Synopsis:
DUST OF THE DEAD
In the peaceful decades since the Qalil War, Aakifah has gained a few pounds and taken a job as shairf of Basrah. Days from retirement, her plans for a quiet life are shattered when a local family is murdered, their daughters taken by pyumah, a race of ravenous predators.
Aakifah sets out with a handful of volunteers, including her lover, in what she knows to be a doomed rescue attempt. Even if the monsters haven’t already devoured their prey by the time she finds them, a handful of farmers will be no match for the terrifying creatures.
Young Khayrat studies to be a lumin, speaking to the listening world to bring light to civilization. When her father is assassinated, she volunteers to learn the dark art of the unraveller. Like any act of imploratory, her studies come with a price. With each unravelling, her mind fragments, her sanity fraying as she forgets the peaceful woman she once was.
Khayrat travels with a band of hardened killers, intent on assassinating the foreign royal family. Driven by her need for vengeance, she swears to reduce her king’s enemies to dust.
Review:
Wow, that was absolutley grimalicious and mind blowing. Everything I have read from Mr Fletcher has been an absolutely roller coaster of Grim maddness, now I know why Michael R Fletcher is my favourite Indie Grim Lord of Grimdark.
If you ever had the pleasure of reading anything from Mr Fletcher you will know what I mean. His writing and storytelling has you hooked from the very first page with his dark characters, whether there doppelgangers, dragons or ferocious Insectoids. He creates beautiful dark worlds for us to get lost in and his world-building is just simply exquisite.
Dust of the Dead is a story of one characters revenge and another characters mission to find redemption in her old age. Dark magic plays a role in both their lives. One who unravels people and one who cannibalises their own body to make them and stronger and let me tell you the things that happen are very visceral in this book and not for the faint hearted.
If you love your dark fantasy, bloody, fast paced, A brutal magic system, good and dark humoured. Man eating Catlike humanoids with tentacles, yes tentacles. Mr Fletcher can really creat and write some fucked up creatures and I’m here for all of it. So if haven’t read or checked out any books by the Indie Grimdark Lord himself. I very highly recommend you do you wont be disappointed…🔥
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