The Fall of the House of West is a sequel to The Rise of Aurora West and a sequel of sorts to Paul Pope’s popular Battling Boy series.
In the last book, we learned that Aurora’s mother had died at the hands of a seven-fingered demon monster, and that Aurora herself may have had some involvement in bringing the monster into being in the first place. Driven by both justice and revenge, Aurora began to collect evidence so she could find the creature and end it. It doesn’t help that her father, legendary monster-hunter Haggard West, is unaware of her vendetta and is still very reluctant to let her grow up.
The Fall of the House of West is a good example of Paul Pope’s storytelling skill. He uses very little in the way of exposition, preferring to let the action do the explaining for him. Mostly this works; the monsters have a sense of mystery about them and though you can draw conclusions as to where their plans are, you’re always guessing. Pope’s world is one filled with Egyptian artefacts, space-age weapons and extra-dimensional monsters, and it’s these more wacky elements that make it compelling.
Rubin’s art is highly detailed, yet simple. Multiple clues and design elements are present throughout, building up various hints toward the plot. The design on the various gribbly creatures that inhabit the world are particularly delightful.
Alas, the story doesn’t really go anywhere; we get one or two shocking revelations but all these do is damage the believability of the supporting cast. Aurora’s actions make less sense as the story moves forward and the stupidity of the cast’s actions doesn’t fit the overall mood and theme of the story. If you loved Battling Boy and its spin offs, you’ll want to check this out as it does have some key plot points. Otherwise, it’s pretty unremarkable.
THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF WEST / AUTHOR: J.T. PETTY, PAUL POPE / ARTIST: DAVID RUBIN / PUBLISHER: FIRST SECOND / RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 1ST
