What do you think?
Rate this book
Angels' Fall
One of Frank Herbert’s lost, never-before-published novels written before Dune. Angels’ Fall is a gripping thriller set in the South American jungles. After a plane crash deep in the Amazon, freelance pilot Jeb Logan has to keep himself and his passengers alive in a gruelling trip downriver. Adrift in the wreckage of the plane with Jeb are a beautiful singer, her young son, and a ruthless murderer clinging to the last thread of sanity. With supplies running out and nature itself turning against them, this small desperate group struggles to survive against the jungle—and each other.
296 pages, Paperback
First published April 17, 2013
8 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Frank Herbert
552 books16.6k followersFranklin Patrick Herbert Jr. was an American science fiction author best known for the 1965 novel Dune and its five sequels. Though he became famous for his novels, he also wrote short stories and worked as a newspaper journalist, photographer, book reviewer, ecological consultant, and lecturer.
The Dune saga, set in the distant future, and taking place over millennia, explores complex themes, such as the long-term survival of the human species, human evolution, planetary science and ecology, and the intersection of religion, politics, economics and power in a future where humanity has long since developed interstellar travel and settled many thousands of worlds. Dune is the best-selling science fiction novel of all time, and the entire series is considered to be among the classics of the genre.
The Dune saga, set in the distant future, and taking place over millennia, explores complex themes, such as the long-term survival of the human species, human evolution, planetary science and ecology, and the intersection of religion, politics, economics and power in a future where humanity has long since developed interstellar travel and settled many thousands of worlds. Dune is the best-selling science fiction novel of all time, and the entire series is considered to be among the classics of the genre.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 9, 2019
This read to me like an Indiana Jones script written by a philosophy professor. It is most definitely action adventure; our pilot is dropped deep in the Amazon with a mother and her teenage son. If there weren't enough potential threats out there, they are being chased and hounded by locals who are remarkably persistent and know the land far better than the white man could ever manage. Having come to find the husband and father, they end up making their way down the Amazon in a floating boat with the partner of the recently deceased husband. He says that the natives killed his partner... but Jeb has doubts about the validity of his story.
Somehow though, for a story that was fairly quick paced, the narrative seemed to drag a little. Whilst quite a lot of action happens, much of it isn't actively meaningful and I did find myself clawing through the pages, looking for something a little bit more substantial. In a similar vein, the philosophical conversations slowed this down to a tedious degree at points, and whilst the interludes would have been welcome if they were brief and infrequent, they were neither. Instead, I just found myself irritated and skipping paragraphs.
The characters however are very well done, all of them being utterly three dimensional except perhaps the teenage son, who is a little bland, a little too 'yes sir, no sir'. The woman annoyed me and yet I have to accept that Herbert has created a female character who is strong and individualistic at the same time as being weak and dependant. Considering the time this was written in, I can therefore perhaps swallow my bile. Both male leads are very well portrayed; one on the verge of absolute breakdown and the other an imperfect bloke who knows he should have trusted his instincts. But money talks.
The sense of threat and uncertainty throughout is portrayed well and I was interested to see how this unlikely group would finish their journey. But when push comes to shove, it's a journey down a river. The river may have flesh eating fish and unforeseen whirlpools, it might just have blokes with poison arrows may periodically be shooting at you, but it is exactly that; a trip down the river. And perhaps that is why this was never published, for whilst Herbert may have felt it was a finished work, it could stand to lose at least 50 pages and wouldn't suffer in the least.
And whilst I did enjoy reading this, I couldn't help but wonder when the hell he was going to reach a conclusion. Yet when it came, the finale was short, sharp and rather anti-climatic. I found this with High-Opp in a slightly different way, so I am left wondering. Or maybe it is just a sign of the time. A writing device that has since passed out of use. I'm not certain, but despite thinking the book was a tad bloated, I was still left expecting more.
Somehow though, for a story that was fairly quick paced, the narrative seemed to drag a little. Whilst quite a lot of action happens, much of it isn't actively meaningful and I did find myself clawing through the pages, looking for something a little bit more substantial. In a similar vein, the philosophical conversations slowed this down to a tedious degree at points, and whilst the interludes would have been welcome if they were brief and infrequent, they were neither. Instead, I just found myself irritated and skipping paragraphs.
The characters however are very well done, all of them being utterly three dimensional except perhaps the teenage son, who is a little bland, a little too 'yes sir, no sir'. The woman annoyed me and yet I have to accept that Herbert has created a female character who is strong and individualistic at the same time as being weak and dependant. Considering the time this was written in, I can therefore perhaps swallow my bile. Both male leads are very well portrayed; one on the verge of absolute breakdown and the other an imperfect bloke who knows he should have trusted his instincts. But money talks.
The sense of threat and uncertainty throughout is portrayed well and I was interested to see how this unlikely group would finish their journey. But when push comes to shove, it's a journey down a river. The river may have flesh eating fish and unforeseen whirlpools, it might just have blokes with poison arrows may periodically be shooting at you, but it is exactly that; a trip down the river. And perhaps that is why this was never published, for whilst Herbert may have felt it was a finished work, it could stand to lose at least 50 pages and wouldn't suffer in the least.
And whilst I did enjoy reading this, I couldn't help but wonder when the hell he was going to reach a conclusion. Yet when it came, the finale was short, sharp and rather anti-climatic. I found this with High-Opp in a slightly different way, so I am left wondering. Or maybe it is just a sign of the time. A writing device that has since passed out of use. I'm not certain, but despite thinking the book was a tad bloated, I was still left expecting more.
August 1, 2021
I started reading this book in 2018. I think it says quite a lot that it took me 3 years to finish.
The first issue was the setting - I was not at all attracted to the time period depicted, and I found the female characters a bit hard to digest (there were little moments all throughout the book where I could actually feel the mentality of the 50s-60s smacking me over the head). I put it down, at the time, and was unsure if I would ever finish it.
However, I had the good fortune to find the audiobook on Scribd, so I decided to try and finish reading/listening to it.
I then ran into the second hurdle: aaaaall the boring bits. For such a short book, it has a surprisingly large amount of scenes/paragraphs that are superfluous, imo. I powered through, and I can safely say that by the time Frank Herbert decided to be brief, i.e. the forth quarter of the last chapter, I was wishing for additional material. The ending really highlighted the fact that this is one of Herbert's early works, and he had not hit his stride yet.
Despite this, and the mess of the characters, I quite liked some of the episodes, and Herbert's style is to my taste, even in this unpolished version.
Still, I would not recommend this book to anyone who cannot ignore non-sensical characters whose motivations have no internal consistency, and some pretty dubious internal and external discourses. Honestly, this book would be better read by Herbert fans, as I was able to see some ideas and other small bits that would later find their way into Dune.
The first issue was the setting - I was not at all attracted to the time period depicted, and I found the female characters a bit hard to digest (there were little moments all throughout the book where I could actually feel the mentality of the 50s-60s smacking me over the head). I put it down, at the time, and was unsure if I would ever finish it.
However, I had the good fortune to find the audiobook on Scribd, so I decided to try and finish reading/listening to it.
I then ran into the second hurdle: aaaaall the boring bits. For such a short book, it has a surprisingly large amount of scenes/paragraphs that are superfluous, imo. I powered through, and I can safely say that by the time Frank Herbert decided to be brief, i.e. the forth quarter of the last chapter, I was wishing for additional material. The ending really highlighted the fact that this is one of Herbert's early works, and he had not hit his stride yet.
Despite this, and the mess of the characters, I quite liked some of the episodes, and Herbert's style is to my taste, even in this unpolished version.
Still, I would not recommend this book to anyone who cannot ignore non-sensical characters whose motivations have no internal consistency, and some pretty dubious internal and external discourses. Honestly, this book would be better read by Herbert fans, as I was able to see some ideas and other small bits that would later find their way into Dune.
August 26, 2013
I ran across this one by accident. Having been a "Dune" fan since I was a teenager, it was worth a shot. So far, not to bad. Since, I am using the last of my vacation time for the year, I am hoping to finish it fairly quickly.
I finished this one while on a camping trip with my family. The ending was a little abrupt, but worth it the end. It was a little different having read the "Dune" series several time, but well in line with other adventure stories I have read over the years. Overall a good read.
I finished this one while on a camping trip with my family. The ending was a little abrupt, but worth it the end. It was a little different having read the "Dune" series several time, but well in line with other adventure stories I have read over the years. Overall a good read.
June 29, 2021
Kind of an emotionally abridged-Heart of Darkness.
4 people trying to survive, stranded on a wrecked marine plane, chased by Indians seeking vegance as it floats down a tributary of the Amazon.
Heavy on metaphysical metaphors, a little thin on characterisation and occasionally a little stilted, the author’s main preoccupation seems to be with hashing out some interesting philosophical thoughts and tricky but familiar conundrums of human state of existence.
The only character who approached any depth, complexity or called to your emotional reserve for simpatico was the badguy-madman, Geltner. A spiritually crippled, emotionally tortured, morally ambivalent figure who ends up as the best and most self-sacrificing of the lot of the small group of survivalists. The others, the “normals”, the simple-minded, macho pilot, Jeb, the slutty, self-centered singer, Monty and the kid, David all remain 2-dimensional in silhouette.
You can see why it remained unpublished in the author’s lifetime, although I must say that the novel grew on the reader as it went along and the story unfolded.
4 people trying to survive, stranded on a wrecked marine plane, chased by Indians seeking vegance as it floats down a tributary of the Amazon.
Heavy on metaphysical metaphors, a little thin on characterisation and occasionally a little stilted, the author’s main preoccupation seems to be with hashing out some interesting philosophical thoughts and tricky but familiar conundrums of human state of existence.
The only character who approached any depth, complexity or called to your emotional reserve for simpatico was the badguy-madman, Geltner. A spiritually crippled, emotionally tortured, morally ambivalent figure who ends up as the best and most self-sacrificing of the lot of the small group of survivalists. The others, the “normals”, the simple-minded, macho pilot, Jeb, the slutty, self-centered singer, Monty and the kid, David all remain 2-dimensional in silhouette.
You can see why it remained unpublished in the author’s lifetime, although I must say that the novel grew on the reader as it went along and the story unfolded.
August 11, 2023
I quite liked this one. Part survival story, part psychological suspense. It has all the claustrophobic intensity of Herbert's "Dragon in the Sea" coupled with the harrowing experience of traversing the Amazon, a la Ghinsberg's "Jungle".
I can see where some folks thought this went a little too long, but for me it worked. Mr. Herbert took the time to flesh out the 4 characters that were thrown together, in a steady stream of revelations. He kept the tension high throughout as the companions essentially battled each other, in addition to the jungle around them.
This is the kind of book where you'd love to actually meet these people 10 years later and see what their lives are like. To me that is mark of a good story - were the characters "real".
Again, I am very happy with a non-Dune Herbert book. I think this guy was a genuinely good, and quite versatile, writer. You see a Herbert book...you should pick it up off the shelf.
I can see where some folks thought this went a little too long, but for me it worked. Mr. Herbert took the time to flesh out the 4 characters that were thrown together, in a steady stream of revelations. He kept the tension high throughout as the companions essentially battled each other, in addition to the jungle around them.
This is the kind of book where you'd love to actually meet these people 10 years later and see what their lives are like. To me that is mark of a good story - were the characters "real".
Again, I am very happy with a non-Dune Herbert book. I think this guy was a genuinely good, and quite versatile, writer. You see a Herbert book...you should pick it up off the shelf.
April 5, 2021
If you are a fan of Dune and other works by Frank Herbert you will love Angels' Fall! I breezed through it in about a day, unable to put it down. Twists and turns washed in intense descriptions and survival in the jungle. Amazing work that surprises me no other publisher elected to pick it up.
Fascinating must read. Thanks to Kevin J. Anderson and Word Fire Press for turning me on to this "lost" work of Frank. Thanks too to the Herbert family for sharing it with us.
Fascinating must read. Thanks to Kevin J. Anderson and Word Fire Press for turning me on to this "lost" work of Frank. Thanks too to the Herbert family for sharing it with us.
October 8, 2021
This is a strange novel that was unpublished during Frank Herbert's life. The structure is a bit clunky, and it's about 50% too long, but Herbert's prose in this novel is gorgeous, and he raises some interesting philosophical ideas.
His 1965 novel The Green Brain is clearly based on this one, but is far inferior in every way. Maybe by that point he was already pigeonholed into a science fiction career and couldn't get anything published outside of the genre.
His 1965 novel The Green Brain is clearly based on this one, but is far inferior in every way. Maybe by that point he was already pigeonholed into a science fiction career and couldn't get anything published outside of the genre.
April 16, 2025
This book was written by Frank Herbert before he wrote Dune, early in his writing career. It was not published until just recently and was rewritten extensively from his first manuscript. I didnt find it particularly well written or entertaining but it could be because I was expecting a fantasy opus and got a travelogue of the Amazon. in fairness the characters were interesting if perhaps a little formulaic. He has written better IMHO.
January 30, 2020
I thought this was very well done for a story that Frank didn't manage to get published during his lifetime.
There were echoes from his other works in there too (I'm looking at you, Soulcatcher, Green brain) and I'm certain he re-used some ideas into these works.
There were echoes from his other works in there too (I'm looking at you, Soulcatcher, Green brain) and I'm certain he re-used some ideas into these works.
July 4, 2019
A pleasant surprise. Some serious messing with your mind, stuff. Loved it. A jungle adventure. Totally unexpected.
January 6, 2023
Loved this listen.
January 13, 2024
Great read for a cold winters day.
February 18, 2024
Enjoyed but not my favourite book by Norah Roberts. I found the supporting characters somehow missing the mark.
Read
October 19, 2019Went into this novel not knowing anything about it and it's not my typical genre but so well done.
May 11, 2013
It had been so long I had honestly forgotten what an amazing writer Frank Herbert was. This previously unpublished work is a great adventure story set in the Amazonian jungle and is proof, if proof were needed, that Frank Herbert did not only write great Science Fiction but could turn his hand to any genre with equal skill. I know there are other early work that were turned down by publishers at the time (more fool them). I can only hope they will also soon see the light of day because, on the evidence of Angels' Fall, I will be first in the queue to buy them.
October 11, 2013
Angels' Fall is "Frank Herbert lite". Not as deep or cerebral as his other works, but the characters still have some nuance and the action moves at a fairly brisk pace. A good, short read with an ending that sort of sneaks up on you.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews