After 2004’s The Preservationist which brought us the story of Noah and his brood, David Maine is back with his new novel Fallen, detailing the first recorded murder of the Bible with brothers Cain and Abel, rival sons of Adam and Eve. The story begins with Cain as a fearful, elderly, and marked man in exile, forced to wander the desert for killing his brother. Readers then get the story in reverse as the narrative flashes back to the murder, Cain’s scorn for Abel’s innocence, his own lust and greed, and the days just after Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden, and how they coped with being the world’s first husband and wife. Maine is detailed, true to the original concept, and often times very poignant and funny. He gives these biblical stories a modern sensibility while explore the psychological portraits of these mythical characters.