This is a parallel tale that goes along with the first volume of the Angel: After the Fall. All Hell has literally broken loose with the fall of Wolfram and Hart. Angel and his friends are that sands in the way of L.A. becoming overrun with demons. The tough part is they are scattered throughout the city, and some are even assumed dead.

Spike, a well-loved character who started off as a vampire villain on Buffy and evolved into another vampire with a soul (literally). He is also everyone's favorite sassy vampire. It comes with just a bit of irony that it falls to him to try and rescue the many humans that are falling into slavery or death at the hands of the various dark creatures staking a claim in various locations in the city

He is fortunate enough to tag up with Fred, who is once again possessed by the demon Illyria, which gives him a bit more strength to back him up in the fight against evil. Unfortunately, they meet their match in the form of Non, a demoness who takes Spike, Fred/Illyria, and their refugees with the hopes of getting to Angel. Hopefully, Spike can take care of business on his own because Angel is a little busy right now.

The book does a great job of letting Spike shine. He has always been incredibly hungry and a good sidekick, but he has rarely been given an opportunity to shine on his own. In a large part that is due to his own self doubt. His overall arch of growth from both television series is really highlighted here as the humans of Los Angeles find their last hope for survival in him. While Angel and the others are fighting the bigger battles, he is left defending the weak, and he does a great job of it.

You would not think that a parallel story would need to be told with After the Fall, but Whedon has taken a great opportunity to find a great deal of character growth for a fan favorite by doing just that.