Book review: Lightfall

Let’s start with a hypothetical question: What’s better than vampires, werewolves, sorcerers and a deep-rooted, conspiratorial murder mystery with the power to unravel everything? The only real answer is…all of them, together of course! And that’s exactly what you can expect from Ed Crocker’s debut novel, Lightfall. Ready to learn more? Here’s my review of this dark-edged, immortal romp through the Everlands!

The premise

The setting for our story is the fantasy realm known as the Everlands. Home to three distinct races (vampires, sorcerers and werewolves) who are all ostensibly immortal (unless they are killed, of course…hence “ostensibly” — do you see me foreshadowing here?) We join the Everlands about a century after a cataclysmic event known as “Grayfall” has beset the land — an event which saw a fourth, deeply mysterious and eminently dangerous race, enter the picture: The Grays.

The Grays essentially massacred any immortal living in the central part of the Everlands — leaving werewolves, sorcerers and vampires confined to the fringes of the known world. For the vampires, in particular, this left them with only a single city left to call their own. A single city…and a strict caste system to uphold. Vampires in this world are empowered by the type of blood that they drink — the higher your standing, the better your vintage. This creates a layered society of Lords, Midways and the lowest of the vampire kind…the Worns.

Like what you’re hearing so far? Well here’s my full review of Lightfall.

The review

Like all good stories, Lightfall opens with a strong gambit: in this case, the murder of a high-ranking vampire Lord in unusual circumstances. It’s this gambit that kickstarts the central through-line of the book, with the murder linked to an even darker, even bigger conspiracy that could unravel…well, everything!

That’s a lot to handle, but Lightfall does it with aplomb. It keeps a solid pace throughout and racks up the tension with every revelation, both minor and major — eventually leading you to a satisfying conclusion that will also have you ready for the next one (Lightfall is the start of the Everlands sequence of books).

And the murder mystery aspect of the book is finely balanced with plenty of action, too. All of the sneaking and conniving is offset by brutal fight scenes and high-intensity action sequences. Consider the Guy Ritchie adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes IP…but add vampires, werewolves and bonafide sorcerers into the mix.

So that’s plenty of positives already, but where Lightfall really excels is in its character work. If you know me, then you know that I firmly believe characters are what makes great stories. For me, having interesting (note, I said interesting, not necessarily likeable) characters is an absolute necessity. Well in this multi-POV book, you’ll spend time with plenty of characters that fulfil this need. Chief among our main cast is Sam, a Worn vampire who serves as a maid in the palace, but whose dreams and ambitions far outpace emptying chamberpots and cleaning up after the decadences of the Lords and Midways.

Sam is a really thoughtfully realised character. We get plenty of her backstory (layered neatly throughout the story, rather than info-dumped all at once) and we feel every twist and turn in the story through her lens. She is also a great conduit through which we can see the strict, systemic power imbalance that the vampire society is built on. It’s not subtle, but I also don’t think it should be. We should be as angry as Sam is.

Likewise, another character we spend plenty of time with is the—slightly strange/mad—Sage Bailey, a sorcerer/archaeologist obsessed with finding evidence of a group who most of the Everlands’ denizens consider to be myth…the mortals. Sage is another well-crafted character, but where he really shines is when he’s bouncing off of Jacob, a “side-character” who plays a vital role in telling the story, without ever feeling contrived or forced. He (Jacob) also provides much of the levity throughout the book, which is both necessary and expertly handled.

If I’m being hyper-critical then some of the characters do feel a little less well-conceived than others, and every so often one of the better-written members of the cast will do or say something that jars with your expectations…but these are the most minor of minor quibbles and—if you like dark fantasy with an element of fun—you will enjoy the time you spend with the vast majority of them (special shoutouts to Lady Hocquard, Alanna and Raven Ansbach!)

My only other issue with the book is in the point-of-view itself, and I warn you now that this part of my review is about as subjective as it can get! You ready? here it is:

As both a reader and a writer, I’ve never particularly enjoyed the first-person POV. I know, I know, I’m missing out on some great books…but it’s just something I’ve always struggled getting on board with. I even struggle writing articles like this (but even I’m not vain enough to write my blogposts in the third person…he said, with the utmost of humility).

Lightfall is written in the first-person POV present tense, with the added complexity of it being multi-POV — sometimes all within single chapters (which is something I typically really struggle with, as the head-hopping tends to drag me out of my immersion).

So yes, a part of me would have loved to read this story in third-person limited — but I also fully understand why this approach wasn’t taken and…the fact that you’re reading this review at all is testament to just how well I think the first-person POV has been handled here (because I only review books I enjoy, and me enjoying a book written in this tense is a rare thing indeed!) I will also say that big scenes, especially those with some real emotional heft, do hit hard in first-person POV…and Lightfall has those in abundance!

I don’t want to end on that sentiment though, because it’s very particular to me and it does the story a disservice. So here’s my one-para take on Lightfall, Book 1 of the Everlands.

Conclusion

Lightfall is a clever new take on some classic favourites. After all, there’s a good reason I included in my post on must-read vampire books. The immortals-only world feels lived-in and three-dimensional, and the vampire blood-magic system feels well-realised (and I’m guessing we’re going to hear more on how the machinations of the sorcerers and wolves work in future instalments). The characters feel real, and the story moves at a great pace. There is a slight dip in the excitement levels towards the end of the book, as the climax only felt partly climactic to me — but this is quite normal, given that this is the start of series, and it in no way took away from my enjoyment of the story in its own right.

Overall, this is a dark—at times gruesome, in fact—and interesting new way of working with vampires, werewolves and magic. It’s a fun story that never feels plastic, and it will most definitely leave you thirsting for the next one!

📚✌🏻SP

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