This month should really be called the Ryan Cahill month on my blog since I’ll be reading and reviewing all three of his books before the end of December. I finished this short novella for the Dasher prompt of the Reindeer Readathon and enjoyed this introduction to Cahill’s world.

The Order have watched over the continent of Epheria for thousands of years. But there are those who believe The Order has had its day. That it is corrupt, indulgent, and deceitful – that it is ready to fall.

The City of Ilnaen is on fire.
Dragons fill the skies.
Traitors fill the streets.

The Fall is a prequel novella that takes place four hundred years before the events in Of Blood and Fire – book one in The Bound and The Broken series.

This novella was a fast-paced ride filled with grim action, great characters, and spell-binding prose. The world-building was exquisite for such a short narrative and created an enthralling backdrop for future stories. It introduced so many different elements and factions very quickly, but none of it felt rushed. The structure of the story being split between four POVs was an interesting choice that worked perfectly because it allowed the introduction of all the elements while also keeping the narrative moving forward with input from different perspectives. It left me wanting more, and now I’m even more excited to dig into the two novels that follow.