** spoiler alert ** Sometimes when I pick up a series, I worry that a story that begins with an incredibly epic premise might leave me disappointed and wanting in the end. I’m not saying that it happens a lot, or that I’m an authority on what makes a series great. But I do know that I’ve been reading voraciously since my Mom put my first Dr. Seuss early-learner’s book in my hands at age three; and that the eclectic tastes of my parents, my brothers and my equally book-obsessed friends have exposed me to a broad spectrum of titles and genre over the course of the last twenty-two years.

In my review of Volume 1 (Books 1-2) of this omnibus set, I mentioned that I’d been hunting down the second omnibus volume of Thomas E. Sniegoski’s The Fallen in every bookstore I could check into. Since I’m not what I would call a patient creature by nature, coming up empty-handed after walking into about nine or ten different bookstores was pretty much the frustration of the week.

What can I say? I was that compelled to read more. There were just so many questions milling around in my head at the end of Book Two that I was itching to find out if my assumptions and/or suspicions were correct. But anyway;

When we last see Aaron Corbet, he and his two companions – his trusty Labrador Retriever, Gabriel and the angel Camael – had just left a little town in Maine where they encountered a creature so ancient, it had a long history of bones to pick with the Divine Creator. Since then they’ve been back on the road, searching for a haven called Aerie, which Camael insists is important to Aaron fulfilling his destiny.

What is Aerie, you ask? To quote from Camael: “It is a place unlike any other on this world… a special place—a secret place, where those who have fallen await their reunion with Heaven” (Leviathan, Sniegoski). He goes on to explain that though he has searched for this haven for so long, it is a place that he has never found. It doesn’t take long for our little trio to realize that they don’t really have to look very far, because Aerie finds them soon enough.

The concept of havens is a universal thing, and it doesn’t have to be a physical place. It is natural for a person to want to belong somewhere safe enough that it becomes easy to let one’s guard down; this is true for Nephilim and fallen angels as well.

The thing about Aerie though, is that with so many gathered and hanging onto the hope of redemption and forgiveness at the hands of a savior, things are bound to be more complicated than anyone expects. After all, you have to remember that everything in this prophesy hinges on an eighteen-year-old boy who is still coming to terms with the weight of a destiny thrust upon him. One also has to ask: Is Aaron even convinced that he is the One? What makes him so special that out of all the thousands of Nephilim born to the many fallen—he is the one to redeem them all?

If you’ve read the first two books, these are questions that pull you back by the scruff of your shirt because after what you’ve seen (or read) so far, you might be thinking along the same lines that I did – Of course Aaron is the one, don’t you know what he’s capable of? These questions play Devil’s Advocate (pardon the pun), peering at you with unconvinced eyes and asking: But are you absolutely sure?

Tying this back to the idea of havens and safe places, this thought occurred to me: Havens exist because doubt exists. We doubt ourselves, we doubt the people around us; we doubt promises and possibilities. We doubt that there is a great, invisible mechanism that will eventually allow all the pieces in the confused mess of our lives to fall into place. Havens – physical or otherwise – are there because we need reassurance. We seek these out, we create them for ourselves because it is terrifying, putting your faith in one inconclusive thing. The old adage goes: Believe without seeing. But that’s a really hard thing to do when something means so much.

Last time, I mentioned the concept of Choice. In these last two books of The Fallen, I couldn’t help but think that in the end, what Aaron and the rest had to learn and understand for themselves was the value of certain choices. Finding a safe place is good, but when do you decide that running just isn’t good enough anymore? When do you assert that holding one’s ground—no matter how tenuous—is? Can you accept that while facing things you don’t want to confront inevitably hurt, it is more essential to understand whether fighting outweighs fleeing, and vice-versa?

Again, I can’t answer these for you. So instead, I’m going to encourage you to pick up these books, this series; because then you can explore the questions and any others you might think up, on your own – or heck, even with friends.


While the narrative is relatively light, the topics tackled and explored in this series are definitely not. Good vs. Evil is a universal theme that has been written down, turned around and looked at from varying angles. The use of the mythology surrounding God, the heavenly host, and the offspring of angels who have fallen from grace, gives the story of a teenaged boy’s quest for answers an inquiry that is both deep and perhaps, a little bit troubling.


Again, I recommend this read for mythology buffs, because the depth of the mythos that is integral to Aaron’s journey will surely give you something to gnaw on. I recommend this for those who enjoy asking questions even as they read, because the ride will definitely throw you for a loop. I recommend this to people who love characters that are complex, because you won’t be found wanting. And finally, I recommend this just because. If you want a good read that’ll make you laugh, make you go WTF, make you want to rage because you were hoping for something else – if you want a read that asks you to invest. Then pick this one.