The Rundown
Barely surviving in a city under brutal imperial occupation, a former thief is horrified to find he may house the dark secret the invading forces are searching for. Teaming up with a would-be revolutionary, a savagely zealous preacher and a woman with a dark power of her own, NAME must decide whether to run, hide or seek justice.
The Recommendation
Light Dawning is dark, unapologetically so. Not just in subject matter, but in tone. A patina of helplessness and hopelessness infuses each page, aided by artful prose and sympathetic characters.
Though filled with magic and monsters, Light Dawning is not about escapism. There are no heroes, only people making hard choices to stay alive. There are no noble sacrifices, only senseless deaths and desperate murders. In short, if you’re looking for jolly dwarves and sarcastic elves, maybe look elsewhere.
However, if strong writing and palpable mood is your thing, by all means settle in.
Light Dawning doesn’t shy away from the grotesque, but I assure you there’s no gore porn fainting-couch shockers here. Ty Arthur uses blunt and graphic imagery in service of crafting his harsh world and immersing you in it. Light Dawning is no horror wannabe, it’s solid fantasy, just painted with a more serious and sombre pallet than many are used to.
I’d say that is perhaps the books weakness as well as its strength. If the relentlessness of Arthur’s world seems a bit heavy going, I sympathise. This is not an isolated battle in a wider fantasy scenario, with hearth and home waiting elsewhere. You are trapped with the characters in a merciless, terrifying siege.
This almost seems a shame at times, as Arthur’s mythos is rich, and could certainly be better explored from a wider variety of view points. However, Arthur sticks to his guns. This is boots-on-the-ground survival, and is too busy navigating the trenches to spend much time looking at the stars.
Dive into this book if you like heroic fantasy, but have a taste for something harder.
The Rating
4.5 Stars (out of 5): Highly recommended. This book is a great read. It can hold its own against any traditionally published novel in its genre, and surpasses many.
The Pros & Cons
Pros: Characterization, Dialogue, ProseThe Links
The Reviewer
Steve Wetherell
Visit Steve Wetherell‘s website.Light Dawning doesn't shy away from the grotesque, but I assure you there's no gore porn fainting-couch shockers here. Ty Arthur uses blunt and graphic imagery in service of crafting his harsh world and immersing you in it. Light Dawning is no horror wannabe, it's solid fantasy, just painted with a more serious and sombre pallet than many are used to.
Read Light Dawning
