There are many, many fans of fantasy who just have to have a map of the fictional world they are reading about and I am usually one of them.

More often than not the first pages I turn to turn when browsing a new book are the maps so I can get an idea of the world I am about to discover.

Then I will regularly refer back to the map to keep my bearings as the story progresses.

Some fans don't feel the need to do this and say it slows the flow of their read but for me it's a key ingredient of a perfect fantasy novel.

Fallen doesn't include a map of its world setting Noreela.

But despair not because in this instance the lack of a map actually adds to the feel of the novel as we follow the protagonists on a dark journey into the unknown.

The story itself is based on the discovery of some documents which, although written in an unknown language, hint at Sleeping Gods and seem to be a route and explanation of the Great Divide - a massive, sheer cliff that rises into the clouds and which is said to be the edge of the world.

When friendly rivals Ramus Rheel and Nomi Hyden get their hands on the documents they set out on what they hope will be the greatest voyage of discovery ever made by anyone in the Guild of Voyagers.

They hire a group of mercenary Serian warriors led by the solid and dependable Beko Havison and set out to find and climb the Great Divide - and to possibly change the world when they find out what it as at the top or on the other side.

The novel is part traditional quest and part adventure but it is also a journey into the hearts and minds of the characters as they face dangers and battle with their emotions on their physical and pyschological journey.

The characters are brilliantly developed and although the book is not a rollercoaster ride of non-stop action there is enough excitement and confrontation between the characters and strange creatures to satisfy this reader.

It is an absolutely intriguing and gripping read as the voyagers move from civilised lands into the wilds and ever nearer their goal.

Lebbon teases bits of Noreelan history and as the novel progresses we get more of a feel for the world he has created.

The reader is certainly as in the dark as the characters as they struggle with the demands of the terrain and the mystery of the documents - which Ramus tries to translate - and the Great Divide.

Interspersed with the ever-present sense of menace pervading almost every page are welcome bouts of humour which help to relieve the tension.

The writing is excellent, with good descriptions of exotic locations, believable emotional depth and beautiful prose.

This is a fantastic fantasy novel and I'm looking forward to reading other Lebbon novels set in Noreela.