Eleventh Cycle (1) (Mistland)

Product Information

There was another point that really soured the story and the character for me, but I talk about that later as it also relates to Nora. The worldbuilding certainly took centre stage for me and is the one aspect that I loved about this book, particularly when it was paired with the vivid imagery that Ardalan was able to conjure. The world-building and lore is spun from an imagination that seems boundless and infinite; detailed, meticulous and all-encompassing, in a word, epic.

So no, there are no light and fluffy themes and this ain't no orcs sipping lattes cozy fantasy by any means. Nora and Dalila stood out, as no matter how many truly terrible events transpired in their lives, they always managed to pick themselves up and maintain some basic, relatable human decencies. I felt as if the dialogue was often used as a blunt instrument of exposition and it made it difficult to connect to any of the characters. A lot of the language felt extraneous such as "privately keep to myself" or "atop of the" where the same thing could have been communicated more smoothly with fewer words. We were to the being what ants were to us, as a simple press of the glowing thumb could completely crush us.The Seed is strange, because outwardly, it’s a grown being, although it does have the ability to change its appearance.

The characterisations and Dramatis Personae are complex, intricate and otherworldly containing the alien, the human, humanoid and the god-like. Despite being characters with really different origins, all of them share themes in their experiences, such as friendship, love, and acceptance. I took my leave from my official duties, passing them to my lieutenant as I wandered most of my day in deep thought. Non-players of Soulsborne tend to think we gamers are masochists when we constantly play, rage, and love playing these challenging games.

Before moving on, and before I convince everyone this is somehow a happy book, I have to emphasize again that a lot of terrible things happen to the characters.