Soft as Thunder

by R.L. White

The people called them the Cities. Dresden was merely one of many.  It was not such a difficult existence, being a City; a place given human form, wandering the very streets that made you. Dresden had seen much in his life by the turn of the 1300 wars and princes, new inventions and old beliefs, sickness and the passing of centuries; humans faded, he remained. Alone.
 Then Rungholt comes, the strange northern City who has so much to show him. Who takes him beyond borders, beyond the limits of his own skin, and lets him wonder, for the first time, what their future as Cities might hold. But there is a storm on the way. And Dresden has such terrible dreams.

72 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 10, 2020

About the author

Was born, raised, started writing.

Reviews

[Vũ Minh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much like everyone else who has read, or will read this book, I am here because of Paris Burning - and because of the author's visions of the Cityverse match so well with what I oftenly think about whenever I feel myself missing a particular city from my past; the imagination of one's mind to build up this world is wide, and endless.

When it was announced that there's to be a novella belongs to the Cityverse, I was beyond excited to be able to read it; had to wait for almost a year to put my hands on the book itself (all thanks to my friend living in Germany!), and I think that up until this comment is made, it took me around 2 weeks to finish it, because I want to take the slowest way possible to savour everything.

I've erased the review a couple of time because I wasn't quite sure if I could manage to get the words out right like my expectation or not, regardless, I'd have to say that the novella, so went as its predecessor the fanfiction, left me dumbfounded and at the loss of words the moment I finished it.

The thing I love about the author's writing is that the words sit with me through the entirety of my reading journey, once I sink my consciousness into it, I'm welcomed by a tinged of nostalgia for the emotions of the characters in the book, the nuances of their thoughts, sometimes, most of the times, their desperation and helplessness too.

The story of Dresden that the author chose to tackle has a heavy background. For the length of the novella, most of the main points are nailed down through the City's perspective, a watcher of the flow of time - a point which I appreciated dearly.

The ending really left a bitter note in my mouth though, but I'm far from complaining about it.

I hope to see more, to know more and to read more about the Cityverse. Thank you author for allowing us a piece of your mind with this, I must let you know that you are one of the authors that left a certain effect over my life - any works from you at all have my silent support. I love this book so much, I'd need to read it a few more times again now.

Cheers!

[nini · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Come into the water love. You've been brave enough."

Oh, this one is bittersweet but at the same time healing. I'm really curious about the other cities and their stories. Soft as Thunder gave me a little taste of the Cityverse that i love since i read Paris Burning and didn't disappointed me.

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh. Oh, Dresden, what did they do to you? You were a king, once, but even that is a throwaway line, in your ever-long, ever-long story - albeit, one that has been skimmed over and stuck together like memories in a scrapbook. One moment can last for a page, and centuries can go by in a single line, in that way that Old Cities must remember their lives (or, at least, the important parts).

The grammar is not perfect. Then again, it might just be that I have an unkillable love for the semicolon, and wish to insert it where a comma would suffice. Still, sometimes, commas seem missing, or insufficient, in the words. It's also a very quick read, with its spine being about the width of a Nintendo Switch game case, but, then again, Dresden is just one character amongst many in this vast universe, some of whom appear in the periphery of Dresden's little adventures. Hamburg, especially, is a highlight. Maybe Dresden deserved more detailing, and more time spent lingering on his books and his lovers, but his book carried many duties, in introducing Cities to an audience who may not have followed the Cityverse since its 2013 inception, while also being a compelling story, about love and humanity, and how cruel they can be.

A further warning to people who have not yet read about the Cities: much of it is based in history, and history has never had a happy ending, because it hasn't ended yet. If there is an ending in history, it is a tragedy.

Dresden's story is a tragedy, but I hesitate to say that it has an unhappy ending. It ends as happily as it can, I thought, as I reached the end, and proceeded to stare into space for a little while.

[Sana Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading the Cityverse stories online for years, so having an actual book set in that world was fantastic. I love the characters, the writing style (especially the writing style), the tragedy of it all hurts in the best ways (oh, Dresden. What did they do to you.)

One star docked, however, because I am a big believer that stories should be able to stand on their own even if they are part of a wider world, and I feel like if I wasn't already familiar with the Cityverse there's a lot here that might go over my head - what happened to Paris, the importance of the water and the bells.

[Estelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

From someone who has read Paris Is Burning so many times, I'd love a world filled with citiverse novellas or novels. This one was beautiful, tender and in perfect citiverse fashion, absolutely heartbreaking.

[Rupali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing concept with lines that'll haunt me! Cities as characters breathe life right into setting-as-character, and there's so many facets to how it works that are explored through Dresden's history and personality.

I'm looking forward to rereading this, and also reading the next in the series!