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Light Dawning
Librarian's Note: An alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here
Once known as the City on the Hill and revered far and wide for its independence and boundless opportunity, Cestia has become home only to the damned. Surviving under the brutal occupation of a southern empire for three long years, the oppressed populace has lost hope of liberation, turning instead towards an increasingly desperate rebellion willing to commit any atrocity for a chance at freedom. As total war approaches, four lost souls trapped behind Cestia's walls are on a collision course with fate, destined to either save the city or see it utterly destroyed while calling on forces beyond mankind's comprehension. For good or ill, the light of a new day is about to dawn.
Once known as the City on the Hill and revered far and wide for its independence and boundless opportunity, Cestia has become home only to the damned. Surviving under the brutal occupation of a southern empire for three long years, the oppressed populace has lost hope of liberation, turning instead towards an increasingly desperate rebellion willing to commit any atrocity for a chance at freedom. As total war approaches, four lost souls trapped behind Cestia's walls are on a collision course with fate, destined to either save the city or see it utterly destroyed while calling on forces beyond mankind's comprehension. For good or ill, the light of a new day is about to dawn.
- GenresFantasy
244 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 26, 2017
7 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Ty Arthur
5 books40 followersTy Arthur has worked as a freelancer for a variety of gaming, heavy metal, tech, and cannabis publications. His grimdark fantasy novel "Light Dawning" is out now, with many more dark tales still to come. Arthur writes to exorcise his demons and resides in the cold, dark north with his amazing wife Megan and infant son Gannicus Picard.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 28, 2018
LIGHT DAWNING is a book which I wish Amazon gave me the option to do a 4.5 review on because while I do have some complaints, I don't want to take too much off the book for. It's a dark and brooding story about the occupation of the city of Cestia by the brutal Southern Empire. There's very little dialogue spread throughout the novel and it functions primarily as a series of vignettes about people who are living in the city while it is terrorized.
Some books need it and some books don't but I should note this one starts with a glossary at the start and that helped me get a decent view of who, what, when, and where before the actual book started. I didn't think it really needed it, though, because the story was straightforward enough.
It's a dark and edgy tale of the occupation with the rebels not being "good" by any stretch of the imagination even as the Southern Empire is portrayed squarely with a brush of black. If I had to summarize the book, I'd say it's very much, "The occupation of Iraq via fantasy, except even worse." There's even an extremist religion taking advantage of the suffering to spread itself.
Overall, I recommend the book and think people should check it out.
Some books need it and some books don't but I should note this one starts with a glossary at the start and that helped me get a decent view of who, what, when, and where before the actual book started. I didn't think it really needed it, though, because the story was straightforward enough.
It's a dark and edgy tale of the occupation with the rebels not being "good" by any stretch of the imagination even as the Southern Empire is portrayed squarely with a brush of black. If I had to summarize the book, I'd say it's very much, "The occupation of Iraq via fantasy, except even worse." There's even an extremist religion taking advantage of the suffering to spread itself.
Overall, I recommend the book and think people should check it out.
August 16, 2018
An interesting read. The entire book takes place in one city during a brutal rebellion at the height of its power, with all sorts of bleak and murky grey. It is a brutal oppression from start to finish, but I did struggle a bit. Something about the sentence structure did put me off. That sounds odd, but I found pretty much every sentence being the same length, same monotone. This isn't in itself a bad thing, but I found myself bogged down quite a bit.
The book doesn't have a huge amount of dialogue, and I did struggle in figuring out the plot. There are characters from each rebel faction, there is constant oppression and violence throughout the city, it is chaotic and grim. Some of it is without much substance (some characters I believe can be cut completely), but there is a gritty realism in here that has a lot to be respected. The prose however was something I did struggle a bit. There's a lot of passiveness in the action, with not as much emotion as I would have liked. it's more of a general documentary overview of the rebellion. Again, this is not a bad thing, but while I enjoyed reading some of it, other parts washed over me because it felt a bit outside. I would have liked to be more into the ruthlessness rather then hovering over the graveyards like a spectre.
It's hard to maintain a storyline like this, but I think it does it admirably. It could probably do with a bit of polish and TLC, but there is an excellent story in here, and fans of the darker fantasy genre will find this a good read. It's not my favourite read of this genre, but it is very readable, does not lack in content and action and overall has enough of a hook to keep me interested throughout.
The book doesn't have a huge amount of dialogue, and I did struggle in figuring out the plot. There are characters from each rebel faction, there is constant oppression and violence throughout the city, it is chaotic and grim. Some of it is without much substance (some characters I believe can be cut completely), but there is a gritty realism in here that has a lot to be respected. The prose however was something I did struggle a bit. There's a lot of passiveness in the action, with not as much emotion as I would have liked. it's more of a general documentary overview of the rebellion. Again, this is not a bad thing, but while I enjoyed reading some of it, other parts washed over me because it felt a bit outside. I would have liked to be more into the ruthlessness rather then hovering over the graveyards like a spectre.
It's hard to maintain a storyline like this, but I think it does it admirably. It could probably do with a bit of polish and TLC, but there is an excellent story in here, and fans of the darker fantasy genre will find this a good read. It's not my favourite read of this genre, but it is very readable, does not lack in content and action and overall has enough of a hook to keep me interested throughout.
July 6, 2017
The four main characters in the novel are Myrr, Tala, Father Erret and Casterly. They are all within the walls of Cestia which is under occupation and where any rebels will be dealt with in the most horrid ways. Whether a Knight sent by the Empress, a rebel fighting to get their city back or even a religious man trying to guide his flock towards light, it matters not because there are bigger powers at play which care non for the bloody games that humans play. Everyone is a pawn but they just don’t realize it yet.
The opening of the book sets up the sorry and sombre state of the city and its suffering inhabitants and it truly is grim, hopeless. It is in fact so crap for most that death would be a relief! Quite early on, I started wondering what would be the catalyst which breaks a crack into the whole darkness, to bring about hope, a new fresh start… but true to his word, Ty Author does not let up. You’re in it for the long bloody ride with no escape!
Light Dawning is not about magical, sparkling fantasy worlds. It’s not even about fire-breathing dragons. It’s focus is more on the state of Cestia and how our four main characters battle within themselves and with external elements to live another day. Should they even live another day? But from early on, there is a sense of something bigger being at play (as I mentioned earlier) and at first its description is vague… ‘the thing’ is being mentioned. Slowly but surely, ‘the thing’, birthed by darkness and light, is unraveled and revealed, even though I am still not sure it is just a thing. It’s more of a universal state of somethingness, or nothingness, that through finding a host powers towards its own goal.
Father Erret with his schematics was probably the main, shall I say, perpetrator and cause for most of those unexpected twists and turns by trying to make the fate work his way, through his vision and beliefs. Tala and Myrr find each other to be fighting similar internal demons and as such become close to act as moral support to one another through understanding. Casterly was a great example of what can happened to a man when they reach the breaking point and how the downward spiral, even though kicked off by an ‘unlucky happening’, will possibly set him on a path of revenge.
In terms of otherworldly beings, there is the thing that is darkness and the thing that is light. Where does it all come from? I cannot tell you… Maybe it is the never ending fight in between good and evil, dark and light… There is a druid that travels on a big flying beast (displayed on the book cover) and they, too, seem to be having their own agenda, separate from the goings on of Cestia, separate from the death of evil and innocent. Everyone seems to fear the druid and the beast, Vim, but their presence in the novel is minor. I expect their presence will have a bigger role in the sequel.
Then there are the ‘scuttlers’. The scuttlers are dog-like beings with two heads and arachnid limbs and they hunt down the rebels and everyone in the city against the occupying force. No one escapes a scuttler’s jaws. Rabid rabid beasts, them ones. Quite well written as well, because imagining them definitely helped me imagine them and thus adding that horror element.
Additionally, there is mention of cherub and seraphim… Father Erret claims that they are of the god of light, the Farwalker. Alas, these ‘beings’ don’t look anything like angels and rather more like something birthed by demons, and at least one of them was brought into this world through rape.
If you’ve read this far, then- feeling the darkness yet?
Going back to the overall thoughts of the book… There is definitely a great number of twists and unexpected events which kept me turning the pages. It didn’t feel like one of those’ hey ho, off to action we go‘ reads though. It was more of a slow burn of a feeling, trying to trudge through bloody mud towards being free… Freedom that is only granted by death. It’s one of those novels where the worst can get even worse and everything you don’t want to happen, happens.
Light Dawning was easy to follow due to the descriptive and engaging writing. Prior to picking up this book I remember thinking to myself which of the four characters were going to fall into my love and hate ‘camps’. Those ‘camps’ didn’t form. While all four offer equally powerful presence in the novel, they all also come with their flaws and the ending of this book made me think they’re roles are simply not over yet. For none of them…
The opening of the book sets up the sorry and sombre state of the city and its suffering inhabitants and it truly is grim, hopeless. It is in fact so crap for most that death would be a relief! Quite early on, I started wondering what would be the catalyst which breaks a crack into the whole darkness, to bring about hope, a new fresh start… but true to his word, Ty Author does not let up. You’re in it for the long bloody ride with no escape!
Light Dawning is not about magical, sparkling fantasy worlds. It’s not even about fire-breathing dragons. It’s focus is more on the state of Cestia and how our four main characters battle within themselves and with external elements to live another day. Should they even live another day? But from early on, there is a sense of something bigger being at play (as I mentioned earlier) and at first its description is vague… ‘the thing’ is being mentioned. Slowly but surely, ‘the thing’, birthed by darkness and light, is unraveled and revealed, even though I am still not sure it is just a thing. It’s more of a universal state of somethingness, or nothingness, that through finding a host powers towards its own goal.
Father Erret with his schematics was probably the main, shall I say, perpetrator and cause for most of those unexpected twists and turns by trying to make the fate work his way, through his vision and beliefs. Tala and Myrr find each other to be fighting similar internal demons and as such become close to act as moral support to one another through understanding. Casterly was a great example of what can happened to a man when they reach the breaking point and how the downward spiral, even though kicked off by an ‘unlucky happening’, will possibly set him on a path of revenge.
In terms of otherworldly beings, there is the thing that is darkness and the thing that is light. Where does it all come from? I cannot tell you… Maybe it is the never ending fight in between good and evil, dark and light… There is a druid that travels on a big flying beast (displayed on the book cover) and they, too, seem to be having their own agenda, separate from the goings on of Cestia, separate from the death of evil and innocent. Everyone seems to fear the druid and the beast, Vim, but their presence in the novel is minor. I expect their presence will have a bigger role in the sequel.
Then there are the ‘scuttlers’. The scuttlers are dog-like beings with two heads and arachnid limbs and they hunt down the rebels and everyone in the city against the occupying force. No one escapes a scuttler’s jaws. Rabid rabid beasts, them ones. Quite well written as well, because imagining them definitely helped me imagine them and thus adding that horror element.
Additionally, there is mention of cherub and seraphim… Father Erret claims that they are of the god of light, the Farwalker. Alas, these ‘beings’ don’t look anything like angels and rather more like something birthed by demons, and at least one of them was brought into this world through rape.
If you’ve read this far, then- feeling the darkness yet?
Going back to the overall thoughts of the book… There is definitely a great number of twists and unexpected events which kept me turning the pages. It didn’t feel like one of those’ hey ho, off to action we go‘ reads though. It was more of a slow burn of a feeling, trying to trudge through bloody mud towards being free… Freedom that is only granted by death. It’s one of those novels where the worst can get even worse and everything you don’t want to happen, happens.
Light Dawning was easy to follow due to the descriptive and engaging writing. Prior to picking up this book I remember thinking to myself which of the four characters were going to fall into my love and hate ‘camps’. Those ‘camps’ didn’t form. While all four offer equally powerful presence in the novel, they all also come with their flaws and the ending of this book made me think they’re roles are simply not over yet. For none of them…
November 10, 2017
A once great city has fallen but rebels still plot from the shadows.. the problem is they are slowly being hunted down.
The four main characters in the book are Myrr, Tala, Father Erret and Casterly. Each has their own journey to follow but at the same time their paths will cross..but are they friend or foe..the line is blurred at times.
I really enjoyed the gruesomeness of the tale, there are some rather vivid moments that don’t leave you quickly and you are left in no doubt the author has a weird and wonderful imagination which works perfectly for a dark fantasy novel.
This book is all about the build-up. You’re expecting a rebellion to happen, for the main characters to rise and become heroes…well you’ll be waiting a bloody long time..that’s not this book.
It’s quite tense at times, you really don’t know where the author is planning to go but everything falls together nicely and the interwoven tales of the main characters work well.
Oh don’t you worry a battle is coming but it’s truly unexpected the plot that plays out. I read a lot of fantasy books and let’s be honest..quite a few follow the same pattern..not this one, it’s refreshingly different and that’s what makes it so good.
The dark nature of the tale is something that really gives this book an edge, theirs a darkness overshadowing all and it was fascinating reading Tala’s tale. I won’t spoil it but she does not have it easy. She has a power within her to open the door to beings from another plain and these guys aren’t pretty that’s for sure, how they are born into this world is pretty gruesome to say the least.
I think Tala was my favourite character I must say, but I enjoyed them all, a special mention has to be made of Casterly and his fate in life.. wow..twist alert..you’ll not see that coming.
If you are looking for an engrossing slow burn of a fantasy book, heavy on the darkness scale that you can really get to grips with then this is top-notch. For me the darkness overshadows all and I liked it.
Do I want to more from Ty Arthur? Yes please.
My thanks go to Ty for the chance to read and review the book!
The four main characters in the book are Myrr, Tala, Father Erret and Casterly. Each has their own journey to follow but at the same time their paths will cross..but are they friend or foe..the line is blurred at times.
I really enjoyed the gruesomeness of the tale, there are some rather vivid moments that don’t leave you quickly and you are left in no doubt the author has a weird and wonderful imagination which works perfectly for a dark fantasy novel.
This book is all about the build-up. You’re expecting a rebellion to happen, for the main characters to rise and become heroes…well you’ll be waiting a bloody long time..that’s not this book.
It’s quite tense at times, you really don’t know where the author is planning to go but everything falls together nicely and the interwoven tales of the main characters work well.
Oh don’t you worry a battle is coming but it’s truly unexpected the plot that plays out. I read a lot of fantasy books and let’s be honest..quite a few follow the same pattern..not this one, it’s refreshingly different and that’s what makes it so good.
The dark nature of the tale is something that really gives this book an edge, theirs a darkness overshadowing all and it was fascinating reading Tala’s tale. I won’t spoil it but she does not have it easy. She has a power within her to open the door to beings from another plain and these guys aren’t pretty that’s for sure, how they are born into this world is pretty gruesome to say the least.
I think Tala was my favourite character I must say, but I enjoyed them all, a special mention has to be made of Casterly and his fate in life.. wow..twist alert..you’ll not see that coming.
If you are looking for an engrossing slow burn of a fantasy book, heavy on the darkness scale that you can really get to grips with then this is top-notch. For me the darkness overshadows all and I liked it.
Do I want to more from Ty Arthur? Yes please.
My thanks go to Ty for the chance to read and review the book!
November 8, 2018
Light Dawning is set in a city occupied by an enemy force. The main characters are involved in one way or another with a revolution organizing to fight back. The occupying soldiers are violent and abusive, but not in a gratuitous way. It's clearly evidence of the bleak situation the citizens must suffer through and motivates them to finally organize and rise up.
Unfortunately, I struggled to get into this story. I read 57% and I don't feel rooted in the story or connected to the characters.
The writing style is filled with long sentence structure and overuse of pronouns. The narratives have a tendency to get off tangent, or spend a lot of time describing thoughts, concepts, motivations, rather than action, events, surroundings. When the characters go off on a tangent, I have a tendency to mentally do the same. Then coming back to the present story was disorienting.
It felt very much like a stream-of-consciousness style of writing, which is perhaps exactly what the author intended. It's an interesting approach to a fantasy setting, and one for dark fiction readers who are looking for a slow-burner.
Unfortunately, I struggled to get into this story. I read 57% and I don't feel rooted in the story or connected to the characters.
The writing style is filled with long sentence structure and overuse of pronouns. The narratives have a tendency to get off tangent, or spend a lot of time describing thoughts, concepts, motivations, rather than action, events, surroundings. When the characters go off on a tangent, I have a tendency to mentally do the same. Then coming back to the present story was disorienting.
It felt very much like a stream-of-consciousness style of writing, which is perhaps exactly what the author intended. It's an interesting approach to a fantasy setting, and one for dark fiction readers who are looking for a slow-burner.
June 25, 2020
This was exciting fantasy that led to apocalyptic outcomes. 8.2/10
August 20, 2017
I wrote up my review on my blog.
https://lostinthewoods.blog/2017/08/2...
https://lostinthewoods.blog/2017/08/2...
July 2, 2018
“Life is pain.” Opines one character late in the book, and it certainly seems to be a guiding philosophy of ‘Light Dawning’ by Ty Arthur. The first and most undeniable aspect of this novel, it is absolutely beautifully written. Whether discussing gruesome injuries, horrifying creatures or the earthly terrors that man visits upon man, the language used is just gorgeous. In addition, the places and people of the novel are fully realised, making ‘Light Dawning’ a dense but rewarding read.
Having said that, if you’re the kind of person who likes your heroes heroic and your evil empires to still obey Queensberry Rules, this is not the book for you. The morality is unapologetically bleak. Although the story revolves around a brutal occupation and your sympathies might be automatically with the rebels until we got toward the end and got a taste of just how far the occupiers could go, I really hadn’t picked a side. Personally, really enjoyed the Lovecraftian touches to the creatures and the cosmic setting, as well as insight into just what kind of mindset would be part of a cult that worshipped them.
Having said that, if you’re the kind of person who likes your heroes heroic and your evil empires to still obey Queensberry Rules, this is not the book for you. The morality is unapologetically bleak. Although the story revolves around a brutal occupation and your sympathies might be automatically with the rebels until we got toward the end and got a taste of just how far the occupiers could go, I really hadn’t picked a side. Personally, really enjoyed the Lovecraftian touches to the creatures and the cosmic setting, as well as insight into just what kind of mindset would be part of a cult that worshipped them.
May 7, 2018
This was not for me, but people who like bleak fantasy may find this to their taste.
January 23, 2019
This fantasy is definitely on the darker side with ruthless fight scenes, some arachnid-type creatures (urgh, shivers) and a bleak backdrop. Set in an occupied city called Cestia, the population is brutalised and oppressed by the occupiers from the south, who, after three years, still haven’t moved on.
That’s because the occupiers are hunting for a lost ‘relic’, that happens to have taken shelter in the body of one of the city folks, Myrr. Myrr isn’t keen to hand himself over to the occupiers so the relic remains hidden. He comes to realise that it has some insane power, and is keen to control his actions.
Fed up with the occupation, the subjugated Cestia residents decide to fight back. Their efforts are normally swiftly quashed, but they keep trying. One of the rebel fighters is Casterly, who happens to be in the same safehouse as Myrr. During an uprising, Myrr meets Tala. Tala has a similar issue to Myrr: voices in her head.
The fourth key character is Father Erret. He’s stirring up trouble in the city by fuelling the Cestia rebels’ retaliation. He’s had a vision that his religion will only truly manifest when the city is burning.
What follows is a battle between the rebels and the occupiers, the light (Father Erret’s religion) and dark forces (the occupiers’ religion). At the same time, a dragon-like creature and his rider, who seem to have their own agenda, are on the hunt for the thing inside Myrr. Myrr and Tala attempt escape, only to end up with the father, who is now pretty interested in the voices inside Tala’s head.
The pace kept my attention and the characters are well-realised. I enjoyed the dark, oppressive atmosphere of the setting and the strange creatures. I also liked that the plot takes place in one day. I did struggle, however, with the writing style. I found some of the sentences to be confusing in the way they were structured. And often it wasn’t clear about the action or who was talking. I had to go back and re-read a few times to ‘get’ what was going on. Unfortunately, this broke the story’s flow.
Overall, I enjoyed Light Dawning and would recommend to readers who enjoy dark and grimdark fantasy.
3.5 stars rounded up.
This review and more on my blog www.rosalynkelly.co.uk/blog
* I received a review copy from the author.
That’s because the occupiers are hunting for a lost ‘relic’, that happens to have taken shelter in the body of one of the city folks, Myrr. Myrr isn’t keen to hand himself over to the occupiers so the relic remains hidden. He comes to realise that it has some insane power, and is keen to control his actions.
Fed up with the occupation, the subjugated Cestia residents decide to fight back. Their efforts are normally swiftly quashed, but they keep trying. One of the rebel fighters is Casterly, who happens to be in the same safehouse as Myrr. During an uprising, Myrr meets Tala. Tala has a similar issue to Myrr: voices in her head.
The fourth key character is Father Erret. He’s stirring up trouble in the city by fuelling the Cestia rebels’ retaliation. He’s had a vision that his religion will only truly manifest when the city is burning.
What follows is a battle between the rebels and the occupiers, the light (Father Erret’s religion) and dark forces (the occupiers’ religion). At the same time, a dragon-like creature and his rider, who seem to have their own agenda, are on the hunt for the thing inside Myrr. Myrr and Tala attempt escape, only to end up with the father, who is now pretty interested in the voices inside Tala’s head.
The pace kept my attention and the characters are well-realised. I enjoyed the dark, oppressive atmosphere of the setting and the strange creatures. I also liked that the plot takes place in one day. I did struggle, however, with the writing style. I found some of the sentences to be confusing in the way they were structured. And often it wasn’t clear about the action or who was talking. I had to go back and re-read a few times to ‘get’ what was going on. Unfortunately, this broke the story’s flow.
Overall, I enjoyed Light Dawning and would recommend to readers who enjoy dark and grimdark fantasy.
3.5 stars rounded up.
This review and more on my blog www.rosalynkelly.co.uk/blog
* I received a review copy from the author.
June 27, 2017
If you like Terry Goodkind, you'll love Ty Arthur's Light Dawning!
So you think you know what dwells within the light? Think again! Do you shy away from darkness in fear for your life? Maybe you shouldn't. Cast away any preconceived notions as you journey into the battles of Cestia. Nothing is as it seems, and a world awaits for your discovery!
So you think you know what dwells within the light? Think again! Do you shy away from darkness in fear for your life? Maybe you shouldn't. Cast away any preconceived notions as you journey into the battles of Cestia. Nothing is as it seems, and a world awaits for your discovery!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews