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Phase Liminal: Book One of Dragonflower Psychosis
A note on what lies within:
Go easy, traveler, for the End of the World is not for the faint of heart.
Welcome to Arofend, Last City of Men and Dragons. Across the Great Waste of Roses where dragons are born in folds of crimson petals lies Xyrces, where the Dark Lord Haliamanax slings bombs crafted from the flesh of demons to usurp the Great Roses of Men. Dragonriders are made daily to defend against the Dark Lord at the expense of their sanity, for to ride a dragon is to feed one’s mind to the demons of the lesser realms.
King Jatha’s dragon is dead, and he sleeps in narcotic relief while his lords bicker endlessly over what shall be done to defend against the Dark Lord. For even here, at the End of the World, are Men foolishly divided.
Go easy, traveler, for the End of the World is not for the faint of heart.
Welcome to Arofend, Last City of Men and Dragons. Across the Great Waste of Roses where dragons are born in folds of crimson petals lies Xyrces, where the Dark Lord Haliamanax slings bombs crafted from the flesh of demons to usurp the Great Roses of Men. Dragonriders are made daily to defend against the Dark Lord at the expense of their sanity, for to ride a dragon is to feed one’s mind to the demons of the lesser realms.
King Jatha’s dragon is dead, and he sleeps in narcotic relief while his lords bicker endlessly over what shall be done to defend against the Dark Lord. For even here, at the End of the World, are Men foolishly divided.
- GenresFantasy
277 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2026
About the author
John Franz
10 books10 followersJohn Franz is the author of the Blue Seven Mainline series and writes literary horror and weird fiction for people who should know better.
A small number of review copies are available for readers who are interested in strange books and leaving an honest review:
https://booksprout.co/reviewer/review...
A small number of review copies are available for readers who are interested in strange books and leaving an honest review:
https://booksprout.co/reviewer/review...
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
3.25 ⭐️ ARC READ REVIEW
Phase Liminal is a multi-POV, grimdark, sometimes psychedelic, fantasy novel featuring a unique magic system and a wide cast of characters.
Thank you to the author for providing me with the opportunity to access an advanced reader copy in exchange for a review.
There were some really strong elements in this book which I enjoyed very much, and please keep in mind that my 3.25 ⭐️ review is certainly not a bad thing. I think that the author is simply most comfortable in the psychological horror genre. I do not read horror. I hate gore. I am probably not the ideal target audience for this book, but I love dragons and I’ll give anything a try just once.
One thing about me, for better or for worse, is that I will be honest in my ARC reviews and reviews in exchange for free copies. Perhaps this makes me better suited to alpha and beta reading rather than ARC reading, but I digress.
Welcome to the good, bad, ugly and brilliant of my Phase Liminal reading experience. Much of this will be constructed and added to as I went through the reading process and will thus follow my thoughts regarding this book from beginning to end.
Everything below contains spoiler elements, so proceed at your own risk:
(SPOILER)
My next hurdle, while petty, was that a female main character is called Chemma. Makes me want to scream every time I read it. Chemma is also immediately raped, which immediately gave me concern that she will serve as the Suffering Female character trope who endures every manner of awful circumstance for the furtherance of the plot. This happens early on when I type this, so it will remain to be seen, but since I just finished The Axis Trilogy I’m concerned that she’s going to get “Faraday-ed”.
The magic system is unique and interesting. However, as someone who works in a career related to the electromagnetic spectrum, I did find it hard to take seriously initially. It was cool though, the idea of harnessing the EMS for magical purposes. A brilliant display of rainbows, only visible to those with the Sight and bonded to dragons. How exactly the Roses were generators and conductors of EME seemed to elude me, but I can suspend my disbelief in the name of fantasy and a magic system I haven’t seen before.
You’re dropped right in the middle of an established world, very Malazan-esque. I was finding that a little bit more exposition early on wouldn’t have gone astray, but that is personal preference. I often struggle the first 25% of fantasy books, even with those that end up being favourites, so I wasn’t too overly concerned about this initially.
This story didn’t begin to click for me until I read the first chapter which was in Hali’s POV. This was a turning point in my reading experience, as I felt it finally added some more dimension to the world that I felt had been lacking until this point. It was also around this point that the small excerpts of exposition that are at the beginning of each chapter began to become more informative and to help (slowly) piece together my understanding of the world.
I found that the quality of writing was good and that the story was well line edited.
Frederick: ew rape is bad
Also Frederick: I keep a clone of a woman chained in my basement
We get it, Frederick wiped away the drool on his chin. Frederick drools. Because he is deformed. In the time it took you to read those three sentences, Frederick wiped away the drool on his chin, here at The End of the World.
Much of the book is spent politicking, which is a good thing, as the writing here shines its brightest. Whenever there is action actively taking place, I do find it hard to follow. This is likely on account of another issue I take with the style of exposition…it is incredibly hard to picture this world and where things are taking place. Are they above ground or under ground? What are the limits of the cities and the plains between? It seems like there are levels on which people live, but I could never truly visualise these levels. The roses, I get the sense that they are big but HOW big?
At 40% in the book, the Gory Men have been mentioned many times. I still have received no explanation of who they REALLY are and what their function is, other than being hired swords in kilts from House Gils-Gorian.
I think there could have been ways for Frederick to perhaps weave small segments of explanatory exposition in his POV chapters. It wouldn’t have felt like it was info dumping and certainly not so in the context of his character.
As much as I like political intrigue, I would have liked some more Hali and Lax chapters to break up some of the political manoeuvring in the teens-early twenties chapter range. Interweaving the two settings would help the reader to keep a consistent understanding of what is going on across the broader world the story is set. But that’s personal preference and I am sure the author laid it out this way with a vision in mind.
The concept of the suspensions is cool!
Jatha and Hali have the most interesting chapters, in my opinion. I enjoy their character voices.
“The dragonrider will then see demons at all times except for the time he is being Reached by his dragon…The demons are attracted to the Language of Dragons that runs like a mad chant through the dragonrider’s skull. The rider’s dragon eats these demons to replenish its pheromone sacs to provide anesthetic to its rider who will endure debilitating force on dragonback.” - see this? This is fucking awesome! Such a cool concept. Gimme more.
I think the pherom withdrawal draws a great parallel with real-world drug addiction. No doubt the author’s own experience helped to form this element of the plot and world. I think it is very well done.
The chapter 23 Hali opener “she had legs” into the chapter 24 Lax opener “he had no legs” is iconic, actually.
Sometimes, when I believe the characters are engaging in what should be considered witty banter, I get absolutely lost. There will be dialogue that eludes to a character performing some sort of action (gesturing to something, making some other form of movement) but the action will not be directly conveyed.
I could also do without everyone’s bowels turning to liquid. But pop off king.
Really missing the political intrigue by the early 30s of chapters - it is very psychedelic horror at this point. Not my personal jam.
Okay, another person just shat themselves…
A lot of new satellite character POVs appearing in these later chapters. Whenever I see a chapter title page I haven’t seen before I can’t help but yell out, “WHO THE FUCK IS X?”
Chemma, while I may hate her name, unfortunately ends up essentially character assassinated for a big portion of the book. (Just to Chemma ex Machina at the end and say SURPRISE IM A GOD, ACTUALLY)
I still don’t really understand the demons, even by the end. It’s cool that the dragons eat them, but I’d like to know more about the demons themselves too.
I do want to know more about the children who dream up the dragons, but I imagine that might be explored more in the next book.
“Sirrah” was very heavily used in the beginning of the book, then it disappeared for the bulk, then Hali brings it back with a vengeance in chapter 42, lol.
Well, we get our first bout of worldbuilding exposition in chapter 45!
I finish the book with one big question…What will happen to the clone who was chained up in Frederick’s basement?
Phase Liminal is a multi-POV, grimdark, sometimes psychedelic, fantasy novel featuring a unique magic system and a wide cast of characters.
Thank you to the author for providing me with the opportunity to access an advanced reader copy in exchange for a review.
There were some really strong elements in this book which I enjoyed very much, and please keep in mind that my 3.25 ⭐️ review is certainly not a bad thing. I think that the author is simply most comfortable in the psychological horror genre. I do not read horror. I hate gore. I am probably not the ideal target audience for this book, but I love dragons and I’ll give anything a try just once.
One thing about me, for better or for worse, is that I will be honest in my ARC reviews and reviews in exchange for free copies. Perhaps this makes me better suited to alpha and beta reading rather than ARC reading, but I digress.
Welcome to the good, bad, ugly and brilliant of my Phase Liminal reading experience. Much of this will be constructed and added to as I went through the reading process and will thus follow my thoughts regarding this book from beginning to end.
Everything below contains spoiler elements, so proceed at your own risk:
(SPOILER)
My next hurdle, while petty, was that a female main character is called Chemma. Makes me want to scream every time I read it. Chemma is also immediately raped, which immediately gave me concern that she will serve as the Suffering Female character trope who endures every manner of awful circumstance for the furtherance of the plot. This happens early on when I type this, so it will remain to be seen, but since I just finished The Axis Trilogy I’m concerned that she’s going to get “Faraday-ed”.
The magic system is unique and interesting. However, as someone who works in a career related to the electromagnetic spectrum, I did find it hard to take seriously initially. It was cool though, the idea of harnessing the EMS for magical purposes. A brilliant display of rainbows, only visible to those with the Sight and bonded to dragons. How exactly the Roses were generators and conductors of EME seemed to elude me, but I can suspend my disbelief in the name of fantasy and a magic system I haven’t seen before.
You’re dropped right in the middle of an established world, very Malazan-esque. I was finding that a little bit more exposition early on wouldn’t have gone astray, but that is personal preference. I often struggle the first 25% of fantasy books, even with those that end up being favourites, so I wasn’t too overly concerned about this initially.
This story didn’t begin to click for me until I read the first chapter which was in Hali’s POV. This was a turning point in my reading experience, as I felt it finally added some more dimension to the world that I felt had been lacking until this point. It was also around this point that the small excerpts of exposition that are at the beginning of each chapter began to become more informative and to help (slowly) piece together my understanding of the world.
I found that the quality of writing was good and that the story was well line edited.
Frederick: ew rape is bad
Also Frederick: I keep a clone of a woman chained in my basement
We get it, Frederick wiped away the drool on his chin. Frederick drools. Because he is deformed. In the time it took you to read those three sentences, Frederick wiped away the drool on his chin, here at The End of the World.
Much of the book is spent politicking, which is a good thing, as the writing here shines its brightest. Whenever there is action actively taking place, I do find it hard to follow. This is likely on account of another issue I take with the style of exposition…it is incredibly hard to picture this world and where things are taking place. Are they above ground or under ground? What are the limits of the cities and the plains between? It seems like there are levels on which people live, but I could never truly visualise these levels. The roses, I get the sense that they are big but HOW big?
At 40% in the book, the Gory Men have been mentioned many times. I still have received no explanation of who they REALLY are and what their function is, other than being hired swords in kilts from House Gils-Gorian.
I think there could have been ways for Frederick to perhaps weave small segments of explanatory exposition in his POV chapters. It wouldn’t have felt like it was info dumping and certainly not so in the context of his character.
As much as I like political intrigue, I would have liked some more Hali and Lax chapters to break up some of the political manoeuvring in the teens-early twenties chapter range. Interweaving the two settings would help the reader to keep a consistent understanding of what is going on across the broader world the story is set. But that’s personal preference and I am sure the author laid it out this way with a vision in mind.
The concept of the suspensions is cool!
Jatha and Hali have the most interesting chapters, in my opinion. I enjoy their character voices.
“The dragonrider will then see demons at all times except for the time he is being Reached by his dragon…The demons are attracted to the Language of Dragons that runs like a mad chant through the dragonrider’s skull. The rider’s dragon eats these demons to replenish its pheromone sacs to provide anesthetic to its rider who will endure debilitating force on dragonback.” - see this? This is fucking awesome! Such a cool concept. Gimme more.
I think the pherom withdrawal draws a great parallel with real-world drug addiction. No doubt the author’s own experience helped to form this element of the plot and world. I think it is very well done.
The chapter 23 Hali opener “she had legs” into the chapter 24 Lax opener “he had no legs” is iconic, actually.
Sometimes, when I believe the characters are engaging in what should be considered witty banter, I get absolutely lost. There will be dialogue that eludes to a character performing some sort of action (gesturing to something, making some other form of movement) but the action will not be directly conveyed.
I could also do without everyone’s bowels turning to liquid. But pop off king.
Really missing the political intrigue by the early 30s of chapters - it is very psychedelic horror at this point. Not my personal jam.
Okay, another person just shat themselves…
A lot of new satellite character POVs appearing in these later chapters. Whenever I see a chapter title page I haven’t seen before I can’t help but yell out, “WHO THE FUCK IS X?”
Chemma, while I may hate her name, unfortunately ends up essentially character assassinated for a big portion of the book. (Just to Chemma ex Machina at the end and say SURPRISE IM A GOD, ACTUALLY)
I still don’t really understand the demons, even by the end. It’s cool that the dragons eat them, but I’d like to know more about the demons themselves too.
I do want to know more about the children who dream up the dragons, but I imagine that might be explored more in the next book.
“Sirrah” was very heavily used in the beginning of the book, then it disappeared for the bulk, then Hali brings it back with a vengeance in chapter 42, lol.
Well, we get our first bout of worldbuilding exposition in chapter 45!
I finish the book with one big question…What will happen to the clone who was chained up in Frederick’s basement?
August 8, 2026
This book was a trip! I felt like I was in a psychosis state while reading it. I really appreciated all the different POVs. The worlds, the ideas, and the things that were happening were so different and, let me say, at some times crazy. I don’t know how many times I said “what the f***” to myself. The pacing felt like it was on full throttle. Take the normal epic fantasy with dragons and gods and imagine it on hallucinogens. That’s this book.
September 12, 2026
When epic grimdark fantasy meets weird fiction meets surreal psychedelic psychological horror you end up here in the Phase Liminal. With dragons!
Thank you to the author for the eARC.
From my introduction you can tell that it's not an easy one to describe. The author throws you into the deep end of this fantasy world without any warning. It's up to the reader to learn about the world and work out what is going on along the way and dive straight into the lore that includes the eleven gods of palimpsesm.
It's pretty much the end of the world in the city of Arofend. Dragons are born between the petals of giant roses.
Dragonriders bond with their dragons and in doing so they risk total insanity.
King Jatha's dragon has died and it's left him in a haze of narcotics, no longer capable of reigning or protecting the city against the Dark Lord, and around him the power struggles continue.
For the first half of the novel I was thinking this was a slightly weirder version of a grimdark fantasy. The character of Frederick Forktongue, the crooked man, was particularly interesting and made me think of Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy. However, any similarities soon disappeared. There's magic which relies on language and colours and frequencies and stuff that I've not fully got my head around.
Frederick is a linguist. Manipulating people with language. Able to speak the Language of Dragons. He's not the only one.
By the second half of the novel we've travelled into unchartered territory. A drug-fuelled dreamscape of madness. It's crude, it's crazy and will totally mess with your mind. Dragon battles do not go as you expect!
It's best to just go with it and hope it all makes sense at the end.
It's imaginative and slightly bonkers and sometimes that's exactly what we want to read.
Oh, and did I mention the rainbow dragon? No, well I'll leave how that works as a surprise 😉
Thank you to the author for the eARC.
From my introduction you can tell that it's not an easy one to describe. The author throws you into the deep end of this fantasy world without any warning. It's up to the reader to learn about the world and work out what is going on along the way and dive straight into the lore that includes the eleven gods of palimpsesm.
It's pretty much the end of the world in the city of Arofend. Dragons are born between the petals of giant roses.
Dragonriders bond with their dragons and in doing so they risk total insanity.
King Jatha's dragon has died and it's left him in a haze of narcotics, no longer capable of reigning or protecting the city against the Dark Lord, and around him the power struggles continue.
For the first half of the novel I was thinking this was a slightly weirder version of a grimdark fantasy. The character of Frederick Forktongue, the crooked man, was particularly interesting and made me think of Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy. However, any similarities soon disappeared. There's magic which relies on language and colours and frequencies and stuff that I've not fully got my head around.
Frederick is a linguist. Manipulating people with language. Able to speak the Language of Dragons. He's not the only one.
By the second half of the novel we've travelled into unchartered territory. A drug-fuelled dreamscape of madness. It's crude, it's crazy and will totally mess with your mind. Dragon battles do not go as you expect!
It's best to just go with it and hope it all makes sense at the end.
It's imaginative and slightly bonkers and sometimes that's exactly what we want to read.
Oh, and did I mention the rainbow dragon? No, well I'll leave how that works as a surprise 😉
September 2, 2026
This book was so weird! But in a good way. Did I completely understand everything that was going on? I’m going to level with you, not at all. Did I still enjoy the story with all its bizarreness? Oh, 100% yes!
I’ve read several books by John Franz now, and his writing is incredibly interesting and ambitious in nature. Nothing is ever clear cut in his stories. He makes you think abstractly. Little bits and pieces of important information are dropped through out the book, but often you don’t get the full picture until the end - even if that is end is several books from now. You have to be in for the long haul. Frankly, I love that I can enjoy the story for what it is but can also acknowledge that it’s a difficult book to fully understand on the first read. I’m doing a terrible job explaining, but think Jeff Vandermeer and The House of Leaves had a grimdark baby (only better because I HATE Jeff Vandermeer - sorry, not sorry.)
It was a really cool concept. We’ve got a post apocalyptic world where men are psychically bonded to dragons born of giant roses. In order to forge these bonds, the riders often must sacrifice their own sanity. This is done in the name of defeating the Dark Lord that threatens their city. However, as the characters break psychologically lines blur as to who is the true evil.
I enjoyed the dark and trippy ride. Thank you to the author for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.
I’ve read several books by John Franz now, and his writing is incredibly interesting and ambitious in nature. Nothing is ever clear cut in his stories. He makes you think abstractly. Little bits and pieces of important information are dropped through out the book, but often you don’t get the full picture until the end - even if that is end is several books from now. You have to be in for the long haul. Frankly, I love that I can enjoy the story for what it is but can also acknowledge that it’s a difficult book to fully understand on the first read. I’m doing a terrible job explaining, but think Jeff Vandermeer and The House of Leaves had a grimdark baby (only better because I HATE Jeff Vandermeer - sorry, not sorry.)
It was a really cool concept. We’ve got a post apocalyptic world where men are psychically bonded to dragons born of giant roses. In order to forge these bonds, the riders often must sacrifice their own sanity. This is done in the name of defeating the Dark Lord that threatens their city. However, as the characters break psychologically lines blur as to who is the true evil.
I enjoyed the dark and trippy ride. Thank you to the author for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Author
The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world where gods and kingdoms are at war, dragons are born from giant roses, and political figures maneuvre within deadly courts. The magic system, anchored on the use of language and the formation of psychological connections, is intriguing. The world Franz built is striking; think of a darker Alice in Wonderland, rife with hallucinations and depressing events.
However, I ended up DNF-ing the book as I neared its half-way mark. It had many mechanical issues: typos and confusing or unnecessary descriptions. The steep learning curve of the story wasn’t rewarding. I couldn’t get myself to care about the conflict or root for any party in the war. What I disliked most is the story’s shallow use of abuse, especially against women. I believe that those experiences need to be unpacked and processed, not treated as mere plot points.
With that said, I cannot fairly provide a full-fledged rating of this book because I don’t have a complete grasp of its story. So this shall be the first book I rate but with an asterisk. I can fully understand how it might be an alluring read for others, but it just didn’t click for me.
However, I ended up DNF-ing the book as I neared its half-way mark. It had many mechanical issues: typos and confusing or unnecessary descriptions. The steep learning curve of the story wasn’t rewarding. I couldn’t get myself to care about the conflict or root for any party in the war. What I disliked most is the story’s shallow use of abuse, especially against women. I believe that those experiences need to be unpacked and processed, not treated as mere plot points.
With that said, I cannot fairly provide a full-fledged rating of this book because I don’t have a complete grasp of its story. So this shall be the first book I rate but with an asterisk. I can fully understand how it might be an alluring read for others, but it just didn’t click for me.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was an ARC read thank you @authorjohnfranz and is a wild ride. I’m giving this 3.5 stars. It held my attention especially as it got going and during the last third. The first half was a bit hard for me to follow. As a whole, the story presents similar to a fever dream. A major part of the plot is about how the characters enter psychosis as they bond with dragons and the pacing and story line both match that crazy and trippy vibe. It can also be a bit crude at times but that did not necessarily feel out of place in this world. If you are into a book that gives you that WTF feeling in a fantasy setting, look no further!
I was worried with all the different POV changes due to my personal preference that less is more but I was surprised that I actually started to really enjoy the characters that were introduced later on (looking at you Jackson and Otto). It’s definitely a cool story and was a smoother read once I could figure out aspects of the world and magic system. I really enjoyed the character interactions from about 60% on where I felt it was nonstop with the action and plot development.
I was worried with all the different POV changes due to my personal preference that less is more but I was surprised that I actually started to really enjoy the characters that were introduced later on (looking at you Jackson and Otto). It’s definitely a cool story and was a smoother read once I could figure out aspects of the world and magic system. I really enjoyed the character interactions from about 60% on where I felt it was nonstop with the action and plot development.
Review of advance copy received from Author
3.5 ⭐
The one thing is that you'll be on the edge of your seats!
Phase Liminal is what happens when you take fantasy, cosmic horror, drugs, religious mythology, and a fever dream… and somehow turn them into a book.
This book is insane.
The world of Phase Liminal feels completely unstable. Reality, dreams, gods, demons, dragons, frequencies, and this thing called the Liminality all blur together until you genuinely stop knowing what is supposed to be real.
And somehow, that’s the point.
But I did have a couple of issues.
First, worldbuilding can be A LOT. There are so many concepts, names, creatures, places, and pieces of mythology being introduced that I occasionally felt completely lost.
And because there are so many POVs, it took me a while to get invested in some of the characters. The constant shifting can be disorienting, especially when you're already trying to understand this completely unhinged world.
But honestly? I think that confusion is also part of what makes Phase Liminal memorable.
The one thing is that you'll be on the edge of your seats!
Phase Liminal is what happens when you take fantasy, cosmic horror, drugs, religious mythology, and a fever dream… and somehow turn them into a book.
This book is insane.
The world of Phase Liminal feels completely unstable. Reality, dreams, gods, demons, dragons, frequencies, and this thing called the Liminality all blur together until you genuinely stop knowing what is supposed to be real.
And somehow, that’s the point.
But I did have a couple of issues.
First, worldbuilding can be A LOT. There are so many concepts, names, creatures, places, and pieces of mythology being introduced that I occasionally felt completely lost.
And because there are so many POVs, it took me a while to get invested in some of the characters. The constant shifting can be disorienting, especially when you're already trying to understand this completely unhinged world.
But honestly? I think that confusion is also part of what makes Phase Liminal memorable.
Review of advance copy received from Autorin bzw. Autor
The cover does not look like your typical dragon fantasy. I was a little confused at first, but let me tell you: this book fits the book so well.
This is a dragon fantasy, a dragon fantasy on a psychosis. Everything here feels different from your typical fantasy. The world, the setting, the story. I had to stop and collect myself and think for a moment multiple times. The book somehow is strange, refreshing and crazy.
I did struggle a little to get into the book, but once I got into it the pacing was fast and made me fly trough the book.
And the banter was great.
I recived an ARC of the book by the author.
This is a dragon fantasy, a dragon fantasy on a psychosis. Everything here feels different from your typical fantasy. The world, the setting, the story. I had to stop and collect myself and think for a moment multiple times. The book somehow is strange, refreshing and crazy.
I did struggle a little to get into the book, but once I got into it the pacing was fast and made me fly trough the book.
And the banter was great.
I recived an ARC of the book by the author.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Phase Liminal took me somewhere I absolutely was not prepared to go and I loved every second of it.
This was one hell of a ride. The world building, the details, the darkly intriguing concept and that wonderfully chaotic banter had me constantly thinking, WTF is happening?! 😂🖤
Even the explicit moments were handled with unexpected humorous grace and somehow every strange, twisted piece came together beautifully.
Unpredictable. Intriguing. Wildly entertaining.
A definite five star. And I’m absolutely ready for more. 🐉🖤
This was one hell of a ride. The world building, the details, the darkly intriguing concept and that wonderfully chaotic banter had me constantly thinking, WTF is happening?! 😂🖤
Even the explicit moments were handled with unexpected humorous grace and somehow every strange, twisted piece came together beautifully.
Unpredictable. Intriguing. Wildly entertaining.
A definite five star. And I’m absolutely ready for more. 🐉🖤
October 3, 2026
This is going to be a cult classic in the future
John fraz knows how to write a detailed story.
Its the second book i read from john thats just an insane fever dream, but in a good way.
I liked the world building, it can be too much for some people, but just go with the flow and some things will make sense.
This is my first none romantic fantasy book, and this was just what i needed to read more fantasy in the future.
It got a little bit confusing with the multiple povs. But it worked really well for the story
John fraz knows how to write a detailed story.
Its the second book i read from john thats just an insane fever dream, but in a good way.
I liked the world building, it can be too much for some people, but just go with the flow and some things will make sense.
This is my first none romantic fantasy book, and this was just what i needed to read more fantasy in the future.
It got a little bit confusing with the multiple povs. But it worked really well for the story
September 9, 2026
Thank you to John Franz for sending me a copy of Phase Liminal in exchange for an honest review.
I’m honestly not sure how I feel about this book. Phase Liminal is weird, trippy, confusing, and unlike much of what I normally read. There were moments when I was intrigued by what was happening, but there were just as many moments when I felt completely lost.
The biggest hurdle for me was the way the story drops you into an already established world and basically expects you to figure everything out as you go. There are a lot of characters, concepts, and moving pieces introduced with very little explanation. I definitely don’t need a book to hold my hand, and I usually enjoy slowly uncovering a world and its mysteries, but here I found myself wishing for just a little more exposition to help me get my bearings.
That confusion made it difficult for me to fully connect with the characters or become invested in what was happening. Instead of wondering what would happen next, I was often trying to figure out what exactly was happening now.
That being said, I don’t think Phase Liminal is a bad book. In fact, I can easily imagine the strange, dreamlike style being exactly what another reader is looking for. There’s an intentional weirdness to the whole thing that gives the novel its own identity. Unfortunately, I think this is simply a case where the author's storytelling style and my personal reading preferences didn't quite match.
If you enjoy experimental, surreal, and deliberately disorienting science fiction that throws you into the deep end and lets you figure things out for yourself, Phase Liminal might be worth checking out.
For me, though, I’m still not entirely sure what I just read.
I’m honestly not sure how I feel about this book. Phase Liminal is weird, trippy, confusing, and unlike much of what I normally read. There were moments when I was intrigued by what was happening, but there were just as many moments when I felt completely lost.
The biggest hurdle for me was the way the story drops you into an already established world and basically expects you to figure everything out as you go. There are a lot of characters, concepts, and moving pieces introduced with very little explanation. I definitely don’t need a book to hold my hand, and I usually enjoy slowly uncovering a world and its mysteries, but here I found myself wishing for just a little more exposition to help me get my bearings.
That confusion made it difficult for me to fully connect with the characters or become invested in what was happening. Instead of wondering what would happen next, I was often trying to figure out what exactly was happening now.
That being said, I don’t think Phase Liminal is a bad book. In fact, I can easily imagine the strange, dreamlike style being exactly what another reader is looking for. There’s an intentional weirdness to the whole thing that gives the novel its own identity. Unfortunately, I think this is simply a case where the author's storytelling style and my personal reading preferences didn't quite match.
If you enjoy experimental, surreal, and deliberately disorienting science fiction that throws you into the deep end and lets you figure things out for yourself, Phase Liminal might be worth checking out.
For me, though, I’m still not entirely sure what I just read.
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