REVIEW: When the Heavens Fall by Marc Turner

When the Heavens Fall by Marc Turner
Publishing information: Hardcover; 544pages
Publisher: Tor; 19 May 2015
ISBN: 978-0765337122
Series: Chronicles of the Exile #1
Copy: Sent by Publisher
Reviewer: Tyson

Amazon

Synopsis: "If you pick a fight with Shroud, Lord of the Dead, you had better ensure your victory, else death will mark only the beginning of your suffering.

A book giving its wielder power over the dead has been stolen from a fellowship of mages that has kept the powerful relic dormant for centuries. The thief, a crafty, power-hungry necromancer, intends to use the Book of Lost Souls to resurrect an ancient race and challenge Shroud for dominion of the underworld. Shroud counters by sending his most formidable servants to seize the artifact at all cost.

However, the god is not the only one interested in the Book, and a host of other forces converge, drawn by the powerful magic that has been unleashed. Among them is a reluctant Guardian who is commissioned by the Emperor to find the stolen Book, a troubled prince who battles enemies both personal and political, and a young girl of great power, whose past uniquely prepares her for an encounter with Shroud. The greatest threat to each of their quests lies not in the horror of an undead army but in the risk of betrayal from those closest to them. Each of their decisions comes at a personal cost and will not only affect them, but also determine the fate of their entire empire.
The first of an epic swords & sorcery fantasy series, Marc Turner's When the Heavens Fall features gritty characters, deadly magic, and meddlesome gods"

Bradley Beaulieu put me in contact with Marc Turner as he was looking for reviewers to review his upcoming book(now released), Dragon Hunters, but I wanted to read his first novel first before digging into his newest book, and I am glad I did.

When the Heavens Fall really has the feel of Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, as the gods are actively working in the realm of mankind and each god represents a form of magic. Some gods hid in the shadows and move their acolytes like chess pieces, where others refuse to step in the realm of man for fear they will killed instead employing powerful warriors and demons that do their bidding. As a huge fan of the Malazan series it was nice to see something in a similar vein but definitely forging their own world and magic systems.

When the Heavens Fall tells the story of a few individuals that are all converging on a dead city that is now being used by a middling magician that has taken a book that was being kept by necromancers and owned by Shroud, the God of Death. The magician plans to use the book to raise the dead and challenge the god of the underworld. Some of the individuals are tasked by their emperor to reclaim the book as it will help in the upcoming battle that looms ahead, others are called by the book and seen as a path to revenge. Finally, one is being tasked by her own god who has yet to uncover why her god needs the tome.

My favorite character without a doubt has to be Luker Essenadar, a guardian. He has turned his back on his order but has been recalled in order to help reclaim the book. In many ways he reminded me of The Witcher as he has a power that doesn't require any god in order to use and is a major bad ass in the swords department. I may have just read the book in order to get more pages featuring him, as he was a highly imaginative character that I hope the author returns to. He is joined by three other characters, all of which have their own motivations for going on the quest to recover the book.

The other fascinating character was Parolla Morivan, while I don't want to spoil too much of her story arc. She is drawn to the book and her motivations are a little suspect. When she finally reveals more about herself, it was a shocker. One I wasn't expecting and it made her all the more interesting.

While not my favorite character, Ebon Calidar, is the king of Galitia, Once the book was activated by the mage Mayot the dead have attacked his city hoping to turn more of his citizens into undead to help in Mayot's war against Shroud. Ebon must gather his own untrustworthy troop together and head towards the heart of unrest in an attempt to save his kingdom. While he was an compelling character, he was not my favorite.

The last major character is Romany Elivar, she is the high priestess to the spider god, a sect that worships secrets and is always in the wings hatching plans. the latest plan is to help the renegade mage Mayot unlock the secrets to the book she also is harboring another secret that may or may not change the way everyone sees the world.

While the characters are well-developed and I love the various magic systems the world-building takes a backseat. Turner gives you just enough to make it work but I would have loved to have seen it refined a little more, but it is a small complaint, one that doesn't affect the book one way or another.

When the Heavens Fall is a tremendous book that wasn't even on my radar until Bradley thought it would be something right up my alley and I am really glad that I accepted the offer to read both books. While I won't get to the sequel right away, it is almost at the top of my to read pile and it shouldn't be too long until I get to the review. Highly recommended.

Overall 9/10