The Darkest of Dark Fantasy
ââ?¬Å"The Lord of the Fallenââ?¬Â? follows the first book, ââ?¬Å"Verelyn the Dastardly,ââ?¬Â? from The Fallen and The Risen series by Brandon Baltes. In this book, the Fallen warrior Verelyn continues his fight against the Risen. The Risen believe that they are honorable people and that the Fallen are damned. Most of the Fallen are stuck in a fiery hell where they are repeatedly and painfully burned to death and then go through a rebirth. If this cycle doesnââ?¬â?¢t drive them to madness, they live in hope that the Lord of the Fallen will rescue them. Verelyn must go to battle to try to save the Fallen.
Baltes has created an amazing work of dark fantasy in which he pulls his readers into this alternate reality. Darkness, pain, and treachery abound. The characters are intriguing, and it was interesting to see how convincing each side was in their belief that the other is to be destroyed because they are evil. This adds to their complexity. Both sides are likable when you are seeing things through their eyes. I wanted them to declare a truce and get on with their lives, but then that wouldn�t have made for much of a story.
The setting is vividly described. The Risen live in a fantasy setting that is nothing like our mundane world. They can look down below and watch the battle from where they dwell. The Fallen have a home that they hope to escape to, however, for most of them, they are forced to go through rebirth in a fiery hell. Having been raised Catholic and being raised hearing a lot about Hell, I feel Baltes captured the essence of it for the setting. It was incredibly easy to visualize.
This world of the Fallen is dark, desolate, and atmospheric in that I felt like I could smell sulfur and decay. I cringed at the suffering the Fallen had to repeatedly experience. The vivid descriptions add to the sense of foreboding and danger. The suspense had me hooked!
I felt a bit lost when I started this novel because I had not read the first one in the series. It would have been helpful to have read the first one because this one picks up where the other left off. I am interested in going back and reading it. I would recommend that first-time readers of Baltes do so as well and begin with Book One, ââ?¬Å"Verelyn the Dastardly.ââ?¬Â?
Fans of dark fantasy novels, especially with elements of horror, will be excited to get their hands on ââ?¬Å"The Lord of the Fallenââ?¬Â? by Brandon Baltes. The well-drawn characters, the Hellish setting, and the intense storyline are sure to be enjoyed by fans of this genre. Due to the horrific suffering and violence, I would recommend this book for adults only. I look forward to reading more books of this genre by this talented author.