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A review by kblincoln
Dreaming Death by J. Kathleen Cheney
5.0
J. Kathleen Cheney has a gift for creating heroes whose very strength also place them in a position of weakness in their world. They are angsty, and caring, and unprepared to handle their desire to protect the younger, more willing to risk all heroine whom they encounter.
So we have Mikael Lee -- who is both the ruling/invader Anvarrid and the indigenous "Family" with a psychic power that forces him to dream murders in his city, and broadcast them to any psychically sensitive person around.
This does not make him popular.
And we also have Shironne Anjir-- who is exquisitely sensitive to his projections, but is blind AND a child by their society's definitions.
And there are gruesome, ritualistic murders being carried out somehow tied to people they know.
So I contemplated taking away half a star here because I got confused just a smidge by the complicated military history and the cultural world building at the start. There are Larossans and Family and Anvarrid and it took me a while to sort everything out-- but that might have just been lazy reading on my part (although a short timeline at the back of the book of the major military happenings, or a map might have helped more visual learners like myself).
But I just couldn't. Cheney does such an intricate, layered world-building here, that all along as you're enjoying the exquisite details of Fortress society or Mikael's Boss's backstory, or cringing along with Mikael when his coworker, Kai teases him about a youthful incident where a girl fell on him during a fight, you're not aware you're slowly, slowly being prepared for all those details to actually MATTER later on when more of the mystery is revealed.
Cheney is one heck of a mystery writer able to tie together various plot threads to a quite satisfying conclusion. And I'm already in love with Mikael's solemn desire to do right and Shironne's exquisite need to shield herself as a sensitive prodded on by curiosity. More, please.
So we have Mikael Lee -- who is both the ruling/invader Anvarrid and the indigenous "Family" with a psychic power that forces him to dream murders in his city, and broadcast them to any psychically sensitive person around.
This does not make him popular.
And we also have Shironne Anjir-- who is exquisitely sensitive to his projections, but is blind AND a child by their society's definitions.
And there are gruesome, ritualistic murders being carried out somehow tied to people they know.
So I contemplated taking away half a star here because I got confused just a smidge by the complicated military history and the cultural world building at the start. There are Larossans and Family and Anvarrid and it took me a while to sort everything out-- but that might have just been lazy reading on my part (although a short timeline at the back of the book of the major military happenings, or a map might have helped more visual learners like myself).
But I just couldn't. Cheney does such an intricate, layered world-building here, that all along as you're enjoying the exquisite details of Fortress society or Mikael's Boss's backstory, or cringing along with Mikael when his coworker, Kai teases him about a youthful incident where a girl fell on him during a fight, you're not aware you're slowly, slowly being prepared for all those details to actually MATTER later on when more of the mystery is revealed.
Cheney is one heck of a mystery writer able to tie together various plot threads to a quite satisfying conclusion. And I'm already in love with Mikael's solemn desire to do right and Shironne's exquisite need to shield herself as a sensitive prodded on by curiosity. More, please.