Nameless

Debut author Chais buries an interesting premise under flat prose and unappealing characterization. The eponymously anonymous protagonist, a fallen angel, possesses the body of Aurick Pantera, a cancer-ridden ne’er-do-well, and in three years turns him into a practicing psychiatrist with a sideline as an anonymous world-famous rock star. Things get complicated, however, when Nameless-in-Aurick falls for one of Aurick’s patients, daring and gorgeous investigative reporter Helena Way. Relations between Nameless and humans are problematic, however, and when the angel is swept up into a plot to unravel the source of God’s power, Helena is put in harm’s way. Rather than gradually build up the potentially interesting cosmology, Chais prefers to spring terms on the reader and then follow up with piles of exposition. Written when the author was 16, the book shows evidence of a potentially impressive imagination, but no polish or depth. (Jan.)