The Obsessive Bookseller Reviews: “When the Heavens Fall” by Marc Turner

Book review: “When the Heavens Fall” by Marc Turner

The Chronicles of the Exile #1

Although “When the Heavens Fall” didn’t knock my socks off, I’m still glad I read it. The elements that didn’t quite work for me were basic plot construction choices, which means the author had all of the world building, characterization, and writing skills and even executed his vision to my satisfaction; he just didn’t give me a satisfying journey on top of it all. Because of that, I am super excited to dive into his second book and see how a new plot structure with a new cast of characters unfolds. Plus, the second book is called “Dragon Hunters,” which already has my immediate attention.

The first third of “When the Heavens Fall” was stellar. Turner set a really cool atmosphere with his world building — a rather ominous overtone shrouded with secrets. I knew immediately that there were going to be a lot of things to discover about this world, and I couldn’t wait to find out more. He also introduced a handful of POV characters, all of whom I really enjoyed reading about (even the “unlikable” ones). He even hinted at several cool magics and gave us a glimpse into some fascinating nonhuman characters.

So even though he set the stage brilliantly, where he took the story left a little to be desired. The multiple POV’s were actually part of the problem. They were perspectives from each aspect of the mystery surrounding a magical book, and the reader learned very early on what was going on. So it was a case of dramatic irony as the characters slowly got onto the same page as the reader. The use of dramatic irony usually drives me crazy, but I will say at least its use here allowed the reader to dig into the motives of all aspects of the conflict, which in itself is entertaining. I just wish I hadn’t know quite as much up front.

Another issue that perpetuated this problem was pacing. It’s okay to have all of your characters focused around a single problem, but after the first third of the book, every time the character perspective switched, nothing significant had happened. Everybody just kind of maintained status quo for a good bulk of the book, and so at times it felt like we were switching POVs just for the sake of that perspective and not because it had something interesting and new to show us. So for that reason, I feel the book could have been stronger had the plot been tightened with a bit more focus within each POV. This is also likely the main reason why it took me a full two weeks to get through.

All that said, I still have an overall positive attitude towards the book and thought that the things it did well it did really well. I love the world and its dynamics and can’t wait to explore more of it. I liked the characters and hope they get a little more depth in the future and appreciated the writing style and overall voice. This was a buddy read with some friends at Fantasy Buddy Reads, and there were a lot of comments referencing similarities to Erikson’s Malazan series, so chances are that if you liked that one, this one will give you some kicks.

This is a slow-burn fantasy that built a great foundation to this cool world and had a cast of highly interesting characters, even if they were a tad flat. This wouldn’t be the first book that I handed to someone if they needed a recommendation for a good fantasy, but it’s definitely one I would talk positively about with someone who is well read in the genre. It’s not perfect, but it’s a great start, and I can’t wait to see more of what this author can do.

Want more book reviews? Check out my website at NikiHawkes.com.

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