Monday, July 5, 2021

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Fallen by Ada Hoffmann

 



Full Disclosure:  This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on July 13, 2021 in exchange for a potential review.  I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.

The Fallen is the sequel to 2019's "The Outside" (my review here), one of the most fascinating books in 2019 (and that's saying something).  It was a novel that featured a lot of fascinating concepts, marrying seemingly lovecraftian monsters from another dimension to space opera, featuring AI gods that consume human souls and rule over humanity with an iron fist, and more.  But what it really centered itself upon were two autistic characters, the protagonist and seeming-antagonist, both of whom are tremendously uncomfortable interacting with other people, but whom have very different perspectives on the world (in part due to the traumas they've suffered) - with protagonist Yasira still feeling guilt and empathy, even if she has a hard time expressing it directly to others, and antagonist Dr. Talirr seemingly not feeling any, giving human lives no sense of value as she fights to expose the lies of reality.  The book featured a few other characters with some issues of their own, who were definitely interesting too, and ended in a really satisfying fashion, so I was fascinated to see where it would take the sequel.  

And The Fallen remains - and I'm sorry for overusing this word - a fascinating portrait at a set of characters who are not neurotypical, with the major characters focused upon expanding significantly to a larger set of characters who all have their own unique issues dealing with the world and other people....and are forced to confront those problems by a world on the verge of destruction from lovecraftian madness run amuk and the sheer ruthlessness of the AI gods trying to stomp it out.  We no longer focus upon Yasira, although she's one of our major protagonists still, and the result is really really interesting.  That said, while the book has a big climactic moment, it ends sort of on a clear transitional moment that doesn't really feel satisfying, as if the story is incomplete, which is a problem you see often in second books of trilogies.  So this isn't quite as complete and great as The Outside, but it's still a tremendous continuation, and I greatly look forward to the conclusion to see what Hoffmann will do with what she's setup here.  

Minor Spoilers for The Outside will be discussed below, nothing that would ruin enjoyment of that book, but be forewarned.  



--------------------------------------------------Plot Summary--------------------------------------------------------
It's been six months since Yasira Shien, now known as "Savior", tapped into the powers of The Outside in an effort to minimize the harm unleashed by her former mentors, Dr. Evianna Talirr (the "Destroyer") on the planet Jai...and to prevent the AI Gods like Nemesis from destroying the planet and everyone on it.  In doing so, Yasira gave the people in the "Chaos Zone" a smidgen of control over their new physically impossible world, and prevented the Gods and their Angels from taking direct action....for now.  But Yasira's action broke her mind into pieces, leaving her of limited use, while the seven other former disciples of Dr. Talirr, each taking code names of their own, can only use their limited control of Outside energies to help those inside the Chaos Zone a limited amount.  

And then there's Productivity "Tiv" Hunt, Yasira's love, who has (even without Outside gifts) taken the role of "Leader" for the Seven, helping manage each of their insecurities and disabilities as she tries to help the people of the Chaos Zone.  Tiv once believed devoutly in the gods, only to have that faith broken when she saw what they did to Yasira...but without any powers of her own, she wonders how she can actually help other people, to say nothing of Yasira herself.  And with the people of the Chaos Zone struggling to survive thanks to the Angels blockading any assistance, and desperate for weapons, can Tiv, Yasira, and the others really do anything to save them?  

But Tiv, Yasira, and the Seven are not the only people interested in the Chaos Zone.  Yasira's former tormentor, the now disgraced fallen angel Akavi, is also in the area, seeking a way to get close to Yasira for his revenge.  His companion and fellow fallen angel Elu remains in love with Akavi, but begins to realize that such love may only be making him more lonely, as he observes what is happening to people struggling in the Chaos one.  And of course, the Destroyer is also still out and about, observing what is happening, and trying to figure out where, if anywhere, she went wrong.  

And then there's the influence of the Outside itself, flowing throughout the Chaos Zone for seemingly no comprehensible purpose, with the power to change everything at any moment.....
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The above is a far far longer plot summary than the blurb on websites and on many other review sites, which seem to focus on Tiv's plotline, as it is largely the central one.  But Tiv's storyline is only a small part of this book, which very much feels like the 2nd act in a larger story, to the point where, it kind of doesn't stand alone like the first book does at all.  Which is a little disappointing, and yet despite that, the book is highly satisfying, because of all these characters and plotlines, and what the book does with them.  

And what it does is use them to explore the different ways people cope with mental stresses, illnesses, and abuse in difficult situations, and examine how those conditions affect how those people react.  In the last book that was mainly isolated to Tiv and Dr. Talirr, as the two autistic characters who reacted very differently, Tiv with empathy even for those she couldn't bear to interact with comfortably, Dr. Talirr with no concern for such others due to how she was abused other than in making some see the same "truths" she has, no matter the cost.  Here this is expanded elsewhere - to the rest of the Seven, those people who were also tortured physically and psychologically (in one case by making one betray the others) by the angel Akavi and thus have their own mental issues pulling together and staying functional with and without each other - and to other characters, whether that be the two angels Akavi once picked up as tools - Elu and Enga - or the humans trying to survive in the Chaos Zone where nothing seems to make sense or work how it should or even Tiv herself.  For Tiv claims to be and might be the most mentally together of all of them, and yet even she has suffered tremendous trauma from having the faith at the core of her world shattered and being put into a leadership position she doesn't think she's capable of, to say nothing of having to care for the broken girl she loves.  Tiv's plot is really well done and she's an excellent new protagonist....but again it's everyone else that really makes this special in addition to her.  

So you have Elu struggling with his loneliness and his realization that his love of Akavi, who only sees him as a tool, isn't getting him anywhere, and who sees others being able to talk and share with each other....and who thus starts to realize there might be another path.  You have Enga, the angel who has been betrayed time and time again, constantly used, and who just wants the chance to vent his rage.  You have Yasira, whose mind is shattered into seemingly split personalities who can rarely agree, who is unsure of what she can and could do with her power, and is afraid to tell any of it to Tiv.  You have the people of the Chaos Zone, who are adapting in their own various ways, whether that be active resistance, secretly using their own powers, or just trying to help each other survive despite the angel suppression.  And you even have, in journal entries, Dr. Talirr herself, who seems to reconsidering perhaps what she's done when she realizes her acts have caused an entire planet to suffer torture at the hands of the gods/angels in the same way she once suffered, and wondering (even without empathy) if that was an acceptable outcome. 

It's all really fascinating as an examination of a large cast of characters with mental illnesses and stresses in incredibly tough situations trying to figure out what to do, and this space opera setting, even if near-completely limited to a single planet this time around.  The only weak parts of the book are the continued plot focus on the Angel Akavi, who is just a sociopathic self interested asshole (his main character traits are wanting vengeance and being skilled at seeing a use for others, but without actually having any empathy, which makes it just too easy to root against him) and the ending, which like i hinted above just sort of ends after the climax in a way that isn't satisfying and doesn't conclude everything.  It does make me desperately want the concluding novel in this trilogy however, so I can't complain too much, the Fallen is well worth your time, even if it'll make you at the end want the next novel immediately rather than fill you with a satisfying feeling.  
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