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Dreams of Fire and Book Two
A thousand years ago, two rival factions of gods, the Stronni and Taaweh, nearly destroyed the Kingdom of Dasak in their war for power. Then the Taaweh vanished and the Stronni declared victory.
Now, tensions between the human emperor and his regent are at an all-time high. The regent’s son, apprentice mage Sael dönz Menaük, has fled the capital with his master and united with a vagabond named Koreh, but assassins dog their footsteps. The future is more uncertain than ever.
Since the Taaweh city of Gyishya reappeared, the mages of Harleh have weakened, cut off from the source of their power. Sael and his father struggle to keep their respective cities from crumbling under the strain or being destroyed by the gods. Then Koreh learns of a dangerous Taaweh plan to rescue their queen from the Stronni—a plan only Koreh and Sael can execute.
But they may not get a chance. In Harleh Valley, a young man named Donegh pieces together what happened. Intent, he makes his way through an increasingly alien landscape to carry out his assassinate the Dekan of Harleh, Sael dönz Menaük.
A thousand years ago, two rival factions of gods, the Stronni and Taaweh, nearly destroyed the Kingdom of Dasak in their war for power. Then the Taaweh vanished and the Stronni declared victory.
Now, tensions between the human emperor and his regent are at an all-time high. The regent’s son, apprentice mage Sael dönz Menaük, has fled the capital with his master and united with a vagabond named Koreh, but assassins dog their footsteps. The future is more uncertain than ever.
Since the Taaweh city of Gyishya reappeared, the mages of Harleh have weakened, cut off from the source of their power. Sael and his father struggle to keep their respective cities from crumbling under the strain or being destroyed by the gods. Then Koreh learns of a dangerous Taaweh plan to rescue their queen from the Stronni—a plan only Koreh and Sael can execute.
But they may not get a chance. In Harleh Valley, a young man named Donegh pieces together what happened. Intent, he makes his way through an increasingly alien landscape to carry out his assassinate the Dekan of Harleh, Sael dönz Menaük.
170 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
James Erich
7 books71 followersJames Erich has had a passion for young adult fiction since he was a teenager himself. In his high school and college years, he was saddened to see how few positive stories with gay protagonists there were, but is delighted to see that changing. Though he has previously published adult titles under another pen name, James recently joined the ranks of YA novelists, with the publication of his first YA novel, “Seiðman.” He is openly gay and lives with his husband in the small town of Raymond, NH.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 17, 2018
I'm really loving this series even the cliff-hanger endings!
Like so many books on the market today, this series seems to be one book broken into a series. Normally this really annoys me but the breaks in the series have been coming in logical and frustratingly suspenseful places. A part of me wishes that they'd just put the whole thing together but as I read it I realize that it would not be quite as suspenseful had they done that.
As the story continues, we learn more about the characters. If you weren't aware of it by now this is a M/M romance novel. The two main characters are in a relationship. Although there is no graphic depiction of that relationship. So there is no reason this series can't be read by all ages.
This volume is not as action-packed as the previous volumes have been, concentrating more on characters and the "magic" of the story. Now you might think, "wasn't it boring?" I would have thought so but having started the book and then suddenly turned the page to find there was no more to read, I realized I had been mesmerized by the whole thing. The way the author has trapped these characters in between two sets of gods as they begin a war is simply fascinating. How can mere mortals survive such a thing? Do they?
Guess I'll find out in the next and final volume of the series!
February 24, 2013
3.5 stars
I really liked this sequel, but I did hope for a little bit more from it. The first book was 80k words and the sequel 50k, and while I know that that doesn't mean that the story isn't complete in and of itself, I wanted to know how far into the overall story it progressed us. I think that the real reason I was somewhat dissatisfied, even though I still liked the story was one, the MAJOR cliffhanger and two, the appearance of new major character Donegh, who seems to disappear from the book. We never learn about him, he's barely there and then gone. It was somewhat awkward and made this story seem, along with the events in the end, unfinished.
Perhaps I just don't trust this author yet. These are the first books of his I've read...
Still, at the same time, this was an enjoyable read, like the first book and I really look forward to the next one.
I really liked this sequel, but I did hope for a little bit more from it. The first book was 80k words and the sequel 50k, and while I know that that doesn't mean that the story isn't complete in and of itself, I wanted to know how far into the overall story it progressed us. I think that the real reason I was somewhat dissatisfied, even though I still liked the story was one, the MAJOR cliffhanger and two, the appearance of new major character Donegh, who seems to disappear from the book. We never learn about him, he's barely there and then gone. It was somewhat awkward and made this story seem, along with the events in the end, unfinished.
Perhaps I just don't trust this author yet. These are the first books of his I've read...
Still, at the same time, this was an enjoyable read, like the first book and I really look forward to the next one.
December 9, 2015
Some authors study very hard and painstakingly hone their word-crafting skills. Others simply seem to have a natural talent. I suspect the latter is true of this author, James Erich. I've read so much mediocre prose within this genre that when an author comes along who's able to tell a story in a manner that carries the reader along so fluidly as this, I feel truly blessed and thankful to have participated merely as a reader. I feel very humbled--very small--after reading this author's writing. I too am a writer, with a fraction of this talent.
Angry, happy, bitter, celebratory, uncontrollable tears flooded my eyes as I read the final chapters of this heart-stopping novel. I just wanted to scream, KOREH! KOREH!
I can't say more, not without spoilers. But whoah...what a magnificent continuation of an already spectacular story. The world-building skills demonstrated within this book were mind-blowing.
A part of me is tempted to rush out and buy book three so I can find out what happens, but emotionally I'm torn to shreds at this point. I need some time to recover, if you will. This one is definitely going into my all-time favorites category.
Fire, by James Erich...absolutely stunning.
Angry, happy, bitter, celebratory, uncontrollable tears flooded my eyes as I read the final chapters of this heart-stopping novel. I just wanted to scream, KOREH! KOREH!
I can't say more, not without spoilers. But whoah...what a magnificent continuation of an already spectacular story. The world-building skills demonstrated within this book were mind-blowing.
A part of me is tempted to rush out and buy book three so I can find out what happens, but emotionally I'm torn to shreds at this point. I need some time to recover, if you will. This one is definitely going into my all-time favorites category.
Fire, by James Erich...absolutely stunning.
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March 2, 20134.33 stars
more coming soon
more coming soon
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September 17, 2014I don't generally post my own ratings of my books, but since some questions have come up more than once, I thought this would be a good way to answer them.
1. This is part of a trilogy. The first book is
, book two is
(this one), and book three is
.
2. Donegh
3. I can't say much about the ending of this novel without spoiling anything, except to say "Things are not over yet!" :-)
1. This is part of a trilogy. The first book is
, book two is
(this one), and book three is
.2. Donegh
3. I can't say much about the ending of this novel without spoiling anything, except to say "Things are not over yet!" :-)
January 30, 2016
Oh that was so sad, it's a great fantasy trilogy.
March 19, 2013
Okay, I don't like the cliffhanger at all, but, in a way, this book was even more to my liking than the first one - the pace was faster and it felt more dynamic. I do agree with Cole about Donegh: he was just removed from the story with no indication whatsoever what happened to him or even if he will show up again. I have to admit that Taaweh started to irritate me a bit - this always happens in fantasy when gods/supernatural beings ask humans for help and then treat them like children.
Fire suffers from the 'middle book' curse: it cannot recreate the introduction to the world and characters of the first book nor offer the resolution of the last book. Still, if it offered a different ending (to paraphrase Robert Jordan: an ending rather than the ending), I might have rate it even higher than the first book. As it stands, it's a 3.5 stars book. I will reconsider after the last one is published. WHEN?!
Fire suffers from the 'middle book' curse: it cannot recreate the introduction to the world and characters of the first book nor offer the resolution of the last book. Still, if it offered a different ending (to paraphrase Robert Jordan: an ending rather than the ending), I might have rate it even higher than the first book. As it stands, it's a 3.5 stars book. I will reconsider after the last one is published. WHEN?!
January 4, 2016
Reviewed by Brandilyn for Prism Book Alliance Once you start book one, Dreams, you will not want to stop reading until you have finished books two and three, Fire and Gods respectively, as well. Then, you will want to start the entire thing over, so you don't have to leave this brilliant world. Or at least that is how it was for me. This series is the definition of Book Hangover for me. I hope it is for you as well. Find the full review at http://www.prismbookalliance.com/?pos...
March 10, 2015
Well this second book in the trilogy did not disappoint. I loved it as much as the first book. There was no letting up on the plot, it cracked along at a fine pace right up to the cliff-hanger at the end. I'm just glad that book three was already written because I couldn't get my hands on it fast enough!
July 19, 2013
Another delightful offering from Erich. This is filled with tension and doesn't punk out at the end. Although the end pissed me off as a reader, as a writer I respected James's choices. Definitely looking forward to Gods.
March 1, 2014
An awesome follow up to the first book. I was on edge throughout most of the book. I am so looking forward to the next addition.
July 23, 2014
A wonderful bridge novel between the awesome Dreams and what I'm sure is going to be an epic final book. My heart is still racing from the ending! Brilliant!
January 30, 2019
This one was pretty intense. Lots of things happened and it's only 170 pages (it should be longer, I need it to be longer).
The pacing was okay though I do wish the author could expand on some parts of the plot, so that the tension and the suspense could be build slowly and leave a bigger impact later on. The romance between Sael and Koreh still didn't overshadow the whole story which was good and also because each one of them had their own matters to handle. They're not together often due to Sael's position and heavy responsibility, and Koreh with the Taaweh and their plan. But then I would love seeing them separated longer. So that the pain that came later would be even greater.
Sael's character growth was great. He really shone in this book. He accepted the fact that he's the dekan and adjusted himself to the position, learning as many as he could along the way so that he could perform as better as his brother. Sael knew he got some shit to be done. We could see that he's taking all these seriously and I was so proud of him. Koreh, on the other hand, didn't really shine in this one. Somehow it seemed to me as if he lost that kind of spark he'd had in the first book somewhere inside him. But knowing his past and background, I could somewhat understand the change though.
Donegh, the new character, was introduced in this story. He, in my opinion, had the potential to be a very interesting character because he's a samöt and was even tasked to kill Sael. Samöt was known to be a dangerous assassin in the first book and had a close connection with the ömem. We knew enough of the ömem, but little of the samöt and the introduction of Donegh intrigued me. But I was slightly disappointed that his character wasn't explored deep enough for me to fully get invested in it. Despite that, I still enjoyed reading his side of story and that cliffhanger...
This book left me with more questions and conflicts. There're lots of things that needed to be resolved and what with the dawn of the war between gods, I'm eager to know how all of these would be handled in the third and final book. And also Sael, I'm curious to know what becomes of him after the event that happened in the last part of this book.
All in all, it was a fun reading experience. The ending inflicted the old wound caused by The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, which I still can't forget. It's bad and it's good, both at the same time. The foreshadowing and the last chunk of the story hit me with strong feels it took me quite some time to finish and digest it whole. So yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will obviously read the final book of this trilogy.
The pacing was okay though I do wish the author could expand on some parts of the plot, so that the tension and the suspense could be build slowly and leave a bigger impact later on. The romance between Sael and Koreh still didn't overshadow the whole story which was good and also because each one of them had their own matters to handle. They're not together often due to Sael's position and heavy responsibility, and Koreh with the Taaweh and their plan. But then I would love seeing them separated longer. So that the pain that came later would be even greater.
Sael's character growth was great. He really shone in this book. He accepted the fact that he's the dekan and adjusted himself to the position, learning as many as he could along the way so that he could perform as better as his brother. Sael knew he got some shit to be done. We could see that he's taking all these seriously and I was so proud of him. Koreh, on the other hand, didn't really shine in this one. Somehow it seemed to me as if he lost that kind of spark he'd had in the first book somewhere inside him. But knowing his past and background, I could somewhat understand the change though.
Donegh, the new character, was introduced in this story. He, in my opinion, had the potential to be a very interesting character because he's a samöt and was even tasked to kill Sael. Samöt was known to be a dangerous assassin in the first book and had a close connection with the ömem. We knew enough of the ömem, but little of the samöt and the introduction of Donegh intrigued me. But I was slightly disappointed that his character wasn't explored deep enough for me to fully get invested in it. Despite that, I still enjoyed reading his side of story and that cliffhanger...
This book left me with more questions and conflicts. There're lots of things that needed to be resolved and what with the dawn of the war between gods, I'm eager to know how all of these would be handled in the third and final book. And also Sael, I'm curious to know what becomes of him after the event that happened in the last part of this book.
All in all, it was a fun reading experience. The ending inflicted the old wound caused by The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, which I still can't forget. It's bad and it's good, both at the same time. The foreshadowing and the last chunk of the story hit me with strong feels it took me quite some time to finish and digest it whole. So yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will obviously read the final book of this trilogy.
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March 31, 2025Dnf
August 26, 2016
There's one thing I've learned about books like this and of myths and legends, that death isn't always the end and that one can come back from the dead, so I'm not that sad about what happened, although I wish that I'm correct and that this would have a happy ending. I love the story, I promise, even if it's a little slow. I wouldn't have finished it in just half a day if I didn't love it. xD
Now, to the last one.
Now, to the last one.
August 27, 2017
Si el primero fue bueno, este fue mucho mejor. La relación de Sael y Koreh esta más fortalecida a pesar de los obstáculos. Ahora juntos tienen que cumplir con su misión pero el final no es algo que esperara. Mucha intriga para el siguiente libro.
April 4, 2015
3.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews