What do you think?
Rate this book
The Fallen #1
The Fallen
Nicholas Reynolds had messed he’d taken two party drugs that didn’t get along with each other. Now, his glamorous Saturday night plans had been reduced to throwing up in a thin, lightless alley.
Up until tonight, Nick had been doing well enough, even by Los Angeles standards. A model-slash-actor of respectable success, he was young, healthy, very attractive, and the hub of his requisite clique. He was generally popular and appreciated—although perhaps not enough by the guy he was dating who, interestingly, insisted they were not dating.
Though, what made this particular evening truly remarkable for Nick was not his life-threatening overdose.
No, it was the enormous demon who also thought Nick’s lightless, Hollywood alley might be a good place to hide...
In his triumphant first foray into full-length novels, Joshua Dagon has unleashed the rich and compelling tale of the fallen angel, Marbas, and the circle of friends who risk everything to oppose a dark and growing evil. Set in the vainglorious world of the Los Angeles club scene, these novels adeptly confront dogma, addiction, ambition, and revenge with the powerful forces of optimism, friendship, redemption, and above all, love.
By the end of The Fallen, readers are whole-heartedly caught up in the lives of the characters, and upon completion of Demon Tears, they long for another chance to laugh and cry with Joshua Dagon’s beautifully crafted characters.
Up until tonight, Nick had been doing well enough, even by Los Angeles standards. A model-slash-actor of respectable success, he was young, healthy, very attractive, and the hub of his requisite clique. He was generally popular and appreciated—although perhaps not enough by the guy he was dating who, interestingly, insisted they were not dating.
Though, what made this particular evening truly remarkable for Nick was not his life-threatening overdose.
No, it was the enormous demon who also thought Nick’s lightless, Hollywood alley might be a good place to hide...
In his triumphant first foray into full-length novels, Joshua Dagon has unleashed the rich and compelling tale of the fallen angel, Marbas, and the circle of friends who risk everything to oppose a dark and growing evil. Set in the vainglorious world of the Los Angeles club scene, these novels adeptly confront dogma, addiction, ambition, and revenge with the powerful forces of optimism, friendship, redemption, and above all, love.
By the end of The Fallen, readers are whole-heartedly caught up in the lives of the characters, and upon completion of Demon Tears, they long for another chance to laugh and cry with Joshua Dagon’s beautifully crafted characters.
Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2006
1 person is currently reading
82 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 2, 2010
Nick Reynolds is an aspiring actor in Los Angeles. He’s part of the in crowd, one of the lucky few who is afforded immediate entry to the most exclusive gay clubs in the city. He surrounds himself with a close-knit group of friends, all beautiful and envied by the throngs of wannabes who wait every night outside wishing they could be like Nick and his friends.
Darren Jacobsen is Nick’s unofficial boyfriend. Everyone knows they’re a couple, but Darren prefers to remain aloof, to pretend he’s above the “gay” label. Since he’s not really out of the closet, how can he really have a boyfriend? How can he ever be public about it?
As The Fallen begins, Nick finds himself outside the club in an alley. Unfortunately he’s made a horrible mistake. He’s mixed a couple of drugs that do not go well together, and the result is that he’s terribly ill. He is so sick that, unbeknownst to him, he’s dying. Fortunately, though, fate intervenes, and Nick discovers that he is not alone in that alley. Someone else is there with him, but he is too inebriated by the drugs to decipher exactly who—or what—it is. This voice begins to speak to Nick, and soon Nick draws the conclusion that he must be having a hallucination.
The figure in the alley is no illusion, though, nor is it human. And when this unidentified creature reaches out and touches Nick, agreeing to help him and save him from his inevitable and fatal plight, the course of Nick’s destiny is forever changed.
This foreign entity actually is a demon—a fallen angel. His name is Marbas, and he is a skotos, hence in his human form he prefers to be called “Scott.” Soon Nick and Scott become incredibly close, and Nick’s skepticism gradually starts to fade. Scott is capable of doing some pretty amazing things. Startling things. Inhuman things!
Eventually Scott is introduced to Nick’s entire circle of friends, and the demon manages to connect with each one of them in a unique way. As Nick and Scott continue to bond with each other, the members of their social circle also begin to grow very fond of their new friend. Ultimately it is Scott’s affection for Nick which leads him into a vulnerable situation where he is at the mercy of his supernatural enemies. Nick becomes the pawn, and himself faces mortal danger. Will Scott be able to save his human friend a second time? Will Nick ever be able to forge a meaningful relationship with his boyfriend while Scott remains in the picture? Will the group of friends ever be capable of seeing beyond the shallowness and vanity of their glamorously pretentious lifestyle?
During the opening pages of this novel, I admittedly was a bit taken aback. Almost immediately the reader is drawn into a setting where drugs and promiscuity are the norm, where image is everything. The vivid descriptions of the wanton materialism and selfish shortsightedness of the central characters was, to say the least, disturbing. Drugs are so prevalently used by the primary characters in this novel that they are described anthropomorphically. Feminine names are assigned to each of the different drugs: Missy, Gina, and etcetera. They are viewed as party guests, close friends with whom all love to hang out. Being under the influence is regarded as common, no more unusual than taking an aspirin. If there was a single element of the book which was troubling to me, I must admit that it was the casual acceptance of this attitude.
What was so striking to me was the manner in which several sub plots were woven together. It was not immediately clear what was good and what was evil. The honest portrayal of flawed characters allowed the reader to draw their own conclusions and to question many of their assumptions and core beliefs. I found it interesting to realize that my initial impression of these characters as obnoxious, spoiled, and utterly shallow, live-for-the-moment social mannequins may have been entirely premature. It was amazing to get a glimpse into their souls and to discover their vulnerabilities and the reasons behind their lifestyle choices.
The most dramatic case in point is the character Darren Jacobsen. Throughout the book, I was annoyed by this ego-maniacal, self-serving hypocrite. Toward the end of the story, however, a gut-wrenching and brutally honest revelation scene depicts this character as utterly vulnerable. The emotion that came through the pages during that scene was riveting, and frankly I’m at a loss for words in describing the powerful impact the scene had. I literally was reduced to tears.
Joshua Dagon is an incredibly gifted writer. His vocabulary is beyond impressive, and his storytelling is spellbinding. Honestly I expect to see him recognized by a slew of literary awards. His work truly is magnificent. Please take my word on this, The Fallen is easily a five-star read, and I highly recommend it.
Darren Jacobsen is Nick’s unofficial boyfriend. Everyone knows they’re a couple, but Darren prefers to remain aloof, to pretend he’s above the “gay” label. Since he’s not really out of the closet, how can he really have a boyfriend? How can he ever be public about it?
As The Fallen begins, Nick finds himself outside the club in an alley. Unfortunately he’s made a horrible mistake. He’s mixed a couple of drugs that do not go well together, and the result is that he’s terribly ill. He is so sick that, unbeknownst to him, he’s dying. Fortunately, though, fate intervenes, and Nick discovers that he is not alone in that alley. Someone else is there with him, but he is too inebriated by the drugs to decipher exactly who—or what—it is. This voice begins to speak to Nick, and soon Nick draws the conclusion that he must be having a hallucination.
The figure in the alley is no illusion, though, nor is it human. And when this unidentified creature reaches out and touches Nick, agreeing to help him and save him from his inevitable and fatal plight, the course of Nick’s destiny is forever changed.
This foreign entity actually is a demon—a fallen angel. His name is Marbas, and he is a skotos, hence in his human form he prefers to be called “Scott.” Soon Nick and Scott become incredibly close, and Nick’s skepticism gradually starts to fade. Scott is capable of doing some pretty amazing things. Startling things. Inhuman things!
Eventually Scott is introduced to Nick’s entire circle of friends, and the demon manages to connect with each one of them in a unique way. As Nick and Scott continue to bond with each other, the members of their social circle also begin to grow very fond of their new friend. Ultimately it is Scott’s affection for Nick which leads him into a vulnerable situation where he is at the mercy of his supernatural enemies. Nick becomes the pawn, and himself faces mortal danger. Will Scott be able to save his human friend a second time? Will Nick ever be able to forge a meaningful relationship with his boyfriend while Scott remains in the picture? Will the group of friends ever be capable of seeing beyond the shallowness and vanity of their glamorously pretentious lifestyle?
During the opening pages of this novel, I admittedly was a bit taken aback. Almost immediately the reader is drawn into a setting where drugs and promiscuity are the norm, where image is everything. The vivid descriptions of the wanton materialism and selfish shortsightedness of the central characters was, to say the least, disturbing. Drugs are so prevalently used by the primary characters in this novel that they are described anthropomorphically. Feminine names are assigned to each of the different drugs: Missy, Gina, and etcetera. They are viewed as party guests, close friends with whom all love to hang out. Being under the influence is regarded as common, no more unusual than taking an aspirin. If there was a single element of the book which was troubling to me, I must admit that it was the casual acceptance of this attitude.
What was so striking to me was the manner in which several sub plots were woven together. It was not immediately clear what was good and what was evil. The honest portrayal of flawed characters allowed the reader to draw their own conclusions and to question many of their assumptions and core beliefs. I found it interesting to realize that my initial impression of these characters as obnoxious, spoiled, and utterly shallow, live-for-the-moment social mannequins may have been entirely premature. It was amazing to get a glimpse into their souls and to discover their vulnerabilities and the reasons behind their lifestyle choices.
The most dramatic case in point is the character Darren Jacobsen. Throughout the book, I was annoyed by this ego-maniacal, self-serving hypocrite. Toward the end of the story, however, a gut-wrenching and brutally honest revelation scene depicts this character as utterly vulnerable. The emotion that came through the pages during that scene was riveting, and frankly I’m at a loss for words in describing the powerful impact the scene had. I literally was reduced to tears.
Joshua Dagon is an incredibly gifted writer. His vocabulary is beyond impressive, and his storytelling is spellbinding. Honestly I expect to see him recognized by a slew of literary awards. His work truly is magnificent. Please take my word on this, The Fallen is easily a five-star read, and I highly recommend it.
November 24, 2019
I had the benefit of reading most of Joshua Dagon's canon before this. The Glamour Stones stories are taut and edgy. Into the Mouth of the Wolf is thrilling and intense. I thought The Fallen to be a bit of a slow burner at first. Be patient. Joshua Dagon is a master. There is a scene at the end that reads like a Mary Renault heartbreak.
May 23, 2013
read in Nov. 2008
This is the first novel in a series of two.
Its basic assumption is fine and fairly original: the interaction between a powerful Judeo-Christian age-old devil and a modern-day group of gay young men in a dissolute Los Angeles. The potential for interesting plot and character interaction is undenyable.
That said, Mr Dagon (is this a pen-name? Dagon is the name of a powerful philistine deity of fertility) seems to be rambling rather aimlessly among rather heterogeneous pursuits. Is he attempting a portrait of contemporary life in LA with a special focus on the city's immoral ethics? Or is it the depiction of the LA juvenile gay world and underworld? A new kind of fantasy? A new-agean essay on religions? Or perhaps a medical short essay on the effects of recreational drugs?
I am being intentionally strict here, of course, but this author seems in serious need of disciplining his literary efforts and of a good editor.
Page after page is dedicated to a rather terse description of several drugs and their effects on the human psyche. What is the goal of so many pages? They are useless to convey the sense of young people idling their life away to escape a harsh reality and a quite necessary search for their real self; they are not judgemental but at the same time they do not make allowances.
What is the author's opinion of his characters? He seems constantly uncertain whether to depict them objectively, leaving the reader to judge for himself, or whether to express his own.
This indecisiveness involves every theme in this book.
Mr Dagon seems unable to pursue a narrative goal consistently. As a result the pace of the action falters and characterization, supposedly the driving force of the narrative, is unconvincing.
The potentially rich supernatural element is far from fully exploited which is a real waste.
So much more a pity because the writing is not bad at all.
This is the first novel in a series of two.
Its basic assumption is fine and fairly original: the interaction between a powerful Judeo-Christian age-old devil and a modern-day group of gay young men in a dissolute Los Angeles. The potential for interesting plot and character interaction is undenyable.
That said, Mr Dagon (is this a pen-name? Dagon is the name of a powerful philistine deity of fertility) seems to be rambling rather aimlessly among rather heterogeneous pursuits. Is he attempting a portrait of contemporary life in LA with a special focus on the city's immoral ethics? Or is it the depiction of the LA juvenile gay world and underworld? A new kind of fantasy? A new-agean essay on religions? Or perhaps a medical short essay on the effects of recreational drugs?
I am being intentionally strict here, of course, but this author seems in serious need of disciplining his literary efforts and of a good editor.
Page after page is dedicated to a rather terse description of several drugs and their effects on the human psyche. What is the goal of so many pages? They are useless to convey the sense of young people idling their life away to escape a harsh reality and a quite necessary search for their real self; they are not judgemental but at the same time they do not make allowances.
What is the author's opinion of his characters? He seems constantly uncertain whether to depict them objectively, leaving the reader to judge for himself, or whether to express his own.
This indecisiveness involves every theme in this book.
Mr Dagon seems unable to pursue a narrative goal consistently. As a result the pace of the action falters and characterization, supposedly the driving force of the narrative, is unconvincing.
The potentially rich supernatural element is far from fully exploited which is a real waste.
So much more a pity because the writing is not bad at all.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews