I wish the fallen angel Arcade had a more satisfying character arc, or was even developed to the extent that characters like Maurice and Gilberte are—though this is his story, I feel like he’s crowded out by the other characters’ dramas, even tangential ones like that of Guinardon and Zephyrine (remind me why they’re here again?). I also felt like the angels’ dissatisfaction with Ialdabaoth wasn’t fully examined; they claim he’s a false god but his powers seem real enough, and is him not being the creator of the world really cause to oust him for good?

Still, though, this is an interesting read, and France’s style is consistently engaging. I wish it were a bit longer; I think some added meat would do well to address my critiques, as parts of this felt rushed or even heavily edited down.