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A review by courier
Dreams of the Dying by Nicolas Lietzau
5.0
The author provided me with an ARC of the eBook in exchange for an honest review.
Formal things first: CW for discussions of depression and graphic displays of suicidal ideation, body horror, gore
5/5 Stars
All I’ve written for this review sounds really, really fake, but to tell the truth, I am just bad at talking about things I love. So when all I talk about now is positive, that’s not because I am not honest, I just adore this book through and through.
Ex-mercenary Jespar Dal’Varek is a drifter. After receiving a cryptic job offer though he finds himself in Kilay, a bustling country where tension and terrorism is on the rise. Dreams of the Dying tells a tale of political intrigue, philosophy and mental health, and does it very well.
This is a low fantasy book weaved together with mystery and psychological horror. It is filled with symbolism and descriptive scenery, making it a treat for the reader.
The overall very good reviews are definitely not lying with all the praise, that is for sure. My own (already pretty high) expectations were exceeded. It left me wanting more, even after 700 pages, and the fact that I basically breezed through it in less than a week should also show how much I liked this book.
First, let’s talk about the writing.
To get right to the point, it is amazingly vivid and picturesque. There’s a consistent effort in every sentence, they read like they have a purpose and are specifically crafted to fit that purpose. The voice of the main character was coherent throughout the story, and it made sense, which I appreciated a lot. The writing showed what Jespar felt, even when not flat out stating it, because it reflected the atmosphere, the emotions and so on. However, it did not come across as pretentious or unnecessarily bloated.Especially for someone who doesn’t speak English as a first language it was easily readable.
There were also a lot of little quirks and small things Jespar observed and I think it was a really nice touch to show the humanity and feelings of the characters around him.
Next, the plot. I don’t want to tell you a lot from it, because almost everything I could say would be a spoiler, and this book is something to enjoy without any knowledge beforehand. The twists and turns are worth looking forward to, so I don’t want to ruin that by telling everyone what happens.
The plot is, like the writing, coherent and well rounded. I don’t think I can point out any plot holes, because nothing is left unanswered. It’s a really, really well considered book.
On one side there were moments of great suspense, harrowing scenes (the dreams, oh, the dreams!), and on the other side there were almost sweet moments between the characters interacting with each other. There was a nice balance between action and dialogue.
The main themes were dealt with to a satisfying degree, and made me think a lot about the real world. Is Jespar right in his worldview? Is Lysia?
However, one thing that I didn’t like as much as other things, I thought the ending was a bit dragged out. After the main plot was resolved, there were still a lot of pages left that dealt with the aftermath and the character’s thoughts and feelings. Which, to be fair, I think was necessary, though I also think it could have been shorter.
The character’s were distinct and had their own personality. Jespar himself was a nice break from the usual brooding and mysterious main character. His mental health problems were handled believably, and he felt real - his thoughts, feelings and actions were very explained well. His relationship to the character’s around him were complex and reflected his mental state, with Kawu’s more optimistic worldview and the discussions between him and Lysia. The other main character (who shall remain unnamed) was engaging to read about, and made the whole story come together.
The side characters, namely Enkshi and Agaam, were also very nicely written and served a clear purpose. Without the two I mentioned the “Dream” in Kilayan culture would not have been understandable to me personally. They put things in perspective. Also, another plus for this book is the diverse cast - a mostly POC cast, as well as various LGBT+ Characters.
The worldbuilding was, what else would you expect at this point, through the roof. I loved reading about the culture, the history, the religion of the people of Kilay. Maheku culture was super interesting, and the language that was developed was so incredible. It totally felt like a real language. The magic system was fascinating and seemed like it had actual weight - there was no “special” character that somehow overrode the system like so many other books have, which I enjoyed a lot. The rules and boundaries were explained in a way that was satisfying and comprehensible. Overall, the worldbuilding was the thing I enjoyed the most about the book!
So, to bring my gushing to an end, here’s the tl;dr:
GO READ IT! Dreams of the Dying is an amazing fantasy book that does new things with the genre. Plot, Characters and Worldbuilding are beautiful, no real complaints from my side. Get to it!
And as a last thing, the hardcover has an appendix that features a lot of lore, drawings, and extra info that is, from what I already saw, extremely beautiful! Definitely a reason to get the hardcover and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.
Formal things first: CW for discussions of depression and graphic displays of suicidal ideation, body horror, gore
5/5 Stars
All I’ve written for this review sounds really, really fake, but to tell the truth, I am just bad at talking about things I love. So when all I talk about now is positive, that’s not because I am not honest, I just adore this book through and through.
Ex-mercenary Jespar Dal’Varek is a drifter. After receiving a cryptic job offer though he finds himself in Kilay, a bustling country where tension and terrorism is on the rise. Dreams of the Dying tells a tale of political intrigue, philosophy and mental health, and does it very well.
This is a low fantasy book weaved together with mystery and psychological horror. It is filled with symbolism and descriptive scenery, making it a treat for the reader.
The overall very good reviews are definitely not lying with all the praise, that is for sure. My own (already pretty high) expectations were exceeded. It left me wanting more, even after 700 pages, and the fact that I basically breezed through it in less than a week should also show how much I liked this book.
First, let’s talk about the writing.
To get right to the point, it is amazingly vivid and picturesque. There’s a consistent effort in every sentence, they read like they have a purpose and are specifically crafted to fit that purpose. The voice of the main character was coherent throughout the story, and it made sense, which I appreciated a lot. The writing showed what Jespar felt, even when not flat out stating it, because it reflected the atmosphere, the emotions and so on. However, it did not come across as pretentious or unnecessarily bloated.Especially for someone who doesn’t speak English as a first language it was easily readable.
There were also a lot of little quirks and small things Jespar observed and I think it was a really nice touch to show the humanity and feelings of the characters around him.
Next, the plot. I don’t want to tell you a lot from it, because almost everything I could say would be a spoiler, and this book is something to enjoy without any knowledge beforehand. The twists and turns are worth looking forward to, so I don’t want to ruin that by telling everyone what happens.
The plot is, like the writing, coherent and well rounded. I don’t think I can point out any plot holes, because nothing is left unanswered. It’s a really, really well considered book.
On one side there were moments of great suspense, harrowing scenes (the dreams, oh, the dreams!), and on the other side there were almost sweet moments between the characters interacting with each other. There was a nice balance between action and dialogue.
The main themes were dealt with to a satisfying degree, and made me think a lot about the real world. Is Jespar right in his worldview? Is Lysia?
However, one thing that I didn’t like as much as other things, I thought the ending was a bit dragged out. After the main plot was resolved, there were still a lot of pages left that dealt with the aftermath and the character’s thoughts and feelings. Which, to be fair, I think was necessary, though I also think it could have been shorter.
The character’s were distinct and had their own personality. Jespar himself was a nice break from the usual brooding and mysterious main character. His mental health problems were handled believably, and he felt real - his thoughts, feelings and actions were very explained well. His relationship to the character’s around him were complex and reflected his mental state, with Kawu’s more optimistic worldview and the discussions between him and Lysia. The other main character (who shall remain unnamed) was engaging to read about, and made the whole story come together.
The side characters, namely Enkshi and Agaam, were also very nicely written and served a clear purpose. Without the two I mentioned the “Dream” in Kilayan culture would not have been understandable to me personally. They put things in perspective. Also, another plus for this book is the diverse cast - a mostly POC cast, as well as various LGBT+ Characters.
The worldbuilding was, what else would you expect at this point, through the roof. I loved reading about the culture, the history, the religion of the people of Kilay. Maheku culture was super interesting, and the language that was developed was so incredible. It totally felt like a real language. The magic system was fascinating and seemed like it had actual weight - there was no “special” character that somehow overrode the system like so many other books have, which I enjoyed a lot. The rules and boundaries were explained in a way that was satisfying and comprehensible. Overall, the worldbuilding was the thing I enjoyed the most about the book!
So, to bring my gushing to an end, here’s the tl;dr:
GO READ IT! Dreams of the Dying is an amazing fantasy book that does new things with the genre. Plot, Characters and Worldbuilding are beautiful, no real complaints from my side. Get to it!
And as a last thing, the hardcover has an appendix that features a lot of lore, drawings, and extra info that is, from what I already saw, extremely beautiful! Definitely a reason to get the hardcover and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy.