bookwormbunny's review
4.0
A Dead Wizard's Dream is absolutely an epic fantasy novel that I am looking forward to reading more from this author. But I almost threw in the towel after two chapters. The first chapter (the Prologue) sets the story up and hooks my attention immediately. I'm eager to dive into the story and see where this is going to go. Then the author hit with me the first REAL chapter in this book and I was like...what is going on here?! There was so much detail and unnecessary information in that chapter! I was literally slogging through it just in the hopes that it got better because all the detail and unnecessary information of what was going on bogged the story down. Thankfully, the story improves otherwise I'd have had to call it quits and I hate doing that because this book sounded so promising.
There is a lot going on in this story. An evil demon - summoned and let loose, those who accidentally loosed him - dead and out of power, dwarves, their pet monsters of the deep, wizards, knights, princes, desert dwellers, elves, etc. This book is packed to the gills and there is a lot going on. It's engaging in the right moments and it does get bogged down from time to time, but just hang in there because it gets better.
I do have some complaints about this book though...at times there is just too much description. Now, yes there are times when I want more but some of it is literally unnecessary and needs to be taken out. It adds nothing to the story and only drags it down. The author switches between characters, locations often. I wanted the author to identify these shifts because it got confusing at times. Some chapters do give you a clue when it's a shift, but most don't. Also, there are some places where characters...show up where they really aren't. Oops!
All in all, this book is really good! With a few tweaks and some editing to remove unnecessary pieces, this book could be truly amazing! For now, though I am rating this book 4 out of 5 stars. For those who enjoy epic fantasy novels, this is a good book to pick up. I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
There is a lot going on in this story. An evil demon - summoned and let loose, those who accidentally loosed him - dead and out of power, dwarves, their pet monsters of the deep, wizards, knights, princes, desert dwellers, elves, etc. This book is packed to the gills and there is a lot going on. It's engaging in the right moments and it does get bogged down from time to time, but just hang in there because it gets better.
I do have some complaints about this book though...at times there is just too much description. Now, yes there are times when I want more but some of it is literally unnecessary and needs to be taken out. It adds nothing to the story and only drags it down. The author switches between characters, locations often. I wanted the author to identify these shifts because it got confusing at times. Some chapters do give you a clue when it's a shift, but most don't. Also, there are some places where characters...show up where they really aren't. Oops!
All in all, this book is really good! With a few tweaks and some editing to remove unnecessary pieces, this book could be truly amazing! For now, though I am rating this book 4 out of 5 stars. For those who enjoy epic fantasy novels, this is a good book to pick up. I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
stephbookshine's review
3.0
*I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
There is a lot going on in this action-packed swords and sorcery fantasy, packed with dwarves, monster rats, zombies, demons, knights, wizards, nomads, pirates and elves.
The early chapters read similarly to an RPG fantasy game, as the brave team of miscellaneous adventurers fight their way down through layer after layer of increasingly tough enemies in search of their mythical prize.
Meanwhile, alternating chapters tell a different story, of Prince Saul and his journey to manhood, and kinghood, through various lessons and trials. Then there is also an Aladdin-esque storyline about a young Prince and Princess sent into the dangers of the slums by their Sultan father, under the influence of a snakelike adviser, but aided by a ‘street-rat’ urchin.
Finally there is the thread that follows Nighan Witchson, unfortunate enough to be born with magic in an ignorant backwater where he is persecuted for his differences and becomes the perfect example of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The story flicks between these multiple, separate plots, in a way that is a little confusing at first, but once you get to grips with the characters you begin to see the places where the threads run parallel, or begin to converge, and the story becomes more complex but clearer to follow.
In an interesting twist on the good vs. evil struggle, the ‘hell’ in this storyworld is god-made (the Nethers), but the ‘heaven’ is man- (or elf-) made, Citta Pacia, and so the classic fight to claim virtuous souls is muddied by the potential for human error and the corruption of power and influence on the human psyche.
There is plenty of action, gore and magic splashing around between the myriad characters and diverging plot threads, making this a fast-paced read. It is also the first in a series, and therefore ends on a semi-cliffhanger ready to lead into the next instalment.
This is not a quick, easy read, but one for fans of epic sword-and-sorcery sagas to really get their teeth into!
She did not know why there was such opposition to the Sisterhood’s rule; the system had always treated her well. Although there were occasional food shortages, executions, imprisonments and disappearances, the Sisterhood – called Witches by the irreverent – kept the population safe from disease and outside harm. Best of all, they promised that, as long as the people followed their rules to the letter in life, the Sisters would welcome them with open arms when they died into the afterlife that Convent had created, the paradise named Citta Pacia, where they could live in bliss forever.
– Ross Hughes, A Dead Wizard’s Dream
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2020/02/27/a-dead-wizards-dream-ross-hughes/
There is a lot going on in this action-packed swords and sorcery fantasy, packed with dwarves, monster rats, zombies, demons, knights, wizards, nomads, pirates and elves.
The early chapters read similarly to an RPG fantasy game, as the brave team of miscellaneous adventurers fight their way down through layer after layer of increasingly tough enemies in search of their mythical prize.
Meanwhile, alternating chapters tell a different story, of Prince Saul and his journey to manhood, and kinghood, through various lessons and trials. Then there is also an Aladdin-esque storyline about a young Prince and Princess sent into the dangers of the slums by their Sultan father, under the influence of a snakelike adviser, but aided by a ‘street-rat’ urchin.
Finally there is the thread that follows Nighan Witchson, unfortunate enough to be born with magic in an ignorant backwater where he is persecuted for his differences and becomes the perfect example of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The story flicks between these multiple, separate plots, in a way that is a little confusing at first, but once you get to grips with the characters you begin to see the places where the threads run parallel, or begin to converge, and the story becomes more complex but clearer to follow.
In an interesting twist on the good vs. evil struggle, the ‘hell’ in this storyworld is god-made (the Nethers), but the ‘heaven’ is man- (or elf-) made, Citta Pacia, and so the classic fight to claim virtuous souls is muddied by the potential for human error and the corruption of power and influence on the human psyche.
There is plenty of action, gore and magic splashing around between the myriad characters and diverging plot threads, making this a fast-paced read. It is also the first in a series, and therefore ends on a semi-cliffhanger ready to lead into the next instalment.
This is not a quick, easy read, but one for fans of epic sword-and-sorcery sagas to really get their teeth into!
She did not know why there was such opposition to the Sisterhood’s rule; the system had always treated her well. Although there were occasional food shortages, executions, imprisonments and disappearances, the Sisterhood – called Witches by the irreverent – kept the population safe from disease and outside harm. Best of all, they promised that, as long as the people followed their rules to the letter in life, the Sisters would welcome them with open arms when they died into the afterlife that Convent had created, the paradise named Citta Pacia, where they could live in bliss forever.
– Ross Hughes, A Dead Wizard’s Dream
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2020/02/27/a-dead-wizards-dream-ross-hughes/
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