Fate of the Fallen is a kind of epic fantasy that remains casual and laid back while sneaking toward the end of the world. The characters are relatable, the plot devices are clever, and I found myself drawn into this world of magic, medieval society, and prophecy. There’s a special plot twist against the typical formula and it makes this a surprising ride. I wasn’t sure how the premise could stretch into a three book series, but it’s clear the author knows what she’s doing and I look forward to reading the next installments. 

The Best Bits

Spoilers after this point, so tread at your own risk.

A Few of My Favorite Things

A Non-Hero Becomes a Hero

I knew going into this that the hero wasn’t going to last long. I somehow didn’t think it would actually happen, that there would be some kind of work around, but lo and behold, the savior of the world makes it ten feet from home and unheroically dies. I can’t say that I’ve ever seen this approach before, and that’s where we get the unique replacement “hero” who has no idea what he’s doing, where he’s going, or how to save the world in any way, shape or form. He’s out of his league and that’s what made him so endearing to me. He gives off a gruff demeanor and doesn’t like people, but he goes out of his way to save them or help them when he can. He takes up the quest nobody else will take up and he does it all while refusing to sacrifice his morals. Sounds pretty heroic to me.

Mythology and Gods Abound

Along with prophecy comes a fully established pantheon and mythology of gods, goddesses and their antics. I especially enjoyed the perspective of the reaper who follows our protagonist around, watching over him and his companions in a way. We get to see how these gods manipulate the worlds they’re responsible for, and it leaves more questions than answers. There are unknown beings above them, driving everything toward an ending nobody is really aware of. The gods themselves are in the same boat as humans, just on a more colossal scale. That made it very interesting, adding in that bit of uncertainty. Prophecies typically sit heavy above storylines, mysterious and foreboding, but we get a glimpse behind the curtain at the machinations of feeding these prophecies to humans and subtly manipulating them to make them come true. It’s a storyline I hope gets more time in the remaining books.

The Supporting Characters

This is where the book really shined. Obviously a main character is the most important part of any fantasy story, but it’s the surroundings and the supporting characters that really make a story for me. You can have the most well-defined hero in the history of literature, but if they are in a drab setting with boring characters, the journey is meaningless. We get two young thieves turned hero’s men who follow him, cheat death, and all around don’t really understand the part they’re going to play. We get the stubborn healer masquerading as a waitress who follows our main character and makes a few very questionable choices along the way. We get the Marquess and his men who give Aaslo so much slack it’s endearing. We get an innkeeper who is in total awe of Aaslo, waiting his whole life to make soup for a Forester. And finally, we get the world’s worst horse who bites and goes the wrong way and is the perfect companion for Aaslo. They’re all great additions to the story. 

A Final Note About Pacing

If you’re expecting a rip roaring dive into battle after battle, this isn’t the story for you. It admittedly takes its time, slowly developing the world and following Aaslo on each little part of his journey. I appreciated that slowness as it represented a core personality aspect of the main character. The author didn’t toss in a ton of extra scenes but let the character go where he may, and it makes for a journey that feels rooted in reality.