The Fall of Angels begins with the 27 person crew of the U.F.F. Winterlance. The crew of the Winterlance (a space ship) is fighting a battle with the Mirror Towers of their enemies, when the powerful forces they are attempting to harness throws them into an unknown universe, where they discover that the power on their ship has failed. The 24 women and 3 men are forced to land on the planet and try to survive. This is the point where Nylan and Ayrlyn begin on the path that will eventually lead to their hero's journeys. The world they left, is the old realm. They were reborn into the new world through space landers. These landers are the representation of Campbell's "belly of the whale."
Throughout Fall of Angels, Nylan and Ayrlyn begin to discover the attributes of themselves that will help them to not only undertake but to survive their journey. They discover that the "jump transit" had changed them and the others they are with in many ways. Their hair color is now different (Nylan formerly a blond now has hair like molten silver; Ayrlyn's brown hair has turned to solid fire). They also have the ability to feel the flows and patterns of life around them. These flows come in two kinds, a white-red that symbolizes chaos and destruction, and a smooth black that is order and creation. The ability to control these flows sets Nylan and Ayrlyn apart from most of the Winterlance's former crew and from nearly everyone on the planet. They use these powers to build a nearly instant society on the Roof of the World (the coldest most desolate spot on the planet). They destroy the armies of three kingdoms, and force the patriarchal chaotic nations of the world to understand that women are not possessions and that women can be strong and most importantly that women can kill. Fall of Angels ends with Nylan and Ayrlyn prepared to embark on their journey away from the save haven they have built that is no longer safe for them.
The second book in the saga of Nylan and Ayrlyn is The Chaos Balance. It opens with Nylan knowing that he must leave the Tower Black which he built as a haven, because he no longer belongs or is wanted by the Marshall of Westwind. (Westwind is the name of the kingdom founded on the Roof of the World, ruled by the military commander Ryba.) He balks at leaving though; Westwind is the only home left to him, but he knows that Ryba will eventually have him killed if he remains. Ayrlyn loves Nylan, and knows that Ryba would have her eliminated because of this love. His desire to remain in Westwind is his "refusal of the call." While he is trying to find a way to remain in Westwind, Ryba is slowly making it so he is useless. His life looses meaning as she replaces him. Ayrlyn eventually shows him that leaving is the only real option. She is his rescuer, and the only supernatural aid in the form of a thinking entity that Nylan will have through the story. The two pack up their meager possessions, and depart from the Roof of the World.
They go west into the Kingdom of Lornth. It is here that they undergo their trials. They are enlisted to help fight back the hordes of Cyador. They agree, because they are hoping to fin a place they can live and be accepted as people, not as enemies. They spend most of the novel devising various ways to kill a lot of relatively innocent soldiers. They also manage to nearly incapacitate themselves, as they feel each killing themselves. Every time they kill someone, a wave of whiteness like "mental acid" flows through them. At times it is strong enough to blind them. Both Ayrlyn and Nylan realize that they will die very soon if they cannot stop the violent reaction they have to killing. In desperation they travel thousands of kays into Cyador seeking the Accursed Forest. This forest is not sentient in the way humans are, but it has a definite sense of self. The forest takes them in and helps them to cope with the chaos caused by their killings. It is here that they learn about the Balance. The Balance is the only deity in Recluce. It controls everything that happens in the world in some way, because overall the Balance must be maintained. The forest wants Nylan and Ayrlyn to help restore the Balance by toppling the nation of Cyador. They agree. The forest helps them to defeat Cyador in a monstrous battle. They are both blinded in the balance, and are nearly killed. They are shunned by the Lornians who they have saved, because they are too powerful. The Lornians known that Nylan and Ayrlyn represent change and the people in power in Lornth do not want any change.
Nylan and Ayrlyn decide to leave Lornth, and to travel back to the forest. They will make a new place of balance for themselves. In the Forest, they live with their descendants. They achieve near immortality; one of their descendants lives at least 800 years. They help to maintain the balance, and have the ability to wield god like powers.
Their journey hits some all three of the large points in the journey, but miss many of the smaller ones. This atypical journey makes the world of Recluce and its characters stand out from the norm and allows the novels to be an amazing tale of adventure, courage, and dumb luck.
Modesitt, L.E. Jr. Fall of Angels. New York: Tor Books, 1996.
Modesitt, L.E. Jr. The Chaos Balance. New York: Tor Books, 1997.