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rinyurg's review
5.0
One of my very favorite books I have ever read. I savored this book and I can't wait for the next one. An incredible tale following such an interesting group of characters. When people say this is a masterclass in character development, they are not exaggerating.
His grimdark themes are done in such a good way. I truly mourned some of the things that happened. Everything feels so bleak at times, but the character's perseverance and hope, truly makes you root for everyone.
The ending is also insane and had me in shock for at least an hour after I finished. Give me Mistland #2 right now.
His grimdark themes are done in such a good way. I truly mourned some of the things that happened. Everything feels so bleak at times, but the character's perseverance and hope, truly makes you root for everyone.
The ending is also insane and had me in shock for at least an hour after I finished. Give me Mistland #2 right now.
dgil's review against another edition
I really wanted to like this. I love Berserk and Dark Souls, the world seemed interesting, and I like the idea of checking out a self-published novel.
I spent most of the 180 or so pages I read wishing I could whip out a red pen and clean up the writing. There are typos, misused words, and grammatical errors on almost every page. I don’t understand why you would right a whole novel and not proofread it. I am genuinely confused by all the 5 star reviews I have seen on this, booktube, and goodreads.
I spent most of the 180 or so pages I read wishing I could whip out a red pen and clean up the writing. There are typos, misused words, and grammatical errors on almost every page. I don’t understand why you would right a whole novel and not proofread it. I am genuinely confused by all the 5 star reviews I have seen on this, booktube, and goodreads.
mhedgescsus's review
5.0
Check out my YouTube channel where I show my instant reactions upon finishing reading fantasy books.
One of the best books I've ever read, and arguably the #1 best self published book of all time in my opinion.
This book got put onto my radar when I was told that it was a grimdark in the vein of Dark Souls - I've never read a book with that connection before which intrigued me. But while reading the book I just couldn't get the connection. It felt like a very traditional fantasy story that has been done a million times that read like a generic Wheel of Time style book.
Oh how I was wrong.
After the book establishes the characters and the basic plot gets laid out, things take a dark turn. A very, very dark turn. It's brutal, horrifying, and I couldn't get enough of it.
The characters are so well written that you really feel like you are going through these horrible events with them, and it feels so hopeless. And then when you feel like things couldn't get any worse, they do in dramatic fashion.
While this doesn't seem like a pleasant thing to read, it's so refreshingly different, adds immense suspense, and makes the successes/redemptions of the characters all the more glorious.
If you can handle a VERY dark fantasy, you need to pick up this book yesterday.
One of the best books I've ever read, and arguably the #1 best self published book of all time in my opinion.
This book got put onto my radar when I was told that it was a grimdark in the vein of Dark Souls - I've never read a book with that connection before which intrigued me. But while reading the book I just couldn't get the connection. It felt like a very traditional fantasy story that has been done a million times that read like a generic Wheel of Time style book.
Oh how I was wrong.
After the book establishes the characters and the basic plot gets laid out, things take a dark turn. A very, very dark turn. It's brutal, horrifying, and I couldn't get enough of it.
The characters are so well written that you really feel like you are going through these horrible events with them, and it feels so hopeless. And then when you feel like things couldn't get any worse, they do in dramatic fashion.
While this doesn't seem like a pleasant thing to read, it's so refreshingly different, adds immense suspense, and makes the successes/redemptions of the characters all the more glorious.
If you can handle a VERY dark fantasy, you need to pick up this book yesterday.
allycat916's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thewulverslibrary's review against another edition
4.0
The Eleventh Cycle by Kian Ardalan is the first in the Mistland series and it is a truly captivating and unique experience.
It has been a thousand years since the last Seed abandoned their duty. The mists are closing in. Finally, the Morning Bell tolls. A new Seed is born, but is it too late?
The rot eats away at mortals. The Witnesses pray so that they may not turn into one of the forgotten. And the constricting mists infect the lands with fear.
But there is more to this tale than just the Elders and their Seeds. Four mortals will have a part to play in Minethria’s fate. A farmer girl with only love in her eyes. A warrior born to the life of a refugee. A highborn stuck between the realm of gods and men. And a woman running into front lines and away from home.
Will the cycle finally be completed? Or will the mist swallow all?
A seed is born and the evil is slain, so doth another cycle commence. Yet the last Seed born hath turned traitor, and the mists, which had been pushed back, returneth.
We open with the Eleventh Seed, born to fight evil. This is told in the 3rd person, different from the 1st person POV chapters ahead. Ardalan tells of gods, secrets, and creates a dark atmosphere that surrounds the full tale. The Eleventh Seed chapters were actually my favourite throughout because there was so much lore and scope that really elevated this experience. We then move onto four characters. It did take a while for the 1st person POV to hit but each character was different enough that it held my interest. Ardalan writes broken characters like no other. Each with their own redemption and retribution arcs. Ardalan is brutal with these characters and there were difficult moments that genuinely shocked me.
This novel does not lose sight of its goal though. There is a welcoming tone that is filled with luminal kindness for these characters and Ardalan writes in such an elegantly morose style that has us by the throat throughout. Ardalan really excels in developing a word full of mystery and wonder. With each page there is a profound imagination of corners of the world that we just want to explore. This world felt lived-in and whilst it is bleak and dreary, these characters filled it with such flawed hope that I just want to see more of this vast landscape that has been created.
The plot itself was fantastic albeit a bit slow to get going. The pacing felt mostly good but when the plot turned to characters, I felt like I really wanted to get going. It was a necessary step given the involvement of the characters, but the plot and world were so interesting that I wanted to move on.
For this novel to horrify us and entice us at the same time is a skill and Ardalan hasn't spoon-fed us everything. This is a challenging read but an outstanding world full of gods, monsters, and some of the best writing. This is shaping up to be a truly spectacular series and I cannot wait for book two.
It has been a thousand years since the last Seed abandoned their duty. The mists are closing in. Finally, the Morning Bell tolls. A new Seed is born, but is it too late?
The rot eats away at mortals. The Witnesses pray so that they may not turn into one of the forgotten. And the constricting mists infect the lands with fear.
But there is more to this tale than just the Elders and their Seeds. Four mortals will have a part to play in Minethria’s fate. A farmer girl with only love in her eyes. A warrior born to the life of a refugee. A highborn stuck between the realm of gods and men. And a woman running into front lines and away from home.
Will the cycle finally be completed? Or will the mist swallow all?
A seed is born and the evil is slain, so doth another cycle commence. Yet the last Seed born hath turned traitor, and the mists, which had been pushed back, returneth.
We open with the Eleventh Seed, born to fight evil. This is told in the 3rd person, different from the 1st person POV chapters ahead. Ardalan tells of gods, secrets, and creates a dark atmosphere that surrounds the full tale. The Eleventh Seed chapters were actually my favourite throughout because there was so much lore and scope that really elevated this experience. We then move onto four characters. It did take a while for the 1st person POV to hit but each character was different enough that it held my interest. Ardalan writes broken characters like no other. Each with their own redemption and retribution arcs. Ardalan is brutal with these characters and there were difficult moments that genuinely shocked me.
This novel does not lose sight of its goal though. There is a welcoming tone that is filled with luminal kindness for these characters and Ardalan writes in such an elegantly morose style that has us by the throat throughout. Ardalan really excels in developing a word full of mystery and wonder. With each page there is a profound imagination of corners of the world that we just want to explore. This world felt lived-in and whilst it is bleak and dreary, these characters filled it with such flawed hope that I just want to see more of this vast landscape that has been created.
The plot itself was fantastic albeit a bit slow to get going. The pacing felt mostly good but when the plot turned to characters, I felt like I really wanted to get going. It was a necessary step given the involvement of the characters, but the plot and world were so interesting that I wanted to move on.
For this novel to horrify us and entice us at the same time is a skill and Ardalan hasn't spoon-fed us everything. This is a challenging read but an outstanding world full of gods, monsters, and some of the best writing. This is shaping up to be a truly spectacular series and I cannot wait for book two.
cakarr's review
5.0
Awesome start to a new epic fantasy series!
Such an epic start to a world full of flavorful lore and an absolutely brutal setting. This entire serves as a setup for amazing things to come. It gives context and years of background to characters who develop in completely unexpected ways throughout the plot. Although the first 40% of the book felt pretty slow, the second half was so awesome. The characters got more complex, the plot thickened and I was left with so many questions! This is a pretty dark book, there’s some pretty extreme content and most of the characters are morally grey or just make terrible mistakes that cause terrible consequences.
Such an epic start to a world full of flavorful lore and an absolutely brutal setting. This entire serves as a setup for amazing things to come. It gives context and years of background to characters who develop in completely unexpected ways throughout the plot. Although the first 40% of the book felt pretty slow, the second half was so awesome. The characters got more complex, the plot thickened and I was left with so many questions! This is a pretty dark book, there’s some pretty extreme content and most of the characters are morally grey or just make terrible mistakes that cause terrible consequences.
colinmogg's review
4.0
3.8 or so is fair. It’s well written, but feels like something is missing. Looking forward to the next installment, to hopefully see the remaining puzzle pieces come together.
ronitjauthor's review against another edition
4.0
This book randomly popped on my Twitter feed, and the cover was so awesome I just had to read it. I was even lucky enough to win an ebook giveaway, getting my hands on a copy a day before the release. There’s a lot to unpack here, so brace yourselves.
For starters, I’m a fairly slow reader. That means picking up a thicc book like this is a huge time commitment for me. So if I pick up a thicc book like this, it means there’s a lot I’m expecting fro it. I’m glad to say that with the Eleventh Cycle… it lived up to the hype. Sort of.
Now, I’m not a Berserk or Dark Souls fan. I started reading Berserk just earlier this year, and started Elden Ring (my first souls game) just a month back. So when I read that this book was inspired by those two, it made sense for me to start reading this at roughly the same time that I started its inspirations. And I can see how deeply the author loves, cares and is inspired by the sources. Hell, I even had to take a break from the book cause it made me want to play Elden Ring.
Is that a good thing? That’s for you to decide. I didn’t mean it as a complaint. I love it when inspired-works are well-done and manage to hold on their own. [also, since I don’t have much Berserk/Souls context, maybe this point will only make sense to folks like me]
Now for the actual book.
The one thing that stands out in this book is the world-building. This is a world that is fully realised – or does an outstanding job of pretending to be one. I don’t care, I absolutely loved it. From the epithets, to the descriptions of Mount Morniar, the author has spent a lot of effort in creating this absurdly dreadful grimdark fantasy world, and it shows. The world is beautiful, and the author’s writing elevates it to a whole new level.
However, you might read in other reviews that there are issues with the writing. And it’s true. The first chapter was brilliant. I loved how poetic the writing felt, and it made complete sense given the context. If anything, Kian N Ardalan’s writing is what kept me going for the next couple of chapters. But the writing really does get clunky at parts (more than is digestible for most people). There are awkward phrases and errors that sort of break the flow while reading. It did bother me some, but wasn’t a huge problem. That being said, I can see that can be a dealbreaker for many people and a very valid reason to not pick up this book. It wasn’t as bad as some reviews are making it out to be, but this is also a very personal thing. If these kinds of editing/proofreading issues put you off a book, then you might not enjoy this one as much.
One complaint I did have with the writing was the voice. 4/5 POVs are in first person. I’m not a fan of first person narratives unless they’re done well. While I absolutely loved the Seed’s chapters [not naming them cause they are named halfway through the book and I feel like I shouldn’t spoil it], but I found myself getting tired of seeing just first person pronouns instead of name tags for my characters.
Coming to the characters. Loved them to an extent, but hated at least one part of each arc. Let me elaborate. When we’re first introduced to the characters, they come off as generic fantasy characters. The author has done a great job with giving each character a unique voice, which makes it easy to distinguish between character chapters. And that’s actually a huge deal, given that each chapter (except the Seed’s) is told in first person. When the first inciting incident happened, I was intrigued by how much the author was ready to make the characters suffer. But then, starting from the 20% mark all the way to the 70% felt like meandering to me. I sort of get it why the author spent all this time exploring the characters, but really it felt like the characters shone brightest in the first 20% & last 30% of the book. The character arcs made sense to me, but each arc had at least one complaint from my side. Spoilers Ahead:
Dalila - started off great, but I found her to have the most boring arc. She didn’t have enough agency for me to root for her. Don’t get me wrong, she’s not a bad character. Just under utilized. There was so much that could have happened here, especially given the fact that she’s a witch forced to not use her magic as per law.
Chroma - great start, interesting twists and great end. But the pacing felt off with this one. He sort of changed too much, yet remained the same. It felt like the author was unsure of what he wanted to do with Chroma, and that indecisiveness bled into the whole arc, till the end. While I can justify all of Chroma’s actions, they felt oddly presented. I don’t know if I’m making sense, and that’s sort of how I felt about Chroma’s arc.
Nora - the best and the worst character IMO. Really strong-willed, but also goes through the most shit. I mean, honestly that rape scene was totally unnecessary. She had more than enough reason to be pissed off. Her getting prosthetics from the Elder Blacksmith was awesome, but felt very out of place in this setting. Probably because these kinds of equipment existing in the world only became clear when the plot needed them. Or maybe I missed something from the beginning.
Erefiel - interesting yet the most generic mentor/do-gooder of the group. I guess this character was the only one I had no complaints about. Again, I would’ve loved to see more of his POV. His death to me was like the death of a mentor figure, which I’ll explain in my next point.
Now for plot. The plot is actually super simple. Which is why I felt it didn’t need 800+ pages. Really, it’s the last 30% where the plot really picks up. The book goes over a few years, but the pacing felt very off with this. I know this book was heavy on world building and atmosphere, but the plot clearly took a backseat on account of those things. The ending felt incomplete to me in the sense that this was more like Act I of a larger story. And Act I doesn’t give you closure, but raises a lot of questions.
For context, I felt like every single Malazan book was a slog to get through, but those slogs came with an exploration of a fully-realised world, expertly written characters and cultures coupled with crushing existential dread that transitioned to some of the most explosively cathartic endings, and that’s true for every Malazan book. I can’t say the same for Eleventh Cycle. The book is great, and is full of brilliant world-building and characters. But the end didn’t give me as much as I expected of it, especially after a 700 page read. Maybe if the author had focused on telling the Seed’s story for book 1, and cut the mortals’ storylines shorter, the balance would’ve worked better.
One could argue that the ending was actually epic. It just didn’t do it for me. It did leave me with a lot of questions, that I can only get answers to in book 2.
The book really is a 3.5/5 for me. Why then am I rating this book 4/5?
Well, I really do think that Kian N Ardalan has a real knack for writing and I want him to keep writing and get better at it. I would like to – and most probably will – read more of this series and of this world.
TL;DR:
WHAT I LIKED: world-building, writing style, characters
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: first person POVs, clunky writing, editing issues, pacing issues
For starters, I’m a fairly slow reader. That means picking up a thicc book like this is a huge time commitment for me. So if I pick up a thicc book like this, it means there’s a lot I’m expecting fro it. I’m glad to say that with the Eleventh Cycle… it lived up to the hype. Sort of.
Now, I’m not a Berserk or Dark Souls fan. I started reading Berserk just earlier this year, and started Elden Ring (my first souls game) just a month back. So when I read that this book was inspired by those two, it made sense for me to start reading this at roughly the same time that I started its inspirations. And I can see how deeply the author loves, cares and is inspired by the sources. Hell, I even had to take a break from the book cause it made me want to play Elden Ring.
Is that a good thing? That’s for you to decide. I didn’t mean it as a complaint. I love it when inspired-works are well-done and manage to hold on their own. [also, since I don’t have much Berserk/Souls context, maybe this point will only make sense to folks like me]
Now for the actual book.
The one thing that stands out in this book is the world-building. This is a world that is fully realised – or does an outstanding job of pretending to be one. I don’t care, I absolutely loved it. From the epithets, to the descriptions of Mount Morniar, the author has spent a lot of effort in creating this absurdly dreadful grimdark fantasy world, and it shows. The world is beautiful, and the author’s writing elevates it to a whole new level.
However, you might read in other reviews that there are issues with the writing. And it’s true. The first chapter was brilliant. I loved how poetic the writing felt, and it made complete sense given the context. If anything, Kian N Ardalan’s writing is what kept me going for the next couple of chapters. But the writing really does get clunky at parts (more than is digestible for most people). There are awkward phrases and errors that sort of break the flow while reading. It did bother me some, but wasn’t a huge problem. That being said, I can see that can be a dealbreaker for many people and a very valid reason to not pick up this book. It wasn’t as bad as some reviews are making it out to be, but this is also a very personal thing. If these kinds of editing/proofreading issues put you off a book, then you might not enjoy this one as much.
One complaint I did have with the writing was the voice. 4/5 POVs are in first person. I’m not a fan of first person narratives unless they’re done well. While I absolutely loved the Seed’s chapters [not naming them cause they are named halfway through the book and I feel like I shouldn’t spoil it], but I found myself getting tired of seeing just first person pronouns instead of name tags for my characters.
Coming to the characters. Loved them to an extent, but hated at least one part of each arc. Let me elaborate. When we’re first introduced to the characters, they come off as generic fantasy characters. The author has done a great job with giving each character a unique voice, which makes it easy to distinguish between character chapters. And that’s actually a huge deal, given that each chapter (except the Seed’s) is told in first person. When the first inciting incident happened, I was intrigued by how much the author was ready to make the characters suffer. But then, starting from the 20% mark all the way to the 70% felt like meandering to me. I sort of get it why the author spent all this time exploring the characters, but really it felt like the characters shone brightest in the first 20% & last 30% of the book. The character arcs made sense to me, but each arc had at least one complaint from my side. Spoilers Ahead:
Spoiler
Dalila - started off great, but I found her to have the most boring arc. She didn’t have enough agency for me to root for her. Don’t get me wrong, she’s not a bad character. Just under utilized. There was so much that could have happened here, especially given the fact that she’s a witch forced to not use her magic as per law.
Chroma - great start, interesting twists and great end. But the pacing felt off with this one. He sort of changed too much, yet remained the same. It felt like the author was unsure of what he wanted to do with Chroma, and that indecisiveness bled into the whole arc, till the end. While I can justify all of Chroma’s actions, they felt oddly presented. I don’t know if I’m making sense, and that’s sort of how I felt about Chroma’s arc.
Nora - the best and the worst character IMO. Really strong-willed, but also goes through the most shit. I mean, honestly that rape scene was totally unnecessary. She had more than enough reason to be pissed off. Her getting prosthetics from the Elder Blacksmith was awesome, but felt very out of place in this setting. Probably because these kinds of equipment existing in the world only became clear when the plot needed them. Or maybe I missed something from the beginning.
Erefiel - interesting yet the most generic mentor/do-gooder of the group. I guess this character was the only one I had no complaints about. Again, I would’ve loved to see more of his POV. His death to me was like the death of a mentor figure, which I’ll explain in my next point.
Now for plot. The plot is actually super simple. Which is why I felt it didn’t need 800+ pages. Really, it’s the last 30% where the plot really picks up. The book goes over a few years, but the pacing felt very off with this. I know this book was heavy on world building and atmosphere, but the plot clearly took a backseat on account of those things. The ending felt incomplete to me in the sense that this was more like Act I of a larger story. And Act I doesn’t give you closure, but raises a lot of questions.
For context, I felt like every single Malazan book was a slog to get through, but those slogs came with an exploration of a fully-realised world, expertly written characters and cultures coupled with crushing existential dread that transitioned to some of the most explosively cathartic endings, and that’s true for every Malazan book. I can’t say the same for Eleventh Cycle. The book is great, and is full of brilliant world-building and characters. But the end didn’t give me as much as I expected of it, especially after a 700 page read. Maybe if the author had focused on telling the Seed’s story for book 1, and cut the mortals’ storylines shorter, the balance would’ve worked better.
One could argue that the ending was actually epic. It just didn’t do it for me. It did leave me with a lot of questions, that I can only get answers to in book 2.
The book really is a 3.5/5 for me. Why then am I rating this book 4/5?
Well, I really do think that Kian N Ardalan has a real knack for writing and I want him to keep writing and get better at it. I would like to – and most probably will – read more of this series and of this world.
TL;DR:
WHAT I LIKED: world-building, writing style, characters
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: first person POVs, clunky writing, editing issues, pacing issues
miraya's review
The main plot of the story did not start and the characters are basic