The Fallen Man

Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, Book 12

By: Tony Hillerman

Narrated by: Christian Baskous

Hundreds of thousands of devotees will cheer the return of Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee in Tony Hillerman's most intricate and atmospheric novel yet. The Navajo policemen, whose exploits are now published in sixteen languages, are brought together by the death of a man on Ship Rock, almost 1700 feet above the desert floor.

The fallen man had sprawled on the ledge under the peak of Ship Rock mountain for eleven years - visited only by the ravens who had picked his bones bareand scattered his rock-climbing gear.

Through the memory of those who had known him, emerges an understanding of the fallen man, who had been given everything and found it was not enough.

The Fallen Man is replete with Hillerman trademarks - ingeniously intricate plotting, splendid evocations of the Southwest's harsh beauty, insights into a venerable culture, and subtly poignant characterizations.

Tony Hillerman's many bestselling novels include Finding Moon, Sacred Clowns,and Coyote Waits. He lives with his wife, Marie, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Gil Silverbird is an American Navajo Indian who sings in several languagesand performs extensively in the theatre and on television. He can also be heardon Tony Hillerman's The Ghostway and Sacred Clowns.

©1996 Tony Hillerman (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers

Very good story, so-so reader

What did you love best about The Fallen Man?

This one is a bit of a back story for several of the other Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn stories, with the usual mix of intriguing characters and more twists and turns than a 4-Corners road. The contrast between Janet, the "urban Indian" and Jim Chee's passion for his local land, people, and culture was especially well told.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Fallen Man?

The very last arrest in the story was my favorite moment.

What aspect of Christian Baskous’s performance would you have changed?

Mr. Baskous has strong abilities as a reader, but his accents constantly slipped, and never sounded Native American except for very brief moments here and there. His ability create identifiable genders has a ways to go as well. I think he would do well in other literature, with less need for a distinctly different accent. Before he records any more of these, it might be worthwhile for him to listen to the old CD versions done by George Guidall - really well done for both genders and the overall accent needs.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Jim Chee's growing realization that Janet intended to remake him was especially well written and paced well.

Any additional comments?

Every time I read a Jim Chee/Joe Leaphorn book I feel as if I am having a very attractive lesson in cultural behaviours and history. These are terrific books.

My favorite so far

All the books are great but this one is my favorite. I'll keep reading.

Sorry this is the last Leaphorn & Chee from Tony Hillerman

The narrator's Navajo accent was really off... previous narrators set a higher, truer standard.

Great story, wonderful Characters

It contained enjoyable discussions about Navajo customs and traditions. The plot wasn't straightforward, with twists and turns.

Another great one from Hillerman.

Great book. It takes a little time to catch the flow of these Leaphorn and Chee novels, but they never disappoint. This one, in particular twists it's ending so well that all you can do is smile at the art of it.

Trouble on the Indian Reservations

If you could sum up The Fallen Man in three words, what would they be?

Intrigue , suspense, emotional

What did you like best about this story?

The book presented modern day excitement of detective work on an Indian reservation. A well paced story about old style detective work and new. The story made sense and was easy to follow.

What about Christian Baskous’s performance did you like?

Christain has a good ability to change his voice from male, female, Indian and a person form the east coast.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes - if started in the morning with nothing else to do this would holdyour interest.

can't write women

the women in this series - and this book - are shallow and poorly developed. Jim's two serius girlfriends are virtually the same - with the same outcome. The female cop is also underdeveloped and stereotypical.

Great Hillerman Rises Above Pitiful Narration.

I love Tony Hillerman books and it is great to finally get some unabridged versions on Audible. We should have all of them here of course but that is off the point. Thus I was eagerly anticipating my acquaintance with a beloved old friends Jim and Joe when a started this volume. Sadly I was immediately put off by the voice, accents (or attempts thereof) and generally delivery of the narrator. He is totally wrong for this series. His effort at a Navaho or even Native American accent comes off as bad attempt at West Texas country. And that is being quite generous. I have listened to all of the abridged Hillerman CDs and never have I heard anything this bad. If fact, those narrators generally did a fine job with the main characters. I hate to make this about the narration but the bottom line is that the book is good enough to survive even narration this bad and still be enjoyable. After the first hour, I simply became numb to the pitiful efforts to reproduce a Native American speech pattern and concentrated on the words alone. Boy do I hope the other unabridged Hillerman books here have a different narrator.

Too bad about the reader

What made the experience of listening to The Fallen Man the most enjoyable?

The story.

What other book might you compare The Fallen Man to and why?

Any others in the series.

What didn’t you like about Christian Baskous’s performance?

You couldn't tell one character from another, all the voices were the same, everyone spoke at the same plodding pace. The characters never came alive and I struggled to follow the story because of that.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Great mystery.

If you could sum up The Fallen Man in three words, what would they be?

Great story.

What other book might you compare The Fallen Man to and why?

Other Tony Hillerman stories on the reservation.

Which character – as performed by Christian Baskous – was your favorite?

I like Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn equally well.