What do you think?
Rate this book
Los Nefilim #0.1-0.3
Los Nefilim
Three brilliant novellas. One fantastic story.
Collected together for the first time, T. Frohock’s three novellas—In Midnight’s Silence, Without Light or Guide, and The Second Death—brings to life the world of Los Nefilim, Spanish Nephilim that possess the power to harness music and light in the supernatural war between the angels and daimons. In 1931, Los Nefilim’s existence is shaken by the preternatural forces commanding them … and a half-breed caught in-between.
Diago Alvarez, a singular being of daimonic and angelic descent, is pulled into the ranks of Los Nefilim in order to protect his newly-found son. As an angelic war brews in the numinous realms, and Spain marches closer to civil war, the destiny of two worlds hangs on Diago’s actions. Yet it is the combined fates of his lover, Miquel, and his young son, Rafael, that weighs most heavily on his soul.
Lyrical and magical, Los Nefilim explores whether moving towards the light is necessarily the right move, and what it means to live amongst the shadows.
Collected together for the first time, T. Frohock’s three novellas—In Midnight’s Silence, Without Light or Guide, and The Second Death—brings to life the world of Los Nefilim, Spanish Nephilim that possess the power to harness music and light in the supernatural war between the angels and daimons. In 1931, Los Nefilim’s existence is shaken by the preternatural forces commanding them … and a half-breed caught in-between.
Diago Alvarez, a singular being of daimonic and angelic descent, is pulled into the ranks of Los Nefilim in order to protect his newly-found son. As an angelic war brews in the numinous realms, and Spain marches closer to civil war, the destiny of two worlds hangs on Diago’s actions. Yet it is the combined fates of his lover, Miquel, and his young son, Rafael, that weighs most heavily on his soul.
Lyrical and magical, Los Nefilim explores whether moving towards the light is necessarily the right move, and what it means to live amongst the shadows.
327 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2016
About the author
T. Frohock
17 books331 followers
I have a Patreon, where you can find short stories and articles on demonology and angelology.
Check out my newsletter for updates and more.
T. Frohock has turned a love of history and dark fantasy into tales of deliciously creepy fiction. A real-life cyborg, T has a cochlear implant, meaning she can turn you on or off with the flick of a switch. Make of that what you will. She currently lives in North Carolina, where she has long been accused of telling stories, which is a southern colloquialism for lying.
Check out my newsletter for updates and more.
T. Frohock has turned a love of history and dark fantasy into tales of deliciously creepy fiction. A real-life cyborg, T has a cochlear implant, meaning she can turn you on or off with the flick of a switch. Make of that what you will. She currently lives in North Carolina, where she has long been accused of telling stories, which is a southern colloquialism for lying.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
June 21, 2021
4.5 stars! Me, reading this:
I stayed up way too late with this book for somebody who was getting woke up bright & early by 6 year olds, but I could not put it down.
Set in 1930's Spain, the genuinely atmospheric setting to these prequels to Where Oblivion Lives is just phenomenal. While I was reading, I was truly in the place and time, literally lost in the story. I couldn't resist yet another tale of angels and demons but this time it's the Nefilim, the mixed children of humans & immortals that is the focus.
And while there is devotion and love here, there is no steam whatsoever, though that honestly didn't even occur to me until I just now thought of it. The story didn't need it at all, it was missing nothing.
This is my first book by T. Frohock but absolutely not the last. It won't be long before I read the next one, guaranteed. 🔥
I stayed up way too late with this book for somebody who was getting woke up bright & early by 6 year olds, but I could not put it down.
Set in 1930's Spain, the genuinely atmospheric setting to these prequels to Where Oblivion Lives is just phenomenal. While I was reading, I was truly in the place and time, literally lost in the story. I couldn't resist yet another tale of angels and demons but this time it's the Nefilim, the mixed children of humans & immortals that is the focus.
And while there is devotion and love here, there is no steam whatsoever, though that honestly didn't even occur to me until I just now thought of it. The story didn't need it at all, it was missing nothing.
This is my first book by T. Frohock but absolutely not the last. It won't be long before I read the next one, guaranteed. 🔥
June 4, 2016
RIGHT NOW is a phenomenal time to be a fan of speculative fiction. Seriously: there’s an insane amount of amazing SFF writers in today’s market, and the modern fantasy reader is spoilt for choice with a selection that would leave Mr. Norrell gobsmacked and which would - if it were all edible - satisfy even Dudley ‘Big D’ Dursley.
But it’s sadly inevitable (inedible, too – sorry Dudders) that for every Mark Lawrence or Robin Hobb there are a thousand other writers striving to make a name for themselves - lots of whom are probably just as talented, and some perhaps even more so. In the struggle against obscurity, this means that many equally-deserving authors are overlooked by those caught in the gravitational field of the ‘big names.’ And while I’m in no way saying that those successful few are unfairly hogging the spotlight, I am suggesting that sampling the work of lesser-known writers may prove to be less of a gamble than you might think.
T. Frohock is by no means a newbie to the writing game: her debut novel, Miserere, was published by Night Shade back in 2011 and garnered a relatively small but loyal following. However, Miserere was (erroneously) marketed as religious and YA fiction, neither of which accurately reflect the novel’s content or target audience. Religion features heavily in the story, but it certainly isn’t a ‘religious’ novel: Frohock wasn’t writing from a religious perspective so much as borrowing imagery from lots of existing religions in order to create a vivid and fantastical setting for her dark (and sometimes brutal) tale.
Miserere is a surreal and enjoyable read that unfortunately still remains beneath the shadow of obscurity. Since its release Frohock has continued to weave dark fantasy into real-life religion and history. Her three most recent novellas – In Midnight’s Silence, Without Light or Guide, and The Second Death – have just been published together as Los Nefilim. This wonderful collection is a joy to read: each novella flows seamlessly into the next to form a well-rounded and well-plotted story in three beautifully-titled parts.
A superbly dark and atmospheric fantasy set in 1930s Barcelona, Los Nefilim is a captivating tale of eternal conflict between angels and demons. First off, let me clarify that even though it’s set in pre-WW2 Spain I hesitate in calling Los Nefilim ‘historical fantasy’. The reason for this is that although the historical context has some relevance to the events, and although the settings are consistently vivid and immersive, I feel as though the story itself transcends both time and place: Frohock weaves her tale with admirable finesse using the colourful and tightly-knit threads of her protagonists, who - despite being vividly drawn - are so sympathetic it’s possible to imagine their situation happening anywhere, any time, and to anyone.
Los Nefilim is centred around the character Diago, a troubled but immensely likeable Nephilim of mixed angelic and daimonic descent. Diago and his partner, Miquel, have been devoted to one another for centuries, but both their loyalty and livelihood are threatened when the escalating supernatural war invades their personal lives. Diago and Miquel’s relationship defines – and is defined by – events, and is inseparable from the story itself. Frohock succeeds in pulling the reader deep into Diago’s world: a realm of harsh decisions, few of which can be made without endangering either his lover or his cause.
The best part is that the author doesn’t bash us over the head with the internal ‘true-love-vs.-greater-good’ conflict. Los Nefilim are the very embodiment of human nature in all its shades of grey; and nothing is ever so simple as ‘good vs. evil,’ even when angels are involved.
Especially when angels are involved.
Just as well, then, that the heroes of Los Nefilim are deep, fully-rounded characters who are far too complex to be defined simply by which master they serve; or, for that matter, by their sexuality. Issues of gender are neither downplayed nor dwelt on, and the fact that Diago and Miquel are both men is but a natural part of the story.
(In fact, the author’s egalitarian approach to gender holds up a mirror to our own lives in the least patronising way possible. Simply put, Frohock shows us a society where men are just as vulnerable as women, and often suffer in silence because of unequal and arbitrary gender expectations. She shows us a society in which men are just as likely as women to experience rape, and verbal abuse, and sexual harassment - a fact we all need to recognise and empathise with.)
On the surface, Los Nefilim could also be regarded as a moral tale about overcoming intolerance: the Nephilim’s secret war does indeed serve as a clever analogy for how homosexuality was stifled beneath the stigma of a god-fearing society. But while this is without doubt a huge part of the story, in my opinion it’s actually far subtler than that. Great speechifiers and glorious martyrs our protagonists ain’t: they are heroes of necessity, not intent. And Frohock doesn’t idealise Diago and Miquel’s relationship so much as naturalise it. Their connection is shown through understated dialogue and non-verbal interactions, and by the gradual emergence of both men’s paternal instincts as they work hard to create a harmonious family unit for Diago’s son.
For me this was a huge relief. In the past I’ve pointed out more than a few female writers who draw on shallow stereotypes of sexual promiscuity and unequal partnerships in an attempt to portray same-sex male couples. Thankfully, Frohock avoids this entirely: she doesn’t ‘write gay characters’; she writes characters who happen to be gay. Contrary to stereotypical beliefs - and exactly like couples of any orientation - Miquel and Diago don’t hump like rabbits, nor are they joined at the hip. And their relationship might be the pivot on which the events of Los Nefilim turn . . . but no one can accuse the story of being ‘too romantic’.
Frohock writes with precision and balance, and the result is a faultless blend of beauty and brutality, cruelty and love, action and reaction forming a story that is pleasantly complex and satisfying. She lets us hear colours and see music. Her prose is wonderfully lyrical, yet functional. Unlike yours truly, Frohock isn’t one to waffle: she uses the minimum amount of words to say what she needs to say in the most beautiful way possible.
Bear with me. I’m going to try and explain better using an overcomplicated and probably inappropriate metaphor.
Imagine that books are like . . . banquets. No, really: the table is the plot, the tablecloths the setting, the food the story and the centrepiece the characters. Or something.
We’ve all read good books. And we can all imagine a good banquet. Right? Good food, good company, good evening.
Now imagine the most unique and exquisite banquet you can think of; one with impossibly rich and varied dishes, and with sentient centrepieces that predict the future but only sometimes tell the truth; a banquet where the wine tastes like hope and the sausage rolls smell like betrayal and the ambient hum of conversation sounds like an argument and a marriage proposal and a promise of violence and thunder, and where everything is made more real by the dark riveting rainbow-coloured music of Frohock’s prose.
Dammit. Now I’m hungry. And also a little bit confused.
Basically, what I’m trying to say is that T. Frohock is a damn fine writer who uses damn fine prose to tell a damn fine story.
Go and check out her stuff. Right now.
But it’s sadly inevitable (inedible, too – sorry Dudders) that for every Mark Lawrence or Robin Hobb there are a thousand other writers striving to make a name for themselves - lots of whom are probably just as talented, and some perhaps even more so. In the struggle against obscurity, this means that many equally-deserving authors are overlooked by those caught in the gravitational field of the ‘big names.’ And while I’m in no way saying that those successful few are unfairly hogging the spotlight, I am suggesting that sampling the work of lesser-known writers may prove to be less of a gamble than you might think.
T. Frohock is by no means a newbie to the writing game: her debut novel, Miserere, was published by Night Shade back in 2011 and garnered a relatively small but loyal following. However, Miserere was (erroneously) marketed as religious and YA fiction, neither of which accurately reflect the novel’s content or target audience. Religion features heavily in the story, but it certainly isn’t a ‘religious’ novel: Frohock wasn’t writing from a religious perspective so much as borrowing imagery from lots of existing religions in order to create a vivid and fantastical setting for her dark (and sometimes brutal) tale.
Miserere is a surreal and enjoyable read that unfortunately still remains beneath the shadow of obscurity. Since its release Frohock has continued to weave dark fantasy into real-life religion and history. Her three most recent novellas – In Midnight’s Silence, Without Light or Guide, and The Second Death – have just been published together as Los Nefilim. This wonderful collection is a joy to read: each novella flows seamlessly into the next to form a well-rounded and well-plotted story in three beautifully-titled parts.
A superbly dark and atmospheric fantasy set in 1930s Barcelona, Los Nefilim is a captivating tale of eternal conflict between angels and demons. First off, let me clarify that even though it’s set in pre-WW2 Spain I hesitate in calling Los Nefilim ‘historical fantasy’. The reason for this is that although the historical context has some relevance to the events, and although the settings are consistently vivid and immersive, I feel as though the story itself transcends both time and place: Frohock weaves her tale with admirable finesse using the colourful and tightly-knit threads of her protagonists, who - despite being vividly drawn - are so sympathetic it’s possible to imagine their situation happening anywhere, any time, and to anyone.
Los Nefilim is centred around the character Diago, a troubled but immensely likeable Nephilim of mixed angelic and daimonic descent. Diago and his partner, Miquel, have been devoted to one another for centuries, but both their loyalty and livelihood are threatened when the escalating supernatural war invades their personal lives. Diago and Miquel’s relationship defines – and is defined by – events, and is inseparable from the story itself. Frohock succeeds in pulling the reader deep into Diago’s world: a realm of harsh decisions, few of which can be made without endangering either his lover or his cause.
The best part is that the author doesn’t bash us over the head with the internal ‘true-love-vs.-greater-good’ conflict. Los Nefilim are the very embodiment of human nature in all its shades of grey; and nothing is ever so simple as ‘good vs. evil,’ even when angels are involved.
Especially when angels are involved.
Just as well, then, that the heroes of Los Nefilim are deep, fully-rounded characters who are far too complex to be defined simply by which master they serve; or, for that matter, by their sexuality. Issues of gender are neither downplayed nor dwelt on, and the fact that Diago and Miquel are both men is but a natural part of the story.
(In fact, the author’s egalitarian approach to gender holds up a mirror to our own lives in the least patronising way possible. Simply put, Frohock shows us a society where men are just as vulnerable as women, and often suffer in silence because of unequal and arbitrary gender expectations. She shows us a society in which men are just as likely as women to experience rape, and verbal abuse, and sexual harassment - a fact we all need to recognise and empathise with.)
On the surface, Los Nefilim could also be regarded as a moral tale about overcoming intolerance: the Nephilim’s secret war does indeed serve as a clever analogy for how homosexuality was stifled beneath the stigma of a god-fearing society. But while this is without doubt a huge part of the story, in my opinion it’s actually far subtler than that. Great speechifiers and glorious martyrs our protagonists ain’t: they are heroes of necessity, not intent. And Frohock doesn’t idealise Diago and Miquel’s relationship so much as naturalise it. Their connection is shown through understated dialogue and non-verbal interactions, and by the gradual emergence of both men’s paternal instincts as they work hard to create a harmonious family unit for Diago’s son.
For me this was a huge relief. In the past I’ve pointed out more than a few female writers who draw on shallow stereotypes of sexual promiscuity and unequal partnerships in an attempt to portray same-sex male couples. Thankfully, Frohock avoids this entirely: she doesn’t ‘write gay characters’; she writes characters who happen to be gay. Contrary to stereotypical beliefs - and exactly like couples of any orientation - Miquel and Diago don’t hump like rabbits, nor are they joined at the hip. And their relationship might be the pivot on which the events of Los Nefilim turn . . . but no one can accuse the story of being ‘too romantic’.
Frohock writes with precision and balance, and the result is a faultless blend of beauty and brutality, cruelty and love, action and reaction forming a story that is pleasantly complex and satisfying. She lets us hear colours and see music. Her prose is wonderfully lyrical, yet functional. Unlike yours truly, Frohock isn’t one to waffle: she uses the minimum amount of words to say what she needs to say in the most beautiful way possible.
Bear with me. I’m going to try and explain better using an overcomplicated and probably inappropriate metaphor.
Imagine that books are like . . . banquets. No, really: the table is the plot, the tablecloths the setting, the food the story and the centrepiece the characters. Or something.
We’ve all read good books. And we can all imagine a good banquet. Right? Good food, good company, good evening.
Now imagine the most unique and exquisite banquet you can think of; one with impossibly rich and varied dishes, and with sentient centrepieces that predict the future but only sometimes tell the truth; a banquet where the wine tastes like hope and the sausage rolls smell like betrayal and the ambient hum of conversation sounds like an argument and a marriage proposal and a promise of violence and thunder, and where everything is made more real by the dark riveting rainbow-coloured music of Frohock’s prose.
Dammit. Now I’m hungry. And also a little bit confused.
Basically, what I’m trying to say is that T. Frohock is a damn fine writer who uses damn fine prose to tell a damn fine story.
Go and check out her stuff. Right now.
Read
May 22, 2022“Love is a gift that’s given. Trust is a coin that’s earned.”
So What’s It About?
Diago Alvarez, a singular being of daimonic and angelic descent, is pulled into the ranks of Los Nefilim in order to protect his newly-found son. As an angelic war brews in the numinous realms, and Spain marches closer to civil war, the destiny of two worlds hangs on Diago’s actions. Yet it is the combined fates of his lover, Miquel, and his young son, Rafael, that weighs most heavily on his soul.
Lyrical and magical, Los Nefilim explores whether moving towards the light is necessarily the right move, and what it means to live amongst the shadows.
What I Thought
It’s clear that these novellas are very well-loved by a lot of people whose book opinions I really respect, and now that I’ve read them myself, I can definitely see why. My final rating is 3.5 stars, and it isn’t higher for those mysterious, inexplicable reasons that some books just don’t entirely resonate for some people - while I do have a few quibbles, I don't think those quibbles are why I didn't enjoy it more. It just wasn't totally for me.
The quibbles: a lot of really important explanations about the world are only revealed in the third novella, which leaves some things feeling very vague until then. For instance, we learn about the Key, angels’ vocal words, how angels and daimons feed on the emotions of mortals, and the principalities in the last part of the last book. I wish I had known these things earlier. I was also itching to learn more about all the immortals’ past lives, because we get occasional mentions of really dramatic things like Guillermo killing Diago in his past incarnation and how drastically things have changed between them and how Diago and Miquel met, but they’re only touched on lightly. Hopefully, there will be more about these things in the future books. And while I love that there’s a solid and established gay couple at the heart of this story and the development of their little family with Diago’s son is incredibly sweet, I would say that the romance itself feels a little bit one-note in that it mostly consists of Miquel constantly reassuring and taking care of Diago.
My favorite things about this book are the inventive mythology, the great use of an atmospheric historical setting, and the exploration of Diago's rape. I think this latter one is really interesting. Miquel is actually the one who first identifies what Candela did to Diago as rape, and previous to that, Diago simply blamed himself for" losing control" and betraying his partner. There are a lot of people who still fail to categorize a man being forced to penetrate someone else as “real” sexual assault, just like Lucia in this story, and many of the male survivors I talk to struggle to label their experiences just like Diago does. I respect that Frohock addressed this reality as effectively as she did.
So What’s It About?
Diago Alvarez, a singular being of daimonic and angelic descent, is pulled into the ranks of Los Nefilim in order to protect his newly-found son. As an angelic war brews in the numinous realms, and Spain marches closer to civil war, the destiny of two worlds hangs on Diago’s actions. Yet it is the combined fates of his lover, Miquel, and his young son, Rafael, that weighs most heavily on his soul.
Lyrical and magical, Los Nefilim explores whether moving towards the light is necessarily the right move, and what it means to live amongst the shadows.
What I Thought
It’s clear that these novellas are very well-loved by a lot of people whose book opinions I really respect, and now that I’ve read them myself, I can definitely see why. My final rating is 3.5 stars, and it isn’t higher for those mysterious, inexplicable reasons that some books just don’t entirely resonate for some people - while I do have a few quibbles, I don't think those quibbles are why I didn't enjoy it more. It just wasn't totally for me.
The quibbles: a lot of really important explanations about the world are only revealed in the third novella, which leaves some things feeling very vague until then. For instance, we learn about the Key, angels’ vocal words, how angels and daimons feed on the emotions of mortals, and the principalities in the last part of the last book. I wish I had known these things earlier. I was also itching to learn more about all the immortals’ past lives, because we get occasional mentions of really dramatic things like Guillermo killing Diago in his past incarnation and how drastically things have changed between them and how Diago and Miquel met, but they’re only touched on lightly. Hopefully, there will be more about these things in the future books. And while I love that there’s a solid and established gay couple at the heart of this story and the development of their little family with Diago’s son is incredibly sweet, I would say that the romance itself feels a little bit one-note in that it mostly consists of Miquel constantly reassuring and taking care of Diago.
My favorite things about this book are the inventive mythology, the great use of an atmospheric historical setting, and the exploration of Diago's rape. I think this latter one is really interesting. Miquel is actually the one who first identifies what Candela did to Diago as rape, and previous to that, Diago simply blamed himself for" losing control" and betraying his partner. There are a lot of people who still fail to categorize a man being forced to penetrate someone else as “real” sexual assault, just like Lucia in this story, and many of the male survivors I talk to struggle to label their experiences just like Diago does. I respect that Frohock addressed this reality as effectively as she did.
July 9, 2023
Real Rating: 4.75* of five
Novellas on a single strand of a larger supernatural story-verse that is parallel to the Spanish Civil War. I didn't expect to get so hooked so fast. The MCs are a gay couple in a homophobic culture but are also protected, in a very real way, by the example of The Big Boss of their Scooby group, Los Nefilim. He trusts and loves them as the people they are. His example affords them sanctuary but the undercurrents of past troubles in even his loving acceptance makes the ground feel shaky sometimes.
All of these things twine their way around the action of the story in a very real-feeling way... it's a good trick to make the world feel precarious for the men doing their best to overcome their own traumas while making a difference in the world as we the readers are just learning that it is.
The novellas trace the roots of the Spanish Civil War to civil war in the supernatural realms. It's complex and the author tosses you right in and expects you to figure it out. I like in medias res as a technique but be forewarned that you need to put in the effort to follow where Author Frohock leads.
It's totally worth your eyeblinks and your gold. Diago, Miquel, and young Rafael are a family we really want to see thrive... and there is nothing wasted in the world-building. That's a hint for you to pay attention to the details... they will pay off. On to the first novel in the series!
Novellas on a single strand of a larger supernatural story-verse that is parallel to the Spanish Civil War. I didn't expect to get so hooked so fast. The MCs are a gay couple in a homophobic culture but are also protected, in a very real way, by the example of The Big Boss of their Scooby group, Los Nefilim. He trusts and loves them as the people they are. His example affords them sanctuary but the undercurrents of past troubles in even his loving acceptance makes the ground feel shaky sometimes.
All of these things twine their way around the action of the story in a very real-feeling way... it's a good trick to make the world feel precarious for the men doing their best to overcome their own traumas while making a difference in the world as we the readers are just learning that it is.
The novellas trace the roots of the Spanish Civil War to civil war in the supernatural realms. It's complex and the author tosses you right in and expects you to figure it out. I like in medias res as a technique but be forewarned that you need to put in the effort to follow where Author Frohock leads.
It's totally worth your eyeblinks and your gold. Diago, Miquel, and young Rafael are a family we really want to see thrive... and there is nothing wasted in the world-building. That's a hint for you to pay attention to the details... they will pay off. On to the first novel in the series!
May 26, 2016
I loved it!
I will certainly look into other books written by T. Frohock.
I will certainly look into other books written by T. Frohock.
October 30, 2019
Five reason to read this this masterpiece:
1. An enchanting mix of elements
Los Nefilim is a perfect blend of the fantastical and the real. Set in 1930’s Spain, it follows Diago as he battles to find his place as both angels and daimons vie for his loyalty or try to take it by force. There’s mystery and angelic battles and dark magic. There’s an old school vibe/glam to it that draws you in. It doesn’t fit squarely in one genre and it’s perfect for it.
2. Engrossing without hopelessness
Los Nefilim draws you in and keeps you riveted without leaving you feeling like the heroes are never going to succeed. I��ve read and loved books like that but sometimes it’s tiring reading books where the MCs can never win or where they’re endlessly suffering. Los Nefilim has high stakes and is intense but without leaving you feeling like it’s all pointless if everything is always going to shit anyway.
3. Established relationship
I don’t know why I like this particular element in books but it’s just so nice?? I just really loved that Diago and Miquel were already in a committed relationship. They’re married, they love each and it’s never in doubt and, although there are some things that happen that do bring challenges for them, they’re in it together.
4. Magic through music
I really loved Frohock’s take on angels, daimons and their magic. In Los Nefilim magic is woven through music (and dance). Through music they are able to draw the sigils needed to cast magic and harmonising with others strengthens the magic, making for some powerful scenes.
5. Soft men who are allowed to be vulnerable
We love non-toxic masculinity. That’s not to say there aren’t some arseholes in the book but the main characters are so wonderfully drawn. They are allowed to be vulnerable and hurt and emotional without it being condemned. Guillermo doesn’t hesitate to show his care and love for Diago, Miquel and those under his charge without having to include bro-ish slaps on the back. The love Diago has for Rafael & Miquel are where he draws the strength of his magic from. Diago is given the space to start to come to terms with the abuse he suffered without him being seen as weak or not man enough for having been through it. It’s so lovely to see and read.
This is a small and incomplete list of reasons to read Los Nefilim but I highly recommend you do, it’s a wonderful series full of characters you’ll love.
This review and more can be found at https://wildheartreads.wordpress.com/
1. An enchanting mix of elements
Los Nefilim is a perfect blend of the fantastical and the real. Set in 1930’s Spain, it follows Diago as he battles to find his place as both angels and daimons vie for his loyalty or try to take it by force. There’s mystery and angelic battles and dark magic. There’s an old school vibe/glam to it that draws you in. It doesn’t fit squarely in one genre and it’s perfect for it.
2. Engrossing without hopelessness
Los Nefilim draws you in and keeps you riveted without leaving you feeling like the heroes are never going to succeed. I��ve read and loved books like that but sometimes it’s tiring reading books where the MCs can never win or where they’re endlessly suffering. Los Nefilim has high stakes and is intense but without leaving you feeling like it’s all pointless if everything is always going to shit anyway.
3. Established relationship
I don’t know why I like this particular element in books but it’s just so nice?? I just really loved that Diago and Miquel were already in a committed relationship. They’re married, they love each and it’s never in doubt and, although there are some things that happen that do bring challenges for them, they’re in it together.
4. Magic through music
I really loved Frohock’s take on angels, daimons and their magic. In Los Nefilim magic is woven through music (and dance). Through music they are able to draw the sigils needed to cast magic and harmonising with others strengthens the magic, making for some powerful scenes.
5. Soft men who are allowed to be vulnerable
We love non-toxic masculinity. That’s not to say there aren’t some arseholes in the book but the main characters are so wonderfully drawn. They are allowed to be vulnerable and hurt and emotional without it being condemned. Guillermo doesn’t hesitate to show his care and love for Diago, Miquel and those under his charge without having to include bro-ish slaps on the back. The love Diago has for Rafael & Miquel are where he draws the strength of his magic from. Diago is given the space to start to come to terms with the abuse he suffered without him being seen as weak or not man enough for having been through it. It’s so lovely to see and read.
This is a small and incomplete list of reasons to read Los Nefilim but I highly recommend you do, it’s a wonderful series full of characters you’ll love.
“He had his family, his family of bears, and together, they would roar.”
This review and more can be found at https://wildheartreads.wordpress.com/
October 27, 2016
This is a well written and exciting series of novellas. While it is mostly adventure, there is a gay romance theme that runs through it. I don't normally care for any kind of m/m, but I loved how there was more character building and relationship than rolling around in bed. It's truly refreshing.
October 24, 2018
Actual rating: 5.00
I bought these novella's as an ebook this year, but they were so amazingly good, I had to have them in hard copy to fit with the upcoming new books.
I bought these novella's as an ebook this year, but they were so amazingly good, I had to have them in hard copy to fit with the upcoming new books.
July 17, 2016
3 stars for the beginning, 5 stars for the end and 4 stars for the middle.
I had a hard time getting into this one. It started with a slow pace and felt like not much was happening. Also the timeframe and setting took me a while to settle into.
Once I found my way into the story, I was sucked into the world of the Nefilim and needed to know what happens next.
For my personal taste there was a bit much of a focus on emotions, feelings and bonds between family and friends - but that is purely due to personal taste, so no started missing for that.
I liked that the main protagonist is married to another male, and while it IS a topic of the novel, the author doesn't make it a big deal for the reader. It didn't feel like it was there to educate one, or to change ones mind while reading, but rather as a natural part of the story. (Also, no sex scenes whatsoever as a plus for my pet peeve!)
The idea of angels and demons is of course not new, but in this story it was put into a completely different view through the eyes of the Nefilim, so it felt unique and had me interested all the way through.
In the last of the the stories things come to a head in a quite action packed ending compared with the rest of the book. I was devouring the pages to get to know if and how they might find their way out of the situation! It didn't feel like everybody was safe and would surely get to the end.
If you are looking for an alternate setting, and a story that is not just one section scene after the other, but focuses more on the relationships between characters, morals, history, second chances and still has quite some action packed into fighting scenes then this is definitely worth a look!
I had a hard time getting into this one. It started with a slow pace and felt like not much was happening. Also the timeframe and setting took me a while to settle into.
Once I found my way into the story, I was sucked into the world of the Nefilim and needed to know what happens next.
For my personal taste there was a bit much of a focus on emotions, feelings and bonds between family and friends - but that is purely due to personal taste, so no started missing for that.
I liked that the main protagonist is married to another male, and while it IS a topic of the novel, the author doesn't make it a big deal for the reader. It didn't feel like it was there to educate one, or to change ones mind while reading, but rather as a natural part of the story. (Also, no sex scenes whatsoever as a plus for my pet peeve!)
The idea of angels and demons is of course not new, but in this story it was put into a completely different view through the eyes of the Nefilim, so it felt unique and had me interested all the way through.
In the last of the the stories things come to a head in a quite action packed ending compared with the rest of the book. I was devouring the pages to get to know if and how they might find their way out of the situation! It didn't feel like everybody was safe and would surely get to the end.
If you are looking for an alternate setting, and a story that is not just one section scene after the other, but focuses more on the relationships between characters, morals, history, second chances and still has quite some action packed into fighting scenes then this is definitely worth a look!
Read
November 11, 2019If you enjoy the Los Nefilim omnibus, the first Los Nefilim novel, Where Oblivion Lives is available now, and the second novel in the series, Carved from Stone and Dream is coming February 2020--watch for them ...
April 22, 2019
An omnibus of one of my favorite series ever.
May 31, 2019
A beautifully written story with delightful twists of thrill that will leave the readers wanting for more. I immensely enjoyed Frohock's world of angels, demons, and the nephilim. This is supernatural fantasy with a delicate finesse that balances action, character development, the ethical and existential consciousness that lies beneath the surface of all great stories. This is marketed as an omnibus edition of three novellas, but, in my opinion they are three parts of the same book, and hence I will call this a novel.
The setting of the plot is in the 1930s Barcelona, and Frohock evokes the era with a historian's eye. She doesn't indulge in details, but her manner is precise, and she flips between places along with her characters with a dancer's grace. I delighted in how the supernatural is depicted, along with the angels, demons, the different factions of the nefilim with their own intrigues, personal agendas, and play for power and politics in the mortal realm in an eternal shadowy conflict. I liked the idea of magic being focused through music, glyphs and songs into deadly effect, which was skillfully weaved into the narrative and its action.
The characters are as I love. They possess the emotional depth, have their own insecurities, and are flawed and complex in their own ways, not much different from the humans, despite their angelic and daemonic heritage. And, Frohock deserves credit and praise for writing the most adorable Queer duo - Diago and Micquel. They have a strong chemistry rooted in faith, trust, love and understanding for each other. The other supporting characters like Guillermo, Juanita, Rafael are all depicted in a lively manner, who possess goodness, strength, courage, and a deep sense of friendship that binds them all together. In fact, they are individuals with whom you will want to hang up with your whole life.
The novel was like spending dinnertime with family and friends in a autumn party, warm and bittersweet at the same time. The ending was brilliant. I loved every moment of it. Most important message of this book is about love, love being the only thing that holds the world together despite the death, terror, and violence that surround the world. Love is the only religion that holds the light of humanity. I can't wait to dive straight into Where Oblivion Lives, and get to know more about the dark and magical lives of Diago, Miquel, Rafael, and Guillermo.
The setting of the plot is in the 1930s Barcelona, and Frohock evokes the era with a historian's eye. She doesn't indulge in details, but her manner is precise, and she flips between places along with her characters with a dancer's grace. I delighted in how the supernatural is depicted, along with the angels, demons, the different factions of the nefilim with their own intrigues, personal agendas, and play for power and politics in the mortal realm in an eternal shadowy conflict. I liked the idea of magic being focused through music, glyphs and songs into deadly effect, which was skillfully weaved into the narrative and its action.
The characters are as I love. They possess the emotional depth, have their own insecurities, and are flawed and complex in their own ways, not much different from the humans, despite their angelic and daemonic heritage. And, Frohock deserves credit and praise for writing the most adorable Queer duo - Diago and Micquel. They have a strong chemistry rooted in faith, trust, love and understanding for each other. The other supporting characters like Guillermo, Juanita, Rafael are all depicted in a lively manner, who possess goodness, strength, courage, and a deep sense of friendship that binds them all together. In fact, they are individuals with whom you will want to hang up with your whole life.
The novel was like spending dinnertime with family and friends in a autumn party, warm and bittersweet at the same time. The ending was brilliant. I loved every moment of it. Most important message of this book is about love, love being the only thing that holds the world together despite the death, terror, and violence that surround the world. Love is the only religion that holds the light of humanity. I can't wait to dive straight into Where Oblivion Lives, and get to know more about the dark and magical lives of Diago, Miquel, Rafael, and Guillermo.
November 5, 2021
Yes, that hit the spot. An enjoyable and very different fantasy read, and I do like ‘different’.
It’s set in early 1930’s Spain (specifically Barcelona) before the civil war but the tensions leading to forthcoming human conflicts there, and elsewhere in the world, are already in the air. A tale of the conflicts involving angels, daemons and especially their offspring, The Nefilim, who are based in the human world. It seems human wars are a reflection of what’s happening in the supernatural realms.
The world building is excellent. We gradually get to know who the Nefilim are, their links to angels and daemons, and the rivalries and power games at play in all these arenas. It is a character rich story and relationships between lovers, family and friends are as important as the action. It is also a tense thriller with plenty of daring acts and conflict, in Barcelona and in the magical realms that can be accessed from there.
Mention of angels and daemons might conjure up a conventionally Christian religious mythology but it’s only distantly related. There’s no doubt that the forces associated with the daemons are dark indeed, but the angelic side, itself riven with conflict, is pretty ruthless in pursuit of its goals, with human or Nefilim deaths being acceptable collateral damage. And neither angels or daemons are beyond torturing or killing opponents!
I couldn’t resist looking for the foundations of this original storyline and an online search shows that the Nephilim are borrowed from sparse biblical references to mysterious giants or fallen angels! So it seems that certain biblical characters and mythology are used here to create magical aspects to the story without identifying itself as a battle of conventionally religious ‘good and evil’. Very clever and novel world-building.
This book is an amalgamation of three once separate novellas forming a prequel to the next full length Los Nefilim book, which I’m planning to move onto next.
The only downside for me, and it’s a minor one linked to my personal tastes in magical fantasy, is the scale of the magical conflicts, with Nefilim, angels and daemons battling at critical moments with powerful magical songs and symbols. I tend to go more for ‘magic-lite’ stories though to be fair they're also liable to use guns, knives and fists! But if you go for magical battles you’ll be at home here.
Absorbing and different, so a plus side of 4.5* from me.
It’s set in early 1930’s Spain (specifically Barcelona) before the civil war but the tensions leading to forthcoming human conflicts there, and elsewhere in the world, are already in the air. A tale of the conflicts involving angels, daemons and especially their offspring, The Nefilim, who are based in the human world. It seems human wars are a reflection of what’s happening in the supernatural realms.
The world building is excellent. We gradually get to know who the Nefilim are, their links to angels and daemons, and the rivalries and power games at play in all these arenas. It is a character rich story and relationships between lovers, family and friends are as important as the action. It is also a tense thriller with plenty of daring acts and conflict, in Barcelona and in the magical realms that can be accessed from there.
Mention of angels and daemons might conjure up a conventionally Christian religious mythology but it’s only distantly related. There’s no doubt that the forces associated with the daemons are dark indeed, but the angelic side, itself riven with conflict, is pretty ruthless in pursuit of its goals, with human or Nefilim deaths being acceptable collateral damage. And neither angels or daemons are beyond torturing or killing opponents!
I couldn’t resist looking for the foundations of this original storyline and an online search shows that the Nephilim are borrowed from sparse biblical references to mysterious giants or fallen angels! So it seems that certain biblical characters and mythology are used here to create magical aspects to the story without identifying itself as a battle of conventionally religious ‘good and evil’. Very clever and novel world-building.
This book is an amalgamation of three once separate novellas forming a prequel to the next full length Los Nefilim book, which I’m planning to move onto next.
The only downside for me, and it’s a minor one linked to my personal tastes in magical fantasy, is the scale of the magical conflicts, with Nefilim, angels and daemons battling at critical moments with powerful magical songs and symbols. I tend to go more for ‘magic-lite’ stories though to be fair they're also liable to use guns, knives and fists! But if you go for magical battles you’ll be at home here.
Absorbing and different, so a plus side of 4.5* from me.
October 29, 2019
This review and others can be read on my blog, Black Forest Basilisks.
This was my second time reading this novella collection, and I have to say: it absolutely lived up to every wonderful memory of my first read. There were many small flourishes and touches that passed me by the first time, and it was a joy and a pleasure to notice and appreciate them this go around.
Up until I read Los Nefilim, I had never considered myself a fan of urban or historical fantasy. I’ve read and enjoyed a couple one-offs like The Golem and the Jinni, sure, but it was never a genre I actively sought out. Reading this book gave me a full-blown identity crisis. I utterly ADORED these novellas. I ate them up. They were wonderful. I loved the setting, I loved the characters, I loved the writing! I suddenly had to reevaluate just what it was I loved about the fantasy genre as a whole. At the end of the day, I realized, I’m much more engaged with how fantasy is used to augment and alter a setting and less with whether the book contains elements based on reality. Books like The Poppy War mirror reality and heavily borrow on history - is that truly so different from “true” historical fantasy? Is it right to draw the line in the sand at, “well, it’s not REALITY because the names are different!”? At one point, I might well have stood by that line. No longer.
Los Nefilim is an omnibus of three novellas, all set in 1930s Spain. Each novella is a piece of the overall story, and feel more like “parts” than they do independent stories. Los Nefilim has the distinct feel and structure of a novel to it. Although it technically falls under historical fantasy due to this timeline, it has a distinctly urban fantasy feel due to how it incorporates city life and the interplay between the magical and the mundane. It includes In Midnight’s Silence, Without Light or Guide, and The Second Death. In the Los Nefilim universe, angels and demons have waged war for centuries using their offspring, nefilim, as foot soldiers. Diago Alvarez, a unique nefil of both angelic and demonic descent, is drawn into their war against his will. In order to save his son, he joins Los Nephilim – an order of nefil dedicated to serving the angels. Diago soon finds that the fate of not only Spain, but that of the world may be at stake. While this book is based on Christian lore, this is not a “religious” novel any moreso than most books based on Greek mythology are. It’s an incredibly creative take on how angels vs demons might play out, with multiple factions on either side vying for power.
The magic of the nefilim is music-based, which we don’t see nearly enough of in fantasy. The nefilim are able to form sigils by harmonizing individually and with one another, which can be used to influence mortals, create dramatic physical effects, and a variety of other things. Angels, who have three sets of vocal chords, are able to create significantly more powerful and dramatic effects. It’s a bit nebulous and has a feel of the fantastic to it; it’s uncertain just what their magic might be capable of. I enjoyed having this bit of mystery; while I do enjoy hard magic a la Sanderson, it’s a joy to have a well-done soft magic system with explanation but not necessarily limitation. Watching the nefilim and angels interact with and use their magic on mortals and the mortal world is both incredibly interesting and exemplifies the best characteristics of urban fantasy.
The story behind why Frohock chose this particular magic system is even better, in my opinion. Frohock is deaf, although she did not begin to lose her hearing until around the age of 12. When asked about her magic system in one of the r/fantasy hosted AMAs, she cites the descriptions of angelic voices in religious texts. This, in conjunction with having run across an article on chromesthesia (the ability to “see” sound as color - this is a subset of synesthesia) formed the foundation of her system. As an adult, one of the things she misses most is being able to listen to music. I highly encourage a glance at her AMA for additional information!
Diago Alvarez, our protagonist, is the character who made this book a particular favorite. While it still would have been well done without him, the delicacy with which he’s written is bar-none. In an era long before LGBT+ rights exist, Diago is a bisexual young man with a gay partner. Although they cannot legally marry given the laws and social customs at the time, both wear rings as symbols of their commitment to one another. Their romance is both endearing and heartwarming; it’s not about them being two gay/bi men together, it’s about them being partners.
Diago at one point experienced being raped by an angel, and his emotions along with Miquel’s response felt genuine and true to life. As someone who at one point was a victim of sexual abuse, I think it’s so, so important to have examples such as this for victims to contextualize their experiences. Not everyone has a flight or fight response – some people get stuck with freeze or fawn (the two lesser-known “F” responses). Seeing the fawn response in media with an explanation of the manipulation that went along with it both broke my heart even as I was thrilled to see it. When Candela took advantage of Diago, his emotional defense was to pretend it was all right, to fawn over Candela, to attempt to make her happy both due to the magic she used on him and as a method of making what was happening to him “okay.” I dearly wished I’d read this back when my own wounds were still fresh and I was blaming myself; I think reading about Diago would have helped me to accept myself and my actions much sooner if I had. This is definitely one of my own ‘pet’ issues, if you will, so books that do this well tend to immediately jump up in my estimation.
Miquel, upon learning about Candela, is first dubious - this happened while they were together. He is concerned that Diago had an affair. As it becomes clear that Diago was not a willing participant in this and never had an opportunity to stop it or so no, Miquel’s conflicted emotions focus in and become pure anger. Rage that an angel would do this to his partner, and anger that Diago must now carry this burden forever. Miquel does everything he can to support Diago and help him move through this realization - he is such a wonderful, healthy representation of how to support a partner during a time of trauma. He does not push, but he nudges, he supports, he provides the ballast and structure Diago needs even as they face yet another challenge in this already difficult time: Diago wasn’t merely raped. He was also forced to father a son.
The two come together immediately to support the child, Rafael. Their interactions with him are just the cutest thing. They have an ongoing joke about being a family of bears that just makes me melt. Rafael happily accepts the affection of his two fathers – he��s more concerned about whether they’ll let him have that adorable kitten he wants than he is about them both being men. Rafael is an absolute sweetie. He also plays an integral role in the plot, and even has several point of view chapters when he is separated from his papas. It’s unusual to see children have such a major role within a book’s plot or to see parenting be brought to the forefront, and this is an especially good representation of both these things. Despite the abuse he’s suffered, Rafael has a pure, good soul - and hopes desperately for love and acceptance from his new family. He struggles with the coping mechanisms he’s had to learn in the past, and slowly develops new, healthier methods of relating to those around him. No longer must he fear beatings, no longer does he need to have a lie or excuse ready at hand. Diago and Miquel love him as he should be loved, and with that comes support and trust.
And on a final note, the prose! Prosey books are my absolute favorites, and Frohock’s writing is simply stunning. It’s hard to say exactly how she manages it, but something about her sentence structures simply evoke the essence of Spain and the Spanish language. Perhaps it’s the word choice? Perhaps it’s all in the phrasing? In any case, it makes the world come alive in a way that mere descriptions could not manage. She sprinkles in a few Spanish phrases (fear not, for they are translated in the text… no need to have Google Translate handy) that are the cherry on top, cinching the already tight prose into an even more seamless result.
I’d be hard pressed to point to a single thing I disliked in any of these novellas. T. Frohock has created an outstanding world with even better characters. This book is one that’s filled with good, genuine people who all do their best to stand by one another even in impossible circumstances. I would recommend it to absolutely anyone.
If you enjoyed this review, please consider reading others like it on my blog, Black Forest Basilisks.
This was my second time reading this novella collection, and I have to say: it absolutely lived up to every wonderful memory of my first read. There were many small flourishes and touches that passed me by the first time, and it was a joy and a pleasure to notice and appreciate them this go around.
Up until I read Los Nefilim, I had never considered myself a fan of urban or historical fantasy. I’ve read and enjoyed a couple one-offs like The Golem and the Jinni, sure, but it was never a genre I actively sought out. Reading this book gave me a full-blown identity crisis. I utterly ADORED these novellas. I ate them up. They were wonderful. I loved the setting, I loved the characters, I loved the writing! I suddenly had to reevaluate just what it was I loved about the fantasy genre as a whole. At the end of the day, I realized, I’m much more engaged with how fantasy is used to augment and alter a setting and less with whether the book contains elements based on reality. Books like The Poppy War mirror reality and heavily borrow on history - is that truly so different from “true” historical fantasy? Is it right to draw the line in the sand at, “well, it’s not REALITY because the names are different!”? At one point, I might well have stood by that line. No longer.
Los Nefilim is an omnibus of three novellas, all set in 1930s Spain. Each novella is a piece of the overall story, and feel more like “parts” than they do independent stories. Los Nefilim has the distinct feel and structure of a novel to it. Although it technically falls under historical fantasy due to this timeline, it has a distinctly urban fantasy feel due to how it incorporates city life and the interplay between the magical and the mundane. It includes In Midnight’s Silence, Without Light or Guide, and The Second Death. In the Los Nefilim universe, angels and demons have waged war for centuries using their offspring, nefilim, as foot soldiers. Diago Alvarez, a unique nefil of both angelic and demonic descent, is drawn into their war against his will. In order to save his son, he joins Los Nephilim – an order of nefil dedicated to serving the angels. Diago soon finds that the fate of not only Spain, but that of the world may be at stake. While this book is based on Christian lore, this is not a “religious” novel any moreso than most books based on Greek mythology are. It’s an incredibly creative take on how angels vs demons might play out, with multiple factions on either side vying for power.
‘To any human who happened to glance at him, he appeared as a beautiful man with long silver hair pulled into ponytail that cascaded down his back. A closer look revealed that he had only four fingers on each hand. Safe within his lair, he made no attempt to hide his feet, which resembled the clawed talons of a raptor. Thick fur covered his ankles and disappeared beneath the seams of his pants. The eyes were the worst. Great crimson orbs shot through with streams of silver. He possessed no pupils, no whites.’
The magic of the nefilim is music-based, which we don’t see nearly enough of in fantasy. The nefilim are able to form sigils by harmonizing individually and with one another, which can be used to influence mortals, create dramatic physical effects, and a variety of other things. Angels, who have three sets of vocal chords, are able to create significantly more powerful and dramatic effects. It’s a bit nebulous and has a feel of the fantastic to it; it’s uncertain just what their magic might be capable of. I enjoyed having this bit of mystery; while I do enjoy hard magic a la Sanderson, it’s a joy to have a well-done soft magic system with explanation but not necessarily limitation. Watching the nefilim and angels interact with and use their magic on mortals and the mortal world is both incredibly interesting and exemplifies the best characteristics of urban fantasy.
The story behind why Frohock chose this particular magic system is even better, in my opinion. Frohock is deaf, although she did not begin to lose her hearing until around the age of 12. When asked about her magic system in one of the r/fantasy hosted AMAs, she cites the descriptions of angelic voices in religious texts. This, in conjunction with having run across an article on chromesthesia (the ability to “see” sound as color - this is a subset of synesthesia) formed the foundation of her system. As an adult, one of the things she misses most is being able to listen to music. I highly encourage a glance at her AMA for additional information!
Diago Alvarez, our protagonist, is the character who made this book a particular favorite. While it still would have been well done without him, the delicacy with which he’s written is bar-none. In an era long before LGBT+ rights exist, Diago is a bisexual young man with a gay partner. Although they cannot legally marry given the laws and social customs at the time, both wear rings as symbols of their commitment to one another. Their romance is both endearing and heartwarming; it’s not about them being two gay/bi men together, it’s about them being partners.
Diago at one point experienced being raped by an angel, and his emotions along with Miquel’s response felt genuine and true to life. As someone who at one point was a victim of sexual abuse, I think it’s so, so important to have examples such as this for victims to contextualize their experiences. Not everyone has a flight or fight response – some people get stuck with freeze or fawn (the two lesser-known “F” responses). Seeing the fawn response in media with an explanation of the manipulation that went along with it both broke my heart even as I was thrilled to see it. When Candela took advantage of Diago, his emotional defense was to pretend it was all right, to fawn over Candela, to attempt to make her happy both due to the magic she used on him and as a method of making what was happening to him “okay.” I dearly wished I’d read this back when my own wounds were still fresh and I was blaming myself; I think reading about Diago would have helped me to accept myself and my actions much sooner if I had. This is definitely one of my own ‘pet’ issues, if you will, so books that do this well tend to immediately jump up in my estimation.
‘Humiliation flushed his cheeks. He clenched the brass case in a white-knuckled grip. For days he had submitted to her attentions, and done all that she asked without question. He recalled the smell of the carnations she kept by her bed, the odor of rotten wood, and the sharp hard scent of tin. And then, one morning, she was gone. The little yellow snake lay dead on the windowsill, and Candela had disappeared as if she had never lived. Too late, Diago realized the serpent had been an enchantment. When Candela had achieved all that she desired, the spell broke, and the snake had died. She had made a fool of him. Ashamed of his culpability, he had never spoken of the tryst, not with Guillermo, and especially not to Miquel. Such a betrayal would have broken his heart. How did one explain an allure such as Candela’s, one that made Diago go against his very nature? The truth was complicated, and he had no faith in his ability to convey the misery he’d felt when he realized what he’d done. So he had hidden his sin behind lies of omission, because lies were easier.’
Miquel, upon learning about Candela, is first dubious - this happened while they were together. He is concerned that Diago had an affair. As it becomes clear that Diago was not a willing participant in this and never had an opportunity to stop it or so no, Miquel’s conflicted emotions focus in and become pure anger. Rage that an angel would do this to his partner, and anger that Diago must now carry this burden forever. Miquel does everything he can to support Diago and help him move through this realization - he is such a wonderful, healthy representation of how to support a partner during a time of trauma. He does not push, but he nudges, he supports, he provides the ballast and structure Diago needs even as they face yet another challenge in this already difficult time: Diago wasn’t merely raped. He was also forced to father a son.
‘“Is that true?” he asked. “Are you my papa?” Diago brushed a curl from the child’s eyelashes. The hope in Rafael’s eyes tore Diago’s heart.’
The two come together immediately to support the child, Rafael. Their interactions with him are just the cutest thing. They have an ongoing joke about being a family of bears that just makes me melt. Rafael happily accepts the affection of his two fathers – he��s more concerned about whether they’ll let him have that adorable kitten he wants than he is about them both being men. Rafael is an absolute sweetie. He also plays an integral role in the plot, and even has several point of view chapters when he is separated from his papas. It’s unusual to see children have such a major role within a book’s plot or to see parenting be brought to the forefront, and this is an especially good representation of both these things. Despite the abuse he’s suffered, Rafael has a pure, good soul - and hopes desperately for love and acceptance from his new family. He struggles with the coping mechanisms he’s had to learn in the past, and slowly develops new, healthier methods of relating to those around him. No longer must he fear beatings, no longer does he need to have a lie or excuse ready at hand. Diago and Miquel love him as he should be loved, and with that comes support and trust.
‘Instead of pulling away, Miquel hugged Rafael a little tighter. “I’m all right.” That was a grownup lie, like when Sister Benita said that she would forgive Rafael as long as he told the truth, but then punished him anyway. The only difference was that Rafael knew Miquel wasn’t trying to trick him, so he nodded even though he could see that Miquel wasn’t all right.’
And on a final note, the prose! Prosey books are my absolute favorites, and Frohock’s writing is simply stunning. It’s hard to say exactly how she manages it, but something about her sentence structures simply evoke the essence of Spain and the Spanish language. Perhaps it’s the word choice? Perhaps it’s all in the phrasing? In any case, it makes the world come alive in a way that mere descriptions could not manage. She sprinkles in a few Spanish phrases (fear not, for they are translated in the text… no need to have Google Translate handy) that are the cherry on top, cinching the already tight prose into an even more seamless result.
I’d be hard pressed to point to a single thing I disliked in any of these novellas. T. Frohock has created an outstanding world with even better characters. This book is one that’s filled with good, genuine people who all do their best to stand by one another even in impossible circumstances. I would recommend it to absolutely anyone.
If you enjoyed this review, please consider reading others like it on my blog, Black Forest Basilisks.
November 19, 2018
I read the first two Los Nefilim novellas a couple of years ago. They work a lot better as a single story, since it is a single story split into three parts, with each part having its own arc and climactic battle.
The main character is Diago, a nefil who is part angel and part daimon. He potentially bears the magical powers of both, and as a result both angels and daimons want to recruit him to their cause--by coercion, if necessary. Diago ends up swearing himself to a group of nefil in Spain called Los Nefilim.
Diago has a child named Rafael, who was conceived in an angelic rape. Rafael also naturally carries both bloods within him and already can do magic, so he's sought after by both sides as well. Diago and his lover Miquel do their level best to protect Rafael from the machinations of the angels, daimons, and nefil, with mixed success.
This small-scale dark fantasy is full of interesting politics and magic, battles with very personal stakes for the protagonist, some scary monsters--some more human-looking than others--and a loving and sweet central family who are easy to root for.
I'm looking forward to the full-length Los Nefilim novel, Where Oblivion Lives, which is coming out in a few months as of this writing.
The main character is Diago, a nefil who is part angel and part daimon. He potentially bears the magical powers of both, and as a result both angels and daimons want to recruit him to their cause--by coercion, if necessary. Diago ends up swearing himself to a group of nefil in Spain called Los Nefilim.
Diago has a child named Rafael, who was conceived in an angelic rape. Rafael also naturally carries both bloods within him and already can do magic, so he's sought after by both sides as well. Diago and his lover Miquel do their level best to protect Rafael from the machinations of the angels, daimons, and nefil, with mixed success.
This small-scale dark fantasy is full of interesting politics and magic, battles with very personal stakes for the protagonist, some scary monsters--some more human-looking than others--and a loving and sweet central family who are easy to root for.
I'm looking forward to the full-length Los Nefilim novel, Where Oblivion Lives, which is coming out in a few months as of this writing.
September 7, 2016
I'm not usually a fan of a story that feels as though it brings you in right in the middle of itself. I'm a bit anal that way. I like a tidy beginning, a middle and an end. I wasn't always like this, mind, but as I got older I got a bit more hidebound.
Sometimes, though, you run into a story that blows right past all the stupid barriers that you put up, that determine what you like and what you don't. Los Nefilim was that story for me. I picked it up because I'm intrigued by the idea of Nefilim. Plus, hey - hot guys being hot together? Well, I've a weakness or two.
Los Nefilim pulled me right in. There was a moment or two in the beginning where I felt a bit adrift - what's happening? What's going on? But the story answered those questions without ever breaking stride - or character.
And let me tell you about the characters. They're fantastic. Not perfect, not always right, frequently irritating but never in that way that made you want to put down the book, because in the end of it all? They were *real*.
And that is the thing that draws me into a story - any story. Books, TV, movies, you can have as thin a plot as you like. You can have cheap production values, and shoddy costumes, whatever. Just as long as the characters are real. Make me believe in them. Make me forget they're a story, that they're actors, bring them to life, and I'm yours.
Ms. Frohock does that with Diago, Miquel and Rafael. Sure, they're Nefilim with amazing powers. Sure the men are gorgeous and the kid is adorable. More than any of that, though, they feel real. When Miquel thinks about Diago, you can feel the love in him, how it shapes him, how it leads his thoughts, his actions. You can feel Diago's confusion and fear, his anger.You *understand*.
I may have puzzled a bit at the beginning, working out where the story was coming from, but right from the moment I met the characters I never puzzled at *them*. I got it. They were real, and their actions, their motivations - those were real too.
So, she had me right from the start. Ms. Frohock, though, delivers all the goods. There's no shabby plotting here, no mediocre nods to costuming or set. She's created a tightly-woven, intricate world into the world we already know. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting it for these three novellas, and I cannot wait for more.
Sometimes, though, you run into a story that blows right past all the stupid barriers that you put up, that determine what you like and what you don't. Los Nefilim was that story for me. I picked it up because I'm intrigued by the idea of Nefilim. Plus, hey - hot guys being hot together? Well, I've a weakness or two.
Los Nefilim pulled me right in. There was a moment or two in the beginning where I felt a bit adrift - what's happening? What's going on? But the story answered those questions without ever breaking stride - or character.
And let me tell you about the characters. They're fantastic. Not perfect, not always right, frequently irritating but never in that way that made you want to put down the book, because in the end of it all? They were *real*.
And that is the thing that draws me into a story - any story. Books, TV, movies, you can have as thin a plot as you like. You can have cheap production values, and shoddy costumes, whatever. Just as long as the characters are real. Make me believe in them. Make me forget they're a story, that they're actors, bring them to life, and I'm yours.
Ms. Frohock does that with Diago, Miquel and Rafael. Sure, they're Nefilim with amazing powers. Sure the men are gorgeous and the kid is adorable. More than any of that, though, they feel real. When Miquel thinks about Diago, you can feel the love in him, how it shapes him, how it leads his thoughts, his actions. You can feel Diago's confusion and fear, his anger.You *understand*.
I may have puzzled a bit at the beginning, working out where the story was coming from, but right from the moment I met the characters I never puzzled at *them*. I got it. They were real, and their actions, their motivations - those were real too.
So, she had me right from the start. Ms. Frohock, though, delivers all the goods. There's no shabby plotting here, no mediocre nods to costuming or set. She's created a tightly-woven, intricate world into the world we already know. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting it for these three novellas, and I cannot wait for more.
February 9, 2021
This is technically a reread as I've read all three novellas when they first came out 3-4 years ago. One of many things I loved about these stories was the historical setting (partly because I loved Ruiz Zafón's The Shadow of the Wind so much), and I just found this whole world of angels and daimons and nefilim to be fascinating. I'm also amused that certain scenes actually had less page time in reality than in my mind on a reread--sometimes they have such an impact that I remember them as being longer than they were). Another change since I last read these stories was that I became a father, so I absolutely loved the family scenes with Diago, Miquel, and Rafael. I thought Frohock did a wonderful job with the anxiety and self-doubt that Diago had throughout this collection, I really felt it. I can't wait to read the new novel trilogy, starting with Where Oblivion Lives. This is a world I'll want to visit again and again.
Watch for me.
Watch for me.
June 15, 2019
Rafael, Diago and Miquel deserve nothing less than five stars!!
Part one- In Midnights Silence.
•I really loved this. It was interesting to be introduced to the world and I loved Diago from the first chapter. Rafael is the sweetest child in the universe and he must be protected at all costs. I’ve got to give the author credit- she created a really fascinating fantasy world with interesting backstories within three novellas. That is talent.
Part two- Without Light Or Guide.
• This follows our characters a month after part one. Diago is dealing with the fallout and twists of part one but it was sweet to see how Guillermo stood beside him throughout it all. It was also fun to see the inside of the Los Nefilim and get more explanations on how they work. Diago also wearing his wedding ring in public and explaining to Rafael that him and Miquel were husbands- the cutest!!
Part Three- The Second Death.
•Holy shit!! This one broke my heart. From the first chapter I was on the edge of my seat needing to know the outcome. This part defiantly hurt the most but I loved seeing how Diago has become and Rafael!! My little hero.
Overall I adored this and I need more.
Part one- In Midnights Silence.
•I really loved this. It was interesting to be introduced to the world and I loved Diago from the first chapter. Rafael is the sweetest child in the universe and he must be protected at all costs. I’ve got to give the author credit- she created a really fascinating fantasy world with interesting backstories within three novellas. That is talent.
Part two- Without Light Or Guide.
• This follows our characters a month after part one. Diago is dealing with the fallout and twists of part one but it was sweet to see how Guillermo stood beside him throughout it all. It was also fun to see the inside of the Los Nefilim and get more explanations on how they work. Diago also wearing his wedding ring in public and explaining to Rafael that him and Miquel were husbands- the cutest!!
Part Three- The Second Death.
•Holy shit!! This one broke my heart. From the first chapter I was on the edge of my seat needing to know the outcome. This part defiantly hurt the most but I loved seeing how Diago has become and Rafael!! My little hero.
Overall I adored this and I need more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2017
Need more reviews to convince you? Take a look at the reviews for In Midnight's Silence, which makes up the first third of the book.
Los Nefilim is the print/combo edition of T. Frohock’s three novellas. I like being able to physically grip something where possible, so I was a holdout for the print edition. The novellas all function as standalone stories, but combined in a book, each flows into the next.
The writing quality’s improved by leaps and bounds since Miserere, but the themes of the darker sides of dogma are still there.
Oh, and 1930s Spain, also!
Los Nefilim is the print/combo edition of T. Frohock’s three novellas. I like being able to physically grip something where possible, so I was a holdout for the print edition. The novellas all function as standalone stories, but combined in a book, each flows into the next.
The writing quality’s improved by leaps and bounds since Miserere, but the themes of the darker sides of dogma are still there.
Oh, and 1930s Spain, also!
March 21, 2016
9/10
Reviewed all three Los Nefilim novellas for Fantasy-Faction: http://fantasy-faction.com/2016/hidde...
(10 = incredible, one of the best books I've ever read; 9 = read this book next; 8 = very good, you should read this pretty soon; 7 = one to add to your TBR. With so many books to choose from, I don't anticipate reviewing anything for FF that goes lower than a 7!)
Reviewed all three Los Nefilim novellas for Fantasy-Faction: http://fantasy-faction.com/2016/hidde...
(10 = incredible, one of the best books I've ever read; 9 = read this book next; 8 = very good, you should read this pretty soon; 7 = one to add to your TBR. With so many books to choose from, I don't anticipate reviewing anything for FF that goes lower than a 7!)
February 13, 2019
To read more reviews in this series and others, check out keikii eats books!
96 points, 5 STARS!
LGBT Themes
Warning: Topics of Nonconsent
I have no idea how anyone could have read the novellas without needing more at the end of each one. I read this as the omnibus, and I'm so glad I didn't have to read them one at a time, because I would have lost my mind. I was already tripping over my own eyes trying to read more and more, faster and faster. I couldn't put this down at all.
I put off reading Los Nefilim for a while, because I was uncertain I would like it. This is set in the 1930s in Spain, and I'm unfairly biased against historical stories. Which, in my case means anything prior to 2000. I live in the now, I like the now, I want to read about the now. However, in the last year I've expanded what it is that I am willing to read, and Los Nefilim finally came under that banner.
I'm so glad it did.
This collection of novellas is an amazing work of urban fantasy. If you think that all urban fantasy is the same, please read this. If you think all urban fantasy is about an angry main character who goes off fighting people and looking for some murderer while getting attacked themselves, read this. If you think urban fantasy is too popcorn fantasy, read this. Because Los Nefilim is none of these things and it is a shining example of urban fantasy outside the norms set by the genre. I want more of this kind of urban fantasy at all costs.
The world of Los Nefilim is amazing. Something I've always lamented is the lack of angels in urban fantasy. Okay, they're there, but they are typically shadows of what they should be. Not so with Los Nefilim. This is everything I want out of an angel vs. demon story. Add in the nephilim, and I'm intrigued to pieces. At every step of the journey throughout this collection, I kept saying "oh really, tell me more!" about the world and how it was set up. I loved the way it slowly revealed itself to us through the eyes of someone who has seen it all before and it isn't a surprise to him, just the readers. The fact that they use sound/music to work their magic is all the better for this story.
With each novella, the story gets better and better. The first novella introduces the characters and the world while living through a very high stakes event. Then the second and third novella deal with the consequences of that event in their own ways. And the stakes keep getting higher as time goes on. It becomes clear that this is a world in turmoil, mirroring the mortal world at the time (or is that the mortal world mirroring the world of angels and demons?). And when the players are angels and demons who have supreme powers, the stakes are high and the danger is higher. It is so much fun.
I love Diago. He is flawed as a person but in his flaws you can find his perfection as a character. He is trapped in between two worlds, never quite trusted by most. Yet he has Miquel. The relationship is adorable, even in the face of the danger and hardships lived within these pages. They aren't the perfect couple, just like Diago isn't the perfect person. Even though they are nephilim, it doesn't mean they aren't still, in part, human.
One thing that I have always lamented the lack of in urban fantasy was the lack of children. Urban fantasy to me has always been about living life with the paranormal, and part of life is children and family. Therefore, it should come to no shock that I love Los Nefilim so much in part because there are actual children in it! I loved Rafael so much. In the first novella, he only just comes to Diago, and not under the best circumstances. It is everything in the second and third novellas that I adore. Not only does Diago and Miquel have to learn to be parents, Rafael has to learn how to be their son. I love this so much. I love that for once all my desires for this have been addressed. I love how the home life vs. the dangerous world are combined. I love this collection for this part of the story alone, though the rest is also amazing.
Los Nefilim was honestly everything I've been looking for in an urban fantasy for the past three years. It hit many of the boxes I've been looking for and assuaged some of my restlessness when it comes to reading. I'm so, so glad I finally read this collection.
96 points, 5 STARS!
LGBT Themes
Warning: Topics of Nonconsent
I have no idea how anyone could have read the novellas without needing more at the end of each one. I read this as the omnibus, and I'm so glad I didn't have to read them one at a time, because I would have lost my mind. I was already tripping over my own eyes trying to read more and more, faster and faster. I couldn't put this down at all.
I put off reading Los Nefilim for a while, because I was uncertain I would like it. This is set in the 1930s in Spain, and I'm unfairly biased against historical stories. Which, in my case means anything prior to 2000. I live in the now, I like the now, I want to read about the now. However, in the last year I've expanded what it is that I am willing to read, and Los Nefilim finally came under that banner.
I'm so glad it did.
This collection of novellas is an amazing work of urban fantasy. If you think that all urban fantasy is the same, please read this. If you think all urban fantasy is about an angry main character who goes off fighting people and looking for some murderer while getting attacked themselves, read this. If you think urban fantasy is too popcorn fantasy, read this. Because Los Nefilim is none of these things and it is a shining example of urban fantasy outside the norms set by the genre. I want more of this kind of urban fantasy at all costs.
The world of Los Nefilim is amazing. Something I've always lamented is the lack of angels in urban fantasy. Okay, they're there, but they are typically shadows of what they should be. Not so with Los Nefilim. This is everything I want out of an angel vs. demon story. Add in the nephilim, and I'm intrigued to pieces. At every step of the journey throughout this collection, I kept saying "oh really, tell me more!" about the world and how it was set up. I loved the way it slowly revealed itself to us through the eyes of someone who has seen it all before and it isn't a surprise to him, just the readers. The fact that they use sound/music to work their magic is all the better for this story.
With each novella, the story gets better and better. The first novella introduces the characters and the world while living through a very high stakes event. Then the second and third novella deal with the consequences of that event in their own ways. And the stakes keep getting higher as time goes on. It becomes clear that this is a world in turmoil, mirroring the mortal world at the time (or is that the mortal world mirroring the world of angels and demons?). And when the players are angels and demons who have supreme powers, the stakes are high and the danger is higher. It is so much fun.
I love Diago. He is flawed as a person but in his flaws you can find his perfection as a character. He is trapped in between two worlds, never quite trusted by most. Yet he has Miquel. The relationship is adorable, even in the face of the danger and hardships lived within these pages. They aren't the perfect couple, just like Diago isn't the perfect person. Even though they are nephilim, it doesn't mean they aren't still, in part, human.
One thing that I have always lamented the lack of in urban fantasy was the lack of children. Urban fantasy to me has always been about living life with the paranormal, and part of life is children and family. Therefore, it should come to no shock that I love Los Nefilim so much in part because there are actual children in it! I loved Rafael so much. In the first novella, he only just comes to Diago, and not under the best circumstances. It is everything in the second and third novellas that I adore. Not only does Diago and Miquel have to learn to be parents, Rafael has to learn how to be their son. I love this so much. I love that for once all my desires for this have been addressed. I love how the home life vs. the dangerous world are combined. I love this collection for this part of the story alone, though the rest is also amazing.
Los Nefilim was honestly everything I've been looking for in an urban fantasy for the past three years. It hit many of the boxes I've been looking for and assuaged some of my restlessness when it comes to reading. I'm so, so glad I finally read this collection.
October 19, 2019
There are no words that can adequately describe the amount of love I have for these stories and characters. I am just...
Read
October 2, 2016Los Nefilim is the series title for three linked and chronologically sequential novellas by my friend and fellow author, Teresa Frohock. The three individual titles are:
In Midnight’s Silence
Without Light or Guide
The Second Death
I am not quite sure how to tag this series in genre terms. In many ways it’s paranormal urban fantasy, except the urban environment is Barcelona and the year is 1931, on the eve of the Spanish Civil War. So in that sense it’s historical fantasy, where Spain’s descent into Civil War forms the backdrop to a conflict between angels and demons in which the nephilim — the hybrid offspring of human pairings with the supernatural beings — serve as foot soldiers in the war between the higher powers.
Are you already fascinated? Well, I can only say that if you like urban fantasy’s juxtaposition of the real and the paranormal, or the interweaving of real history with a parallel fantastic story, then I suspect you will enjoy Los Nefilim.
Similar kinds of tale-spinning, although otherwise very different stories, would include Constantine and the Sookie Stackhouse novels. (That’s True Blood, for all those who have only seen the TV series.) Not to mention Teresa’s own Miserere, which you may recall that I really enjoyed, awa’ back in 2013. For me, there is more than a little dash of detective/thriller noir in the storytelling mix as well, perhaps derived from the 1930s era, perhaps from the urban setting, perhaps simply from the kind of mystery-action-supernatural story Teresa has chosen to tell. Yet for whatever reasons, the mix of storytelling influences worked for me.
In the three sequential stories that comprise Los Nefilim, Diego Alvarez, his son Rafael, and lover Miquel, are — like Barcelona in 1931 —caught up in a brewing war: not between the angels and demons, as might have been expected, but a civil war between different factions within the angel ranks. A subtext is that the leader of Los Nefilim, Guillermo, is trying to secure their independence in the strife about to break loose.
The thing that I most enjoyed was Teresa’s deft interweaving of the historical setting and the paranormal conflict and mystery to be resolved, with the very personal stories of Diego, Rafael, and Miquel, but also Guillermo. Because as the story unfolds, the reader realises that the nefilim are also reincarnated souls and that characters such as Diego and Guillermo have a past-lives backstory. Los Nefilim is also an intergenerational story, with Diego’s relationship with his father, as well as with his own son, Rafael, forming the heart of the linked tale.
As with all great storytelling (imho) it is these personal stories and interactions that make Los Nefilim rock — as well as the daimon-nefilim confrontations and the politics and fallout between different angelic and nefilim factions, including those from Germany… (Because this story mirrors 1930s Europe as well as Spain.)
However, another aspect of the three novellas that I really enjoyed was their accessibility. I read each novella in one to two sessions and although collectively they added up to a short novel, individually I didn’t feel I was having to make the same reading commitment as I would have if I’d picked up a typical epic fantasy, for example.
The “down” side of this was that when I got to the end of each novella I always wanted moar. In this sense, I suppose, a novella is like nouvelle cuisine — delicious but you may still be hungry at the end of it, which is fine so long as the next novella is there to be read… However, it is very satisfying to be able to actually finish a story even if I still very much wanted more Los Nefilim at the end of the concluding novella, The Second Death.
Another strong aspect of Teresa’s storytelling is that she managed to make the characters real and engaging despite the limited scope, word count-wise, of a novella. She also managed to integrate a considerable cast of characters, making them all seem well-drawn and credible, even if the main character was unquestionably Diego. His secondary relationships with Rafael, his newly discovered son, and friendship with Guillermo, the leader of Barcelona’s nefilim, both evolved through the three novellas, providing additional depth.
So if you’re looking for a well-written, historical-urban-paranormal fantasy that deftly traverses both supernatural and human story elements and is character driven, then the three stories that comprise Los Nefilim may well be for you. Being novellas, they also add up to a relatively easy read, which is a potential bonus for busy readers.
The Los Nefilim novella are available in e-format now; the collected paperback edition will be out in mid-June and is now available for preorder.
*Disclosure Statement: I purchased my copies of Los Nefilim, but as I've stated upfront,
Teresa Frohock is a friend.
In Midnight’s Silence
Without Light or Guide
The Second Death
I am not quite sure how to tag this series in genre terms. In many ways it’s paranormal urban fantasy, except the urban environment is Barcelona and the year is 1931, on the eve of the Spanish Civil War. So in that sense it’s historical fantasy, where Spain’s descent into Civil War forms the backdrop to a conflict between angels and demons in which the nephilim — the hybrid offspring of human pairings with the supernatural beings — serve as foot soldiers in the war between the higher powers.
Are you already fascinated? Well, I can only say that if you like urban fantasy’s juxtaposition of the real and the paranormal, or the interweaving of real history with a parallel fantastic story, then I suspect you will enjoy Los Nefilim.
Similar kinds of tale-spinning, although otherwise very different stories, would include Constantine and the Sookie Stackhouse novels. (That’s True Blood, for all those who have only seen the TV series.) Not to mention Teresa’s own Miserere, which you may recall that I really enjoyed, awa’ back in 2013. For me, there is more than a little dash of detective/thriller noir in the storytelling mix as well, perhaps derived from the 1930s era, perhaps from the urban setting, perhaps simply from the kind of mystery-action-supernatural story Teresa has chosen to tell. Yet for whatever reasons, the mix of storytelling influences worked for me.
In the three sequential stories that comprise Los Nefilim, Diego Alvarez, his son Rafael, and lover Miquel, are — like Barcelona in 1931 —caught up in a brewing war: not between the angels and demons, as might have been expected, but a civil war between different factions within the angel ranks. A subtext is that the leader of Los Nefilim, Guillermo, is trying to secure their independence in the strife about to break loose.
The thing that I most enjoyed was Teresa’s deft interweaving of the historical setting and the paranormal conflict and mystery to be resolved, with the very personal stories of Diego, Rafael, and Miquel, but also Guillermo. Because as the story unfolds, the reader realises that the nefilim are also reincarnated souls and that characters such as Diego and Guillermo have a past-lives backstory. Los Nefilim is also an intergenerational story, with Diego’s relationship with his father, as well as with his own son, Rafael, forming the heart of the linked tale.
As with all great storytelling (imho) it is these personal stories and interactions that make Los Nefilim rock — as well as the daimon-nefilim confrontations and the politics and fallout between different angelic and nefilim factions, including those from Germany… (Because this story mirrors 1930s Europe as well as Spain.)
However, another aspect of the three novellas that I really enjoyed was their accessibility. I read each novella in one to two sessions and although collectively they added up to a short novel, individually I didn’t feel I was having to make the same reading commitment as I would have if I’d picked up a typical epic fantasy, for example.
The “down” side of this was that when I got to the end of each novella I always wanted moar. In this sense, I suppose, a novella is like nouvelle cuisine — delicious but you may still be hungry at the end of it, which is fine so long as the next novella is there to be read… However, it is very satisfying to be able to actually finish a story even if I still very much wanted more Los Nefilim at the end of the concluding novella, The Second Death.
Another strong aspect of Teresa’s storytelling is that she managed to make the characters real and engaging despite the limited scope, word count-wise, of a novella. She also managed to integrate a considerable cast of characters, making them all seem well-drawn and credible, even if the main character was unquestionably Diego. His secondary relationships with Rafael, his newly discovered son, and friendship with Guillermo, the leader of Barcelona’s nefilim, both evolved through the three novellas, providing additional depth.
So if you’re looking for a well-written, historical-urban-paranormal fantasy that deftly traverses both supernatural and human story elements and is character driven, then the three stories that comprise Los Nefilim may well be for you. Being novellas, they also add up to a relatively easy read, which is a potential bonus for busy readers.
The Los Nefilim novella are available in e-format now; the collected paperback edition will be out in mid-June and is now available for preorder.
*Disclosure Statement: I purchased my copies of Los Nefilim, but as I've stated upfront,
Teresa Frohock is a friend.
October 14, 2017
I loved the suave and sleepy feel of the setting in these stories, serving as a backdrop to tense action. I hope I get to read more in this world!
December 27, 2022
It may be 3 novellas, but it reads like a novel. Great characters, compelling plot. Definitely felt like I was missing (small) things by having zero biblical knowledge though. I feel like there's also hardly any fantasy with this setting, and it makes me want to learn more about the Spanish civil war.
January 25, 2020
This was a re-read for me and I still love it so much.
I've read the three novellas as e-books and wanted the paperback for the ease of paging to my favourite scenes and just in case anything happens and I can't access the e-books anymore. Since I finally want to read the next part, I wanted to do a re-read of this so that everything is fresh in my mind.
I loved it on the re-read even more than the first time around.
Now, that I know the plot, I could concentrate more on the characters and all the little details and my love for Diago grew a lot (didn't think that this is possible, but here I am). And for Miguel. And for Guillermo.
I still love the fact that they sing their magic. I still love the condition of Diago (yes, it's deliberating for him when the sound start to turn into colours, but it still reads as gorgeous.). I still love the love between Diago and Miguel.
So, yeah, looking forward to the next part. :)
I've read the three novellas as e-books and wanted the paperback for the ease of paging to my favourite scenes and just in case anything happens and I can't access the e-books anymore. Since I finally want to read the next part, I wanted to do a re-read of this so that everything is fresh in my mind.
I loved it on the re-read even more than the first time around.
Now, that I know the plot, I could concentrate more on the characters and all the little details and my love for Diago grew a lot (didn't think that this is possible, but here I am). And for Miguel. And for Guillermo.
I still love the fact that they sing their magic. I still love the condition of Diago (yes, it's deliberating for him when the sound start to turn into colours, but it still reads as gorgeous.). I still love the love between Diago and Miguel.
So, yeah, looking forward to the next part. :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2020
I will start this off as I am a straight male. I hate romance in books, because it is usually pretty cringe inducing regardless of sexual orientation. I won't lie that I was dreading that aspect of this book a lot, but the glowing reviews by people I follow made me give a shot.
There is a lot of action and this series moves very quickly. I loved the lore and it is unlike anything I have come across. The romance in this book was very well handled. It was tender and felt authentic. I think that is my biggest issue with romance in novels, it doesn't feel real. The bond between Diago and Miquel felt like something that I have between myself and my wife. I cannot believe how well the author blended the romance subplot with the amazing action scenes. I highly recommend this book.
There is a lot of action and this series moves very quickly. I loved the lore and it is unlike anything I have come across. The romance in this book was very well handled. It was tender and felt authentic. I think that is my biggest issue with romance in novels, it doesn't feel real. The bond between Diago and Miquel felt like something that I have between myself and my wife. I cannot believe how well the author blended the romance subplot with the amazing action scenes. I highly recommend this book.
June 10, 2016
This is the omnibus edition of three novellas that form a single continuous story: “In Midnight’s Silence,” “Without Light or Guide,” and “The Second Death.” I’ve already provided individual reviews for each, and I gave all of them a five-star rating. I see no need for another general review, as the original ones should suffice, and unlike the premise of “The Second Death” I want to avoid overkill, other than to mention that I liked the series well enough to repurchase it in this omnibus format.
October 27, 2016
This collection of 3 novellas work together as a complete novel. It starts slowly, but it was worth the work to get into it. Frohock does a masterful job with feelings of guilt, betrayal, and redemption all at a high tension break-neck pace. I can only hope there will be more stories with these characters.
September 4, 2020
This review was originally posted on RockStarlit BookAsylum along with my choice of song!
I’ve been wanting to read Los Nefilim for quite a while now, even more so since I’ve read Where Oblivion Lives last December, but somehow I never found time for it. Until my vacation. I pretty much devoured the book in 2.5 days. It was soooo good. I jumped in blindly, meaning I never read the blurb – or did just have a shit memory and don’t remember a single thing from it – but as I mentioned, did read the first full novel of the series and that was more than enough knowledge for me. So, on one hand, I had zero expectations, but on the other, I had all of them. Which is an interesting experience in itself.
I think we already established that historical fiction is very much my jam *gestures at her degree in History*. I’m also very interested in religions *gestures at her MA degree in History of Religions* and especially in angels. I wrote both of my dissertations about angels from different angles and using research materials from different ages. But even so, I don’t often read fiction with angels and demons (although demons are more often appear in my different reads) for various reasons. But it’s always a pleasure to come across some which are not only very well written but also go against conventions. At least a bit.
The three novellas in Los Nefilim (In Midnight’s Silence, Without Light or Guide, and The Second Death) are forming a whole story in which Diago learns some hard truths, faces his own demons, and in a way discovers himself through his friends and family. The three novellas kind of work as three acts and the stakes are getting higher in each one. They cover a couple of weeks altogether and they are neatly built on each other. We not only learn about Diago and his immediate family (his husband Miquel and his son Rafael) but also about Los Nefilim (the group of angel-born beings that do the angels’ bidding in Spain, fighting against daimons) and the wider conflict between the existing Inner Guards (like Nos Nefilim and their counterparts Die Nephilim in Germany) as well as the angels and daimons. All this is placed in Spain in the 1930s.
That being said, I loved the setting, the writing, the world-building, the awesome music-based magic (!), the twists, that even angels can’t be labeled as only good, and Diago’s character arc. But what I loved the most was the relationship between characters. The way they interacted. The banters with Guillermo from Miquel and Diago, the caring love between Miquel and Diago. I honestly found myself smiling like an idiot whenever they interacted with each other or with Rafael. Like, damn, it’s so nice to read about non-toxic relationships which are just a warming light in an otherwise dark-toned book. I mean, it deals with topics such as rape, parent-child relationships, and a looming doom over the world. Diago has enough on his plate to prove himself as the good guy and not the Deceiver everyone thinks he is. He definitely doesn’t need a toxic relationship on top of everything. And you know, I’m kind of jealous of him having such an awesome, caring, and kind partner as Miquel.
I’m sorry it took me so long to get on the Los Nefilim bandwagon, but now I’m here I’m going to hold on tight. This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites and I absolutely will make sure to look out for anything T. Frohock writes in the future.
"Within another hour, the tributaries of side streets and alleys that streamed off the main avenue would be packed with jostling men and women, all of whom would be looking to make their troubles disappear for an evening. The songs would be wild and sad, but was all right; the misfortunes of others never bit as hard as one's own troubles."
I’ve been wanting to read Los Nefilim for quite a while now, even more so since I’ve read Where Oblivion Lives last December, but somehow I never found time for it. Until my vacation. I pretty much devoured the book in 2.5 days. It was soooo good. I jumped in blindly, meaning I never read the blurb – or did just have a shit memory and don’t remember a single thing from it – but as I mentioned, did read the first full novel of the series and that was more than enough knowledge for me. So, on one hand, I had zero expectations, but on the other, I had all of them. Which is an interesting experience in itself.
I think we already established that historical fiction is very much my jam *gestures at her degree in History*. I’m also very interested in religions *gestures at her MA degree in History of Religions* and especially in angels. I wrote both of my dissertations about angels from different angles and using research materials from different ages. But even so, I don’t often read fiction with angels and demons (although demons are more often appear in my different reads) for various reasons. But it’s always a pleasure to come across some which are not only very well written but also go against conventions. At least a bit.
The three novellas in Los Nefilim (In Midnight’s Silence, Without Light or Guide, and The Second Death) are forming a whole story in which Diago learns some hard truths, faces his own demons, and in a way discovers himself through his friends and family. The three novellas kind of work as three acts and the stakes are getting higher in each one. They cover a couple of weeks altogether and they are neatly built on each other. We not only learn about Diago and his immediate family (his husband Miquel and his son Rafael) but also about Los Nefilim (the group of angel-born beings that do the angels’ bidding in Spain, fighting against daimons) and the wider conflict between the existing Inner Guards (like Nos Nefilim and their counterparts Die Nephilim in Germany) as well as the angels and daimons. All this is placed in Spain in the 1930s.
“People saw what they wanted to see and heard what they wanted to hear. They made assumptions based on their personal beliefs, which often blinded them to the truth. Daimons were not unlike mortals in this respect.”
That being said, I loved the setting, the writing, the world-building, the awesome music-based magic (!), the twists, that even angels can’t be labeled as only good, and Diago’s character arc. But what I loved the most was the relationship between characters. The way they interacted. The banters with Guillermo from Miquel and Diago, the caring love between Miquel and Diago. I honestly found myself smiling like an idiot whenever they interacted with each other or with Rafael. Like, damn, it’s so nice to read about non-toxic relationships which are just a warming light in an otherwise dark-toned book. I mean, it deals with topics such as rape, parent-child relationships, and a looming doom over the world. Diago has enough on his plate to prove himself as the good guy and not the Deceiver everyone thinks he is. He definitely doesn’t need a toxic relationship on top of everything. And you know, I’m kind of jealous of him having such an awesome, caring, and kind partner as Miquel.
I’m sorry it took me so long to get on the Los Nefilim bandwagon, but now I’m here I’m going to hold on tight. This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites and I absolutely will make sure to look out for anything T. Frohock writes in the future.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews