunters, which was adapted into the Emmy winning Netflix series my
2:02.5	daughter love troll hunters by the way he co-wrote the living dead and pay the
2:07.2	piper with legendary filmmaker George A. Romero Kraus's the death and life of
2:12.9	Zebulon Finch was named one of Entertainment Weekly's top ten books of the
2:17.4	year Kraus has won the Bram Stoker Award Scribe Award two Finch was named one of Entertainment Weekly's top 10 books of the year.
2:18.3	Carl says won the Bram Stoker Award, Scribe Award, two Odyssey Awards for both Rotters
2:24.3	and Scholar, and has appeared multiple times as library guild selections, YALSA, Best Fiction
2:31.9	for Young Adults, and more.
2:37.5	Krause's work has been translated into over 20 languages.
2:44.0	He lives with his wife in Chicago, and you can visit him at Daniel Krause.com, end quote.
	...

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