Claire Delacroix, Fallen

Fallen

Claire Delacroix

Tor, Oct 2008, $

ISBN: 0765359499

In 2099, Lilia Desjardins does not believe the official declaration that her estranged spouse Nuclear Darwinist Gideon 'Gid' Fitzgerald died in an unfortunate accident. She assumes there is a cover-up but hesitates to make inquiries as she knows how dangerously repressive the Republic is and how lethal life in Gotham is.

A few months earlier, 'Fallen' angel Adam Montgomery had his wings surgically removed so he can go undercover as a cop inside the New Gotham police department; his mission is to assist Raziel, known as Rachel on this orb, save the earth. However, he is irate with Rachel as she refuses to provide him with information beyond looking for abnormalities within the police. Adam and Lilia meet at the New Gotham station when she mistakenly enters to report the eviscerated murder of Y654892. When Rachel is brutally murdered, Adam feels cut off and alone as he has no contact and no concept of the mission especially specifics. His only hope resides with Lilia, who is investigating Gid's death; as he thinks there is a link.

Readers will appreciate this entertaining urban romantic fantasy from the moment Adam's wings are clipped and enters wolf laden Central Park and never slows down as Claire Delacroix paints a nightmarish future. The storyline is action-packed; mostly driven by the horrifically vivid bleak post nuclear war world but also to a degree by the lead couple as he now understands temptation and she hesitates to trust anyone with her 'skins.' Hopefully Ms. Delacroix provides future tales in this 'Fallen' future venue.

Harriet Klausner