Summary
Elliot is now alone. He’s left Elmor and his friends behind as he heads for the Mountains of the Forgotten World on a mission, which is almost impossible to accomplish.
The Elder Races, the creatures that according to legend are haunted by an ancient curse, are his only hope of defeating Walter. Nobody knows if Elliot has the power to break the curse, and Queen Sophie and the people of Elmor depend on him. Walter may have been defeated in the last battle, but he’ll soon return more determined than ever to destroy his remaining enemies once and for all.
Elliot needs new allies, but the creatures he wants to get on his side have suffered at the hands of humans. Will he manage to convince the Elder Races that he is different?
Review
The Fall of the Giants is a worthy entry in the author’s Dance of Light series. Fans of classic epic fantasy will feel right at home with these books, which draw clear inspiration from the classics of the genre while also adding in fresh elements of its own. I enjoyed the first book, The Return of the Knights, but felt that there were some flaws that held it back from reaching its full potential. I’m happy to say that The Fall of the Giants improved in every way and made an already enjoyable story into a thrilling read.
The scope of this series is massive much like many of the great epic fantasy sagas, and the first book of the series did suffer somewhat from repeated and lengthy info dumps. The structure of the sequel however, allowed the author to simultaneously expand the scope even further while also taking a step back and allowing the reader to connect with each of the characters individually, another area where the first book fell short. In the beginning of The Fall of the Giants our party of protagonists split up and each went their separate ways to seek out different alliances. This allows us to explore many different areas of this vast world and introduces us to new characters and concepts that I’m sure will play larger roles as the series continues.
Elliot travels to the Mountains of the Forgotten World, where the Elder Races are trapped, in order to free them. I really enjoyed these chapters, learning more about the mythology of the world with Elliot. I am a fan of how the author uses many classic fantasy races but adds new twists on them. The Elder Races include beings such as giants, centaurs, and a couple variations of elves, but there are also wyverns, mermaids, and pegasus, the latter of which I don’t believe I’ve ever read in a fantasy novel before. The author adds interesting elements to each of these races though, such as a type of poison that runs through the blood of wyverns and giants, allowing only giants to be able to bond with and ride wyverns. This combination of new and old makes for a nostalgic read that never feels stuffy or stale. I will note that the info dumps have been reduced dramatically from the first novel, but there are several noticeable instances still, so if you are very sensitive to those, be aware of that going in.
The structure of the novel also provides the opportunity for the reader to spend time with each of the characters alone, and connect with them much more deeply than we had the chance to previously. In the first book many of the characters felt distinct but ultimately one dimensional, due in no small part to the fast pace. Though I never noticed while reading this novel, the pace does slow somewhat as we get much more time to spend with each of the characters on their separate quests. This allows us to explore their personalities on a level we didn’t get to previously which completely changed how I viewed many of the characters. I was mostly ambivalent to all but the most prominent people before, but now I definitely have my favorites and empathize with each of them much more. I always love books where we get the antagonist’s POV and Walter’s chapters in this novel where excellently written. He is truly detestable but also extremely clever, and watching his machinations in play made for a compelling read. I think the author made an excellent choice in slowing the pacing down, there is definitely less actions but the novel never felt boring, and the series is definitely stronger for it.
One thing to note, which I would say is a stylistic choice and not a flaw, is that this world is for the most part very much black and white. There are the good guys, and the bad, the good and the evil, and not much in between. The good guys for the most part are wholeheartedly benevolent and selfless, while the bad guys are power hungry and malicious. Very reminiscent of the Tolkien-esque style of morality. This is perhaps why John the Long Arm may be my favorite character of the whole series, because he is the most different from the rest. A former bounty hunter that knows what is right and deep down wants to do it, but struggles with actually doing it when it isn’t in his own interests. Especially in this world, he stands out and makes for a very intriguing character. I will say that I at times struggled with how quickly people would trust each other even when it felt like they had very little reason to do so, but the overall nature of the world definitely makes it feel more plausible in context.
The Fall of the Giants is an excellent showcase of the author’s growth as a writer since the first novel. I could see the potential of the series from the beginning and I am very glad to say that the author is well on his way to fulfilling that potential. I was deeply engrossed in this book the entire time and I absolutely cannot wait to see where the series takes us from here.