Book Review - FATE OF THE FALLEN by Kel Kade

(Title: Gate of the Fallen / Author: Kel Kade / Publisher: Tor / Publication Date: November 5, 2019)


FATE OF THE FALLEN begins with a prophecy.  A prophecy that states that a chosen one will come forth who will be the only person who can save the world from total destruction.  There are thousands of threads to this prophecy, but only one particular thread leads to success and only by this particular chosen one's actions shall humanity be saved.  Sounds pretty straightforward right?  We've seen this all before, the chosen one usually overcomes all kinds of odds to fulfill his or her destiny and ultimately ends up saving the day right?

Well, not so fast.  What happens if something goes horribly wrong and the chosen one (in this case a young villager from the town of Mierwyl named Mathias) is incapable of taking up the mantle?   What if instead his best friend, the forester Aaslo has to take his place?  All is lost right?  I mean the prophecy says that only the designated savior can win, so why even try?  Only that's exactly what Aaslo has in mind.  But what chance does a timid caretaker of forests have against the evil sorcerers and undead corpses that are about to overrun his homeland?  Especially when even the King himself has thrown in the towel and accepted their grim fate?

In FATE OF THE FALLEN we get to follow the journey of Aaslo as he attempts to fulfill the prophecy vacated by his best friend Mathias.   A prophecy that says he is doomed to fail.  That doesn't stop Aaslo from travelling across the continent looking to recruit anyone and everyone who can help him in this most impossible of endeavors.  Along the way he meets a couple of wayward thieves who become indebted to him for saving their lives.  He also encounters some other highly questionable individuals who may or may not be able to help him.

Aaslo never wanted to be a hero, but that's exactly the role he has been forced into it seems.  Rather than accept that life as he knows it could be over very soon he chooses to try to fulfill the prophecy anyway, or to die trying.  His only problem is that he wasn't trained for any of this the way Mathias was, nor is he even remotely prepared for what he will likely encounter.  But giving up isn't really an option.

I so enjoyed FATE OF THE FALLEN by Kel Kade.  I had never read anything by her before this and was pleasantly surprised by how much this book sucked me in right from the start.  The story begins like a hundred books that I have read before but within the first few chapters gets turned on its head.  We are all set up to prepare for the golden boy Mathias to begin his quest to save the world and then it all goes to hell in a hand basket pretty darn quickly.

This is not your run of the mill reluctant hero steps up and saves the world story.  I really liked that Kel Kade attempted to do something very different with this standard trope.  Yes we have a reluctant hero, but his reluctance isn't harped on for very long as he soon begins to understand the task at hand that was assigned to his best friend.  A best friend who he has proclaimed to be his brother.

Sorcery plays a huge part in this book, which I always enjoy.  We have good sorcerers and a lot of really bad ones with their own motivations with regard to the prophecy itself.  What complicates Aaslo's job even further is the fact that he also has to contend with a bunch of arrogant gods who are trying to sabotage each other and in doing so are directly impacting what will eventually happen.

While Kel Kade does an excellent job of avoiding the aforementioned tropes, she definitely doesn't withhold any of what makes a classic epic fantasy story great in my opinion.  This book has a wonderful element to it that I have described previously as a "comfort read".  Much in the same way that I enjoy a Tad Williams or Janny Wurts book, I found some of the same qualities in Kade's writing as well.

This is a story that just compels you to keep reading, even when you may have other chores or commitments to fulfill.  If you are looking for a non-standard fantasy book that surprises you at every turn, you should definitely give FATE OF THE FALLEN a try.  I found it to be a very promising beginning to The Shroud of Prophecy series and after reading it, I can't wait for book two.  All in all a solid fantasy read that will give you all of the feels reminiscent of your favorite authors in the genre.

(My Rating: 8.5/10)