Logic tells us that if there are Bright Angels, there must also be Black Angels. Prior to meeting Zetta, Nathan believed in neither. Before encountering Zetta, Nathan felt that religion was something one did, rather than something one lived. Nathans religious views changed radically when he and Zetta traveled to Mount Zion Plantation, deep in the black water swamps of southern Louisiana. Mount Zion Plantation was the ancestral home of three of the most beautiful Black Angels that the Dark Side ever created. The Greek Revival home at Mount Zion rivaled the most exquisite plantation homes of the Old South. Zetta, who was also stunningly beautiful, represented the Bright Side. Titanic forces were afoot, deep in the ancient quagmire where evil ruled and sane men feared to tread. Ray Johnson again takes his readers on a perilous journey to the Dark Side. Beautiful angels, each serving different Gods, do battle for Nathans immortal soul. As with his previous novels, Bright Angels-Black Angels, holds the reader spellbound until the final page, gripping their attention like a riled swamp gator that refuses to let go.

レイ・ジョンソンが描く本作は、光と闇の峻烈な対立をルイジアナの湿地帯という濃密な舞台に昇華させた、魂を揺さぶるゴシック・ホラーの傑作です。形式的な信仰が実体験へと変貌する瞬間の畏怖を、湿った黒い水の匂いとともに描き出す筆致は圧巻であり、善悪の境界が泥濘に溶け合うような独自の美学が全編を貫いています。 特筆すべきは、甘美な誘惑を纏った「黒き天使」たちが象徴する悪の根源的な魅力です。絶望的な暗黒の中で翻弄される主人公の葛藤は、単なる勧善懲悪を超え、人間の魂が持つ脆弱さと気高さを浮き彫りにします。沼地のワニのように読者を捉えて離さない強烈な磁力は、最後のページを閉じるまで、あなたの理性を静かに浸食し続けることでしょう。