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The Fall: Book One of the Last Druid Trilogy
Undergraduate Sam Wood finds his dream life in Oxford interrupted when he encounters a menacing Shadow.Soon he is on the run, pursued by unknown forces and searching for answers. He escapes to the borderlands of Northumberland, where beings from other worlds are creeping into this one, and learns he is embroiled in a quest to prevent the murder of the last Druid, heir of a mysterious order which has protected this world and others for millennia. Along the way, the boundaries between good and evil, light and dark, and even the loyalties of those sent to protect him are called into question. What awaits him at the Dead Water only he can face. A place where the Druids laid down their lives to protect the darkest of all their secrets.
298 pages, Hardcover
Published March 29, 2017
39 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
About the author
Glen L. Hall
2 books23 followersMy love affair with books started with Mrs Flather my primary school teacher, who gave me a copy of Prince Caspian when I was seven, which has led thirty-five years later to the publication of The Last Druid and a continued love affair of fantasy.
From the moment I was captivated by C.S. Lewis’s chronicles of Narnia, I devoured the whole seven books and could have cried when I came to ‘The Last Battle’ and realised it was the final book. You can imagine my joy when by pure chance I came across an old copy of ‘The Hobbit’ in the rather rickety school library. And off I went again devouring the book in a couple of weeks. I instantly fell in love with Bilbo and his Bag End, Hobbiton, the shire and of course Middle-earth.
That one act of kindness from my primary school teacher led me to read English at the University of Leeds. (J.R.R. Tolkien taught there in 1926 before leaving for Oxford). On graduating I would take a twenty-year detour away from all things literary becoming an entrepreneur, private investor, trustee and frustrated amateur physicist!
I have met some amazing people on the way and as I sit hear typing this, I am grateful and humbled by each and every one of them
All royalties from The Last Druid will go to G L Hall foundation.
From the moment I was captivated by C.S. Lewis’s chronicles of Narnia, I devoured the whole seven books and could have cried when I came to ‘The Last Battle’ and realised it was the final book. You can imagine my joy when by pure chance I came across an old copy of ‘The Hobbit’ in the rather rickety school library. And off I went again devouring the book in a couple of weeks. I instantly fell in love with Bilbo and his Bag End, Hobbiton, the shire and of course Middle-earth.
That one act of kindness from my primary school teacher led me to read English at the University of Leeds. (J.R.R. Tolkien taught there in 1926 before leaving for Oxford). On graduating I would take a twenty-year detour away from all things literary becoming an entrepreneur, private investor, trustee and frustrated amateur physicist!
I have met some amazing people on the way and as I sit hear typing this, I am grateful and humbled by each and every one of them
All royalties from The Last Druid will go to G L Hall foundation.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 12, 2017
From the looks of his debut novel, Glen L. Hall has a real talent for building suspense and yet his work is pacey and driven. ‘The Fall’ is a true to form quest novel that blurs the line between fantasy and reality in an incredibly interesting way. Hall’s The Last Druid Trilogy is set to be big – it’s a wonderful balance of the everyday and the extraordinary that really gets imaginations going and pages turning.
April 11, 2017
This is definitely one for the old fashioned fantasy fans out there, I love it!
There's some really powerful writing here and a great story that gets you hooked immediately. You can really see the Tolkien influences here and I think it's a good one to read if you're a young/teen reader already interested in the fantasy genre.
I'm so glad it's a trilogy, as it means there's more to come!
There's some really powerful writing here and a great story that gets you hooked immediately. You can really see the Tolkien influences here and I think it's a good one to read if you're a young/teen reader already interested in the fantasy genre.
I'm so glad it's a trilogy, as it means there's more to come!
April 14, 2017
Loved this book - it really engaged me in the story. The pace builds really nicely and the authors use of descriptive language brings the book to life. The characters Sam and Emily have a lot of potential and I look forward to the next installment.
If you are a fan of Phillip Pullman, JK Rowling or Tolkien then give this book a go - you won't be disappointed.
If you are a fan of Phillip Pullman, JK Rowling or Tolkien then give this book a go - you won't be disappointed.
April 14, 2017
Evocative of Tolkien, CS Lewis and the masters of the traditional fantasy genre, ‘The Fall’ - the first book of the ‘The Last Druid Trilogy’ - is the start of a thrillingly dark story and is a promising glimpse of things to come! Can’t wait for book two...
April 15, 2017
A real modern twist on the classical fantasy genre, ‘The Fall’ is a highly entertaining yet thought-provoking adventure. If you enjoy tales of old English or Celtic folklore and mythology with a bit of an edge the Last Druid Trilogy looks like it’s going to be a success.
April 26, 2017
Overall a good fantasy novel. The characters are interesting as is the plot - looking forward to see what happens as the series progresses. Although the first book is situated in modern day England, there are hints of other realms (high fantasy).
I tend toward epic fantasy - but I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it. Also the proceeds go to a good charity so definitely worth it.
I tend toward epic fantasy - but I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it. Also the proceeds go to a good charity so definitely worth it.
April 13, 2017
I can really see this becoming a film, it’s beautifully descriptive and full of all sorts of great adventure stuff! If you’re a fantasy fan you’ll really enjoy it, it’s a real epic full of magic and myth. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book and see what happens with Sam and Emily! (btw, I totally ship it).
April 12, 2017
“A truly enjoyable fantasy adventure, captivatingly writing and epically told. If you’re looking for a good old fashioned fantasy fix with a modern edge, The Last Druid Trilogy is the series for you! I love the characterisations, the young protagonist Sam is incredibly relatable, whilst the other-worldly characters are colourful and intriguing.”
July 3, 2017
I liked this book and want to support it, but I've got an old fashioned principled stance against five-starring everything we just 'like'.
The Fall wears its Tolkien/Inklings credentials very proudly on its sleeve, especially in the early set up, but they're only one strand. For the larger part of the book I was more reminded of The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and the 'The Dark is Rising' series that I read as a teen and still rate -- though the undergraduate student central character, and the louring darkness that's after him, pitches The Fall more at the Young Adult market.
I feel that I like where this is going, so I'll put up with the hasty if nicely adjectived prose, and let the supporting cast develop actual personalities to match their archetypes at their own pace.
The Fall wears its Tolkien/Inklings credentials very proudly on its sleeve, especially in the early set up, but they're only one strand. For the larger part of the book I was more reminded of The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and the 'The Dark is Rising' series that I read as a teen and still rate -- though the undergraduate student central character, and the louring darkness that's after him, pitches The Fall more at the Young Adult market.
I feel that I like where this is going, so I'll put up with the hasty if nicely adjectived prose, and let the supporting cast develop actual personalities to match their archetypes at their own pace.
August 13, 2017
For this months Kindle Lending Library Book of the Month I chose The Fall. I'd seen a lot of ads for it on Facebook, and I think on my Kindle as well. The Fall is about Sam who is a student at Oxford, but he must go on the run from The Shadow. After escaping to Northumberland, he must find Oscar, the last druid to try and help him.
I was excited that a lot of it was set in Northumberland because I'm currently very homesick for the North. I'm also assuming I saw it on Facebook because it was pushed to that geographic region by the author. It also spends some time talking about two of my favourite authors, Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. So at the start I was excited... and then disappointed.
One problem was the fact I was reminded so heavily of those authors. One of the Professors has a pipe and a way of talking which was highly reminiscent of Gandalf. I'm still unsure as to whether this was on purpose or not? There's also a scene that reminded me of Glorfindel's passing of the River with Frodo on the way to Rivendell. I questioned whether it was influenced too much by Tolkien in particular.
Another problem was that I really disliked Emily as a character. To the point I was full on hoping she was the traitor just to justify why she was so unlikable. Emily also wasn't even the person that was pushing Sam further on in the plot. If anything she hindered him and the book could have done without her. Also as she was the only female 'main' character, it felt like she was the token love interest and token female which just made me dislike her more.
Another thing was I knew that we were rushing towards the climax at the end. I knew I should be feeling anticipation and worried for our characters. But I just didn't. The villain isn't particularly villainous, it's just a shadow for the most part. Honestly I kept putting the book down because I just couldn't get captivated because the threat didn't seem all that important.
The book doesn't end on a cliffhanger but Hall does set up the second book in the series. This is through our main character asking himself questions which weren't answered in The Fall. The second book was definitely set up, but it was done so lazily and if I was focused enough on the story, I should have been able to think of those questions myself. Overall I just did not like this book, even though I had such high hopes for it.
I was excited that a lot of it was set in Northumberland because I'm currently very homesick for the North. I'm also assuming I saw it on Facebook because it was pushed to that geographic region by the author. It also spends some time talking about two of my favourite authors, Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. So at the start I was excited... and then disappointed.
One problem was the fact I was reminded so heavily of those authors. One of the Professors has a pipe and a way of talking which was highly reminiscent of Gandalf. I'm still unsure as to whether this was on purpose or not? There's also a scene that reminded me of Glorfindel's passing of the River with Frodo on the way to Rivendell. I questioned whether it was influenced too much by Tolkien in particular.
Another problem was that I really disliked Emily as a character. To the point I was full on hoping she was the traitor just to justify why she was so unlikable. Emily also wasn't even the person that was pushing Sam further on in the plot. If anything she hindered him and the book could have done without her. Also as she was the only female 'main' character, it felt like she was the token love interest and token female which just made me dislike her more.
Another thing was I knew that we were rushing towards the climax at the end. I knew I should be feeling anticipation and worried for our characters. But I just didn't. The villain isn't particularly villainous, it's just a shadow for the most part. Honestly I kept putting the book down because I just couldn't get captivated because the threat didn't seem all that important.
The book doesn't end on a cliffhanger but Hall does set up the second book in the series. This is through our main character asking himself questions which weren't answered in The Fall. The second book was definitely set up, but it was done so lazily and if I was focused enough on the story, I should have been able to think of those questions myself. Overall I just did not like this book, even though I had such high hopes for it.
June 30, 2017
I tried....
I really tried to like this book... I hardly ever stop reading a book half way through but this book made me consider it several times. This book is all just confusion and running away. After finishing the book I still couldn't really tell you anything about druids. Though out most of the book the author is just throwing out random names of locations that mean nothing to the reader. It didn't even start getting interesting until about three quarters of the way through. I was very excited to start this book all about druids, but It has been a disappointment.
I really tried to like this book... I hardly ever stop reading a book half way through but this book made me consider it several times. This book is all just confusion and running away. After finishing the book I still couldn't really tell you anything about druids. Though out most of the book the author is just throwing out random names of locations that mean nothing to the reader. It didn't even start getting interesting until about three quarters of the way through. I was very excited to start this book all about druids, but It has been a disappointment.
July 12, 2017
DENSE, DARK, MYSTICAL. AND BORING.
This could have been another Lord of The Rings, even another Harry Potter story, but sadly it's neither of those. It's a long winded, slow, boring tale, jumping from one thing, (and place)
to another, making little sense of anything in between. Some may find the story the best thing since the invention of sliced bread, but sadly my loaf ended up stale. I don't like having to say it, but it's not a book I would recommend to anyone in case they ended up with depression.
This could have been another Lord of The Rings, even another Harry Potter story, but sadly it's neither of those. It's a long winded, slow, boring tale, jumping from one thing, (and place)
to another, making little sense of anything in between. Some may find the story the best thing since the invention of sliced bread, but sadly my loaf ended up stale. I don't like having to say it, but it's not a book I would recommend to anyone in case they ended up with depression.
June 28, 2017
Rounded up from 2.5 stars. I expected to really like this book but actually struggled to finish it.
January 11, 2019
This is a fantastic hybrid of real-world and fantasy and I don't really like that sub-genre. If you love the history of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien in London, you NEED to read this book!
April 19, 2017
Truly captivating and sometimes haunting in places, ‘The Fall’ (Book 1 of The Last Druid Trilogy) is a darkly enjoyable read full of all sorts of twists and turns. The stylised language contributes to absorbing plot which is told with a descriptive finesse, and makes it a very immersive read
December 20, 2017
This was a Book Bub purchase, so wanted to make my 99p count, and also didn't want it to become my third DNF of the year. I've tried to write this review 5 or 6 times and have deleted each one.
I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't get on with this book. I read the Kindle version and it was riddled with typos. This book was frustrating, the plot is there, the story however is not. There is definitely a lateral start and finish and the story progresses in a steady way. There are some wonderful descriptions of places, objects and settings, sometimes it can be a bit much, either the author walked Hadrian's Wall or poured over an ordinance survey map of the area. There are some bits of this book which are really well written, mainly near the beginning, which are creepy and chilling in places. There is no light touch either, it is a book of chaos and catastrophe all the way through.
I got annoyed with the main characters. Only 2 thirds of the way through do you get a description of Sam, please don't get me wrong some books leave you to imagine what your characters look like, but don't plonk it in after nearly 10 chapters. Some of the actions of the characters are jarring and don't feel realistic. I got the impression that the author has known this story and his characters for years, so I found when reading it that it jumps around, as if the author assumes you know what is going on and who he is talking about.
Disclaimer: I read this with a really nasty cold so could just be grumpy... I wouldn't however recommend this book to veteran fantasy lovers as I think it'll annoy them.
I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't get on with this book. I read the Kindle version and it was riddled with typos. This book was frustrating, the plot is there, the story however is not. There is definitely a lateral start and finish and the story progresses in a steady way. There are some wonderful descriptions of places, objects and settings, sometimes it can be a bit much, either the author walked Hadrian's Wall or poured over an ordinance survey map of the area. There are some bits of this book which are really well written, mainly near the beginning, which are creepy and chilling in places. There is no light touch either, it is a book of chaos and catastrophe all the way through.
I got annoyed with the main characters. Only 2 thirds of the way through do you get a description of Sam, please don't get me wrong some books leave you to imagine what your characters look like, but don't plonk it in after nearly 10 chapters. Some of the actions of the characters are jarring and don't feel realistic. I got the impression that the author has known this story and his characters for years, so I found when reading it that it jumps around, as if the author assumes you know what is going on and who he is talking about.
Disclaimer: I read this with a really nasty cold so could just be grumpy... I wouldn't however recommend this book to veteran fantasy lovers as I think it'll annoy them.
July 22, 2017
Lacklustre and prolonged
The writing element itself is technically brilliant, it's filled with suspense and mystery. However it seemed to be lacking one thing in particular- magic. You go into a book associated with druids and expect it to be filled with magic and wonder but this just didn't meet my expectations. For the majority of the book there was little to no magic, especially from our protagonist, who is supposed to be the last of the druids yet he shows no hint of magic until the very last section of the novel.
Emily's importance felt shoehorned in as if the author wanted to give her a bigger role than just - love interest - for Sam; however this seemed forced and unnecessary.
Towards the latter half of the novel the perspective changes seemed to be there for the sole reason of adding to the page count and didn't add anything narratively that couldn't have been discovered by Sam during his journey. There was names being thrown around with importance yet they just seemed to be there without moving the narrative forward in a constructive way.
The entire book just felt unfinished - not in the first part of a trilogy way but in the nothing was achieved by the end of the narrative. I felt no definitive story arc for Sam. The entire book read like a prolonged prologue explaining the world without making me empathise with the characters.
I will more than likely still read the rest of this trilogy but that is more out of duty and a nagging annoyance of not having reached a conculsion that satisfies me.
The writing element itself is technically brilliant, it's filled with suspense and mystery. However it seemed to be lacking one thing in particular- magic. You go into a book associated with druids and expect it to be filled with magic and wonder but this just didn't meet my expectations. For the majority of the book there was little to no magic, especially from our protagonist, who is supposed to be the last of the druids yet he shows no hint of magic until the very last section of the novel.
Emily's importance felt shoehorned in as if the author wanted to give her a bigger role than just - love interest - for Sam; however this seemed forced and unnecessary.
Towards the latter half of the novel the perspective changes seemed to be there for the sole reason of adding to the page count and didn't add anything narratively that couldn't have been discovered by Sam during his journey. There was names being thrown around with importance yet they just seemed to be there without moving the narrative forward in a constructive way.
The entire book just felt unfinished - not in the first part of a trilogy way but in the nothing was achieved by the end of the narrative. I felt no definitive story arc for Sam. The entire book read like a prolonged prologue explaining the world without making me empathise with the characters.
I will more than likely still read the rest of this trilogy but that is more out of duty and a nagging annoyance of not having reached a conculsion that satisfies me.
February 6, 2019
I read this book over a few days, which for me means it can only be good, it even got in the way of me doing my own writing! I liked reading the story from several view points, each character ‘felt’ different, and the plot was fast moving and kept me interested. I’m looking forward to reading book two, I will be starting it tomorrow 😊
February 14, 2018
I gave it a 3. I think I was being charitable.
To me, I was basically confused all through the book. Confusing, is the thought that comes to mind, when I finally finished the book.
I really wanted to get into this book, but I struggled to finish it.
To me, I was basically confused all through the book. Confusing, is the thought that comes to mind, when I finally finished the book.
I really wanted to get into this book, but I struggled to finish it.
July 20, 2017
A good book which starts slowly, not a book to start reading during a number of short sessions.
April 12, 2017
Really enjoyable – couldn’t put it down! Glen has a poetically vivid style that lures the reader in and keeps them there!
April 15, 2017
I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to buy the rest of the trilogy when it comes out. I feel this series might be more appropriate for older teens (and beyond) as it has some dark themes but is incredibly thrilling…
April 19, 2017
Really good book. Very engaging and full of plot twists and turns. I was still thinking about it for a long while after finishing it and even gave some of my favourite bits a re-read!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews