Scan barcode
neilsef's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The premise for this book, Cradle meets The Matrix, had the potential to be a very entertaining and engaging story. Unfortunately, it falls far short of that, and to me at least, was rather bland having failed to capture my interest.
The characters were all lacking that spark of personality that allows you to become invested in them, while the plot seemed to be on the verge of shifting up a gear but failing to do so.
Overall, this was a disappointing read.
The characters were all lacking that spark of personality that allows you to become invested in them, while the plot seemed to be on the verge of shifting up a gear but failing to do so.
Overall, this was a disappointing read.
theshaggyshepherd's review against another edition
3.0
I read Gunmetal Gods a little over a year ago and while the storyline took a turn that wasn’t to my liking, I was really impressed with the writing itself. It felt well crafted and was a breeze to get through. I was therefore excited to give another book by the same author a try. While I can see why this one would work for others (again, check out Jamedi’s review here), sadly this one didn’t quite turn out to be for me either. There were some elements that were really cool and the author is obviously super creative, it just overall isn’t my kind of story.
Compared to what I remember of his other book, the writing for this one felt a little choppier in places, I struggled with feeling the emotions I should based on the words and scenes, and the dialogue felt a little awkward here and there as well. I also really struggled to picture the world this was set in with its mix of fantasy and tech aspects.
I didn’t read the blurb before reading the book so I didn’t know about this comparison until getting my blog post ready but it very much had a Matrix feeling to it. The dreams were a cool way to allow for more training time without risking weird timeline issues in the real world that would’ve made the reader skeptical about the MC’s experience and skills. Using the light spectrum/sunshine as a base for magic was also very different from anything I’ve read before so I enjoyed that as well. I was a little apprehensive about this book being considered progression fantasy as I haven’t felt too happy with that in the past but I thought this particular element was integrated into the story really well.
Sadly overall though, the book was a little too weird for me between the craziness that happened within and outside of the dreams. I also had no clue what was going on for a while towards the end and found the ending a little bit cheesy.
In contrast to that again though, the main trio was a really good group of characters to follow. They felt consistent in their personalities and had some fun humor. I especially enjoyed the self-doubt and questions of the main character as that felt very familiar to me personally. I also liked some of the reveals we finished up with.
So as you can tell, this book left me with quite a mixed bag of feelings. There were multiple pros and cons. Again, I can see the talent of the author despite not quite enjoying where the story takes me and will probably pick up more of his books in the future.
Compared to what I remember of his other book, the writing for this one felt a little choppier in places, I struggled with feeling the emotions I should based on the words and scenes, and the dialogue felt a little awkward here and there as well. I also really struggled to picture the world this was set in with its mix of fantasy and tech aspects.
I didn’t read the blurb before reading the book so I didn’t know about this comparison until getting my blog post ready but it very much had a Matrix feeling to it. The dreams were a cool way to allow for more training time without risking weird timeline issues in the real world that would’ve made the reader skeptical about the MC’s experience and skills. Using the light spectrum/sunshine as a base for magic was also very different from anything I’ve read before so I enjoyed that as well. I was a little apprehensive about this book being considered progression fantasy as I haven’t felt too happy with that in the past but I thought this particular element was integrated into the story really well.
Sadly overall though, the book was a little too weird for me between the craziness that happened within and outside of the dreams. I also had no clue what was going on for a while towards the end and found the ending a little bit cheesy.
In contrast to that again though, the main trio was a really good group of characters to follow. They felt consistent in their personalities and had some fun humor. I especially enjoyed the self-doubt and questions of the main character as that felt very familiar to me personally. I also liked some of the reveals we finished up with.
So as you can tell, this book left me with quite a mixed bag of feelings. There were multiple pros and cons. Again, I can see the talent of the author despite not quite enjoying where the story takes me and will probably pick up more of his books in the future.
thewulverslibrary's review
3.0
I received an arc provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Disclaimer: This is my first Zamil Akhtar book but I've heard a lot of praise recently - Lightblade definitely confirms why. In three days, Jyosh will slay the God Emperor, or die trying. But first he must train his lightblade skills. While asleep. Each hour of sleep equals a day in a lucid dream, plenty of time to master the essential lightblade techniques and hopefully get skilled enough to defeat the monster who enslaved him and beheaded his parents and sister.
When Jyosh awakens to learn that the God Emperor has surrendered to an even crueller foe, a mysterious lightblade master who can summon divine dragons to burn whole cities, he’ll face a trial by fire against forces far more frightening than he could ever dream. That is, if he’s not still in one.
This was a brilliantly crafted piece of art. It is clear that Zamil has taken influence from many mind-bending works like Star Wars and the Matrix but has weaved culture into this story. The action was gritty and edgy, with sprays of blood infused with intelligent workings. This was a solid foundation for a series that looks to be truly epic and influential. The vision that Zamil has introduced is evolutionary and the world-building is phenomenal. The cyberpunk-esque designs and the descriptive markers really helped create an image and world in my mind which is reminiscent of the story.
There is a weirdness to the concept that is perfectly captured along with the hopelessness of waking life. Each chapter provided an unexpected narrative change but was progressively nurturing. The level of complication to the characters was brutal yet intriguing. This is a promising start to a solid series that requires re-read upon re-read to digest its many layers.
If this is the level of work that we get with Zamil Akhtar then I can honestly say that I am excited for the rest of the series and look to previous books.
Disclaimer: This is my first Zamil Akhtar book but I've heard a lot of praise recently - Lightblade definitely confirms why. In three days, Jyosh will slay the God Emperor, or die trying. But first he must train his lightblade skills. While asleep. Each hour of sleep equals a day in a lucid dream, plenty of time to master the essential lightblade techniques and hopefully get skilled enough to defeat the monster who enslaved him and beheaded his parents and sister.
When Jyosh awakens to learn that the God Emperor has surrendered to an even crueller foe, a mysterious lightblade master who can summon divine dragons to burn whole cities, he’ll face a trial by fire against forces far more frightening than he could ever dream. That is, if he’s not still in one.
This was a brilliantly crafted piece of art. It is clear that Zamil has taken influence from many mind-bending works like Star Wars and the Matrix but has weaved culture into this story. The action was gritty and edgy, with sprays of blood infused with intelligent workings. This was a solid foundation for a series that looks to be truly epic and influential. The vision that Zamil has introduced is evolutionary and the world-building is phenomenal. The cyberpunk-esque designs and the descriptive markers really helped create an image and world in my mind which is reminiscent of the story.
There is a weirdness to the concept that is perfectly captured along with the hopelessness of waking life. Each chapter provided an unexpected narrative change but was progressively nurturing. The level of complication to the characters was brutal yet intriguing. This is a promising start to a solid series that requires re-read upon re-read to digest its many layers.
If this is the level of work that we get with Zamil Akhtar then I can honestly say that I am excited for the rest of the series and look to previous books.
dossy_b's review
4.0
4 stars
For a novel I came close to DNFing, boy am I glad I pushed through because the last quarter or so of Lightblade is phenomenal.
This was my first foray into progression fantasy and my first time reading a novel from an indie author via recommendations on Reddit and by booktubers, so I didn't really know what to expect going in other than the blurb. Lightblade goes in a completely different direction a few chapters in and it is kind of jarring and confusing, which is alleviated by the MC, Jyosh, feeling the exact same way. This sequence of events begins to unveil this absurdly creative and fantastical world which is easily the best part of this novel and the biggest draw to read the sequel when it releases. I have no idea how Akhtar formed all these ideas about the very nature of the world the characters inhabit, but as you learn more particularly towards the end, it is honestly mindblowing.
One of my biggest criticisms is that at times, without delving into spoilers, the characters and their interactions can feel a bit unnatural or absurd, which I initially believed was a result of unsatisfactory writing and nonsensical plot developments. I did not give Akhtar enough credit, it all makes sense by the end, trust me. This is a novel that I feel would be even better to read the second time around knowing all the twists and turns.
The other main criticism, and the one that almost caused me to DNF was the pacing. I'm not sure if this is a staple of the progression fantasy genre, but there are few times throughout Lightblade where there is a chapter or two dedicated to training, often during the middle of significant action/developments due to the nature of the dream stones, and the pace would slow dramatically. And the worst part is, Akhtar leaves the reader with a lot of questions and unresolved threads about the real world that I wanted to progress further towards answering with each chapter, but these dream training chapters, while obviously necessary, feel like a complete diversion in terms of flow. All I will say though is push through, but as the climax nears Akhtar allows everything to kick into full gear and that's where Lightblade truly shines.
I've seen the comparisons to Star Wars, The Matrix etc., but I feel like one comparison that hasn't been mentioned all that much is to Neon Genesis Evangelion. If you've seen it and already read Lightblade, you'll probably know what I'm talking about, but if you like NGE, particularly End of Evangelion, there's a good chance you'll like Lightblade.
Guess I'll have to check out Gunmetal Gods now until the sequel is released. Hopefully Akhtar smooths out the pacing for the followup, but at the very least Lightblade is a strong foundation that requires some faith and trust in the author throughout the first half that is then very highly rewarded with an incredible latter half.
For a novel I came close to DNFing, boy am I glad I pushed through because the last quarter or so of Lightblade is phenomenal.
This was my first foray into progression fantasy and my first time reading a novel from an indie author via recommendations on Reddit and by booktubers, so I didn't really know what to expect going in other than the blurb. Lightblade goes in a completely different direction a few chapters in and it is kind of jarring and confusing, which is alleviated by the MC, Jyosh, feeling the exact same way. This sequence of events begins to unveil this absurdly creative and fantastical world which is easily the best part of this novel and the biggest draw to read the sequel when it releases. I have no idea how Akhtar formed all these ideas about the very nature of the world the characters inhabit, but as you learn more particularly towards the end, it is honestly mindblowing.
One of my biggest criticisms is that at times, without delving into spoilers, the characters and their interactions can feel a bit unnatural or absurd, which I initially believed was a result of unsatisfactory writing and nonsensical plot developments. I did not give Akhtar enough credit, it all makes sense by the end, trust me. This is a novel that I feel would be even better to read the second time around knowing all the twists and turns.
The other main criticism, and the one that almost caused me to DNF was the pacing. I'm not sure if this is a staple of the progression fantasy genre, but there are few times throughout Lightblade where there is a chapter or two dedicated to training, often during the middle of significant action/developments due to the nature of the dream stones, and the pace would slow dramatically. And the worst part is, Akhtar leaves the reader with a lot of questions and unresolved threads about the real world that I wanted to progress further towards answering with each chapter, but these dream training chapters, while obviously necessary, feel like a complete diversion in terms of flow. All I will say though is push through, but as the climax nears Akhtar allows everything to kick into full gear and that's where Lightblade truly shines.
I've seen the comparisons to Star Wars, The Matrix etc., but I feel like one comparison that hasn't been mentioned all that much is to Neon Genesis Evangelion. If you've seen it and already read Lightblade, you'll probably know what I'm talking about, but if you like NGE, particularly End of Evangelion, there's a good chance you'll like Lightblade.
Guess I'll have to check out Gunmetal Gods now until the sequel is released. Hopefully Akhtar smooths out the pacing for the followup, but at the very least Lightblade is a strong foundation that requires some faith and trust in the author throughout the first half that is then very highly rewarded with an incredible latter half.
esop's review
5.0
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.
mrojas's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.75
joelee__'s review against another edition
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
4.0
noteworthy_fiction's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.0