What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dynasty of the Divine
Pursued by ruthless loan sharks, Julian Shields is a nineteen-year-old burdened with crippling debt and facing ever-growing mortal peril. After a tragic toaster fire, Julian finds himself in an entirely new predicament—he’s dead. Or so it seems.
To his astonishment, Julian awakens in Hyleberia, an incredible Hellenic island republic that governs not only Earth but the very fabric of reality. Selected at random to become a citizen, he is thrust into a second life, far removed from everything he once knew. As he navigates this strange new world, Julian meets eccentric historical figures, stumbles upon miraculous wonders beyond his wildest dreams and enrols in Aristotle’s Lyceum to study philosophy.
Yet, Hyleberia is no utopia. Beneath its surface lies the threat of corruption, a forgotten war, and a divine government whose grip on reality is absolute. In the shadows, the terrifying Regent of Darkness, long believed vanquished, may yet rise again. Julian and his friends must soon face the challenge of a lifetime—protecting Hyleberia, and perhaps all of humanity, from a malevolent scheme that could unravel the very universe itself.
To his astonishment, Julian awakens in Hyleberia, an incredible Hellenic island republic that governs not only Earth but the very fabric of reality. Selected at random to become a citizen, he is thrust into a second life, far removed from everything he once knew. As he navigates this strange new world, Julian meets eccentric historical figures, stumbles upon miraculous wonders beyond his wildest dreams and enrols in Aristotle’s Lyceum to study philosophy.
Yet, Hyleberia is no utopia. Beneath its surface lies the threat of corruption, a forgotten war, and a divine government whose grip on reality is absolute. In the shadows, the terrifying Regent of Darkness, long believed vanquished, may yet rise again. Julian and his friends must soon face the challenge of a lifetime—protecting Hyleberia, and perhaps all of humanity, from a malevolent scheme that could unravel the very universe itself.
- GenresFantasy
551 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 25, 2026
3 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Adam Rowan
3 books6 followersAdam Rowan is an upcoming writer from Dublin, Ireland. His novel, The Dynasty of the Divine, tells the story of the fantastical island country of Hyleberia, where the laws of reality are secretly governed by a divine world government. The book follows Julian Shields, an average young man who becomes their new citizen after he dies in a toaster fire and finds himself caught in a sinister plot for power, blending fantasy, philosophy and politics to form an unforgettable epic. The book started as a short story and evolved over several years into a multi-volume encyclopedic novel. It's published as the first book by Semper Anticus Press.
Instagram: https://instagram.com/shinjutnt
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shinjutnt.bs...
Instagram: https://instagram.com/shinjutnt
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/shinjutnt.bs...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
DNF - 13%
I only read 98 pages of this book,so take my critique with a pinch of salt.
Thank you NetGalley and Adam Rowan for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Adam Rowan’s The Dynasty of the Divine caught my eye first with its bold ambition and the sort of cover that makes you want to hold the book a little longer in your hands. In the preface, Rowan lays out his plan for three sweeping parts: a reimagined The Republic of Reality, then The Shipwreck on Elysian Shore, and finally The Keyholder to the Kingdom. But this ARC I had didn’t include the last section, apparently to put off pirates and keep the length manageable. I did wonder now and then how the threads would come together in the end, but in truth, not having that last part didn't matter.
We begin with a young man muddling through ordinary troubles, until a sudden accident sweeps him into a concealed world, one that apparently runs the show behind all we see. There’s a small-town setting at first, familiar and warm, and then quite abruptly, the story shifts to a strange blend of an island paradise mixed with a tangle of bureaucracy. The mood becomes unsettled, not in a way that deepens the story, but in a way that left me feeling adrift. Where I hoped for a sense of wonder, I found the tale growing cluttered, and the aim seemed to slip away. I had wanted to be drawn along, but instead, I found myself watching from a distance, not quite able to care.
It is clear Rowan seeks to poke fun at fate and power, and he does so with a curious, sometimes playful hand. Yet, the satire rarely lands where it means to. The narrative circles the same ground repeatedly, and often swells with long explanations rather than letting tension rise or characters breathe. As a piece of portal fantasy, it tries to mix the ordinary and the marvellous, and sets out to question luck and the workings of the world behind the curtain. But the big ideas never really take root or come to blossom. When the story strays from the usual paths of the genre, such as making government into full-blown nonsense, it feels forced, not clever.
The characters seemed only half-formed to me, as if they’d been sketched in a hurry. Perhaps that was intentional, aiming for a satirical edge, but I struggled to keep track of them or to feel invested. They altered their behaviour so quickly that their actions felt unearned, and I wondered why I should care. Reading the passage from The Dynasty of the Divine, I found myself stumbling often, tripping over clumsy sentences, odd changes in tense, and endless reminders of Julian’s poor fortune. The dialogue faded away before it had a chance to build anything lasting, and too often the story simply told me things instead of letting me see them for myself, which made the world feel rather forced.
The writing could benefit from a good deal of editing. It needs a lighter touch, sharper characters, and a lot less repetition. One thing did catch my attention, though, and that was the idea of a cosmic lottery assigning people their roles. There are hints here of something deeper, questions about luck and fairness, but the book delivers these ideas in heavy blocks of text and never really explores them. Instead, it circles around the same points, rarely moving forward. Occasionally, there is a glimmer of something more, perhaps a thoughtful question about purpose or meaning, but those moments seem to vanish beneath the weight of the narration.
So much effort is spent on constructing the world that the characters themselves are left behind, and after a while, the story loses its shape and energy. The ideas begin to blend together until I found myself drifting away from them. It did prompt a few thoughts about power and inequality in the real world, but nothing that changed my perspective. The tone reminded me of The Good Place stretched out far too long, missing the quick wit that makes those stories work. I gave up at about thirteen per cent; there just wasn’t enough drive to keep me turning the pages. If you enjoy satirical fantasies that lean into big questions, perhaps with something of Douglas Adams in their bones, you may find something here to hold your interest. But for me, the writing never had the flow or pace I was hoping for.
MY WEBSITE.
Read all my reviews.
I only read 98 pages of this book,so take my critique with a pinch of salt.
Thank you NetGalley and Adam Rowan for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Adam Rowan’s The Dynasty of the Divine caught my eye first with its bold ambition and the sort of cover that makes you want to hold the book a little longer in your hands. In the preface, Rowan lays out his plan for three sweeping parts: a reimagined The Republic of Reality, then The Shipwreck on Elysian Shore, and finally The Keyholder to the Kingdom. But this ARC I had didn’t include the last section, apparently to put off pirates and keep the length manageable. I did wonder now and then how the threads would come together in the end, but in truth, not having that last part didn't matter.
We begin with a young man muddling through ordinary troubles, until a sudden accident sweeps him into a concealed world, one that apparently runs the show behind all we see. There’s a small-town setting at first, familiar and warm, and then quite abruptly, the story shifts to a strange blend of an island paradise mixed with a tangle of bureaucracy. The mood becomes unsettled, not in a way that deepens the story, but in a way that left me feeling adrift. Where I hoped for a sense of wonder, I found the tale growing cluttered, and the aim seemed to slip away. I had wanted to be drawn along, but instead, I found myself watching from a distance, not quite able to care.
It is clear Rowan seeks to poke fun at fate and power, and he does so with a curious, sometimes playful hand. Yet, the satire rarely lands where it means to. The narrative circles the same ground repeatedly, and often swells with long explanations rather than letting tension rise or characters breathe. As a piece of portal fantasy, it tries to mix the ordinary and the marvellous, and sets out to question luck and the workings of the world behind the curtain. But the big ideas never really take root or come to blossom. When the story strays from the usual paths of the genre, such as making government into full-blown nonsense, it feels forced, not clever.
The characters seemed only half-formed to me, as if they’d been sketched in a hurry. Perhaps that was intentional, aiming for a satirical edge, but I struggled to keep track of them or to feel invested. They altered their behaviour so quickly that their actions felt unearned, and I wondered why I should care. Reading the passage from The Dynasty of the Divine, I found myself stumbling often, tripping over clumsy sentences, odd changes in tense, and endless reminders of Julian’s poor fortune. The dialogue faded away before it had a chance to build anything lasting, and too often the story simply told me things instead of letting me see them for myself, which made the world feel rather forced.
The writing could benefit from a good deal of editing. It needs a lighter touch, sharper characters, and a lot less repetition. One thing did catch my attention, though, and that was the idea of a cosmic lottery assigning people their roles. There are hints here of something deeper, questions about luck and fairness, but the book delivers these ideas in heavy blocks of text and never really explores them. Instead, it circles around the same points, rarely moving forward. Occasionally, there is a glimmer of something more, perhaps a thoughtful question about purpose or meaning, but those moments seem to vanish beneath the weight of the narration.
So much effort is spent on constructing the world that the characters themselves are left behind, and after a while, the story loses its shape and energy. The ideas begin to blend together until I found myself drifting away from them. It did prompt a few thoughts about power and inequality in the real world, but nothing that changed my perspective. The tone reminded me of The Good Place stretched out far too long, missing the quick wit that makes those stories work. I gave up at about thirteen per cent; there just wasn’t enough drive to keep me turning the pages. If you enjoy satirical fantasies that lean into big questions, perhaps with something of Douglas Adams in their bones, you may find something here to hold your interest. But for me, the writing never had the flow or pace I was hoping for.
MY WEBSITE.
Read all my reviews.
January 25, 2026
The Dynasty of the Divine includes three books (well, actually three, but Adam Rowan left the third one out in the ARC copy on purpose, as it was already over 1,000 pages, as he states on the first pages, but the third one was actually still there), it only seems logical to me to include separate reviews for the books.
I will recommend this trilogy if you are looking for an anti utopia vibes, mixed in with adventure, humor and world building. I avoided spoilers in this review, so it is more feel based, so to speak
The Republic of Reality - I haven’t read the previous version, so I can’t comment on what was changed, but I can say that I truly enjoyed this one. You know how there are different types of readers? I’m the kind of person for whom a story turns into a movie—I visualize everything, as if I’m there watching it unfold, with distinct characters, voices, and scenes. With some world-building, I tend to auto-complete many of the images in my mind, but here I had to do that far less. Instead, I felt guided by the text in a way that didn’t box everything in, if that makes sense. With its dystopian style, it gives The Good Place vibes, intertwined with classical pantheon myths, with a sprinkle of Misfits (The UK series) in the mix.
The Shipwreck on Elysian Shore - it started a bit less intriguing to me, but did pick-up after the first chapter or two. Although there were some really cringe parts for me (like when a certain character was obviously up to no good and some other really easy to see stuff, that non of the characters seemed to get).
The Keyholder to the Kingdom - the third and final installment of the trilogy. I enjoyed it more than the Shipwreck book, but less then the first one. Although this book also has quite a few moments, that you already knew what is going to happen, it somehow still managed to keep me entertained and have a couple of surprising add-ins. I do miss characters that found their death in this book, but am happy that others survived.
The End (Part 4, length of a chapter) is the part of the whole thing I liked the less, with some decisions (especially the one explored the most in this chapter) not really making a lot of sense in the setting and the discussion about them in the parliament didn't manage to convince me otherwise.
I am happy that this was my first read of the year, as it was one of the more intresting and pleasant to read books I read in a while.
I would like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for the provided ARC
I will recommend this trilogy if you are looking for an anti utopia vibes, mixed in with adventure, humor and world building. I avoided spoilers in this review, so it is more feel based, so to speak
The Republic of Reality - I haven’t read the previous version, so I can’t comment on what was changed, but I can say that I truly enjoyed this one. You know how there are different types of readers? I’m the kind of person for whom a story turns into a movie—I visualize everything, as if I’m there watching it unfold, with distinct characters, voices, and scenes. With some world-building, I tend to auto-complete many of the images in my mind, but here I had to do that far less. Instead, I felt guided by the text in a way that didn’t box everything in, if that makes sense. With its dystopian style, it gives The Good Place vibes, intertwined with classical pantheon myths, with a sprinkle of Misfits (The UK series) in the mix.
The Shipwreck on Elysian Shore - it started a bit less intriguing to me, but did pick-up after the first chapter or two. Although there were some really cringe parts for me (like when a certain character was obviously up to no good and some other really easy to see stuff, that non of the characters seemed to get).
The Keyholder to the Kingdom - the third and final installment of the trilogy. I enjoyed it more than the Shipwreck book, but less then the first one. Although this book also has quite a few moments, that you already knew what is going to happen, it somehow still managed to keep me entertained and have a couple of surprising add-ins. I do miss characters that found their death in this book, but am happy that others survived.
The End (Part 4, length of a chapter) is the part of the whole thing I liked the less, with some decisions (especially the one explored the most in this chapter) not really making a lot of sense in the setting and the discussion about them in the parliament didn't manage to convince me otherwise.
I am happy that this was my first read of the year, as it was one of the more intresting and pleasant to read books I read in a while.
I would like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for the provided ARC
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The premise of this book was really interesting, and I really enjoyed the unique take on the afterlife - almost like it was an academy setting. I haven't ever seen that done before so it was really exciting to read a new take.
However the writing was extremely clunky to the point where it made the book almost unreadable. Instead of "show, don't tell," the author told us descriptions of characters using the protagonist inner dialogue. An example of this is when the inner monologue of the main character describes other characters as looking suspicious. Instead of describing these characters in a way that made the reader feel they were suspicious, the inner dialogue of the main character says "He wondered why they looked suspicious."
Overall, the writing got in the way of the decent plot.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
However the writing was extremely clunky to the point where it made the book almost unreadable. Instead of "show, don't tell," the author told us descriptions of characters using the protagonist inner dialogue. An example of this is when the inner monologue of the main character describes other characters as looking suspicious. Instead of describing these characters in a way that made the reader feel they were suspicious, the inner dialogue of the main character says "He wondered why they looked suspicious."
Overall, the writing got in the way of the decent plot.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This novel follows Julian, a man whose life seems defined by misfortune. Struggling with debt, behind on rent, and working in his mother’s shop, his mundane existence ends abruptly when he dies in a house fire while making toast. He awakens in Hyleberia, a strange new world that offers him a second chance at life. There, Julian encounters historical figures, forms new friendships, and attends a school that teaches philosophy and the Hyleberian way of life.
When the sacred Golden Cone is stolen and one of Julian’s friends is framed for the crime, the story shifts into a mystery-driven quest. Julian sets out to uncover the truth and prevent his friend’s execution. Along the way, the novel reveals political corruption, betrayal, and hidden agendas, exposing Hyleberia as far from the utopian society it initially appears to be.
The plot itself is imaginative and ambitious, with an intriguing premise and a wide cast of interesting characters. The world-building is detailed, and the political intrigue adds depth and complexity to the storyline. There is always something happening, which keeps the narrative moving. However, the novel struggles to fully connect the reader to its characters. While much is explained through exposition, there is little emotional insight into how the characters truly feel or how events impact them on a personal level. As a result, the story feels more told than experienced. For a character-driven narrative, this creates distance and makes it difficult to form strong emotional investment.
Additionally, despite frequent conflict, the stakes rarely feel urgent or believable. Key moments of tension often feel rushed, which lessens their impact and makes it harder to stay engaged. The pacing can feel busy and overloaded with information, with scenes moving quickly from one event to the next without allowing consequences to fully settle.
Overall, this is a novel with a strong concept, an engaging plot, and a richly imagined world. With deeper character development, stronger emotional stakes, and more time spent exploring perspectives and relationships, the story could become far more immersive and impactful.
Thank you Netgalley, for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
When the sacred Golden Cone is stolen and one of Julian’s friends is framed for the crime, the story shifts into a mystery-driven quest. Julian sets out to uncover the truth and prevent his friend’s execution. Along the way, the novel reveals political corruption, betrayal, and hidden agendas, exposing Hyleberia as far from the utopian society it initially appears to be.
The plot itself is imaginative and ambitious, with an intriguing premise and a wide cast of interesting characters. The world-building is detailed, and the political intrigue adds depth and complexity to the storyline. There is always something happening, which keeps the narrative moving. However, the novel struggles to fully connect the reader to its characters. While much is explained through exposition, there is little emotional insight into how the characters truly feel or how events impact them on a personal level. As a result, the story feels more told than experienced. For a character-driven narrative, this creates distance and makes it difficult to form strong emotional investment.
Additionally, despite frequent conflict, the stakes rarely feel urgent or believable. Key moments of tension often feel rushed, which lessens their impact and makes it harder to stay engaged. The pacing can feel busy and overloaded with information, with scenes moving quickly from one event to the next without allowing consequences to fully settle.
Overall, this is a novel with a strong concept, an engaging plot, and a richly imagined world. With deeper character development, stronger emotional stakes, and more time spent exploring perspectives and relationships, the story could become far more immersive and impactful.
Thank you Netgalley, for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is a fabulous read and should be made into a film. The Dynasty of the Divine is a long book and it reminds me of the Lord of the Rings, because it comes in three novels, now all bound together. Julian Shields, the protagonist, is a young man from England who finds himself in the middle of a cosmic adventure.
During the story, Julian is transported to Hyleberia, which at first sight appears to be a sort of heaven from where he has been sent to help to run the world. It turns out that in fact Hyleberia is anything but heaven and as well as the leader of Hyleberia called Peter, who is running the place, there are also evil forces which are attempting to take over. Julian regularly finds himself in the middle of battles between the forces of good and evil, and as the story progresses, he also returns to England and meets the family who he left behind when he died (in a toaster fire!)
At one level this is a rather exciting fantasy novel, and at another level it is a very touching coming-of-age story as Julian develops and grows up and settles into Hyleberia and makes friends. At a third level, it is an allegory which reminds me of Manichean religion, with the battle between the forces of good and evil. All in all, it is quite a page-turner! It’s not for the faint-hearted given its length, but if you would like to really immerse yourself in a gripping story, then this book is for you.
During the story, Julian is transported to Hyleberia, which at first sight appears to be a sort of heaven from where he has been sent to help to run the world. It turns out that in fact Hyleberia is anything but heaven and as well as the leader of Hyleberia called Peter, who is running the place, there are also evil forces which are attempting to take over. Julian regularly finds himself in the middle of battles between the forces of good and evil, and as the story progresses, he also returns to England and meets the family who he left behind when he died (in a toaster fire!)
At one level this is a rather exciting fantasy novel, and at another level it is a very touching coming-of-age story as Julian develops and grows up and settles into Hyleberia and makes friends. At a third level, it is an allegory which reminds me of Manichean religion, with the battle between the forces of good and evil. All in all, it is quite a page-turner! It’s not for the faint-hearted given its length, but if you would like to really immerse yourself in a gripping story, then this book is for you.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is pretty long, but with really easy-to-read writing (for the most part, although there were surprisingly quite a few words I hadn't seen/read before). If you enjoyed watching The Good Place and/or like Isekai anime, you will probably get into this.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews