The Fallen Angel Review | Kenneth B. Andersen

Returning to the depths of hell in the fifth instalment in The Great Devil’s War series by Kenneth B. Andersen. Here’s my review on The Fallen Angel.

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy | Publisher: Kenneth Bøgh Andersen | Date: 2020

Plot: It’s been almost two years since Philip left Hell and returned to life—this time for good.

But things have changed and so has Philip. He’s haunted by terrifying nightmares and has never felt so lonely. Lonely and angry.

Then one day the impossible happens and Philip is brought back to Hell. Not by the Devil, but by the Almighty himself.

Although the Great Devil War ended a long time ago, the battle is far from over—and the worst is yet to come.

The Fallen Angel Review

I was cautious when starting The Fallen Angel. Book four had a sense of finality about it; it had come to a natural conclusion. I was worried that book five would feel it was dragging, spinning out the story for the sake of staying with much-loved characters

To my relief – and delight – I was completely wrong.

Book five picks up a year or so since we left Philip (back on Earth after making the choice to return to the living). He’s struggling to move on: his place in Hell was somewhere he truly belonged, and the living can’t offer him that. Lonely and despondent, Philip regrets his decision.

But with a sudden reappearance of an old friend, Philip once again finds his life over (pencil on the stairs this time) and Hell waiting for him. Despite believing he couldn’t return, higher powers have intervened, despite no one being quite sure why. What awaits Philip now is finding out why he is back – and how much time has passed for those he cares about.

The Fallen Angel has the feel of setting up a new chapter in Philip’s life/death. It’s slower-paced compared to the previous book, and takes a long time before the story starts to gather momentum than just Philip moping around. Thankfully, due to these being characters we know and love, it doesn’t drag.

Philip smiled inside. The Lord of Darkness. The founder and King of Hell, who once declared war against God. And who was scared to death of his own cook.

The Fallen Angel by Kenneth B. Andersen

Once the story starts to pick up, it became a reminder of why I enjoy these books so much. Philip is a great character: he’s determined and, regardless of how much he has changed, he still brings out the best in others. There’s a lot of anger to deal with, but being back in Hell gives him some closure of previous events.

It’s not Hell that has the problem this time: it’s Heaven. Jesus and his son have gone missing, and even his Father is unable to locate him. Unable to refuse the mystery, Philip starts investigating, and once again discovers more than anyone believed possible.

From the start, these books have been about Heaven and Hell: the afterlife, and what awaits us there. But the way it is handled is tactful and humorous – there’s never the sense that a certain religion, or a certain afterlife, is the right or wrong one. It’s another world, where there happens to be God, the Devil, angels and demons flitting around.

For a younger reader, this feels like an important point to make: we’re exploring scenes and characters from the Christian Bible, but not in a way that feels is being forced upon us. It’s powerful writing that makes us laugh while introducing that Jesus got married and had kids while in Heaven.

We’re exploring new hells and realms this time, taking us further into Philip’s world. Despite the slow start, this book remained enjoyable throughout. Our favourite characters are growing up – and there’s no stopping them now.

I’m looking forward to seeing where this new story-arc goes. If you’ve liked the series, you’ll enjoy The Fallen Angel.

Also in the series:

• The Devil’s Apprentice
• The Die of Death
• The Wrongful Death
• The Angel of Evil

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