Fallen Angel by Margaret and Lizz Weis

Matthew Gallow spends his evenings having one horrific nightmare after the next in a series of sleazy motels across the country. He’s a drunk, a womanizer, a con man and an Angel. A real honest to goodness from the heavens kind of Angel, who’s fallen from grace and sunk so low even God doesn’t answer him anymore. He’s been around for thousands of years in every incarnation and there isn’t a life he hasn’t lived, but all he wants is the life that was taken away from him thousands of years ago. Matthew has no intentions of living a ‘good pure’ life; he has no intentions of getting back into God’s good graces. Instead he spends his time criss-crossing the country attending tent revival meetings and posing as a demon-exorcising priest who brings ever lasting salvation to poor lost souls.

Then the impossible happens, while setting up a big con, under the sweltering sun, in the middle of a big white tent -he actually does make contact with the Devil and exorcises Him right out the Goth girl’s soul were he was residing. This ‘trick’ is not only caught on TV, but witnessed by Natalie Ashley, the manager of the world’s biggest rock star. Natalie thinks the band could use a little extra something, and after seeing Matthew’s ‘talents’ she recruits him to perform his exorcism on stage with the band. From that point on, it’s a fight of good versus evil. And that would make the book just okay. But, the authors take it one step further and delve into the area of enduring strength versus immediate gratification. Would you choose a life of riches, eternal youth and beauty for the mere price of selling your soul to the devil? Is an eternity of slavery to an inherently evil entity worth the price of admission? This book really makes the reader sit up and take notice of the concept of forever, and ever, and ever, and ever. It’s a long time.

This is a well written story with tight pacing, compelling back stories and a surprising plot. The authors have created a hero who’s redemption doesn’t happen overnight, he doesn’t have an instant ‘ah-ha’ experience and suddenly becomes the do-gooder of the world. His epiphany happens slowly over a series of events. His love for Natalie doesn’t happen in an instant either; instead it’s based on his attraction to her strength and innocence. There is also a conspiracy theory aspect to this book which I loved, because my mind works that way, so for me it brought the horrible evil full circle.

I’m always happy when I read a book by a writing team and it appears seamless on the page, and that’s in fact what Margaret and Lizz Weis have done, its one voice. With so much going for the book, I was slightly disappointed with the ending. I felt it was rushed, and left me wondering about the hero and his fate. I had to read the last chapter a couple of times to actually figure out what happened.

Fallen Angel is book two in the Dargonlance series – but you don’t have to read the first to know exactly what’s going on in this book.

Fallen Angel by Margaret and Lizz Weis