Dreams of the Dying

Yet another example of a superb indie novel. There is perfection in the cover, in the story, in the plot, characters, fantasy, series set up, bonus-bits included at the end...everything. I can think of no better book to've ended my November with, and given that this one is an indie, I'm all the happier to have found it, read it, and loved it!!

A full and comprehensive review can be found at Grimdark Magazine, here: https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/review-dreams-of-the-dying-by-nicolas-lietzau/

Thank you for taking a look!

I picked up because it was described as dark fantasy with horror elements. Really, I just recommend checking out Philip Chase's non-spoiler review on YouTube. He made me appreciate what the author did so much more - he also talks about content warnings. I think the way the author managed bi-rep, (shout-out for having it from male perspective too, which I find even rarer) and the way it handles anxiety/depression/trauma are phenomenal. Overall, especially after reading the final 100 pages, I didn't love this book like the majority seems to. But, there are so many unique and special aspects to it (like what I mention above, but also the political and sociological philosophy) I do recommend picking it up.

Well that was completely and utterly fucked. In the best way possible.

If you like any of: immersive world-building, solid characters, philosophical discussions about morality and/or determinism, dream-like alt realities, or depictions of various mental health issues then you will find something to enjoy here.

For a debut novel this is beyond incredible and I definitely will be reading anything else in this universe!

If you see this before getting the book, get the hardback. The extra ~100 or so pages of historical notes, lectures, drawings and sketches, bestiary, and entire in-world language are super duper worth it. It “elevates” the book from something that I would read, enjoy, and put on the shelf gathering dust to something that I want to display as art!

Such an incredible read !

I loved the tropical island setting with elements of Polynesian and Mesopotamian culture. One of the most original world building I've seen.

The magic system was also very original, especially the dreamwalkers. All the moments taking place in the dreamworld were particularly great to read, the creepy and otherworldly atmosphere of it were superbly written.

The MC Jespar himself was really well written, he did some shitty things yet had gone through some bad things himself; he had so many self hate yet there was something pathetic about him. He's a complex character but I'm happy the way his arc ended.

Judging by the authors acknowledgement at the end, mental illness was a theme he really wanted to address in the book. I'm not a specialist so I'm not sure how correctly this book portrays mental illness but I think it's really nice thing to see it being talked about especially in a genre like fantasy.

I also liked the fact that Jespar is bi, because it's not something you come across regularly in fantasy books.

The other characters were all very interesting and fleshed out! I loved Lysia, Kawu, Maadira and Agaam especially.

The writing was really good too and the plot was well structured I didn't feel bored or overwhelmed with info dumps.

I'm looking forward to read future books from this series!