Angel Falling: A Noir Fantasy Thriller (Ambassador Azshael #1), by A.D. Landor
The Book
Synopsis:
The war between the Angels of Judgment and the Vampiric Succae – a race of honour-bound demons – was over.
Everyone was safe … for a while.
ANGEL. SOLDIER. ASSASSIN. DIPLOMAT. FOOL?
Azshael is an outcast lost in remorse and shunned for falling in love with the enemy. Unexpectedly tasked with investigating the death of a Succae elite on Angelic soil, it quickly becomes personal when he discovers her murder bears similarities to that of his dead lover.
Seeking answers, he joins forces with the Succae Serrate Lytta, an ancient war spirit bound in flesh, and the potent pair unearth a conspiracy which could destroy the long-standing truce and reignite the war between good and evil.
As a day of reckoning looms, Azshael will need all his wits to survive. But surviving is the one thing he’s always been good at.
He’s not the ‘dead angel walking’ his enemies think he is.
They picked him to fail, but they chose the wrong Angel…
My Review (4 out of 5 )
"In the uneasy peace that followed I became an ambassador and fell in love with my former enemy, a Succae diplomat. Her name was Ischae, and she is dead now, murdered in the bed we once shared. I lost my love, lost my way -and that is how all begins."
Angel Falling: A Noir Fantasy Thriller is a really original novel, the first book in the Ambassador Azshael series, written by A.D. Landor, mixing the thriller genre with a fantasy setting, as we will be following Azshael, an angel, trying to investigate a mysterious murder among the Succae elite, committed on Angelic soil, which resembles closely what he suffered ten years ago.
The war between the Succae and Angels ended in a fragile truce, but this assassination happened at a moment that could break the equilibrium between the forces. A conspiration is rising, and Azshael is contracted to discover the truth behind the mystery; he will be forced to collaborate with a High Succae, Lytta.
With this premise, what we get is a classical thriller story, centered around mysteries and the politics among the races, in which the stakes are progressively growing, as we get to know more components of those worlds.
The worldbuilding is quite original, especially if we consider that Landor has taken two classic creatures, as Angels can be, and has given his own twist. Angelic characters really fall into the Machiavelian archetypes, focusing on having a golden appearance, and being corrupted on the inside.
The Succae instead of being the classic demons, are closer to vampiric creatures, with a strict code of honour, similar to Bushido; Landor draws some elements from biblical mythology, such as the Soul's Well. We see how they are guided by honour, respecting the orders given by their superiors.
"All I did was to break up the cults of those who I believed were taking us down the path of destruction."
"Like Yggael the Serpent?"
"Yes. Her cult was poisonous in all senses of the word."
Azshael is a character that has fallen in disgrace, but at the same time, he's one of the most prepared to investigate this case, as he was Ambassador and lived with the Succae for many years; we can see how he's broken, flawed, but he's still guided by his principles, and that will be key in the plot.
We get to know many other ones among the Succae and the Angels, most of them distinguishable by some characteristics, but outside of Lytta, they don't keep the spotlight for much time.
Pacing is frenetic, being sometimes a problem, as we are introduced to many places and names in a short time, which can cause confusion to the reader. Said that, the plot evolves well with this kind of pacing.
If you are looking for a thriller novel, with a different setting, and really original worldbuilding, I would consider giving it a try to Angel Falling. I can't wait to continue Azshael's adventures!
The Author/s
A.D. Landor
When it became apparent that Knight Errant and Sorcerer to the Queen were no longer valid career choices, Adam worked his way through 37 other jobs before arriving at writer. Along the way, he looked after seals and bears at London Zoo, taught small children how to stay on a horse, wrote competition scripts for radio stations and told tall tales to anyone who would listen. He now lives outside London, with the sort of book and music collection guaranteed to ensure the neighbours never stay long for coffee.