What if history existed out of time?

This book is a must read if you like: Social commentary, post Apocalyptic Themes, deep subject matter, and thought provoking fiction.

About the Book:

Title: Down in the Sea of Angels
Genre(s): Sci Fi & Fantasy
Author: Khan Wong
Published by: Dreamscape Media
Date Published: April 22, 2025
Format Read: AudioBook
Where I Got It: NetGalley gave me a copy of this book.
Stand alone or series Number: It is a stand alone book.

Snapshot: what do you need to know before you pick up the book.

Profanity: Adult language.
Intimacy: Rape, Sexual content.
Violence: Rape, Sexual content, death.
Themes: Rape, death, racism.

My Thoughts

This book is well written with a moody, serious tone. The main character is pragmatic while the others she channels are drastically different. Each of them is going through a new awakening.

This book was almost too intense for me. Be sure to read the content warnings. I fast forwarded one part (though historically speaking it was not as intense as it could have been). I also struggled with the ending feeling too simplistic.

This book was different because I could see this sort of apocalypse happening. Though it had fantasy elements, it very much felt real and like a commentary on our society.

I loved the journey of the character in 2006. I think his struggles are struggles we can all relate to.

The ending did not satisfy me. I don’t want to give spoilers, but it felt like I was missing the last quarter of the book.

I felt the narrator was clear and connected well with the story.

As a whole I’m glad I read this book, but I would not recommend it to everyone.

In addition to the content warnings there are very clear statements of political stances where certain characters are referred to as stupid or absurd if they didn’t align with a certain political view. However it has some beautiful writing and the way the plot is weaved worked very well….until the climax.

Description

An intense and thoughtful time-hopping dystopian fantasy where three individuals, psychically linked through time, fight enslavement, exploitation, and environmental collapse. A great read for fans of Emily St. John Mandel.

In 2106, Maida Sun possesses the ability to see the entire history of any object she touches. When she starts a job with a cultural recovery project in San Francisco with other psions like her, she discovers a teacup that connects her with Li Nuan, a sex-traffificked girl in a 1906 Chinatown brothel, and with Nathan, a tech-designer and hedonist of 2006.

A chance encounter with a prominent political leader reveals to Maida his plan to contain everyone with psionic abilities, eliminate their personal autonomy, and use their skills for his own gain. Maida is left with no choice but to join a fight she doesn’t feel prepared for, with flashes of the past, glimpses of the future and a band of fellow psions as her only tools. She must find a way to stop this agenda before it takes hold and destroys life as she knows it. Can the past give Maida the key to saving her future?

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