Pour One Out for the Shitbirds - Chris Panatier's DAYTIDE Review

If there really were angels, special magical beings living over us, would we want to worship them? Author Chris Panatier seems to have asked himself that question before.

In Rapture Publishing’s upcoming novel Daytide our world sits opposite the firmament. On the other side is Olea, the world of Jugularis, or what we would call angels. Make no mistake, Olea is not Heaven, and the drunken, selfish, violent, pop culture-obsessed “gleaners” that inhabit it are anything but holy.

The book juggles five main characters. Guiding us through Highside are two drunken shitbirds named Ezbiel and Hadriel, who have a reputation for their prowess in combat. Ezbiel is feared as "The Shrike," Hadriel just likes getting drunk and fooling around.

On Lowside, or our world, Adam, Kaya, and a priest named Carnoth all suffer from a pandemic-spanning bout of suicidal ideation known as "The Longing." Humanity is unaware of the Jugularis, the firmament, or Olea. Jugularis can only pierce the firmament if they're sufficiently drunk on turpentine or Holy Medium. Once on Lowside, they feed off the spiritual belief of humanity known as glean. Back in Olea, The Lantern sits in the Skycrypt bringing the Daytide so that the forests can grow to replenish the angel's supply of Holy Medium.   Without spoiling anything, a few of our human characters discover the existence of Jugularis by embracing a rather grisly fate.  Armed with knowledge of both worlds, they come to believe angels are responsible for The Longing and must be stopped.

This is a spectacularly impressive work of fantasy with dense world-building impeccably woven through the narrative. Panatier skillfully dodges the dreaded info dump of jargon and lore.  His poetic lyrical prose grew wings and carried me through the complexities of a very believable and thoroughly realized fantasy world. I’m always pleased and impressed with any work of fiction that lets its fantasy world speak for itself.  While reading, you might mix up a cipter and cygnet or a shadowcrake and catcrake once in a while, but I promise, fellow Lowsiders, once you reach the second half, the intricacies of angel culture and their unique caste system feel like second nature.

The Jugularis share a collective obsession with both Lowside birds and human pop culture. They speak in avian puns and metaphors. Many are known to take “venerates” to pay tribute to famous charismatic Lowsiders like Hadriel does with David Bowie; she flies through much of the novel in a custom Ziggy Stardust jumpsuit, drinking at turpothecaries, surrounded by other winged pop culture costumed shitbirds. Hadriel and her sister Ezbiel’s relationship for me was the heart of the novel, it’s what kept me turning pages and coming back.  Ezbiel is a somewhat infamous gleaner known by many as The Shrike, a feared and formidable fighter with a dark past.  As she starts to lose her cutting edge, her significantly less serious sister has to try to find a way to keep other angels from challenging Ezbiel and besting her in a duel to the death. 

On Lowside; Adam is just a kid struggling through a sort of bizarro twelve step program for victims of The Longing.  He is diligent about constructing routines to keep the urge at bay.  Orphaned by The Longing, Adam’s only close relationships are poor substitues for what he lost.  He looks up to the leader of his support group as a maternal figure, he finds a paternalistic figure in a kind man behind his local bodega counter.  He’s also got a bit of a crush on Kaya.  His wit and determination as well as humorous jabs were another highlight of the novel for me. The character keeps his half of the novel grounded, and offers an anchor of familiarity in an unfamiliar world.

All of these carefully plotted, bizarre details and wonderful characters give the world an almost haptic tangibility. Panatier's horror pedigree comes through loud and clear, especially toward the last fourth of the book, with gory, welcome surprises and bleak subsurface details of the Jugularis world.

There are some very impactful moments of beauty and humanity woven throughout Daytide. I found myself swallowing tears at the way Panatier writes about depression, yearning, family, and loss. This is a dense work, and it is not kind. The advance reader copy weighs in at nearly 500 heavy pages, but toward the latter half, I found myself wishing for more. This is a book about questioning power. It's also about resilience and endurance. Whether it be religion or economic systems, Daytide indicts any line of thinking that puts anyone in blind service under a ruler, idea, or God.

Go in without expectations, because they will be defied.  Of the novels I've read from Chris Panatier, this is by a mile his most ambitious and perhaps most impressive.  If you read either of the other Panatier books reviewed on this site, you’re likely aware of his excellent use of voice.  Reader, I don’t think this guy is done showing off his range or flexing new literary muscles.  Pick this up when it releases February 26, 2025.   I also eagerly await the release of Panatier’s next novel in September, The Worry Box.

Escape the longing. Break with the routine; this system does not serve you. Or like the book says, “Death comes to those who live.”

The turpentine canister that randomly arrived at my door contained the DAYTIDE arc. Thank you Rapture Publishing!

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I'm certain you've noticed; this space has been quiet lately. The last year has been chaos; my family has expanded, and as such, I was busy preparing the house and later finding a new rhythm for my writing passion projects. To be honest, I'm still looking for that rhythm. Predictability seems to evaporate as soon as any sense of stability coalesces. This was the first physical ARC I got my hands on, and it is absolutely covered in baby drool. I don't have much time to read or write of late. I don't know what the future of this space looks like, but I don't intend to go anywhere, and thank you for your continued support.

Now for the link; if you're interested in purchasing the novel reviewed above, it is only available through Rapture Publishing. https://www.rapturepublishing.com/product/daytide-by-chris-panatier/C4BBGX6RUZDGI243M5WSBAX7?cs=true&cst=custom

Chris Panatier's DAYTIDE Review