Review: Wrath of the Fallen by Kristopher Jerome

The demonic forces of Darkness clash with radiant warriors of Light in Wrath of the Fallen by Kristopher Jerome, a sprawling and enrapturing new fantasy saga. Epic clashes of magic, impossible romantic longings, larger-than-life heroes, and a world-shattering threat from an Accursed chasm make this novel a thrillingly high-stakes work of fantasy.

After witnessing the death of his brother at the hands of a rampaging demon, Trent dedicates his life to achieving their shared dream – becoming a paladin and battling the legions of evil in service to the Gods of Light. With his newest training class ushered into divine service, Trent’s commander – a winged emissary from the gods named Lady Ren – sends him on a ranging mission with his closest comrade, Devin, to investigate their enemies’ suspicious absence in the surrounding wilderness.

As these brothers-in-arms scout further into the wild, Trent’s ominous concern at their task turns out to be well-founded. A horde of demons and Accursed has gathered, more organized and formidable than they have been in centuries, powerful enough to devastate the defenses of Illux. Some of the remaining Gods have been scheming to break the sacred Pact and once again meddle in the lives of mortals, defiant of the High God’s inevitable retribution. Racing against impending doom, with demons on their heels, Trent and Devin must raise the alarm and unite the forces of Light before all is lost.

The author’s world is immediately immersive and thoroughly detailed, with certain recognizable parallels to our present-day world, such as inequalities in “divine blessing” correlated with wealth, and the contrary notions of leadership and responsibility held by Lady Ren versus her predecessor, for a story and characters that are timely and perceptive. The historical exposition of this divided realm – violently fractured by the forces and gods of Light and Darkness – is recognizable from other fantasy realms, so some of the plot movement is predictable, but the writing is undeniably sharp and addictive, with Jerome carving his own fantasy niche. Original elements like the meditative acolytes of the Grey God, as well as the fallible nature of vengeful paladins, keep the line between Light and Dark nuanced, and less of a stark binary. Jerome’s discussion and inclusion of non-traditional love is another refreshing break to outdated and stereotypical depictions of hyper-masculine warriors.

From a technical perspective, the writing is clean and well-edited, although the reliance on internal monologue tends towards telling readers what Trent is thinking, rather than showing through his actions, or even dialogue with his confidante and best friend. There are also occasional idiomatic phrases that sneak in, which can feel jarring against the more elevated speech patterns of the setting. There are also scattered misspellings or misused words (“dowse” vs. “douse”), as well as small grammatical stumbles, though these are rare enough to be overlooked.

Despite archetypal aspects of the storytelling, which doesn’t always veer off from traditional fantasy tropes, the battle sequences are visceral, the plot twists are genuinely surprising, and Jerome’s focus on character relationships and internal struggles is a thought-provoking foundation for a classic high-fantasy clash.