Matthew Gallow spends his afternoons having one horrible nightmare after another at a number of shoddy motels across the country. He is a drunkard, a womanizer, a con man, and an angel. A true honest angel to the goodness of heaven, who has fallen from grace and sunk so low that even God no longer responds to him. He has existed for thousands of years in each incarnation and there is not a life that he has not lived, but all he wants is the life that was taken from him thousands of years ago. Matthew has no intention of living a “good and pure” life; he has no intention of ever receiving God’s graces again. Instead, he spends his time touring the country attending revival meetings in tents and posing as a demon-exorcising priest who brings eternal salvation to poor lost souls.

Then the impossible happens, while he sets up a big con, under the scorching sun, in the middle of a big white tent; in reality, he makes contact with the devil and exorcises him directly from the soul of the goth girl where he resided. This ‘trick’ is not only caught on television, it is witnessed by Natalie Ashley, the manager of the world’s greatest rock star. Natalie thinks the band could use something extra, and after seeing Matthew’s “talents”, she recruits him to perform his exorcism on stage with the band. From that moment on, it is a fight of good against evil. And that would make the book good. But the authors go one step further and delve into the area of ​​lasting 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 it worth the price of admission for an eternity of slavery to an inherently evil entity? This book really makes the reader sit up and take note of the concept of forever, and forever, and forever, and forever. It is a long time.

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

I’m always glad when I read a book written by a writing team and it seems perfect on the page, and that’s what Margaret and Lizz Weis have done, it’s one voice. With so much going for the book, I was a little disappointed in the ending. I felt it was rushed and it left me wondering about the hero and his fate. I had to read the last chapter a couple of times to find out what happened.

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