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Dreams of the Dying by Nicolas Lietzau

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Rated 7 out of 10 Statistics

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Genre: Fantasy / Horror

Audience: aduls, male and female, horror fans

Updated: Weekly

Content Advisory

Occasional Sexual Content

Occasional Coarse Language

Occasional Violence

Statistics

Overall Rating: 71

Average Rating: 9.74 (Guests), 9.49 (Members)

Ranking: #400

Rating Count: 34 (23 Guests, 11 members)

1 indicates a weighted rating.

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"I'm many things, but I'm certainly not a hero. (c)"

Rating: 10 / 10

It is always hard to speak about things that you enjoy the most. Like there is some line, and when you've crossed it, your words are useless and you never can express your thoughts properly. I guess, I can only try.

"Dreams of the Dying" leads its reader to the breathtaking world of Enderal - deep and rich lore, dozens of interesting stories, tons of tiny details making it bright and alive, welcoming you in its "now", revealing some of its past. It is a world you want to explore.

The novel gets you to it - within the story of some cynical and attractive mercenary and his task. Life at stake, misteries, beautiful woman, some magic, promise of a priceless reward - all the things that should be in a good adventure. But there's more, because our guy is being followed by his own horrors. And who is not?

The story keeps perfect tension between intriguing and not overdosing with adrenaline. I love how beauty and horror, calm and fear, talking and fighting are balanced in it. Love the way it's written so I can almost feel myself all the colors, sounds, textures and scents. Love its characters - like them or not, they are not hollow decorations, and it is important. And the plot, sure, holds me tight.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to live a little in a world of Enderal with all his scary and beautiful wonders, for all emotions I've got so far and a pleasure of reading very good book.

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"Stands on its own"

Rating: 9 / 10

Caveat: I'm not a native speaker, so forgive any typos and odd wording.

Having been a fan of this writer's work ever since playing Enderal back in 2016, I was excited to hear he's expanding the universe. As it's a spin-off that centers on one of the fan-favorite characters, Jespar, I was a bit worried at first that the novel wouldn't speak to someone not obsessed with the guy. Four chapters in, I'm glad to say my fears were unfounded.

As a low-fantasy novel, "Dreams of the Dying" can easily stand comparison with famous works in the genre. The world building is excellent, the characters feel authentic, and the tropical setting is a breath of fresh air. It also touches on some interesting topics such as dream and reality and - at least that's I think where it's headed - the dangers of rampant capitalism. Ironically, if I had to find a flaw, it would be precisely this: Though the author avoids anachronisms, "Dreams of the Dying" does feel quite modern at times, both in terms of story and in writing. I don't personally don't mind this at all, but I could imagine some readers might chafe at it.

That being said, I'm excited to see where this story goes!

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"An excellent story so far."

Rating: 9 / 10

I've been a major fan of this guys work for some time, and Dreams of the Dying is excellent so far. Bringing in a unique setting that breathes off the page, good world building and a strong cast from the beginning, this novel is a serial series with new chapters every week. It's rare to have me wait eagerly for the next chapter in a book to come out, I usually prefer reading books in their entirety. However, this one breaks the rules for me, and that is hard for me to do.

There is a deep sense of mysticism in this world that just makes me want to explore it more, and the book so far has hooked me in. Which is what a book should set out to do!

Can't wait to read more.

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"What Dreams May Come"

Rating: 9 / 10

Novelizations of movies and video games are not my usual cup of tea, but I am willing to make an exception for this project.

Nicolas Lietzau was the lead writer of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim total conversion mod Enderal: Forgotten Stories, acclaimed for its gripping story, brilliant characterization, and beautiful setting and world. So, when he announced a book based in the same universe as Enderal (a world called Vyn, the setting of three other total conversions for games in The Elder Scrolls franchise), fans had every reason to be excited.

But I imagine even people who have never heard of Enderal or any of its predecessors will love what Dreams of the Dying, the first in a planned series by Lietzau called Every Day Like the Last, has to offer. Let's begin with Jespar Dal'Varek, who was a significant character in Enderal and is Dreams of the Dying's main character.

Jespar is an irreverent, young, silver-haired, blue-eyed sellsword hailing from the continent of Enderal, a religious, conservative land that he has left behind, ostensibly in search of adventure and purpose but also as a way to avoid the burdens of responsibility and a past that he wishes he could, but can't, forget. He is a complex character who is likable and funny but also roguish and deadly with a pair of daggers. In many ways, Jespar is our eyes and ears in the strange and wonderful world of Vyn, in particular, in the first of the many lands he will eventually visit, the archipelagic nation of Kilé.

Kilé couldn't be more different from Enderal. Where Enderal is a bastion of religious conservatism, Kilé almost couldn't be bothered with worshipping the Light-Born, the seven gods who rule over Vyn, being too busy caring about acquiring as much of the thing that makes the world go round: money. Whereas, in Enderal, people are born into caste-like "paths" in a system which highly encourages people to "know their place," an entirely different ethos rules over Kilé, one of striving and struggle to reach the top of the greasy pole, exalted as the highest virtue in a land of cutthroat merchants, towering ziggurats, and acute income inequality.

Jespar must come to Kilé for a mission whose importance he can barely understand, for he needs to help the country's most powerful man recover from a magically induced coma. The trouble is that Jespar does not have a single magical bone in his body!

So, how our lovable sellsword is going to succeed in this endeavor is anyone's guess, but we will just have to read more to find out!

Throughout the story, Dreams of the Dying will introduce us to terrifying visions of the subconscious, beautiful and feisty mages, radical revolutionaries, and people with the power to traverse entire worlds "where dreams may come."

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