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Dusklight Falling
Heroes. Horrors. Religious fervour. An unforgettable adventure.
About Dusklight
In the ancient land of Solumbrya, necromancer Vimnir Delcryth is raising a strega-army - a clan of undead blood-creatures that have been suppressed for generations by the sun and its worshippers.
Tyel Branson, a blacksmith's son, and Alyse Elsteme, a mixed-blood elf, are tasked by separate parties with conflicting agendas to put a stop to Vimnir.
Joining a disparate group of knights, luminaries and assassins, all with differing motivations and flaws, Tyel and Alyse develop their individual capabilities and form a close bond with each other. But as Vimnir and his army gradually claim the north, those fighting him are soon forced to give up more than they bargained for.
Set against the collapse of ancient lands manipulated by powerful Houses, god-like Oracles and forgotten magic, Dusklight Falling is a dark fantasy epic that will hold you in its grasp long after the final page.
About Dusklight
In the ancient land of Solumbrya, necromancer Vimnir Delcryth is raising a strega-army - a clan of undead blood-creatures that have been suppressed for generations by the sun and its worshippers.
Tyel Branson, a blacksmith's son, and Alyse Elsteme, a mixed-blood elf, are tasked by separate parties with conflicting agendas to put a stop to Vimnir.
Joining a disparate group of knights, luminaries and assassins, all with differing motivations and flaws, Tyel and Alyse develop their individual capabilities and form a close bond with each other. But as Vimnir and his army gradually claim the north, those fighting him are soon forced to give up more than they bargained for.
Set against the collapse of ancient lands manipulated by powerful Houses, god-like Oracles and forgotten magic, Dusklight Falling is a dark fantasy epic that will hold you in its grasp long after the final page.
408 pages, Paperback
Published January 5, 2024
2 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 31, 2023
Have you heard the news? The dead walk and are on the loose in the lands of Solumbrya in Patch Kolan’s debut book, Dusklight Falling.
Dusklight Falling tells the story of Tyel Branson, a blacksmih’s son from the town of County Keep who whilst out delivering some anvils for his father comes across a deserted town. He is set upon by a Strega, and undead creature. Managing to fight it off, he does the right thing and attempts to alert the authorities to the threat. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned when he reports the incident to the High Inquisitor. Instead of being thanked for bringing the news of the rising of undead beasts, he is ordered to be punished for bringing the remains into the court. However, instead of being lashed for his troubles, he then finds himself indentured as a squire to the Knights Commander as recompense for his troubles.
Rude!
Troubled by having his dinner interrupted and being sent to bed with no pudding, the High Inquisitor orders a contingency of knights, led by his insufferable son to go and find supplies, and if they have time, see if the reports of the monsters attacking the land are indeed true.
The party, comprising of Tyel, the High Inquisitors Elven hostage and resident amateur magic user, Alyse and the Knight Commander find much more than they bargained for in the form of an army of the undead.
As they find themselves in mortal danger, they are saved by Brea, a sell sword who has had a few health problems recently – mainly she died and was brought back to life by dwarven apothecary, assassin, alchemist, Dust in the Wind, or Dusty for short.
The party then find themselves fighting the undead and attemping to stop the designs of the evil wizard that has brought them to life.
As you can guess this is a fantasy RPG inspired fantasy horror, which at times felt that it was attempting to recreate the feel of Forgotten Realms, or more precisely, Ravenloft, but unfortunately fell short of the mark.
Throughout the book, there were some really good action set pieces, and in addition to that Patch Kolan’s ability to write atmospheric horror was descriptive and evoked those feelings of terror that the characters were experiencing.
However, unfortunately, the book did not work for me. The plot did not have many surprises and the twists and turns were transmitted quite clearly.
In addition to this, the prose was very inconsistent, for instance, the writer switched randomly from christian names to surnames within the same paragraph or at other haphazard points in the book, leaving me totally bemused as to who the characters were, even though I had spent a considerable amount of time with them.
Furthermore, I had problems with the dialogue. I was quite unsure what the writer was trying to aim for. At times, the characters would speak in an almost classical fantasy manner, but then in the midst of this, the characters would use quite modern slang terminology that did not seem to fit, for instance one of the characters calling another ‘a bell end’ Now this might seem like a minor curse word and let me tell you that I am not averse to an author using foul language. However, this did not seem to fit at all into the style that the author was going for. There were lots more examples throughout the book, but this was just one.
Now, when it comes to a reader’s thoughts on a book, they are pretty subjective, and people have enjoyed this book, and I hope that many more readers will find enjoyment in this book. It just wasn’t for me.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Dusklight Falling tells the story of Tyel Branson, a blacksmih’s son from the town of County Keep who whilst out delivering some anvils for his father comes across a deserted town. He is set upon by a Strega, and undead creature. Managing to fight it off, he does the right thing and attempts to alert the authorities to the threat. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned when he reports the incident to the High Inquisitor. Instead of being thanked for bringing the news of the rising of undead beasts, he is ordered to be punished for bringing the remains into the court. However, instead of being lashed for his troubles, he then finds himself indentured as a squire to the Knights Commander as recompense for his troubles.
Rude!
Troubled by having his dinner interrupted and being sent to bed with no pudding, the High Inquisitor orders a contingency of knights, led by his insufferable son to go and find supplies, and if they have time, see if the reports of the monsters attacking the land are indeed true.
The party, comprising of Tyel, the High Inquisitors Elven hostage and resident amateur magic user, Alyse and the Knight Commander find much more than they bargained for in the form of an army of the undead.
As they find themselves in mortal danger, they are saved by Brea, a sell sword who has had a few health problems recently – mainly she died and was brought back to life by dwarven apothecary, assassin, alchemist, Dust in the Wind, or Dusty for short.
The party then find themselves fighting the undead and attemping to stop the designs of the evil wizard that has brought them to life.
As you can guess this is a fantasy RPG inspired fantasy horror, which at times felt that it was attempting to recreate the feel of Forgotten Realms, or more precisely, Ravenloft, but unfortunately fell short of the mark.
Throughout the book, there were some really good action set pieces, and in addition to that Patch Kolan’s ability to write atmospheric horror was descriptive and evoked those feelings of terror that the characters were experiencing.
However, unfortunately, the book did not work for me. The plot did not have many surprises and the twists and turns were transmitted quite clearly.
In addition to this, the prose was very inconsistent, for instance, the writer switched randomly from christian names to surnames within the same paragraph or at other haphazard points in the book, leaving me totally bemused as to who the characters were, even though I had spent a considerable amount of time with them.
Furthermore, I had problems with the dialogue. I was quite unsure what the writer was trying to aim for. At times, the characters would speak in an almost classical fantasy manner, but then in the midst of this, the characters would use quite modern slang terminology that did not seem to fit, for instance one of the characters calling another ‘a bell end’ Now this might seem like a minor curse word and let me tell you that I am not averse to an author using foul language. However, this did not seem to fit at all into the style that the author was going for. There were lots more examples throughout the book, but this was just one.
Now, when it comes to a reader’s thoughts on a book, they are pretty subjective, and people have enjoyed this book, and I hope that many more readers will find enjoyment in this book. It just wasn’t for me.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 29, 2023
From the start of the book I was in it. It was great. I felt like I was actually there with the characters and seeing what they were experiencing (which honestly, is a feat because I have aphantasia). The twists and turns keep you on your toes. Who is working with whom. Who the bad guys actually are. None of it was really predictable for me. Definitely recommend!
December 26, 2023
Awesome first book! I can’t wait to see what happens next. The characters are all written so well their personalities really shine through. There is plenty of suspense and the level of detail is amazing I hope we don’t have to wait too long for book two!
October 5, 2023
Dark, bloody, and feels like your new favorite video game. What more is there to say?
Each scene is perfectly set, and the author does a beautiful job transporting you to the world he created. The characters are so varied in their personalities and alignment, and I quickly loved (or hated) them all. For me, this is an instant classic that I will definitely come back to read again. I am eagerly awaiting the next portion of this tale!
Each scene is perfectly set, and the author does a beautiful job transporting you to the world he created. The characters are so varied in their personalities and alignment, and I quickly loved (or hated) them all. For me, this is an instant classic that I will definitely come back to read again. I am eagerly awaiting the next portion of this tale!
October 9, 2023
A stunning debut novel - Patch's use of imagery made this a fantastic read.
Can't wait for the next book!
Can't wait for the next book!
dnf
November 4, 2023This cover is absolutely stunning. Seriously, wow. I was drawn in by a review on TikTok about this dark, gory LitRPG world with distinct characters and vivid imagery. Unfortunately, I found the writing to be kind of awkward off the bat and sometimes hard to follow. I think this book would benefit from additional editing, both in terms of grammar and to tidy up some of the prose.
Some examples of passages that could have used some editing:
"His head reeling, he had a funny clarity that came with this exertion: Tyel realised that, even in the most crippling of situations, any fear of punishment his father might administer was still preferable to a slow, lingering death." This is a good example of a passage that I found clunky and hard to get through without stopping to re-read and double check my understanding. There's nothing inherently grammatically wrong here, but the structure of this sentence and the sentiment were both a struggle for me. Of course punishment by his father is preferable to dying alone in a ditch.
"His Worship was decidedly reactionary, but his follow-through was decidedly lacking at times." This repetition could have been a stylistic choice, but in light of other other editing issues felt like it was probably an oversight, and it felt jarring as I read it.
"Her pale skin held a shade of colour that sat somewhere between sunrise pink and summertime blue." So, purple?
"It was clear to Alyse, Solumbrya’s fate rested on the hunger of a large and glutinous man." I think this was meant to be gluttonous? If glutinous is intentional, it's an odd adjective to choose to describe a man, and it seems anachronistic based on the other aspects of the story.
None of these examples was problematic enough on their own to make me stop reading, but the volume of passages that gave me pause became enough to obscure the story and make me not want to continue. I DNFed around 20%.
I think there are lots of people who will enjoy this book, and I think I would definitely check out more of this author's work in the future based on the other aspects of the story that I did enjoy, particularly the interesting and distinct characters.
Some examples of passages that could have used some editing:
"His head reeling, he had a funny clarity that came with this exertion: Tyel realised that, even in the most crippling of situations, any fear of punishment his father might administer was still preferable to a slow, lingering death." This is a good example of a passage that I found clunky and hard to get through without stopping to re-read and double check my understanding. There's nothing inherently grammatically wrong here, but the structure of this sentence and the sentiment were both a struggle for me. Of course punishment by his father is preferable to dying alone in a ditch.
"His Worship was decidedly reactionary, but his follow-through was decidedly lacking at times." This repetition could have been a stylistic choice, but in light of other other editing issues felt like it was probably an oversight, and it felt jarring as I read it.
"Her pale skin held a shade of colour that sat somewhere between sunrise pink and summertime blue." So, purple?
"It was clear to Alyse, Solumbrya’s fate rested on the hunger of a large and glutinous man." I think this was meant to be gluttonous? If glutinous is intentional, it's an odd adjective to choose to describe a man, and it seems anachronistic based on the other aspects of the story.
None of these examples was problematic enough on their own to make me stop reading, but the volume of passages that gave me pause became enough to obscure the story and make me not want to continue. I DNFed around 20%.
I think there are lots of people who will enjoy this book, and I think I would definitely check out more of this author's work in the future based on the other aspects of the story that I did enjoy, particularly the interesting and distinct characters.
January 3, 2024
I would like to start off by saying thank you Netgalley and the publiser for being generous enough to lend me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Dusklight Falling by Patch Kolan is an enchanting journey through a dark and mesmerising world. The authors writing style effortlessly draws readers into a realm brimming with mystery, magic, and unforgettable characters. The atmospheric descriptions and richly crafted plot keep you on the edge of your seat, making it a must-read for fans of fantasy and adventure. With its intricate storytelling and unexpected twists, it leaves a lasting impression, leaving readers eagerly awaiting what's to come.
Dusklight Falling by Patch Kolan is an enchanting journey through a dark and mesmerising world. The authors writing style effortlessly draws readers into a realm brimming with mystery, magic, and unforgettable characters. The atmospheric descriptions and richly crafted plot keep you on the edge of your seat, making it a must-read for fans of fantasy and adventure. With its intricate storytelling and unexpected twists, it leaves a lasting impression, leaving readers eagerly awaiting what's to come.
September 18, 2023
Dusklight Falling, Patch Kolan’s assured literary debut, is a pulpy delight, brimming with striking imagery, engaging characters and spectacular set pieces. It immerses you completely like a detail rich RPG but with a surprisingly robust sense of emotional connection and pathos. Frankly, it’s a little bit obnoxious that any first time author’s novel is this good but there you have it.
Immerse yourself in a rich and textured fantasy epic. Dusklight Falling is a toe-curling pleasure to read.
Immerse yourself in a rich and textured fantasy epic. Dusklight Falling is a toe-curling pleasure to read.
April 23, 2025
3/5 stars! This book wasn't bad. But it didn't hit the mark as an epic fantasy either. It read like a long game of Dungeons and Dragons. That said, because of this, there were parts of the story where I was shocked in a good read. Not sure if I would read more by this author. I think this book was for a very specific audience.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews