“Hoffmann imbues the story with emotional realism but without despair as her broad cast grapples with faith, grief, and resilience. This eerie, beautiful vision of collective action draws equally from Warhammer 40,000, cosmic horror, and the work of Becky Chambers to create a unique, nuanced must-read.”
– Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The Fallen is a novel that is interested in the nature of resistance to hegemony, in community, in connections between people. It asks questions about the need for violence in resisting violence, about the problems of power, about truth and lies, history and propaganda. It marries a thriller plot – or three – to a deep concern with communities, compassion, and mutual aid. It explores neurodivergence and disability from a point of view that sees them as intrinsic parts of the human experience, as opposed to problems to be fixed: a welcome, and refreshing, approach.”
– Liz Bourke, Locus
“I thoroughly recommend The Fallen. It is filled with crisp, precise prose, a compelling and timely story, and believable characters dealing with the inexplicable, horrifying circumstances in which they find themselves. Stunning, strange and unsettling, The Fallen delves deep into the question of how to deal with unknowable horrors; how to help people who need your aid when it seems that every option will lead to harm; how to save the world when you are not even sure you can save yourself.”
– Hester J. Rook, co-editor of Twisted Moon
“The forces of chaos have been set loose – but what comes next? THE FALLEN explores solidarity and cooperation in extreme situations with thoughtfulness and poise, weaving together a breathtaking array of themes from cosmic horror to superpowers. Ada Hoffmann’s second novel brings action, excitement, and kindness surfacing in the strangest places. It warmed my tentacular heart!”
– Bogi Takács, Hugo and Lambda award winning author and editor
“After the shattering events of The Outside, The Fallen takes a look at what it means for something to be truly changed. Splintered and fragmented. The characters have been fundamentally altered, and the novel does a beautiful job of showing how and, more importantly, what the characters are going to do about it. To reveal that they aren’t the broken ones, but rather need to tear down the old rules, the old limitations, to create something that might finally be just. It’s a complex and intricately woven tale of people finding and building community and being vulnerable to the right people in order to be unstoppable together. A sweeping sequel that builds on the first book and leaves me hungry for more!”
– Charles Payseur, Hugo-nominated author of Quick Sip Reviews
“In The Fallen, the effects of everything that happened in The Outside are playing out as various people struggle with where they should go next, and how they should support one another. The worldbuilding continues fascinating and compelling. The Fallen is a complex, nuanced book which engages thoughtfully with the costs, consequences, and decisions around resistance and rebuilding.”
– Juliet Kemp, author of The Deep and Shining Dark
“The Fallen is a story about how to fight when you can’t fight. It’s a story about different kinds of resistance. It’s a story about losing faith and finding it again in something else – in each other, instead of in computer gods. The situation the characters are in, in The Fallen, seems hopeless, but Hoffman’s story is about holding on to hope anyway. About working together to make things a little bit easier, a little bit better, for everyone.”
– Every Book a Doorway
“Hoffmannexcels at this juxtaposition of mind-bending sci-fi and intimate human moments… Its neurodiverse representation is satisfying and masterfully embedded within the story.”
– Dominic Walsh, SciFiPulse