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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Rage of Dragons meets The Matrix in this thrilling, dark, surreal work of progression fantasy.
Having read Zamil Akhtar's previous novel, Gunmetal Gods, I knew that he could get pretty dark. I think it's safe to say that Lightblade is the darkest book I've read so far in the progression fantasy genre. Which isn't to say that it's hyper-violent or full of explicit sex or gore or swearing or anything like that--it's more that the world the characters inhabit is just so bleak. Jyosh is a slave, toiling away in a factory day in and day out, with his only reprieve being a dream crystal his masters give everyone so that they can enjoy the "company" of a person in the dream world, if you catch my drift.
Akhtar perfectly captures the weirdness of dream logic in these sequences, and he also perfectly captures the hopelessness of Jyosh's waking life. Jyosh's reality is brutal and relentless and seemingly hopeless, and the atmosphere is almost suffocating, even for the reader. Retreating into the dream crystal isn't just a relief for Jyosh, but for us, as well.
I loved the setup of the book: Jyosh training in his dreams (where time dilates, much like in Inception) so that he can prepare for the raja's tour of the factory in 3 days, when Jyosh plans to kill him. He still needs to figure out how to obtain a lightblade hilt in the real world, if he can even master using one at all, but that's a problem for later.
To describe more than that, though, would spoil the journey. I can confidently say that this book never went in a direction I was expecting, and yet every shocking turn of events felt like a natural progression from the previous one. There are a ton of layers to peel back in this book, in terms of characters, the story, and even the world itself.
The action is also a lot of fun, with the characters channeling different types of light (red, green, violet, etc.) to power their different types of magic. It was a cool system that I haven't seen done before, relying on sunlight for their powers. It's a fun contrast, having their magic fueled by the sun while dreams--typically a, uh, nighttime thing--are so vital to the story. It also adds a layer of complication to things if the characters have not stored up enough light and are suddenly without any, for instance if they are trapped deep underground.
Lightblade was a riveting, intriguing start to what promises to be an exciting new series. Discovering all of the book's secrets is like diving into deeper and deeper layers of dreams, and I didn't want to wake up.
Having read Zamil Akhtar's previous novel, Gunmetal Gods, I knew that he could get pretty dark. I think it's safe to say that Lightblade is the darkest book I've read so far in the progression fantasy genre. Which isn't to say that it's hyper-violent or full of explicit sex or gore or swearing or anything like that--it's more that the world the characters inhabit is just so bleak. Jyosh is a slave, toiling away in a factory day in and day out, with his only reprieve being a dream crystal his masters give everyone so that they can enjoy the "company" of a person in the dream world, if you catch my drift.
Akhtar perfectly captures the weirdness of dream logic in these sequences, and he also perfectly captures the hopelessness of Jyosh's waking life. Jyosh's reality is brutal and relentless and seemingly hopeless, and the atmosphere is almost suffocating, even for the reader. Retreating into the dream crystal isn't just a relief for Jyosh, but for us, as well.
I loved the setup of the book: Jyosh training in his dreams (where time dilates, much like in Inception) so that he can prepare for the raja's tour of the factory in 3 days, when Jyosh plans to kill him. He still needs to figure out how to obtain a lightblade hilt in the real world, if he can even master using one at all, but that's a problem for later.
To describe more than that, though, would spoil the journey. I can confidently say that this book never went in a direction I was expecting, and yet every shocking turn of events felt like a natural progression from the previous one. There are a ton of layers to peel back in this book, in terms of characters, the story, and even the world itself.
The action is also a lot of fun, with the characters channeling different types of light (red, green, violet, etc.) to power their different types of magic. It was a cool system that I haven't seen done before, relying on sunlight for their powers. It's a fun contrast, having their magic fueled by the sun while dreams--typically a, uh, nighttime thing--are so vital to the story. It also adds a layer of complication to things if the characters have not stored up enough light and are suddenly without any, for instance if they are trapped deep underground.
Lightblade was a riveting, intriguing start to what promises to be an exciting new series. Discovering all of the book's secrets is like diving into deeper and deeper layers of dreams, and I didn't want to wake up.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Note: This was an ARC copy therefore changes may have been made since review.
So how to describe this book? A little Matrix, a little Cradle, and a splash of Coke.
Fun little adventure to start what I assume will be a trilogy or series of progression fantasy books.
This book did keep me on my toes because every time I thought I knew where the story was going, nope I was wrong. The main character at times needed a head slap to knock some sense into him but he was likable enough to cheer him on. If you enjoyed Cradle or progressive fantasy books I would recommend checking this book out.
So how to describe this book? A little Matrix, a little Cradle, and a splash of Coke.
Fun little adventure to start what I assume will be a trilogy or series of progression fantasy books.
This book did keep me on my toes because every time I thought I knew where the story was going, nope I was wrong. The main character at times needed a head slap to knock some sense into him but he was likable enough to cheer him on. If you enjoyed Cradle or progressive fantasy books I would recommend checking this book out.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
For more reviews, go to www.wolfmantula.com/book-reviews
Follow me on Twitter @wolfmantula
I RECEIVED AN
ADVANCED READER COPY
PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
IN EXCHANGE FOR
A FAIR AND HONEST REVIEW.
This is a mind-bending progression fantasy adventure work of art. I got some influences from Star Wars, Ready Player 1, Matrix and even Total Recall while I was reading this, and the Star Wars influence is the one that is a lot more clearer than most. On top of that, the influences into Zamil’s culture that he infuses into his stories, the same way he does in his Gunmetal Gods series, to give a great mythology, which is something that I absolutely love. While this might be lighter in tone than GG, because I know I laughed and giggled on many occasions throughout, it still has that same Zamil grit that I’ve come to enjoy. It’s fun and it’s edgy, it’s bloody and it’s going to make your brain work in overdrive!
“Because one day the truth will burn us all. And only those wide awake will see the fire for the fire, and the shade for the shade, and be able to choose their course.”
The cover art is insane and deserves so much love, especially the other cover that you haven’t seen yet! It is absolutely STUNNING! We are always told not to judge a book by its cover, but Zamil throws that out the window and says LOOK AT THIS COVER! LOVE THIS COVER! Even better is that it’s amazing inside and out. There is also a couple more illustrations hidden within to help you see his visions of certain characters. Speaking of characters, this has some really fantastic flawed, morally grey characters, including its protagonist Jyosh, some strong women and some truly epic bad guys. The character development of Jyosh is nothing short of amazing for how much he evolves in just 1 book so far!
“Your life is naught but flower petals blowing in the breeze. A bright flash in a dark sky.”
I thought the story was amazing, and Zamil worked in some really great things that are going to pay off big time later on. The world building was also phenomenal, he painted vivid pictures of dragons, massive buildings, cities and entire worlds! There were so many incredible fights that happened and Zamil did such a great job of giving as much description as possible to see the fights happening in my mind as I read.
“The pen has been lifted and the ink has dried. Your freedom is an illusion.”
Zamil has definitely improved as an author and this series is showing how much flexibility he has with his writing skills by moving out of the GrimDark genre. I absolutely loved this and I have a feeling that this might do quite well in the upcoming SPFBO-8! I can’t wait to see what happens next with Jyosh in book 2.
Follow me on Twitter @wolfmantula
I RECEIVED AN
ADVANCED READER COPY
PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
IN EXCHANGE FOR
A FAIR AND HONEST REVIEW.
This is a mind-bending progression fantasy adventure work of art. I got some influences from Star Wars, Ready Player 1, Matrix and even Total Recall while I was reading this, and the Star Wars influence is the one that is a lot more clearer than most. On top of that, the influences into Zamil’s culture that he infuses into his stories, the same way he does in his Gunmetal Gods series, to give a great mythology, which is something that I absolutely love. While this might be lighter in tone than GG, because I know I laughed and giggled on many occasions throughout, it still has that same Zamil grit that I’ve come to enjoy. It’s fun and it’s edgy, it’s bloody and it’s going to make your brain work in overdrive!
“Because one day the truth will burn us all. And only those wide awake will see the fire for the fire, and the shade for the shade, and be able to choose their course.”
The cover art is insane and deserves so much love, especially the other cover that you haven’t seen yet! It is absolutely STUNNING! We are always told not to judge a book by its cover, but Zamil throws that out the window and says LOOK AT THIS COVER! LOVE THIS COVER! Even better is that it’s amazing inside and out. There is also a couple more illustrations hidden within to help you see his visions of certain characters. Speaking of characters, this has some really fantastic flawed, morally grey characters, including its protagonist Jyosh, some strong women and some truly epic bad guys. The character development of Jyosh is nothing short of amazing for how much he evolves in just 1 book so far!
“Your life is naught but flower petals blowing in the breeze. A bright flash in a dark sky.”
I thought the story was amazing, and Zamil worked in some really great things that are going to pay off big time later on. The world building was also phenomenal, he painted vivid pictures of dragons, massive buildings, cities and entire worlds! There were so many incredible fights that happened and Zamil did such a great job of giving as much description as possible to see the fights happening in my mind as I read.
“The pen has been lifted and the ink has dried. Your freedom is an illusion.”
Zamil has definitely improved as an author and this series is showing how much flexibility he has with his writing skills by moving out of the GrimDark genre. I absolutely loved this and I have a feeling that this might do quite well in the upcoming SPFBO-8! I can’t wait to see what happens next with Jyosh in book 2.
I had seen a lot about Gunmetal Gods on Twitter before and even bought the book, but I just never got the time to get to it among my huge tbr. So when I saw that the author’s new series was coming, I requested him for an advance copy and was very excited when he sent it to me. That gorgeous cover was also very enticing and I hoped that the book would be equally amazing too. And it turned out to be something so so different from the books I usually read.
I’ve had an idea what a progression fantasy means but having never read anything in the subgenre and no experience in playing video games, it took me a while into this book to realize what the essence of the subgenre is. But before that, I have to mention, the strength of the book is the world building and mythology. To be honest, I don’t think I can even describe this world in my own words because it was too wondrous and huge and I still think we have a ways to go to understand it better, and the mythology with the gods and their avatars and the dreamers is all very very intriguing. The author does a marvelous job revealing bits of it as we progress through the book, mostly learning everything along with our main character. The descriptions of the cities, weapons, landscapes, dream worlds, dragons and more are all absolutely stunning and as someone who loves skipping descriptive passages, I couldn’t do that here. The line between dream and reality is very thin here and it’s very easy to get lost in it. The writing is easy to engage with and despite not being familiar with the kind of fantasy this book was, I found the concepts easy to grasp and read it pretty fast. The pacing is pretty great, with action packed scenes interspersed between quiet ones, giving us enough times to digest all the information without feeling overwhelmed. The last quarter of the book was probably the best with so many more reveals and epic fight scenes, and a couple of short chapters full of unbelievable descriptions which I can’t even articulate properly.
And while it is a mostly plot driven book, the characters are not any less fleshed out. Jyosh took a while for me to like because I wasn’t sure what his motivations were but he was also unsure what he wanted to do, because he hasn’t had much of a choice for a long part of his life. Despite his insecurities, he is also ready to learn and progress and I loved watching him train and learn to fight, strengthening not just his body but mind too. And we slowly come to see his capacity for love and compassion, how his own suffering has made him a person who doesn’t want others to suffer.
He is ably supported in his endeavors by some amazing strong women and I frankly couldn’t choose who I liked more. Zauri is the first person Joysh bonds with and while it may feel like instalove, it feels natural due to his circumstances and Zauri tries her best to help him learn to fight and survive. Kaur can come across as grumpy and uncaring but she has her own traumas and is only trying to do what she thinks is right. Saina is a healer who is devoted to her vocation and is hoping to find her way back to her god. They all start with some mistrust between them, each having their own goals and being secretive about them, but slowly they all come to care for each other and work together to save the world.
We only have some formidable villains here and while I don’t wanna give up much about them, I thought the author used these villains to show us the way brainwashing works, how a person’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities can be twisted to make them believe deeply about something, and how fanatical beliefs can lead to death and destruction. These themes form the major backdrop of this story, along with questioning what is real and what is not, and whether temporary suffering is justifiable in the hope of attaining some kind of Nirvana.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable book while also being bleak and dark at times. The characters are slow to warm up to but we eventually start caring about them; but ultimately it’s the world building and lore where the author shines and creates something that is unique and unforgettable. I think fans of progression fantasy genre will definitely love and appreciate this more than someone like me will, but I was also quite impressed and I’m eager to see where this story goes next.
I’ve had an idea what a progression fantasy means but having never read anything in the subgenre and no experience in playing video games, it took me a while into this book to realize what the essence of the subgenre is. But before that, I have to mention, the strength of the book is the world building and mythology. To be honest, I don’t think I can even describe this world in my own words because it was too wondrous and huge and I still think we have a ways to go to understand it better, and the mythology with the gods and their avatars and the dreamers is all very very intriguing. The author does a marvelous job revealing bits of it as we progress through the book, mostly learning everything along with our main character. The descriptions of the cities, weapons, landscapes, dream worlds, dragons and more are all absolutely stunning and as someone who loves skipping descriptive passages, I couldn’t do that here. The line between dream and reality is very thin here and it’s very easy to get lost in it. The writing is easy to engage with and despite not being familiar with the kind of fantasy this book was, I found the concepts easy to grasp and read it pretty fast. The pacing is pretty great, with action packed scenes interspersed between quiet ones, giving us enough times to digest all the information without feeling overwhelmed. The last quarter of the book was probably the best with so many more reveals and epic fight scenes, and a couple of short chapters full of unbelievable descriptions which I can’t even articulate properly.
And while it is a mostly plot driven book, the characters are not any less fleshed out. Jyosh took a while for me to like because I wasn’t sure what his motivations were but he was also unsure what he wanted to do, because he hasn’t had much of a choice for a long part of his life. Despite his insecurities, he is also ready to learn and progress and I loved watching him train and learn to fight, strengthening not just his body but mind too. And we slowly come to see his capacity for love and compassion, how his own suffering has made him a person who doesn’t want others to suffer.
He is ably supported in his endeavors by some amazing strong women and I frankly couldn’t choose who I liked more. Zauri is the first person Joysh bonds with and while it may feel like instalove, it feels natural due to his circumstances and Zauri tries her best to help him learn to fight and survive. Kaur can come across as grumpy and uncaring but she has her own traumas and is only trying to do what she thinks is right. Saina is a healer who is devoted to her vocation and is hoping to find her way back to her god. They all start with some mistrust between them, each having their own goals and being secretive about them, but slowly they all come to care for each other and work together to save the world.
We only have some formidable villains here and while I don’t wanna give up much about them, I thought the author used these villains to show us the way brainwashing works, how a person’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities can be twisted to make them believe deeply about something, and how fanatical beliefs can lead to death and destruction. These themes form the major backdrop of this story, along with questioning what is real and what is not, and whether temporary suffering is justifiable in the hope of attaining some kind of Nirvana.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable book while also being bleak and dark at times. The characters are slow to warm up to but we eventually start caring about them; but ultimately it’s the world building and lore where the author shines and creates something that is unique and unforgettable. I think fans of progression fantasy genre will definitely love and appreciate this more than someone like me will, but I was also quite impressed and I’m eager to see where this story goes next.