Angels Before Man
~ A Capsule Book Review by Allen Kopp ~

Angels Before Man, by Rafael Nicolas, is a fantastical novel set entirely in heaven. The all-male angels who live in this heaven are happy and contented; they must only be humble and obedient to the Father (you know who). They don’t know pain or heartache and they live forever.

Lucifer is the Father’s youngest angel and he is beautiful! All the other angels are drawn to him because he is so magnetic. His only fault is that he’s overly modest. He doesn’t like to show his body in the baths or anywhere else. He quickly becomes the Father’s favorite angel. The Father often wants Lucifer to sit next to him and sing Him songs. Yes, Lucifer is musical and he plays musical instruments.

When Lucifer meets Michael, he quickly becomes infatuated. Michael is an archangel, meaning he’s in a special class of angels over the other angels. Lucifer watches Michael compete in gladiatorial contests. Sometimes Michael is ripped to shreds in these contests but, because he’s an angel, he quickly heals.

When Lucifer and Michael visit Earth together, they have a chance to get really well acquainted. (Earth at this time is interesting. There are no people yet but plenty of wild beasts and dinosaurs.) When they return to heaven, they are partly in love and partly in lust. This is when Lucifer begins to turn from the Father.

Gradually Lucifer becomes crazier. He has a Beast inside him, we are told, controlling him and making him do things he wouldn’t ordinarily do. He invents sin, lying and homosexual acts. He thinks up a lot of bad words that nobody has ever heard before.

After a while, maybe millions of years since time in heaven is infinite, Lucifer openly defies the Father. He challenges the Father’s authority and claims that he is better suited to be the father than the Father is. He can have a grander throne, and he can create the way the Father creates. He still has a devoted following among the angels; many of them still adore him. He gathers them to him and solicits their support in his challenge of the Father. Then they all have a sex orgy. The Father by this time is plenty disgusted with Lucifer and with what’s been going on. There’s a war in heaven between Lucifer’s legions and the Father. You don’t need to read the book to know how this is going to end.

Angels Before Man is a little too long at 370 pages and could have done with some judicious editing, especially since it contains a number of grammatical errors that an editor should have spotted. These minor quibbles aside, it is a fascinating book, not like any novel I’ve ever read before. It will stay with me for a long time.

Copyright © 2025 by Allen Kopp