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The Tales of Aerym #0
Flames That Bind Us
Dreams shape both the future and the past. This is the story of Aerym's first; the story of a fire that bound him to an eternity of torment.
To Aerym, his life consisted of foraging in the woods around his village, passing the time beneath towering pines and bounding over the moss-laden ground underfoot. Well, not anymore. For Aerym is visited in the night by a strange premonition, warning him of a fire so great it will burn his entire village to the ground and everyone along with it.
The only problem? Who is going to believe a nine year old boy who spends more time in the deep forest than with kids his own age? His work cut out for him, Aerym fights to prevent the fires from consuming all that he knows and loves. But time is not on his side.
Nobody else is, for that matter.
What is a dream, if not a sign of what is yet to come?
To Aerym, his life consisted of foraging in the woods around his village, passing the time beneath towering pines and bounding over the moss-laden ground underfoot. Well, not anymore. For Aerym is visited in the night by a strange premonition, warning him of a fire so great it will burn his entire village to the ground and everyone along with it.
The only problem? Who is going to believe a nine year old boy who spends more time in the deep forest than with kids his own age? His work cut out for him, Aerym fights to prevent the fires from consuming all that he knows and loves. But time is not on his side.
Nobody else is, for that matter.
What is a dream, if not a sign of what is yet to come?
100 pages, Paperback
Published May 15, 2025
2 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Noah Isaacs
3 books16 followersNoah Isaacs is an American fantasy and science fiction author of the TALES OF AERYM. He currently resides in Tokyo, Japan, where he received an MSc in astrobiology, and pursues a PhD in the same field.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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February 23, 2025This is, by far, the best novella named The Flames That Bind Us that I have ever written. I hope you can enjoy it just as much.
April 27, 2025
A brutal story of a small boy who dreams a tragedy and is powerless to stop it from coming true.
This is very good writing! Putting intense emotion and tension in a novella is difficult but not for Noah.
We are swept away with Aerym as he desperately tries to save those he loves. We cry for him as he is forced to witness death and the destruction of all he knows.
Finally we mourn with him as he begins his journey alone toward revenge and justice.
my rating is 4.5 rounded for GR
Thank you to the author for this ARC to read and review. These thoughts are my own.
This is very good writing! Putting intense emotion and tension in a novella is difficult but not for Noah.
We are swept away with Aerym as he desperately tries to save those he loves. We cry for him as he is forced to witness death and the destruction of all he knows.
Finally we mourn with him as he begins his journey alone toward revenge and justice.
my rating is 4.5 rounded for GR
Thank you to the author for this ARC to read and review. These thoughts are my own.
April 17, 2025
I went into Flames That Bind Us not having read Memories of Tomorrow (the first main novel in the series) yet, so everything in this world was new to me. After reading, I'm definitely more intrigued to continue the series.
You follow the character Aerym, a nine year old village outcast, as he navigates understanding and dealing with a sudden and shocking vision that leaves him wondering what is real. He has to deal with finding out about his past and what possibly may come in the future-all an intriguing setup for the series. My main critique is Aerym often felt like he was older than the stated nine, but it didn't really affect my enjoyment too much. It was more of something that I felt in places.
If this is your entry point into The Tales of Aerym series, Flames That Bind Us will leave you with more questions (WHO IS THE RIDER??) than answers... in the best possible way. I look forward to reading more Noah Isaacs.
7.0/10
4/5 ⭐️
You follow the character Aerym, a nine year old village outcast, as he navigates understanding and dealing with a sudden and shocking vision that leaves him wondering what is real. He has to deal with finding out about his past and what possibly may come in the future-all an intriguing setup for the series. My main critique is Aerym often felt like he was older than the stated nine, but it didn't really affect my enjoyment too much. It was more of something that I felt in places.
If this is your entry point into The Tales of Aerym series, Flames That Bind Us will leave you with more questions (WHO IS THE RIDER??) than answers... in the best possible way. I look forward to reading more Noah Isaacs.
7.0/10
4/5 ⭐️
May 8, 2025
The Flames that Bind us
I have never read any of Noah’s work before, I intend to rectify that oversight in the near future, but on to this Novella
The basic premise is an old one, someone has a dream that seems too real to be a dream, is it a premonition? Will it come true? Can it be stopped? But an old premise is not a bad premise if it is written well and this one is
This is a tightly written and suspenseful story, for a story set in a very small area with a relatively small cast Noah manages to keep the tension up all the way through, and definitely leaves answers at the end that I hope will be answered in the main novels
As an introduction to the series it serves well, and has enough on going plot ideas to lead in well and make you wander what happens to Aerym
I have never read any of Noah’s work before, I intend to rectify that oversight in the near future, but on to this Novella
The basic premise is an old one, someone has a dream that seems too real to be a dream, is it a premonition? Will it come true? Can it be stopped? But an old premise is not a bad premise if it is written well and this one is
This is a tightly written and suspenseful story, for a story set in a very small area with a relatively small cast Noah manages to keep the tension up all the way through, and definitely leaves answers at the end that I hope will be answered in the main novels
As an introduction to the series it serves well, and has enough on going plot ideas to lead in well and make you wander what happens to Aerym
April 17, 2025
Flames that Bind Us ARC Review
Sometimes, dreams can be your worst enemy
This is a novella that takes place before Memories of Tomorrow and Noah did a fantastic job with this novella, and what I learned from this and his novell is that I truly love his writing style and if he decided to write a short story about a forest that's been trough a rainy day I would have happily read it. Because his details to stuff like that is marvelous.
This is a small starter that makes you crave the main course, and I can't wait to see what more Noah will bring to the table.
Sometimes, dreams can be your worst enemy
This is a novella that takes place before Memories of Tomorrow and Noah did a fantastic job with this novella, and what I learned from this and his novell is that I truly love his writing style and if he decided to write a short story about a forest that's been trough a rainy day I would have happily read it. Because his details to stuff like that is marvelous.
This is a small starter that makes you crave the main course, and I can't wait to see what more Noah will bring to the table.
October 3, 2025
First things first.
The cover... excellent. This is one that I would be sure to pick up and look over if it were on a shelf.
Second things second.
The story... good premise, but needs a lot of TLC.
This was the first book I've read from Norah Isaacs so I have no knowledge of what else happens in this saga, so that in a way may answer some of the issues I intend to address. For a novella, I felt there simply wasn't enough space to do justice to the story that wanted to be told. Naturally, there is almost no fat here, and the pacing is rather brisk, but I really felt that did injustice to the story itself. It's not meant to be an action film, we are meant to emote, and feel with the characters which means a necessary investment in the individuals; something that could be done, but not in such a slender volume.
I found the characters rather flat, with the orphan prodigy, grumpy grandpa and his kindly wife, with other side characters created for the sole purpose of evicting an emotional response, but lacking the investment, it had little impact.
There were a number of times I tuned out reading the prose with repetitions of helplessness, and dream recitation that I found really took away from the story rather than added. I think subtlety would create a much firmer impact than returning to the same points. There was a lot of telling, which gets through the subject matter faster, but again, at the cost of attachment to the characters.
It's not my goal to be mean-spirited, I fully understand the difficulty it is to get one's thoughts and words on a page, and I do believe this story could be modified to be something quite impactful. However, for my opinion, there exists a significant amount of improvement for this book to really shine.
The cover... excellent. This is one that I would be sure to pick up and look over if it were on a shelf.
Second things second.
The story... good premise, but needs a lot of TLC.
This was the first book I've read from Norah Isaacs so I have no knowledge of what else happens in this saga, so that in a way may answer some of the issues I intend to address. For a novella, I felt there simply wasn't enough space to do justice to the story that wanted to be told. Naturally, there is almost no fat here, and the pacing is rather brisk, but I really felt that did injustice to the story itself. It's not meant to be an action film, we are meant to emote, and feel with the characters which means a necessary investment in the individuals; something that could be done, but not in such a slender volume.
I found the characters rather flat, with the orphan prodigy, grumpy grandpa and his kindly wife, with other side characters created for the sole purpose of evicting an emotional response, but lacking the investment, it had little impact.
There were a number of times I tuned out reading the prose with repetitions of helplessness, and dream recitation that I found really took away from the story rather than added. I think subtlety would create a much firmer impact than returning to the same points. There was a lot of telling, which gets through the subject matter faster, but again, at the cost of attachment to the characters.
It's not my goal to be mean-spirited, I fully understand the difficulty it is to get one's thoughts and words on a page, and I do believe this story could be modified to be something quite impactful. However, for my opinion, there exists a significant amount of improvement for this book to really shine.
October 14, 2025
I chose to read the prequel to memories of tomorrow immediately after reading it. This novella was a great insight into.Aeryms first ever dream that will come to cause great tragedy in his life. I love the backstory and seeing the character actions when he first started having the dreams. The biggest question I have from this book is, who is the Rider and what role will he play in the future of the series after not being mentioned any in book 1. Or am I missing a big clue idk.
June 25, 2025
Flames That Bind Us is a visceral, evocative addition to the Tales of Aerym that immerses us in the most pivotal moments of the hero’s backstory, shedding light—and flames—onto the curse that has shaped his destiny. The writing is intimate and fast-paced, the threats loom large, and the story is both devastating and hopeful in the context of the series as a whole. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews