Dusties

Dusties #1

by Brett Murrell, Elwira Pawlikowska (Interior Illustrations)

This is no normal tale.

It is mouse to your cat, fox to your hound, Moriarty to your Sherlock, and it will dash ahead of you calling, “Catch me if you can!”

And if you can, you are not normal either.

Cast off where you are and what you know and gather together in the dark with the Dusties.

____

In a world that has lost its light, a tiny colony of newly awakened and lost Dusties struggle to make sense of their bizarre surroundings. But as the survivors penetrate the enveloping darkness and tug at the mysteries around them, they begin to discover both a deadly threat and the elusive pattern that could save their existence.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction

490 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2013

About the author

Brett makes a mess of personality tests. In daylight, he designs systems and consults for investigative agencies as the premier expert on crime and bomb scene management.

At night, he imagines wildly.

And in the twilight in between, he is an accomplished game theorist, author, and world builder.

Under the vibrant Worldspanner universe, he works with other designers and authors to create an interconnected body of gaming and storytelling. He is designer of the acclaimed Duel of Ages game series and author of the exceptional unfolding mystery series known as Dusties.

Watch for the upcoming novel series, Jurney. And two tabletop game series, Tragick and Westhope, are due in late 2019.

Reviews

[Ian Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wrapped up the whole series of books that Dusties kicks off — after only about a week. My five stars is for this book and the whole series. It reads like one epic length single work. Picked it up on a lark through Kindle Unlimited and burned through it all in a way that I haven’t done since I was a teenager. To reveal anything about the plot is to give away the never ending series of surprises interwoven throughout the five books but the series is something like a mixture of Burroughs’ Mars books, Narnia, Sherlock Holmes, comic book action, relentless thrillers, cliffhangers, and puzzles, piled on top of each other, again and again, in a way I haven’t seen before. Super-fun read that I’d recommend to any fan of genre fiction.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the twists and find the story to be gripping as it envelopes me. The characters are deep and interesting and the way they are introduced, very intriguing. Upon finishing, I was overwhelmed with the urge to continue with the series. I would love for such a story to be told in film or TV series format.
EDIT:
I have now finished the series and want to say a few more words and in one place.
I found this to be a great tale of hope and determination. No matter how bad things got there is that one thing that continued to push people and that was hope. And in that sense I liken it to real life: things may not always work out but without this element how many additional failures would humanity have endured. Would we even be here? Hope has given us the drive to do so much. And I feel this series exemplifies this.
I recommend you to join in the adventure so you too can experience what it is to face countless and seemingly hopeless situations. There are many interesting characters both female and male with whom you will become deeply involved. And with them you can embark on many twisting mysteries and puzzles. Can you even solve them before those characters in the series manage it?
This is a sci-fi come fantasy come romance tale and it’s a very unique adventure that should thrill, upset, confuse, satisfy, tantalise, overwhelm, intrigue, mesmerise and stupefy you. These are all genuine feelings I had throughout and I found it difficult to put down. And it’s all set in a unique universe with many races, sub stories and history. You will discover completely new and interesting life forms and watch the fight between good and evil unfold. I feel it to be of similar magnitude to the likes of The Lord of the Rings in it’s scope but I think it feels a bit closer to home than that. I’d be surprised if there wasn't more to come from this author in this universe for it has been set out so well.
So I say jump on the bandwagon and I don’t think it will disappoint. I think you will feel enlightened. I do.

[Joe Setness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author does characters very well - there were like 8 main characters who, for the most part, all had their own personalities and whose words and thoughts were recognizable. Plot was interesting, with lots of surprises, which I appreciated, even if some of what happened but pretty fantastical. He did a great job of revealing surprises/twists and but making sure that it all made sense in retrospect. Also, there was very little "downtime" in the story - there was always something happening, in a very YAish sort of way - but the story allows this without making the characters generic. So, I was impressed overall.

On the downside, there were numerous occasions where I wasn't sure what the author meant by something - which "they" are we referring to here? What do you mean by "notch in the wall that he could step into" - the surrounding context doesn't help me understand. Also, there was little to no explanation of this origins of different races/creatures, and the magic system was very superficial - someone waves an arm and a bunch of supplies appears. Really? Hobb and Rothfuss put a lot more time into making the magic system believable and part of the plot. Maybe this is all coming in the next four books - I don't know.

I do intend to read the next book, which is pretty much the litmus test for whether I truly enjoyed a book.

[Ray Phay · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite things about reading books is really getting in to the characters so that I can feel their pain, anguish, joy or excitement of them going through life. One of my favorite things about Dusties is that I fell this for ALL characters in this book. I do not know what it is about the authors writing style but as I am reading this book I really feel like I am the characters and going through all of the motions of the story. It was so easy to visualize the events that were taking place as I was reading. And on top of that there were so many twists and turns to this story that I did not even see them coming. And the best part is that you can look back at the story that you have read and there are little hints along the way that you may have missed.
I feel like anything that I say about the book would be a spoiler. Just read it.
This is a story like none other than I have read and I am left wanting more. I am so glad that there are 4 more books to follow up this one. Thank you for the fantastic journey that I just went on.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificently surprising!

I don't normally give out 5 star reviews, but this book is truly worth it. I don't remember how I managed to find it, but so glad that I did. It's a beautiful story filled with action, romance, puzzles, and even simple life for those of very un-simple origins. The book draws you in, but in very complex ways. If look away at the wrong time, or too early, maybe too late, then it tries to escape from you. So whatever you do, once you pick it up follow through and don't set it down unless you're at a predetermined cut-off, i.e. the next chapter. Trust me, it's worth it, but you do keep your Promise once you make it.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters are insanely likeable. The story is complex and there are new twists in nearly every chapter. My one complaint is that I am sometimes overwhelmed by all the pieces. What should be big reveals lose their impact because I cannot remember everything in the book that has occurred. From what I have read of the first and second book, this series could have easily been at least eight to ten books long. Other than that, the world is unique and interesting, and you really, really root for the protagonists.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little hard to keep up with, but excellent nonetheless

This story was a bit hard to get into, as there's a lot going on. To top it off, our main characters have all woken from a stone slumber with nothing more than the vaguest hints of memories. As the plot moves along, things start to come together, making for a pretty epic tale. Lots of fighting, creepy creatures and mind bending puzzles that play into the bigger game. I eventually would like to reread this one and read the rest of the series as well, as it's a very interesting story.

[Teresa Lavender · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly cannot rave enough about this novel! Rarely does a story grab my attention and keep it so that I am unable to sleep at night until I have finished! I typically do not like stories that come in stages. I need to find the second part in this series as son as possible. The characters are well developed and believable. There is a hint of romance, a great deal of mystery and intrigue, and a huge dollop of fantasy! Very little of this story is predictable. More, please!!!

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one really exceeded my expectations! While there were times when I became frustrated not really knowing what was going on, neither did the characters, so it was more of a sympathetic frustration, LOL. Lots of twists and turns, very much "good against evil", sort of an epic fantasy adventure. Just good plain fun.

[Norman R DeLamar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminds me of Lost

Very long but minimum fluff.I read in 3 days , might have to read the entire 5 book series.
Hope it has better ending than lost.

[Shelly Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this book! Can't wait for the next!

[Riotkittin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note entirely sure what I think. Good writing, good charaterization... but... the story and setting itself was wierd and a bit rushed at the end

[Lucee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Wowowowowowow. This book shocked me. Shocked me with how much I loved its characters. Shocked me with how unpredictable the plot was. Shocked me with how intensely it captured my interest. I added this book to my to-read list for one reason only: the beautiful cover art. I couldn't be happier with that decision.

Of all the characters in this book, Rodrigo was my favorite. I have a weakness for noble characters (Kaladin from Stormlight Archive anyone?) and Rodrigo was no exception. Every character kept me interested, and there was never any viewpoint that I wanted to skip or skim. If I had to pick a next-favorite character it would have to be Rip.

I've already started reading the next book, and I absolutely can't wait to see where the author takes the rest of this series. Hopefully, they continue being as strong as this one.

[John Ibarzabal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found out about this book due to the board game, Duel of Ages, by the same author.

Being a fan, and also curious to learn more about the story and lore behind the fictitious setting, I purchased the kindle book (I do not know if you can buy it in physical form).

I have to be fair and did not expect anything at all from it, and so maybe was very pleased and entertained by it.

The main protagonists have no memory of their pasts apart from their names, the world is very exotic, to explain shortly, and mysterious.

I think that is the short description for the whole story, mysterious.

There are parts of the story that feel very rushed, but overall it was very nice, and made me want to read the follow up books (still being written at the time I wrote this review).

[R. Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Murrell brought to life a mixture of horror, mystery and suspense in Dusties that kept me glued to the pages until it was done and left me wanting more. I thought he captured the way people would react to the bizarre circumstance he created very well and he captured my interest very quickly.

[Sherri McCartney]

Sixties (Sixties Series Book 1)

Sixties was quite interesting, I enjoyed reading about each character. I can't wait to find out more about the Dalmar Wall and where everyone is from.

[Randy Harmelink]

No rating. I gave up at the 18% point because I wasn't enjoying the book. No problems with the writing. I just wasn't finding the story interesting.