‘Fallen’ – Tim Lebbon (Allison & Busby)

Tim Lebbon’s ‘Fallen’ was actually a 2008 release that fell by the wayside, in my reading pile, simply because it was just that little bit too cumbersome to take on the commute to and from work. Seriously, if I can’t get a seat on the train then there’s no way that I’m going to be able to read a large hardback and any London commuter will know only too well that free seats are like gold dust.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about Tim Lebbon though (although I wasn’t too keen on ‘The Everlasting’) and it was only going to be a matter of time before I picked up ‘Fallen’ and gave it another go. With Lebbon’s ‘The Island’ coming out in a few weeks time now seemed as good a time as any to read ‘Fallen’. Having put the book down, I’m wondering why I didn’t just put up with resulting commuter problems and read the book a year ago. ‘Fallen’ is well worth a look...

The continent of Noreela is a young land with plenty still to discover for those willing to forego luxury (and risk a little danger). Perhaps the greatest of these discoveries lie beyond the Great Divide, a monstrous cliff face that dominates the land. Anyone who can cross the Divide will go down in legend as the greatest Voyagers of all time, not only are Ramus and Nomi are up for the challenge but they may have been given a clue to what they will find. What they will find out though is that the dangers of the unknown are nothing to the dangers they will find in each other...

I’ve got to admit that my heart sank, initially, when I read the back of ‘Fallen’ and realised that ‘Fallen’ would be about a long journey undertaken by a band of intrepid travellers. Call me cynical but... hasn’t that been done a thousand times (at least) already? The omens didn’t look good but my doubts were proved wrong very quickly. Lebbon injects a new dose of life into the ‘quest plot’ through the simple fact that although there’s a direction to their travels, Ramus and Nomi have no idea where they’re going and what they will find when they get there. Literally anything could be over a horizon that dominates the page and this uncertainty drives the plot forward at a slow but inexorable pace. I say ‘slow’ because the bottom line is that this is a seven hundred mile journey and there’s only so much an author can do to hurry it along... The excitement found in Ramus and Nomi also drives the plot forward, their motivations and ambition are infectious and if you’re anything like me you will want to see the conclusion to their journey as much as I did!

The Great Divide separates Noreela from the unknown and its stark implacability really stands out on the page. Ramus and Nomi’s ascent is a tense affair and you really get a sense of the Divide setting itself against those who would try and climb it. I’m no great fan of heights and I ended up holding my breath on more than one occasion! The danger with having such an obstacle as a mainstay, of the plot, is that it can be built up to an extent that what lies beyond it can suffer from a sense of anti-climax. ‘Fallen’ does suffer here but only a little, the apocalyptic ending makes up for any shortcomings...

With a landscape that seems small, when placed against the sense of the unknown, Lebbon concentrates on his two main characters and the other voyages that they must make over the course of the book. ‘Fallen’ is about more than just a physical journey, Ramus and Nomi must also make spiritual journeys that will define who they are and their relationship with one another. For the most part this is done well and I really got a sense of who these characters were and why they did what they had to.
The only problem I had here was that the plot demanded that Ramus and Nomi go their separate ways to the Divide. This wasn’t a problem in itself (and the resulting chase scenes made for some exciting moments) but the manner of their parting rankled in that Ramus was required to behave in a way that seemed at odds with previous mention of his character and how he interacted with Nomi. Theirs is a very complicated relationship so I may have missed something here but that still didn’t stop it from feeling slightly off...

When placed against an epic journey (and what comes at the end) though, these are small problems as far as I’m concerned. ‘Fallen’ is one of those books that will be in my head for days to come. If you like your fantasy a little dark and with a touch of horror then you might want to give this one a look.

Eight and Three Quarters out of Ten