The Fate of the Fallen: A Tale of the Three Worlds. Ian Irvine

I love science fantasy and have been an avid fan of the genre for over 25 years. Having just finished another of Raymond E. Feist's adventure's I was looking for something new. That night my wife returned from the library with Ian Irvine's just-published "The Fate of the Fallen" - the first volume of "The Song of Tears" series. I had not read any of his works before, so I began a little tentatively. Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! I read all night and most of the next. It was so fast and so furious. Somehow Ian Ivine has created a completely orginal good versus dread-evil world: wild, passionate and brutal. I can thoroughly recommend this fresh and icy gail of fiction.

This book starts ten years after the last series, "The Well of Echoes" leaves off. Irvine again has created another masterpiece of fantasy fiction that sits well upon the The Three Worlds universe that he has created. The God-Emperor Jal-Nish rules the world with an iron fist, but all is not lost, there is one hope (or a few more hidden in the cracks) that will hopefully end this despotic, and savage world. Irvine's books, and world for that matter, have gradually become darker and more sedistic as the series has gone on. I question the motivation behind this change, as the reference to debauchery in the first series was very minimal, but is quite prevalent in this one so far. It certainly sets the stage for the landscape of this heretical world. I do not find it unappealing, however a cautionary word to parents, this material might be a little too graphic for children, this series is certainly not a substitute for a Harry Potter, or Diane Duane youngster looking for adventure in between releases. I am a devoted fan of Irvine's and have read all of his "Three Worlds" books knowing that I have to import them from either the UK or Australia. It's worth the cost for shipping and the book just to immerse myself in each of his titles. I commend Ian Irvine for creating an original world with a very unique background. Irvine's twist on Darwinian logic of survival of the fittest works wonders on the progression of his world, and certainly the notion that history is written by the victors. For anyone that has read his earlier work, I urge everyone to support Ian Irvine's newest book "The Fate of the Fallen" in hope that we can get all of his books published in the United States and expose others to his wonderful and original world.