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The Dead Sagas #2
A Ritual of Flesh
As evil ravages the north and the dead walk, all eyes fall to Arn… The apprentice journeys south, home to the College, unaware of the dark events that transpired in the High Passes after his departure. His leg in ruins, and haunted by watching shadows, the College council in Arn awaits him, but he does not travel south alone. Arnulf and his warriors must travel to Arn also, with tidings for the king of the risen dead and the terrible curse which has destroyed all that he knew. Arnulf seeks vengeance upon the College, but must choose wisely if he is to save his son. Meanwhile in the west, Bjorn and his strange Wildman companion report back to High Lord Archeon at Oldstones with grim news of cannibal Stonemen encroaching from the Barrens, but is embroiled in news of war and invasion as Archeon requests his service once more. In the capital sickness awaits them all, Nym has fled to the city and must now continue her struggle for survival on the plague ridden streets of Arn, keeping all who she cares for safe from the halls of Old Night.
The many threads of this Saga converge on the city of Arn, but amid plague, invasion and terror, a greater darkness is looming. Dark forces are seeking to unleash evil upon Arnar, honour and renown is all, and sword, axe and shield is all that stands between the living and the grasping hands of the dead.
The many threads of this Saga converge on the city of Arn, but amid plague, invasion and terror, a greater darkness is looming. Dark forces are seeking to unleash evil upon Arnar, honour and renown is all, and sword, axe and shield is all that stands between the living and the grasping hands of the dead.
585 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2020
9 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Lee C. Conley
9 books170 followersLee is a musician and horror writer living in the historic city of Lincoln, in the UK. Having taught guitar for over 20 years, alongside being a practitioner and instructor of historical martial arts and swordsmanship, he now turns his hand to writing speculative fiction and dark fantasy horror. Currently working on his debut fantasy series The Dead Sagas, which includes the novels A Ritual of Bone, A Ritual of Flesh, and the upcoming A Ritual of Blood, Lee is also often to be found generally writing dark SFF and horror fiction, fighting people with swords, or searching for the spookiest words.
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Join Lee's official author mailing list!
If anyone would like to sign up for occasional (once or twice a year) email of news and updates on my work, with the occasional competition or giveaway too, please sign yourselves up
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
October 7, 2020
The Dead Sagas came to my attention a little over a year ago. It was then that I read the first book in the series, A Ritual of Bone. It immediately made an impact on me with its wonderful blending of horror and dark fantasy. It definitely brought me back to my early reading days when I was obsessed with the Ravenloft books and that exact formula of fantasy/horror. Fast forward to today and author Lee Conley was gracious enough to provide me with an advance copy of the eagerly anticipated second book in The Dead Sagas, A RITUAL OF FLESH. This volume is quite a bit heftier than book one, but I tore through it so quickly that it could have been 100 pages shorter in length for all I knew. And the cover is bloody spectacular as well.
A RITUAL OF FLESH begins not too long after the insanity that wrapped up the first book and we don't have to wait very long before things go to hell again, so to speak. I'm going to stay away from specifics to avoid spoilers, but I will touch on some general elements that make this series so incredibly fun to read. First, there's so much going on! Plague, walking dead, war, political backstabbing, sorcery, a rich history and backstory, I mean if you love fantasy and could pick all of your favorite things to have in one story, this book and series covers all the bases. It's one of the reasons why I never get bored when reading these books, there's always another angle at play coming just around the corner.
The other thing I loved about this book in particular is that the characters finally begin to realize the depths of what they are dealing with and the story gets advanced at a breakneck pace that makes for some truly heart stopping moments. Where book one was a creepy, slow build foreboding tome, A RITUAL OF FLESH opens the floodgates of blood and gore to a glorious degree for anyone who craves some ghoulish moments this Halloween season. You really can't get much more brutal toward the end stages of this book and there are some definite moments that will chill the squeamish to an unholy degree to say the least.
The setting of Arn and the surrounding territories is another aspect that makes this story so amazing. In my mind I picture it as similar to the classic Hammer Horror films of the 60's and 70's starring Peter Cushing. All that technicolor goodness with the steaming bogs, fog-filled graveyards, and cobblestone village roads. Yep that's what I envision when I read Conley's books and it's freaking brilliant! Conley spares nothing at all in his world building and it makes for a fantastic journey that plays out in a mysteriously creepy landscape.
There's really not a lot more that I can say about what Lee Conley has given us with the first two books in this series. I recommend it for fans who are waiting for the next John Gwynne offering because it has a lot of the feels that I get from his books. It certainly is epic in nature the same way that The Faithful and the Fallen books are and there's an undeniable sense of tension and awe as well. The Dead Sagas is a series worth discovering for all of the reasons I mentioned and so much more. It really is a landmark effort that begs to be read and savored. A RITUAL OF FLESH only solidifies its standing among the very best in horror fantasy fiction with a story that is shocking, suspenseful, and more than satisfying. Read it at your own peril....or pleasure.
A RITUAL OF FLESH begins not too long after the insanity that wrapped up the first book and we don't have to wait very long before things go to hell again, so to speak. I'm going to stay away from specifics to avoid spoilers, but I will touch on some general elements that make this series so incredibly fun to read. First, there's so much going on! Plague, walking dead, war, political backstabbing, sorcery, a rich history and backstory, I mean if you love fantasy and could pick all of your favorite things to have in one story, this book and series covers all the bases. It's one of the reasons why I never get bored when reading these books, there's always another angle at play coming just around the corner.
The other thing I loved about this book in particular is that the characters finally begin to realize the depths of what they are dealing with and the story gets advanced at a breakneck pace that makes for some truly heart stopping moments. Where book one was a creepy, slow build foreboding tome, A RITUAL OF FLESH opens the floodgates of blood and gore to a glorious degree for anyone who craves some ghoulish moments this Halloween season. You really can't get much more brutal toward the end stages of this book and there are some definite moments that will chill the squeamish to an unholy degree to say the least.
The setting of Arn and the surrounding territories is another aspect that makes this story so amazing. In my mind I picture it as similar to the classic Hammer Horror films of the 60's and 70's starring Peter Cushing. All that technicolor goodness with the steaming bogs, fog-filled graveyards, and cobblestone village roads. Yep that's what I envision when I read Conley's books and it's freaking brilliant! Conley spares nothing at all in his world building and it makes for a fantastic journey that plays out in a mysteriously creepy landscape.
There's really not a lot more that I can say about what Lee Conley has given us with the first two books in this series. I recommend it for fans who are waiting for the next John Gwynne offering because it has a lot of the feels that I get from his books. It certainly is epic in nature the same way that The Faithful and the Fallen books are and there's an undeniable sense of tension and awe as well. The Dead Sagas is a series worth discovering for all of the reasons I mentioned and so much more. It really is a landmark effort that begs to be read and savored. A RITUAL OF FLESH only solidifies its standing among the very best in horror fantasy fiction with a story that is shocking, suspenseful, and more than satisfying. Read it at your own peril....or pleasure.
October 9, 2020
Only valour and steel can stand against the rising dead.
A Ritual of Flesh is dark and brutal tale of the power of knowledge and the dangers of seeking knowledge meant to remain hidden. Lee C Conley tells a story of the lengths one is willing to traverse in order to protect those they hold dear using a backdrop of unrest and terrors lurking in the shadows. While it tells of a convergence, the scope is more grand and epic in scale in comparison to its predecessor, A Ritual of Bone, yet more personal as we begin to see what lies in the hearts of the many players of this dangerous game. Book two of The Dead Sagas continues where we left off, taking us on a journey of life and death on a hunt for answers. As war and pestilence and death close in on all sides, will the people of Arnar find the strength and resolve to fight the tides of fate? Or will they all drift into the cold embrace of Old Night?
At the center of this story lies a sprawling cast of characters with multiple points of view that all converge on the shattered city of Arn. Each character with a distinct background and purpose, but most with a profound sense of honor and duty. Whether driven by vengeance, money, or survival, they weave a tale of the plight of humankind, and the one thing they all have in common is loss. Loss of loved ones, loss of their home, loss of the past. We witness a warrior on a pilgrimage of revenge, a hunter scouting his way home, a young girl protecting her family, and an apprentice seeking respect, one as determined as the last. As the story stands, there's a clear distinction between who are the heroes and who are the villains, with a surprising lack of those morally gray characters expected in the Dark Fantasy genre. Yes, lines are crossed, seared and singed by the fires of selfishness, but only together can they join with sword and axe in hand to survive the night.
The life of a man, weighted with silver. So be it…
The secondary world we're transported to is absolutely captivating and immersive, so strikingly detailed and portrayed. We encounter awe-inspiring settings dominated by towering monoliths, haunting burial cairns, and winding tunnels, but there's a perpetual scent of rot and death drifting on the cold winter winds. Hovels marked with the blood red sign of plague, the putrid dead littering muddy street gutters, surrounding lands pockmarked by mass graves, and desperation seeping from every doorway, Arn has truly been torn asunder. Outside the locked city gates, war rages in the north, raiders assault from the west, and an old enemy with a hunger for flesh lies in wait over the mountains – there's no rest for the wicked in Arnar and beyond.
The way in which Conley enriches this world is breathtaking, injecting little bits and pieces in passing to a craft a depth I didn't even know I needed. There's no sign of overusage of exposition to slow the flow of the story, everything is done in bite-sized portions that plant a seed that may or may not bloom into something of grave importance later on. I would be remiss to not mention one of my favorite moments in the book, where a mother and child, both who have no bearing on the outcome of the plot, kneel by their window sill to thank the goddess Bheur for the season's first snowfall on a cold, moonless night. It was beautiful and stirring, and so utterly tragic.
As with book one, A Ritual of Flesh seamlessly blends dark fantasy and horror, only in a magnified and more cohesive manner. The ills of foul magic and disease are spilling into the capitol, and there's no refuge in sight for those withstanding the onslaught of the risen dead and other beasts of the night. Blood and gore aplenty, each cringe-inducing atrocity draws you further into this unconventional zombie apocalypse brought about by the greed and follies of man. Beneath the horrors lie many cryptic mysteries waiting to be unearthed, everything from the origins of the strange and dangerous rituals to the identity of those pulling the strings, and I'm waiting with bated breath to finally find the answers I seek.
They deny you this title of master, which is your by right, hissed the voice. They fear you, they fear your knowledge, your power. You saw the secrets with your own eyes, you will be master of them all, this I promise, apprentice.
From book one to book two, I've witnessed Conley's writing evolve, becoming stronger, more poignant, and thoroughly enthralling. He continues to create a story balancing gruesome action with heart-rending emotion, all told with a finely flowing prose, easily bringing you under his spell. With steady pacing fueled by a sense of foreboding, it was near impossible for me to put this book down. He continuously builds to a crescendo, and once the shit hits the fan, Conley is merciless – the final third of the book had me on the edge of my seat until the final page was turned…and I need more.
A Ritual of Flesh is a book I've been waiting (im)patiently for a while now, and it not only lived up to my expectations, but completely surpassed them. I fully enjoyed making my way through A Ritual of Bone, but I LOVED A Ritual of Flesh. It utilizes what we expect of a tale taking place in a Viking/Medieval-inspired world, but pulls in flavors of modern horror, and presents the wonderfully fresh and unforeseen, which is something I always welcome in a fantasy read. This is not a read for the faint of heart, so be warned there is more than just your typical gore peppering these pages, but for those with a strong stomach and a penchant for the dark and gruesome, The Dead Sagas is a series you need in your life. I can't recommend it enough – one of my favorite reads of the year.
Note: A huge thank you to the author for providing me with a complementary advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
CW: Graphic gore, death, cannibalism, captivity
March 4, 2020
Another great book. Follows on from book 1. I read this before it was sent to the editor so some areas I had to re read but the story is as great a read as the first book. I will be buying a hard copy of the book to read which it’s officially released
October 11, 2021
Firstly, I have to say that A Ritual of Flesh immediately gets bonus points for two reasons. For one it features something that I have been seeing a little more these days, and that is a ‘story so far’ section. It wasn’t strictly necessary for me this time, as I have been listening to the audiobook of the first book (which I would highly recommend as well as the print version, and I will certainly be grabbing the audiobook of this one as well when it is released), but it is certainly a trend that I appreciate. The other bonus point that will surprise no one that knows me, and is that it has maps. Maps – having seen some discussion lately are by no means ‘essential’ to my enjoyment of a book, but I am a geographer and map-nerd at heart, so it always makes me happy to see a map (or maps in this case) and I will spend time looking at them and flicking back to them at certain points throughout a book.
What is particularly striking about this story is just how human it is at its core. Yes, there are undead and dark rituals and grimoires, but that is only one aspect of the threats facing Arnar, with war and disease pressing in on other sides, and yet all of that is a backdrop to the story to the cast of characters. I had enjoyed what Conley had done with the characters in the first book, but in A Ritual of Flesh that reaches a whole new level, and even as the scope of the world and the threats increase, there is something more personal and intimate about the time spent with the characters. Even as their stories and paths converge in Arn, we learn more about their motivations and goals as individuals, and about their losses – because one of the central emotions and experiences in the Dead Sagas is loss, and not just of life although that is prevalent throughout the many dangers of this world.
Nym remains one of my favourite characters, but I think in this book it was Arnulf who stole the show for me, and there were some truly raw and heart-breaking moments in his story. I also really enjoyed the story of the apprentice (I will not spoil his name here) and the path he took, even as he was one of those characters that there were so many moments that you just hated him, and yet at the same time you could understand how he had ended up in that position – the human weaknesses that drove him. I also appreciated that the time was also taken to build in the lives and struggles of everyday people, while we have our main cast, the world around them was living (mostly…) and struggling to survive just as much as the central characters, and catching glimpses of those lives, of what the situation is doing to them, added an incredible depth to the world.
Similarly, the worldbuilding has continued to grow and expand in A Ritual of Flesh, and there are layers within layers, without ever being overwhelming or stealing the focus away from the narrative. Instead, what we have is an immersive world, with a wonderful sense of breadth and depth, not just in terms of places and events, but in history and memory as well. What really brings this world to life though, is how Conley writes it, appealing to all the senses as well as to the emotions through the atmosphere he creates, until it feels as though if you breath a little too deeply you will be lost in that stench of death and rot, or feel snow and cold win on your face. It is impossible not to envisage this world, or to be caught up in everything that is happening and I love that feeling of being as invested in the fate of Arn and Arnar as I was the people that inhabit it.
A Ritual of Flesh is a book meant for devouring (which is fitting really…) because the atmosphere that is built throughout, that feeling of foreboding even in the quiet moments, leaves you inching closer to the edge of your seat and makes it almost impossible to stop reading. There was a steady, swelling rhythm to the pacing throughout the book, balanced by quieter moments of character emotion and insights into the world, and that pacing combined with the atmosphere is an intoxicating combination and when you hit the final third of the book where that steady rhythm becomes a raging crescendo you’re hooked. Not a single part of this book was wasted, the slower moments gave us time to learn more about the characters, and to become more immersed in that world, so that we had stakes in the fate of these people, of the fracturing city and the action at the end.
Conley has taken everything that I enjoyed about A Ritual of Bone and turned the dial-up – from the scale of the world and its events, to the size of the book (it’s chunkier than it’s predecessor, but the way you’re swept through it, you almost wouldn’t know it), to the layers of worldbuilding and I loved it. This is certainly not a read for the faint of heart (or stomach), but if you want Norse/Medieval inspired fantasy with the raw flavour of horror then the Dead Sagas should be a must read. It’s certainly one that I would highly recommend, and I am already planning a Halloween reread, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
What is particularly striking about this story is just how human it is at its core. Yes, there are undead and dark rituals and grimoires, but that is only one aspect of the threats facing Arnar, with war and disease pressing in on other sides, and yet all of that is a backdrop to the story to the cast of characters. I had enjoyed what Conley had done with the characters in the first book, but in A Ritual of Flesh that reaches a whole new level, and even as the scope of the world and the threats increase, there is something more personal and intimate about the time spent with the characters. Even as their stories and paths converge in Arn, we learn more about their motivations and goals as individuals, and about their losses – because one of the central emotions and experiences in the Dead Sagas is loss, and not just of life although that is prevalent throughout the many dangers of this world.
Nym remains one of my favourite characters, but I think in this book it was Arnulf who stole the show for me, and there were some truly raw and heart-breaking moments in his story. I also really enjoyed the story of the apprentice (I will not spoil his name here) and the path he took, even as he was one of those characters that there were so many moments that you just hated him, and yet at the same time you could understand how he had ended up in that position – the human weaknesses that drove him. I also appreciated that the time was also taken to build in the lives and struggles of everyday people, while we have our main cast, the world around them was living (mostly…) and struggling to survive just as much as the central characters, and catching glimpses of those lives, of what the situation is doing to them, added an incredible depth to the world.
Similarly, the worldbuilding has continued to grow and expand in A Ritual of Flesh, and there are layers within layers, without ever being overwhelming or stealing the focus away from the narrative. Instead, what we have is an immersive world, with a wonderful sense of breadth and depth, not just in terms of places and events, but in history and memory as well. What really brings this world to life though, is how Conley writes it, appealing to all the senses as well as to the emotions through the atmosphere he creates, until it feels as though if you breath a little too deeply you will be lost in that stench of death and rot, or feel snow and cold win on your face. It is impossible not to envisage this world, or to be caught up in everything that is happening and I love that feeling of being as invested in the fate of Arn and Arnar as I was the people that inhabit it.
A Ritual of Flesh is a book meant for devouring (which is fitting really…) because the atmosphere that is built throughout, that feeling of foreboding even in the quiet moments, leaves you inching closer to the edge of your seat and makes it almost impossible to stop reading. There was a steady, swelling rhythm to the pacing throughout the book, balanced by quieter moments of character emotion and insights into the world, and that pacing combined with the atmosphere is an intoxicating combination and when you hit the final third of the book where that steady rhythm becomes a raging crescendo you’re hooked. Not a single part of this book was wasted, the slower moments gave us time to learn more about the characters, and to become more immersed in that world, so that we had stakes in the fate of these people, of the fracturing city and the action at the end.
Conley has taken everything that I enjoyed about A Ritual of Bone and turned the dial-up – from the scale of the world and its events, to the size of the book (it’s chunkier than it’s predecessor, but the way you’re swept through it, you almost wouldn’t know it), to the layers of worldbuilding and I loved it. This is certainly not a read for the faint of heart (or stomach), but if you want Norse/Medieval inspired fantasy with the raw flavour of horror then the Dead Sagas should be a must read. It’s certainly one that I would highly recommend, and I am already planning a Halloween reread, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
September 17, 2021
Been looking forward to getting back to the Dead Sagas because the first book set things up so enticingly, and man, I was not disappointed. I won't say Conley turns it up to eleven, but...
I think because this series feels so huge, book one took a while to set things up, albeit with that air of menace. But if Ritual of Bone was the suspense laden, drum and bass led introduction, Ritual of Flesh brings in Iommi on lead guitar and Osbourne on vocals and releases all hell on the poor folk of Arnar.
The setting and worldbuilding makes these books, for me, unique and stand out above the crowd. Arnar feels like an authentic Anglo-Saxon/Norse land, a fully realised society and landscape that makes sense and feels real. Thus, when the dead arrive, you feel like it's all happening to real people, not some cheap scares that you don't really care about.
We spend more time with the main characters, get to know them more and their paths begin to cross with one another. Some poor bastards simply don't get a break, but this is fantasy horror, so these characters are gonna get pushed to breaking point. There are some great twists, shocks and reveals as well, and by the end you are excited to find out what is going to happen next.
Plot wise, well. Arnar's gonna have a hard time of it with threats from all angles. You kind of know what's coming. But I admire the fact that Conley hasn't rushed his storytelling, so that when it arrives, it's much more effective.
There's at least one more book coming. Feels like there could be quite a few more. Looking forward to the next!
I think because this series feels so huge, book one took a while to set things up, albeit with that air of menace. But if Ritual of Bone was the suspense laden, drum and bass led introduction, Ritual of Flesh brings in Iommi on lead guitar and Osbourne on vocals and releases all hell on the poor folk of Arnar.
The setting and worldbuilding makes these books, for me, unique and stand out above the crowd. Arnar feels like an authentic Anglo-Saxon/Norse land, a fully realised society and landscape that makes sense and feels real. Thus, when the dead arrive, you feel like it's all happening to real people, not some cheap scares that you don't really care about.
We spend more time with the main characters, get to know them more and their paths begin to cross with one another. Some poor bastards simply don't get a break, but this is fantasy horror, so these characters are gonna get pushed to breaking point. There are some great twists, shocks and reveals as well, and by the end you are excited to find out what is going to happen next.
Plot wise, well. Arnar's gonna have a hard time of it with threats from all angles. You kind of know what's coming. But I admire the fact that Conley hasn't rushed his storytelling, so that when it arrives, it's much more effective.
There's at least one more book coming. Feels like there could be quite a few more. Looking forward to the next!
October 14, 2021
What an epic sequel! A Ritual of Flesh perfectly balances horror and dark fantasy and it's so, so good!
It has Vikings, zombies, blood and gore, mystery, politics. It's well-written and readers can see how the author improved. The world-building is immersive with its eerie backdrop and atmosphere. The culture and various social classes are interwoven with the storyline well.
The characters are well-rounded and they grow more as the series progress. I find the Apprentice's character arc the most interesting and whew, some foreshadowing! The pacing works well. It started slow, building the tension then picks up its pace on the second half of the book which made it unputdownable!
Overall, A Ritual of Flesh is a fantastic sequel with all of its grimdark goodness. I can't wait to read the next installment!
It has Vikings, zombies, blood and gore, mystery, politics. It's well-written and readers can see how the author improved. The world-building is immersive with its eerie backdrop and atmosphere. The culture and various social classes are interwoven with the storyline well.
The characters are well-rounded and they grow more as the series progress. I find the Apprentice's character arc the most interesting and whew, some foreshadowing! The pacing works well. It started slow, building the tension then picks up its pace on the second half of the book which made it unputdownable!
Overall, A Ritual of Flesh is a fantastic sequel with all of its grimdark goodness. I can't wait to read the next installment!
September 2, 2021
I have to say that Ritual of Flesh is a more accomplished book than the original. It’s not that I did not like A Ritual of Bone, but from the outset it felt that Lee Conley had found his beat and he is about to produce a 19 minute prog opus that steadily reaches its crescendo.
When I finished the first book, I had questions. Lots of the questions, but the main one revolved around the Apprentice. Who was he? What is he up to? Does he have a plan? What is that Dark force that is hanging around in the background orchestrating events like Palpatine at a political rally?
Well, let me tell you dear reader, these questions get answered. Well, kind of! Look, Lee Conley is an author. He likes to maintain an air of mystery, likes to keep you interested. I mean he needs to get you come back doesn’t he.
Sorry, I went off on a tangent there, didn’t I? Anyway, let’s get back to the point. Yes, Lee Conley does give these answers. However, I am not going to tell you what these answers are. Job done, review over!
No just kidding!
The book starts immediately after the first book. Initially, bringing in the quiets tones, that have a slight twang of ominous tension. In the first instance, Lee Conley expertly weaves a number of different events that are happening in the world of Arnur. Much like the first book, we have a multiple point of view, with the Apprentice making his way to the college in order to report the findings of his master’s experiments. Whilst in another part of the land Bjorn is collecting his bounty and also imparting the findings that he found about the cannibals. Meanwhile Lord Arnulf is making his way to the capital, Arn to warn of the impending doom and also back up these claims by taking his son, Ewolf to show him. You remember the one that got bit and turned into a feral killing machine.
Oh, and then there is Nym’s story, which I found to be one of the most engaging character arcs. It shows her daily struggles that she has to contend with. How she is managing on a daily basis, her attempts to keep her wayward brother in check. However, there is a wider picture at work here, in that it highlights the social decline following the pandemic that has struck the land and how brutal this degradation is.
It is also interesting that he gives Ewolf a part in the story. Not only when he is being transported, but as he turns into one of the feral beats that eat human flesh. He manages to convey a sense of intelligence and purpose in the creatures, rather than mindless killing machines.
Throughout the story, there are lots of events happening. However, never once did I feel lost with the sheer amount of story that Lee Conley crams into this book.
I think the most interesting storyline was the one of the Apprentice. Lee Conley details his change from an unassuming student, whose only aim is to gain his position as master, to the place where he gets to by the end of the book, full of confidence and willing to make his own destiny, whatever the cost.
All the way through the first part of the book there is some pretty nifty ominous foreshadowing of events. You get a palpable feeling that something is going to happen
It is in this first part tha Lee Conley firmly orchestrates all his instruments into play. Each one adding to the texture of the story, whilst showcasing each individual player in their own right.
All of the characters get time to grow and to play their part in the story. And on top of that he also manages to broaden the world that the characters live in. Besides the Apprentice, there is a full cast of characters, and each one is realised and individual. Even down to the most insignificant guard.
However, all this is a power play to get to the events that you know are coming, and when they do come the pounding beat brings in the pulse banging events. Everything increases tenfold when events take off. It’s like he turns the action up to 11 and there is no stopping till the end. It was at this point that my headphones were permanently glued to my ears until I got to the breath taking end, and my goodness what an end it is.
There is tragedy, loss and horror as the wall of undead make their appearance. And a relative tsunami of horror envelops the city of Arn as each of the characters fight for their lives and sanity in the raging torrent of the cursed.
As it reached it's conclusion, I let out a breath that I knew I was holding and relexed. However, I must say…… I still have questions!
At its core, Ritual of Flesh has all the tones of a twisted epic fantasy, with regular tropes being played upon. In some respects, you will find the found family element, particularly when events start to take hold, and each of the individual characters are thrust into finding each other.. You will also recognise the unassuming boy finding his destiny in The Apprentice's story. In addition, there are dark forces at play looking to destroy the equilibrium. However, when you add the icing on the cake of 'The Cursed', it takes it into a whole new level.
Postscript
Now as I told you, I listened to the audiobook of Ritual of Flesh, and I have to say this is one of my favorite audiobooks that I own. RJ Bayley does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life, giving each one a distinctive voice and character. He magnificently manages to convey the change that the Apprentice undergoes, and he successfully manages to initially show the uncertainty of his character and the weakness that he feels and his transformation by the end of the book
In addition to that, he manages to convey the emotions and nuances of each individual character.
You never get lost in the story and all of the words are audible. I sometimes find that the sound design can get muddled in some audiobooks I have listened to, and on occasion have lost aspects of dialogue. However, with Ritual of Flesh, the production is clear and accessible.
The story is told distinctively in a North of England accent, and I have to say that hats off to RJ Bayley and Lee Conley for the correct pronunciation of water. Now you might question what that means, and I will explain. Normally, water is pronounced with a soft ‘a’, and sounds like ‘warter’. However, in parts of Northern England it is pronounced with a hard ‘a’, like in ‘apple’ and that is how I grew up hearing it pronounced.
When I finished the first book, I had questions. Lots of the questions, but the main one revolved around the Apprentice. Who was he? What is he up to? Does he have a plan? What is that Dark force that is hanging around in the background orchestrating events like Palpatine at a political rally?
Well, let me tell you dear reader, these questions get answered. Well, kind of! Look, Lee Conley is an author. He likes to maintain an air of mystery, likes to keep you interested. I mean he needs to get you come back doesn’t he.
Sorry, I went off on a tangent there, didn’t I? Anyway, let’s get back to the point. Yes, Lee Conley does give these answers. However, I am not going to tell you what these answers are. Job done, review over!
No just kidding!
The book starts immediately after the first book. Initially, bringing in the quiets tones, that have a slight twang of ominous tension. In the first instance, Lee Conley expertly weaves a number of different events that are happening in the world of Arnur. Much like the first book, we have a multiple point of view, with the Apprentice making his way to the college in order to report the findings of his master’s experiments. Whilst in another part of the land Bjorn is collecting his bounty and also imparting the findings that he found about the cannibals. Meanwhile Lord Arnulf is making his way to the capital, Arn to warn of the impending doom and also back up these claims by taking his son, Ewolf to show him. You remember the one that got bit and turned into a feral killing machine.
Oh, and then there is Nym’s story, which I found to be one of the most engaging character arcs. It shows her daily struggles that she has to contend with. How she is managing on a daily basis, her attempts to keep her wayward brother in check. However, there is a wider picture at work here, in that it highlights the social decline following the pandemic that has struck the land and how brutal this degradation is.
It is also interesting that he gives Ewolf a part in the story. Not only when he is being transported, but as he turns into one of the feral beats that eat human flesh. He manages to convey a sense of intelligence and purpose in the creatures, rather than mindless killing machines.
Throughout the story, there are lots of events happening. However, never once did I feel lost with the sheer amount of story that Lee Conley crams into this book.
I think the most interesting storyline was the one of the Apprentice. Lee Conley details his change from an unassuming student, whose only aim is to gain his position as master, to the place where he gets to by the end of the book, full of confidence and willing to make his own destiny, whatever the cost.
All the way through the first part of the book there is some pretty nifty ominous foreshadowing of events. You get a palpable feeling that something is going to happen
It is in this first part tha Lee Conley firmly orchestrates all his instruments into play. Each one adding to the texture of the story, whilst showcasing each individual player in their own right.
All of the characters get time to grow and to play their part in the story. And on top of that he also manages to broaden the world that the characters live in. Besides the Apprentice, there is a full cast of characters, and each one is realised and individual. Even down to the most insignificant guard.
However, all this is a power play to get to the events that you know are coming, and when they do come the pounding beat brings in the pulse banging events. Everything increases tenfold when events take off. It’s like he turns the action up to 11 and there is no stopping till the end. It was at this point that my headphones were permanently glued to my ears until I got to the breath taking end, and my goodness what an end it is.
There is tragedy, loss and horror as the wall of undead make their appearance. And a relative tsunami of horror envelops the city of Arn as each of the characters fight for their lives and sanity in the raging torrent of the cursed.
As it reached it's conclusion, I let out a breath that I knew I was holding and relexed. However, I must say…… I still have questions!
At its core, Ritual of Flesh has all the tones of a twisted epic fantasy, with regular tropes being played upon. In some respects, you will find the found family element, particularly when events start to take hold, and each of the individual characters are thrust into finding each other.. You will also recognise the unassuming boy finding his destiny in The Apprentice's story. In addition, there are dark forces at play looking to destroy the equilibrium. However, when you add the icing on the cake of 'The Cursed', it takes it into a whole new level.
Postscript
Now as I told you, I listened to the audiobook of Ritual of Flesh, and I have to say this is one of my favorite audiobooks that I own. RJ Bayley does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life, giving each one a distinctive voice and character. He magnificently manages to convey the change that the Apprentice undergoes, and he successfully manages to initially show the uncertainty of his character and the weakness that he feels and his transformation by the end of the book
In addition to that, he manages to convey the emotions and nuances of each individual character.
You never get lost in the story and all of the words are audible. I sometimes find that the sound design can get muddled in some audiobooks I have listened to, and on occasion have lost aspects of dialogue. However, with Ritual of Flesh, the production is clear and accessible.
The story is told distinctively in a North of England accent, and I have to say that hats off to RJ Bayley and Lee Conley for the correct pronunciation of water. Now you might question what that means, and I will explain. Normally, water is pronounced with a soft ‘a’, and sounds like ‘warter’. However, in parts of Northern England it is pronounced with a hard ‘a’, like in ‘apple’ and that is how I grew up hearing it pronounced.
December 30, 2020
Bar your doors. Fetch your axes. Hide your loved ones. The dead are walking…
A Ritual of Flesh starts in a period of calm after the horrifying events of the first book, A Ritual of Bone. The characters take stock and begin to come together, uniting the various storylines as the second book of The Dead Sagas progresses. They are fleshed out (or fleshed off, depending on how lucky they are), and I began to care more for each of them. I had questions at the end of book one and my mind started to tick over even more possibilities the further I got into Flesh. I started coming up with conspiracy theories! I was nervous for everyone and increasingly curious as to what was behind the events of the novels.
The initial calm period while the characters travel and plan is unsettling, as though there is something lurking just out of view throughout. You know something awful is slowly unfolding and most people are unaware, but Conley expertly builds the tension for the reader until things finally erupt. The last third of the book is a motorbike ride through hell - I couldn’t stop turning the pages. A Ritual of a Flesh is, to me, a superior book to A Ritual of Bone, building on what came before, developing the country of Arnar as well as the already fascinating characters and scenarios. I look forward to the next book in the series!
I own the hardbacks as well as the Kindle editions, and they are absolutely beautifully presented. The audiobook for Ritual of Bone was cracking too...I will get the audiobook for Flesh in due course.
Like dark fantasy and the undead? You'll like The Dead Sagas.
A Ritual of Flesh starts in a period of calm after the horrifying events of the first book, A Ritual of Bone. The characters take stock and begin to come together, uniting the various storylines as the second book of The Dead Sagas progresses. They are fleshed out (or fleshed off, depending on how lucky they are), and I began to care more for each of them. I had questions at the end of book one and my mind started to tick over even more possibilities the further I got into Flesh. I started coming up with conspiracy theories! I was nervous for everyone and increasingly curious as to what was behind the events of the novels.
The initial calm period while the characters travel and plan is unsettling, as though there is something lurking just out of view throughout. You know something awful is slowly unfolding and most people are unaware, but Conley expertly builds the tension for the reader until things finally erupt. The last third of the book is a motorbike ride through hell - I couldn’t stop turning the pages. A Ritual of a Flesh is, to me, a superior book to A Ritual of Bone, building on what came before, developing the country of Arnar as well as the already fascinating characters and scenarios. I look forward to the next book in the series!
I own the hardbacks as well as the Kindle editions, and they are absolutely beautifully presented. The audiobook for Ritual of Bone was cracking too...I will get the audiobook for Flesh in due course.
Like dark fantasy and the undead? You'll like The Dead Sagas.
November 5, 2020
Excellent
This is a fantastic book, with zombies on a rampage. It’s not just a hack and slash zombie book. It’s got terror, fear, bravery, tension, mystery and a load of excellently written combat scenes written by an author who knows how to swing a blade or two.
Good range of of decent characters, some are starting to be very rounded in this book two of this series.
Good decent story flow, author is nicely painting us a great story with words in our imaginations.
Highly recommended to all my good read friends.
This is a fantastic book, with zombies on a rampage. It’s not just a hack and slash zombie book. It’s got terror, fear, bravery, tension, mystery and a load of excellently written combat scenes written by an author who knows how to swing a blade or two.
Good range of of decent characters, some are starting to be very rounded in this book two of this series.
Good decent story flow, author is nicely painting us a great story with words in our imaginations.
Highly recommended to all my good read friends.
May 3, 2021
A Ritual of Flesh isn’t just a great second part to Lee Conley’s The Dead Sagas. It’s twice the length of A Ritual of Bone, expands on the intricacy with its wealth of characters and multiple POVs from separate and interlacing plot-lines. It doubles down on the epidemic of the dead, and the two books together ultimately make for an epic Norse-esque fantasy horror which still has more adventure yet to come in future instalments. The characters are well fleshed-out and the world-building is solid, fuelling the reader’s imagination with its joyless landscapes and ancient cities, its societies and cultures, the struggles of the various classes and occupations from street urchin to sovereign, and it’s all intriguingly threaded together into a gloriously gruesome grimoire that makes the already excellent first book feel more like an extended prologue (but that is not at all to diminish from “A ritual Of Bone”, which was exactly what it needed to be to bring us into this unravelling epic).
I listened to both “Bone” and “Flesh” on audiobook, narrated by RJ Bayley. The collaboration between Conley and Bayley is less of a partnership made in Heaven and more of a blood-pact made in a smouldering corner of some infernal tomb. Bayley’s narration and character voices are perfect. This is a narrator who clearly takes pride in his craft and understands what’s needed to bring this sort of story to life (and death).
Look, you get the point, right? Good, then I’ll end my review here so you can go and enjoy the Dead Sagas first two books for yourself.
I listened to both “Bone” and “Flesh” on audiobook, narrated by RJ Bayley. The collaboration between Conley and Bayley is less of a partnership made in Heaven and more of a blood-pact made in a smouldering corner of some infernal tomb. Bayley’s narration and character voices are perfect. This is a narrator who clearly takes pride in his craft and understands what’s needed to bring this sort of story to life (and death).
Look, you get the point, right? Good, then I’ll end my review here so you can go and enjoy the Dead Sagas first two books for yourself.
November 4, 2020
This is the second book in this series on The Bone Sagas. I enjoyed A ritual of Bone quite a bit and jumped on the opportunity to get caught up when the author offered a copy for review. Thank you to Lee Conley for the ebook!
***
We return to Conley’s incredibly atmospheric plague-ridden world of Arnar where we rejoin our survivors as they head to the capital hoping for shelter, and for some- like Arnulf, answers. But the capital has its own set of problems, with illness spreading rapidly and threats of an invasion in the air- it’s not quite the haven they were expecting.
Reading virus stories like this in the midst of our current state of the world, and things like arguing over masks etc. that are so relevant to now, but with this setting, was such an odd transposition of mind-set for me between our present world, and the medieval world of Arnar…. it felt so weird.
Anyway…
There is a large cast of characters and a lot of them are fleshed-out so, I really liked that we were given nice-sized scenes with them to get us caught up and help to set them in our heads again, something which I, especially need because I just have the worst time with names.
Also, a huge help for me was the what came before and the cast list. And for those that love them- there are maps. I know maps are a requirement for some in fantasy but unless they include notes like there’s a 7-Eleven on this corner and an arrow saying ‘your house is that way’ maps just make me more lost.
I don’t read a lot in this genre these days but I grew up on horror. Thanks to my mom, my introduction was mostly film- Hitchcock, library reels of Bela Lugosi, Saturday night B-movies and later she introduced me to the books. Which is probably the reason I enjoy Conley’s The Dead Sagas so much- it captures some of the elements I grew up with and enjoy the most- something I wasn’t really expecting to find in a fantasy book with zombies.
***
The first part of the story is kind of the groundwork- like any good horror this builds the story slowly. It lets us remember who everyone is, where they are, what they lost and basically, we get to re-establish our favourites while adding a few new faces in to the mix.
The second part opens up the bigger plot, raises the stakes, and starts moving people where they need to be, while strongly hinting at the horror to come with little scenes sprinkled throughout.
And the third part builds on all that fear, until all hell break loose in this big final showdown of sticky entrails and blood spraying zombie scenes that would make a Romero movie proud.
For a zombie book though, there really isn’t a lot of those gruesome scenes outside of the finale and a few cut scenes (I have no idea what you call those outside of the movie/tv world) this mostly leans towards atmospheric horror, which is my preference. I’ve never been good at zombies just cos I can’t handle the eating of gross things. So, for me this works because so much of it is moody scenes.
And there are some great mood setting scenes- one of my favourites was when they ship was coming into the city of Arn and the bloated bodies were floating down river.
Of our cast- I enjoyed our apprentice’s arc the most, for giving us some motive and something to watch unfold, as the world falls apart. Also enjoyed, Arnulf, and his hope for a cure for his son.
I am the most curious about the way things will play out with Seth and Duncan though, and am really looking forward to seeing where that goes.
*
The writing and editing have greatly improved over the first book (mind you I haven’t read the reedited Ritual of Bone so it may be on par now). I only had a few occasions where I though something felt repetitive or needed a bit of trimming, or thought a conversation was a bit rough. I didn’t have much in the way of complaints.
This is a good creepy zombie story that is perfect for this time of year, with Halloween fast approaching.
***
We return to Conley’s incredibly atmospheric plague-ridden world of Arnar where we rejoin our survivors as they head to the capital hoping for shelter, and for some- like Arnulf, answers. But the capital has its own set of problems, with illness spreading rapidly and threats of an invasion in the air- it’s not quite the haven they were expecting.
Reading virus stories like this in the midst of our current state of the world, and things like arguing over masks etc. that are so relevant to now, but with this setting, was such an odd transposition of mind-set for me between our present world, and the medieval world of Arnar…. it felt so weird.
Anyway…
There is a large cast of characters and a lot of them are fleshed-out so, I really liked that we were given nice-sized scenes with them to get us caught up and help to set them in our heads again, something which I, especially need because I just have the worst time with names.
Also, a huge help for me was the what came before and the cast list. And for those that love them- there are maps. I know maps are a requirement for some in fantasy but unless they include notes like there’s a 7-Eleven on this corner and an arrow saying ‘your house is that way’ maps just make me more lost.
I don’t read a lot in this genre these days but I grew up on horror. Thanks to my mom, my introduction was mostly film- Hitchcock, library reels of Bela Lugosi, Saturday night B-movies and later she introduced me to the books. Which is probably the reason I enjoy Conley’s The Dead Sagas so much- it captures some of the elements I grew up with and enjoy the most- something I wasn’t really expecting to find in a fantasy book with zombies.
***
The first part of the story is kind of the groundwork- like any good horror this builds the story slowly. It lets us remember who everyone is, where they are, what they lost and basically, we get to re-establish our favourites while adding a few new faces in to the mix.
The second part opens up the bigger plot, raises the stakes, and starts moving people where they need to be, while strongly hinting at the horror to come with little scenes sprinkled throughout.
And the third part builds on all that fear, until all hell break loose in this big final showdown of sticky entrails and blood spraying zombie scenes that would make a Romero movie proud.
For a zombie book though, there really isn’t a lot of those gruesome scenes outside of the finale and a few cut scenes (I have no idea what you call those outside of the movie/tv world) this mostly leans towards atmospheric horror, which is my preference. I’ve never been good at zombies just cos I can’t handle the eating of gross things. So, for me this works because so much of it is moody scenes.
And there are some great mood setting scenes- one of my favourites was when they ship was coming into the city of Arn and the bloated bodies were floating down river.
Of our cast- I enjoyed our apprentice’s arc the most, for giving us some motive and something to watch unfold, as the world falls apart. Also enjoyed, Arnulf, and his hope for a cure for his son.
I am the most curious about the way things will play out with Seth and Duncan though, and am really looking forward to seeing where that goes.
*
The writing and editing have greatly improved over the first book (mind you I haven’t read the reedited Ritual of Bone so it may be on par now). I only had a few occasions where I though something felt repetitive or needed a bit of trimming, or thought a conversation was a bit rough. I didn’t have much in the way of complaints.
This is a good creepy zombie story that is perfect for this time of year, with Halloween fast approaching.
December 18, 2021
A Ritual of Flesh is a brilliant read that builds on everything that made A Ritual of Bone great, while adding more excitement, gore, character and world development and somewhat surprisingly, emotion.
Book one was a really enjoyable read that I highly recommend but I have to say that you really feel Lee Conley has developed further as a writer here and I’m seriously impressed with how he’s sewn this tale together so far. One thing I enjoyed in particular was learning more about the world and the factions and history within it, which added a greater sense of realism and depth.
Perhaps the main aspect that A Ritual of Flesh really kicks on is with its characters, though. Suddenly a bunch of cool but ‘I don’t care if they die’ characters become layered and interesting people you care about. This may just be a case of more familiarity with a second book but I suspect the character development is simply of a higher quality here.
Bjorn and Tung are becoming one of my favourite duos and I really like their relationship dynamic that the author has set up.
Nym certainly comes into her own too and Duncan becomes really interesting, shall we say…
Of course, not one to be kind to the reader’s heartstrings, Conley continues Arnulf’s tragic story and you pray for him to find a bit of respite – a warm hall with beer and laughter. Do you think he finds it?
Aswell as new characters being introduced too and more of the characters you spent time with in book one, I loved that we revisit the mind of the cursed ones and the descent from humanity into this bestial form. What’s awesome is this series isn’t essentially just humans Vs zombies – the cursed ones really add something horrifying to the mix, as does the looming threat of the cannibalistic Stone Men. Not only these, we also have the deadly plague really taking hold and nobody is safe – perfect conditions for an undead uprising.
For our protagonists, there’s something out there that wants to eat you at all times. And boy does a lot of undead chomping happen – no punches pulled. Conley introduces us to NPCs you think must pull through, it would be too brutal not to! Nope. Their limbs and guts are ripped out and devoured while their heart still beats.
It would be pointless in my opinion to tone it down as this adds to the shock factor and the realism of the threat and horror affecting the world. As you’d expect though, Lee Conley is a master at knowing the right times to add suspense, creepiness, outright gore or unexpected emotion. He’s a puppet master or a super engineer, adjusting the dials of horror and tension at all the right times. Sometimes blood and gore can create the desired response and sometimes screams and implied events ‘off camera’ as it were are more effective at giving us those horrific thrills and I cannot stress enough how excellently the author has a mastery over this.
It goes without saying that things really step up a notch, especially in part three which is just insanely brutal and action packed, but the author is able whilst doing this to retain elements of mystery and add a lot of heart too (not just being ripped from chest cavities) that give this book such a well rounded, satisfying feel. There was even one scene that I, a reader who never cries at books, started to well up at and had to compose myself.
I wish I’d read this book a lot earlier than I did, but I’m so glad I got around to it. A book that excels at all it sets out to do – it was a real pleasure and I can’t wait to read the next book in The Dead Sagas (I’ll be eagerly starting at the earliest opportunity this time) so thanks to Lee Conley for the review copy.
Finding self published books as exciting and well polished as this makes being a reviewer completely worth it.
Only valour and steel can stand against the rising dead!!
Book one was a really enjoyable read that I highly recommend but I have to say that you really feel Lee Conley has developed further as a writer here and I’m seriously impressed with how he’s sewn this tale together so far. One thing I enjoyed in particular was learning more about the world and the factions and history within it, which added a greater sense of realism and depth.
Perhaps the main aspect that A Ritual of Flesh really kicks on is with its characters, though. Suddenly a bunch of cool but ‘I don’t care if they die’ characters become layered and interesting people you care about. This may just be a case of more familiarity with a second book but I suspect the character development is simply of a higher quality here.
Bjorn and Tung are becoming one of my favourite duos and I really like their relationship dynamic that the author has set up.
Nym certainly comes into her own too and Duncan becomes really interesting, shall we say…
Of course, not one to be kind to the reader’s heartstrings, Conley continues Arnulf’s tragic story and you pray for him to find a bit of respite – a warm hall with beer and laughter. Do you think he finds it?
Aswell as new characters being introduced too and more of the characters you spent time with in book one, I loved that we revisit the mind of the cursed ones and the descent from humanity into this bestial form. What’s awesome is this series isn’t essentially just humans Vs zombies – the cursed ones really add something horrifying to the mix, as does the looming threat of the cannibalistic Stone Men. Not only these, we also have the deadly plague really taking hold and nobody is safe – perfect conditions for an undead uprising.
For our protagonists, there’s something out there that wants to eat you at all times. And boy does a lot of undead chomping happen – no punches pulled. Conley introduces us to NPCs you think must pull through, it would be too brutal not to! Nope. Their limbs and guts are ripped out and devoured while their heart still beats.
It would be pointless in my opinion to tone it down as this adds to the shock factor and the realism of the threat and horror affecting the world. As you’d expect though, Lee Conley is a master at knowing the right times to add suspense, creepiness, outright gore or unexpected emotion. He’s a puppet master or a super engineer, adjusting the dials of horror and tension at all the right times. Sometimes blood and gore can create the desired response and sometimes screams and implied events ‘off camera’ as it were are more effective at giving us those horrific thrills and I cannot stress enough how excellently the author has a mastery over this.
It goes without saying that things really step up a notch, especially in part three which is just insanely brutal and action packed, but the author is able whilst doing this to retain elements of mystery and add a lot of heart too (not just being ripped from chest cavities) that give this book such a well rounded, satisfying feel. There was even one scene that I, a reader who never cries at books, started to well up at and had to compose myself.
I wish I’d read this book a lot earlier than I did, but I’m so glad I got around to it. A book that excels at all it sets out to do – it was a real pleasure and I can’t wait to read the next book in The Dead Sagas (I’ll be eagerly starting at the earliest opportunity this time) so thanks to Lee Conley for the review copy.
Finding self published books as exciting and well polished as this makes being a reviewer completely worth it.
Only valour and steel can stand against the rising dead!!
October 23, 2020
No rest for the Living...🧟
Where to start, A Ritual of Flesh has everything, from Cannibalism, the blood plague and if things couldn't get any more Grimm for the people of Arnar, the cursed and the dead have risen, Lee Conley takes you on a very dark adventure to the capital of Arnar, the northern characters travel to find hope and answers only to find darkness and death that has succumbed to the north, Lee is ruthless with his characters and the plot is second to none, if you are looking for blood and gore or just fantastic storytelling at its finest, then look no further than the Dead Sagas, book 1 A Ritual of Bone, book 2 A Ritual of Flesh, highly recommend....🧟🖤😁
Where to start, A Ritual of Flesh has everything, from Cannibalism, the blood plague and if things couldn't get any more Grimm for the people of Arnar, the cursed and the dead have risen, Lee Conley takes you on a very dark adventure to the capital of Arnar, the northern characters travel to find hope and answers only to find darkness and death that has succumbed to the north, Lee is ruthless with his characters and the plot is second to none, if you are looking for blood and gore or just fantastic storytelling at its finest, then look no further than the Dead Sagas, book 1 A Ritual of Bone, book 2 A Ritual of Flesh, highly recommend....🧟🖤😁
July 15, 2021
Book 2 picks up where book 1 left off. I have to say, I enjoyed the first book quite a bit, but this one exceeded my expectations in every aspect. It built on everything, making it all bigger and darker. The writing was fantastic, the character development believable and the tension palpable. I listened to the audiobook and RJ Bayley did an incredible job! I eagerly await Book 3 which is in the process of being written!
December 15, 2025
A solid follow-up to A Ritual of Bone, that suffers from middle book syndrome flaws and some polish in editing.
First I have to applaud the author for the amazing final part of the book. Great action, some twists and turns, the threat of the Dead bigger than ever and some amazing scenes left me fully satisfied and looking forward to the final book (much more than I expected at the halfway point).
But before exploding in the final part in a tour de force of grim action I has some issues with the previous parts. Firstly the pacing was too slow at parts and some scenes could have easily been edited out. Also the tone of the book is way too grim, without any lighter moments or flakes of optimism. More importantly though the author has set up too many threads/threats and some are completely left out in this second book. It almost felt like he didn't know how to integrate all of them in the story, and chose to go along and see how it unfolds.
The characters were interesting but some I would have liked to spend more time with.
I hope that the author finishes the trilogy (although that should have happened almost two years ago, based on his posts online so my guess is that that's not going to happen) because I'm invested enough to see this story to it's very end.
6,7/10
First I have to applaud the author for the amazing final part of the book. Great action, some twists and turns, the threat of the Dead bigger than ever and some amazing scenes left me fully satisfied and looking forward to the final book (much more than I expected at the halfway point).
But before exploding in the final part in a tour de force of grim action I has some issues with the previous parts. Firstly the pacing was too slow at parts and some scenes could have easily been edited out. Also the tone of the book is way too grim, without any lighter moments or flakes of optimism. More importantly though the author has set up too many threads/threats and some are completely left out in this second book. It almost felt like he didn't know how to integrate all of them in the story, and chose to go along and see how it unfolds.
The characters were interesting but some I would have liked to spend more time with.
I hope that the author finishes the trilogy (although that should have happened almost two years ago, based on his posts online so my guess is that that's not going to happen) because I'm invested enough to see this story to it's very end.
6,7/10
June 6, 2022
While A Ritual of Flesh was yet again really entertaining, I didn't enjoy it just as much as the first. The plot is still nicely twisted and mysterious, there's lots of gore, action and tension.
So all in all its still a good book,.I enjoyed reading! So why am I going for 3,5 stars?
I felt the characters didn't really grow, but rather felt a bit more detached. To me it seemed it was more about the pure technical "how to get out of here alive" (or, in many cases, not...) than any actual motivation or insights.
Yes, I'd definitely run for the hills of zombies ever came a-knocking, but I just missed seeing more depth to the characters, aside from swinging the sword. Yes, some act brave, some cowardly, and some lose their path. But it felt a bit more stereotypical than in earlier books. And that alone let to me losing some of my interest in the characters. In kind that made the long drawn out battle and action scenes less gripping, when I just wasn't as invested in who comes out the other side.
I hope in the next installment we get some more focus on the characters again, as I really want to read more on this bleak and bloody world!
So all in all its still a good book,.I enjoyed reading! So why am I going for 3,5 stars?
I felt the characters didn't really grow, but rather felt a bit more detached. To me it seemed it was more about the pure technical "how to get out of here alive" (or, in many cases, not...) than any actual motivation or insights.
Yes, I'd definitely run for the hills of zombies ever came a-knocking, but I just missed seeing more depth to the characters, aside from swinging the sword. Yes, some act brave, some cowardly, and some lose their path. But it felt a bit more stereotypical than in earlier books. And that alone let to me losing some of my interest in the characters. In kind that made the long drawn out battle and action scenes less gripping, when I just wasn't as invested in who comes out the other side.
I hope in the next installment we get some more focus on the characters again, as I really want to read more on this bleak and bloody world!
July 6, 2021
The plot of Ritual of Flesh picks up where the first book left off and kicks on the afterburners. Whereas I found the first book a little plodding in places, this one moved. The last quarter of the book especially is a non-stop cascade of tense combat, death, heartbreak, and close calls, and the fate of some characters is left unknown for now. No cliffhanger but lots of unanswered questions remain.
Character development has been varied so far, with some getting a ton of development and others less so. The antagonist has probably had the best progression and is getting suitably vile. I was really hoping to see Nym make progress but she has remained somewhat of a wallflower; as the series' only significant surviving female character to this point (maybe, fates of others TBD), that was a little disappointing.
This book shared some of the prose editing concerns of the first one but honestly, I was so invested in watching the carnage that it ceased being an issue. I guess that is a sign of a good book when it gets you to overlook its flaws in favor of its strengths and I think the story and tension here are both gripping enough to do just that.
The deeper I get into this series, the more I am enjoying it. I'll certainly pick up the third book when it's out.
Character development has been varied so far, with some getting a ton of development and others less so. The antagonist has probably had the best progression and is getting suitably vile. I was really hoping to see Nym make progress but she has remained somewhat of a wallflower; as the series' only significant surviving female character to this point (maybe, fates of others TBD), that was a little disappointing.
This book shared some of the prose editing concerns of the first one but honestly, I was so invested in watching the carnage that it ceased being an issue. I guess that is a sign of a good book when it gets you to overlook its flaws in favor of its strengths and I think the story and tension here are both gripping enough to do just that.
The deeper I get into this series, the more I am enjoying it. I'll certainly pick up the third book when it's out.
October 11, 2020
First of all, I deeply thank the author for an ARC copy because he knew I enjoyed the first book in the series so much. :D
I believe the very first thing anyone who read book 1 will eagerly want to know about the sequel is yes, we are finally offered the chance to discover the name of the aforementioned apprentice that escapes the horrors of Master Eldrick's failed experiment and pretty much all of the events of the first book due to the dumb luck of getting his ankle broken. Upon the grandiose moment we hear his true name, it was indeed a real Kill Bill inspired moment when I was hoping to see the kid in a classroom raising his hand when a College teacher asked his name, haha. And, no. I will not spoil the fun except for the fact he will carry a huge weight in the sequel as the... no, I will not say a word. You will have to read the book and find out.
As for the second thing many people will wonder regarding their grips we meet so many badass characters in book 1, yes, everyone's stories will merge into one in the great city of Arn. I would believe almost everyone bumps into pretty much each other, albeit one certain rather hot-headed character seems to have a penchant for controlling the urge to chop off a stranger's head for no reason whatsoever. No, I won't spoil that either.
Yes, the strange former Myrhan slave, a survivor of the blood plague turned into the College study subject will play an important supporting role in the story. He is badass and I bet we will learn more from him as he continues to learn the Arnian tongue and reveal his past.
As for the squeamish who have no interest in reading a book riddled with nonstop grimdark zombies, fear not, this book spends most of the time focusing on the grim blood plague and how the anxious king demands the College for the cure while Arnulf asks for help (and pretty much regarded as a madman from his bizarre tale of the walking dead as we all expected).
As for Bjorn and his worthy companion Tung, while we never really get to learn any secrets about the mute Wildman except that he enjoys riding in the prow of a boat Titanic style, Bjorn offers us a glimpse into his softer side, gaining us greater sympathy for him and the strange chain of events that bring him and his trusty compadre to Arn.
I like it how this book is divided into 3 separate and very aptly divided 3 parts like it were a sort of theatric play of the macabre: the arrival to Arn of the characters, the mysteries of the bone flesh ritual, and the book's action-packed third act. The story moves at a steady rhythm where even the softer character is driven scenes midway never feel drawn out and pretty much no room is left for filler. Every chapter is important in its way, and every character gets their chance to shine.
There was no fault I could find in the book, nothing I disliked and I even liked the personalities of the street thugs. Oh wait, I wanted to claw my face at the sheer stupidity of Princess Alethea. It's like watching those horror films and you just want to scream at the attractive woman who runs into the forest where you know the monster armed with a chainsaw is waiting. I think the only thing I felt missing from the book in the final siege is the dire lack of boiling oil spilling on an enemy from the king's castle. That would have been cool. In the book's defense, everything happens so quickly in the final act, nobody would have probably thought of it.
I do believe this book exceeded my expectations from an already solid first book and it has been one of my favorite reads this year. :)
I believe the very first thing anyone who read book 1 will eagerly want to know about the sequel is yes, we are finally offered the chance to discover the name of the aforementioned apprentice that escapes the horrors of Master Eldrick's failed experiment and pretty much all of the events of the first book due to the dumb luck of getting his ankle broken. Upon the grandiose moment we hear his true name, it was indeed a real Kill Bill inspired moment when I was hoping to see the kid in a classroom raising his hand when a College teacher asked his name, haha. And, no. I will not spoil the fun except for the fact he will carry a huge weight in the sequel as the... no, I will not say a word. You will have to read the book and find out.
As for the second thing many people will wonder regarding their grips we meet so many badass characters in book 1, yes, everyone's stories will merge into one in the great city of Arn. I would believe almost everyone bumps into pretty much each other, albeit one certain rather hot-headed character seems to have a penchant for controlling the urge to chop off a stranger's head for no reason whatsoever. No, I won't spoil that either.
Yes, the strange former Myrhan slave, a survivor of the blood plague turned into the College study subject will play an important supporting role in the story. He is badass and I bet we will learn more from him as he continues to learn the Arnian tongue and reveal his past.
As for the squeamish who have no interest in reading a book riddled with nonstop grimdark zombies, fear not, this book spends most of the time focusing on the grim blood plague and how the anxious king demands the College for the cure while Arnulf asks for help (and pretty much regarded as a madman from his bizarre tale of the walking dead as we all expected).
As for Bjorn and his worthy companion Tung, while we never really get to learn any secrets about the mute Wildman except that he enjoys riding in the prow of a boat Titanic style, Bjorn offers us a glimpse into his softer side, gaining us greater sympathy for him and the strange chain of events that bring him and his trusty compadre to Arn.
I like it how this book is divided into 3 separate and very aptly divided 3 parts like it were a sort of theatric play of the macabre: the arrival to Arn of the characters, the mysteries of the bone flesh ritual, and the book's action-packed third act. The story moves at a steady rhythm where even the softer character is driven scenes midway never feel drawn out and pretty much no room is left for filler. Every chapter is important in its way, and every character gets their chance to shine.
There was no fault I could find in the book, nothing I disliked and I even liked the personalities of the street thugs. Oh wait, I wanted to claw my face at the sheer stupidity of Princess Alethea. It's like watching those horror films and you just want to scream at the attractive woman who runs into the forest where you know the monster armed with a chainsaw is waiting. I think the only thing I felt missing from the book in the final siege is the dire lack of boiling oil spilling on an enemy from the king's castle. That would have been cool. In the book's defense, everything happens so quickly in the final act, nobody would have probably thought of it.
I do believe this book exceeded my expectations from an already solid first book and it has been one of my favorite reads this year. :)
February 22, 2020
A Ritual of Flesh - Book 2 in the Dead Sagas series picks up weeks after the first book and like it's predecessor, it doesn't fail to deliver.
Where the first book ended giving us some insight into the approaching menace threatening the kingdom of Arnar, this novel starts by slowly setting the scene for the horror to come. The author does a great job of giving us snapshots into the lives of the ordinary folk whose entire livelihoods are at risk from the ever-encroaching sickness and the evil that trails it. The opening scenes are richly detailed, so much so that you can almost see the bodies sprawled on the streets or the tension in the air as law and order begins to break down.
The possibility of conflict between the crown, the northern lords and the men of the college add a nice layer to the story and gives the reader a better understanding of the overall society of Arnar. It paves the way for what I can only describe as an axe to the face when the murderous undead and cursed ones are unleashed upon the world in all their fury.
The character development was great with some secondary characters coming into their own, while the action/violence is gory, grizzly and vicious.
This is an excellent read for fans of dark fantasy and I look forward to book 3!
Where the first book ended giving us some insight into the approaching menace threatening the kingdom of Arnar, this novel starts by slowly setting the scene for the horror to come. The author does a great job of giving us snapshots into the lives of the ordinary folk whose entire livelihoods are at risk from the ever-encroaching sickness and the evil that trails it. The opening scenes are richly detailed, so much so that you can almost see the bodies sprawled on the streets or the tension in the air as law and order begins to break down.
The possibility of conflict between the crown, the northern lords and the men of the college add a nice layer to the story and gives the reader a better understanding of the overall society of Arnar. It paves the way for what I can only describe as an axe to the face when the murderous undead and cursed ones are unleashed upon the world in all their fury.
The character development was great with some secondary characters coming into their own, while the action/violence is gory, grizzly and vicious.
This is an excellent read for fans of dark fantasy and I look forward to book 3!
January 18, 2023
A RITUAL OF FLESH is the second installment in author Lee C. Conley’s THE DEAD SAGAS and a sequel to 2019’s A RITUAL OF BONE. The books are a different in that Book 1 is very jarring from the start. It is somewhat typical of a zombie-style book, as there is much chaos when people suddenly start turning and the dead are walking. No one really knows what to do.
In this book, Conley took more time to set the scene and let things develop. There are several threads to follow, and each took a much-needed reset after the events of the first book. And I really like the direction of the storylines. Each is experiencing a different kind of horror, but they are also all connected.
Don’t worry, though, reader: if you are looking for violence and gore, this book is brimming with both.
A RITUAL OF FLESH is the perfect blend of fantasy and horror, containing both Norse- and zombie-inspired elements. I loved it, and I recommend it for anyone who finds that combination interesting.
In this book, Conley took more time to set the scene and let things develop. There are several threads to follow, and each took a much-needed reset after the events of the first book. And I really like the direction of the storylines. Each is experiencing a different kind of horror, but they are also all connected.
Don’t worry, though, reader: if you are looking for violence and gore, this book is brimming with both.
A RITUAL OF FLESH is the perfect blend of fantasy and horror, containing both Norse- and zombie-inspired elements. I loved it, and I recommend it for anyone who finds that combination interesting.
September 27, 2020
Received this as an arc
Book 2 of The Dead Sagas does not disappoint the reader. The story continues to bring a nail biting, breath holding, edge of the seat drama, action and horror. Characters going through a deep emotional toll that is felt throughout the book. The intensity builds all the way through. What will become of this world Lee has built? What will become of our favorite characters? I have no idea but I can’t wait to find out.
Book 2 of The Dead Sagas does not disappoint the reader. The story continues to bring a nail biting, breath holding, edge of the seat drama, action and horror. Characters going through a deep emotional toll that is felt throughout the book. The intensity builds all the way through. What will become of this world Lee has built? What will become of our favorite characters? I have no idea but I can’t wait to find out.
October 4, 2021
Absolutely fantastic! Brilliant book and what a read this has been for me, book 2 in a series that I am really enjoying. Lee has said this is one of his best, I would agree!
A full review will be on the blog as part of the upcoming SOT Tour.
A full review will be on the blog as part of the upcoming SOT Tour.
March 18, 2023
Very much enjoyed this, loved how it all played out and looking forward to the next part
February 9, 2021
With all that’s been going on in the last year plus, you would think that reading a book that involves a plague, and the walking dead and some other stuff wouldn’t be at the top of my list. Well, given how much I enjoyed Lee C Conley’s A Ritual of Bone, I figured it would turn out okay. And I was right! Well, it definitely did not turn out okay for the characters, but it was still an absolutely enjoyable read.
1. Thoughts on the plot
There is a lot going on in this book, not just a plague that is slightly more problematic than the current situation. The book follows several characters as they face the consequences of book one, as well as deal with the fact that everything is getting much, much worse. I can’t say a whole lot, because that would involve spoiling the first book, which I shall not do, but I can say that I really appreciated each complex thread that was left untethered at the end of book one. They were taken and woven expertly into the various scenarios for this book, and it really made things come together perfectly. The characters’ threads all seemed to collide, and the way that this was done involved a steady escalation of events. I have rarely seen things done so steadily and expertly when causing mayhem; definitely a good story, plot wise.
2. Thoughts on the characters
This book had all the familiar characters from the first book, which I liked. I enjoy seeing further developments of characters and situations. I think that Bjorn’s development and furthered situation was perhaps my favourite, but I also really enjoyed the whole…situation…with the apprentice.
Quick note on the apprentice: he has a name! I shan’t say what is is, again to avoid spoiling book one, but the way that this was revealed felt so…almost anticlimactic. It was just stated, and seemed almost to ruin the mystery of having the information withheld for so long. However! I think that the way it was done really emphasised the character and made for an excellent transition when things went a little wonky and started going pearshaped. Such insignificance in the mystery really hammered some of the later development home and it was perfect.
Also, everyone else was just great.
3. Favourite part
The whole naming thing, as described above. It just made such a quiet point, and I liked it.
4. Critique
I think the only real issue I had with this book had very little to do with the book itself, and more to do with the world. It was a harder task than I anticipated to read a story about a plague that gets a whole lot worse during a pandemic. Things just struck a little close to home, and it took me longer than I would have liked to get through the books. Of course, once things got exponentially worse in this book, it was completely fine, because my brain is weird. So not really a critique about the book, just a statement about life, I suppose.
If you are interested in an expertly written story that weaves a stunning tapestry together, and also has the dead, a plague, people being potentially problematic, and all the elements of dark/grimdark fantasy, then this is definitely a worthwhile read. It follows on perfectly from book one, and now I really need all the answers for the next instalment. An excellent book!
1. Thoughts on the plot
There is a lot going on in this book, not just a plague that is slightly more problematic than the current situation. The book follows several characters as they face the consequences of book one, as well as deal with the fact that everything is getting much, much worse. I can’t say a whole lot, because that would involve spoiling the first book, which I shall not do, but I can say that I really appreciated each complex thread that was left untethered at the end of book one. They were taken and woven expertly into the various scenarios for this book, and it really made things come together perfectly. The characters’ threads all seemed to collide, and the way that this was done involved a steady escalation of events. I have rarely seen things done so steadily and expertly when causing mayhem; definitely a good story, plot wise.
2. Thoughts on the characters
This book had all the familiar characters from the first book, which I liked. I enjoy seeing further developments of characters and situations. I think that Bjorn’s development and furthered situation was perhaps my favourite, but I also really enjoyed the whole…situation…with the apprentice.
Quick note on the apprentice: he has a name! I shan’t say what is is, again to avoid spoiling book one, but the way that this was revealed felt so…almost anticlimactic. It was just stated, and seemed almost to ruin the mystery of having the information withheld for so long. However! I think that the way it was done really emphasised the character and made for an excellent transition when things went a little wonky and started going pearshaped. Such insignificance in the mystery really hammered some of the later development home and it was perfect.
Also, everyone else was just great.
3. Favourite part
The whole naming thing, as described above. It just made such a quiet point, and I liked it.
4. Critique
I think the only real issue I had with this book had very little to do with the book itself, and more to do with the world. It was a harder task than I anticipated to read a story about a plague that gets a whole lot worse during a pandemic. Things just struck a little close to home, and it took me longer than I would have liked to get through the books. Of course, once things got exponentially worse in this book, it was completely fine, because my brain is weird. So not really a critique about the book, just a statement about life, I suppose.
If you are interested in an expertly written story that weaves a stunning tapestry together, and also has the dead, a plague, people being potentially problematic, and all the elements of dark/grimdark fantasy, then this is definitely a worthwhile read. It follows on perfectly from book one, and now I really need all the answers for the next instalment. An excellent book!
January 3, 2021
Following on from a Ritual of Bone, A Ritual of Flesh was even more gripping, holding me to go straight from one book to the next!
Again, great characters, following all the different storylines from chapter to chapter I felt I was cheering them all on, hoping they would eventually intertwine and meet up as they fought their way through the 100s of walking dead - family, friends all their kinfolk, no one was exempt the plague, they all walked the earth in search of the living.
I anticipatively wait for the next instalment of The Dead Sagas!
Again, great characters, following all the different storylines from chapter to chapter I felt I was cheering them all on, hoping they would eventually intertwine and meet up as they fought their way through the 100s of walking dead - family, friends all their kinfolk, no one was exempt the plague, they all walked the earth in search of the living.
I anticipatively wait for the next instalment of The Dead Sagas!
July 4, 2021
Book two of "the dead sagas" is just down right awesome.
Like book 1 it is very dark and full of genuine horror. The characters are well written and I found myself caring for them. The many different pov flows perfectly and the pace of the book keeps gathering momentum and the last couple of 100 pages are packed with grizzly death, brave warriors and foul villains.
This is one of the grimmist (don't know if it is a word) I have read and the way Conley writes made the scenes stand out very vividly as I read. Some passages are better than most horror on film and any book I have read (including Mr King)
And it contains one of the best kills I have read. I felt the characters struggle in every line written.
So thank you Mr Conley for a great read please finish book 3.
Oh and it still has walking dead (loads) and honour bound warriors!
Like book 1 it is very dark and full of genuine horror. The characters are well written and I found myself caring for them. The many different pov flows perfectly and the pace of the book keeps gathering momentum and the last couple of 100 pages are packed with grizzly death, brave warriors and foul villains.
This is one of the grimmist (don't know if it is a word) I have read and the way Conley writes made the scenes stand out very vividly as I read. Some passages are better than most horror on film and any book I have read (including Mr King)
And it contains one of the best kills I have read. I felt the characters struggle in every line written.
So thank you Mr Conley for a great read please finish book 3.
Oh and it still has walking dead (loads) and honour bound warriors!
September 3, 2022
A city in shambles. A terrible plague. An impending invasion. Still…a greater terror awaits them all. Darkness begins to envelop even the bravest of souls. An absolute treat of a sequel! Medieval horror at its finest!
October 15, 2021
A Ritual of Flesh was the perfect book to read/listen to in October to get me in a Halloween-ready mood. The atmospheric feel of this dark fantasy is decidedly spooky and the tension rises as the country becomes increasingly overrun by the deadly plague as well as the risen dead. The dreadful action picks up pretty soon after the end of A Ritual of Bone and the author has included a useful ‘Story so far’ section at the beginning of the book which I greatly appreciated. It’s been a couple of months since I read Book 1 of the Dead Sagas so this really helped jog my memory. The book is set in an ancient Norse inspired world with longboats, and authentic feeling villages and culture which the author must have researched thoroughly to make it so horrifyingly immersive.
I am not usually a big fan of horror books but I do enjoy Norse fantasies and zombies despite that, and A Ritual of Flesh delivers those in blood chilling spades, starting as early as Chapter 1:
“Galen’s eyes widened as he realised the man was no looter. The body at his feet lay torn open, its innards spilled into the mud. The man kept chewing.
He is eating the dead.”
The twisted mystery of the Apprentice continues from A Ritual of Bone. He is being haunted by a hooded figure who whispers menacingly in his head and appears to be able to control what he says in order to keep secrets he does not want the Apprentice to reveal to the College council. This story arc is both fascinating and spooky (that hissing voice!! It makes the Apprentice question his sanity) it was my favourite arc of the book. The Council members at the college are typically bureaucratic and self-serving, disbelieving the Apprentice’s story of dark experiments and terrifying reanimation. They are full of distrust of anything they do not understand or that cannot be proven to them and are frustrating in their lack of flexibility when it comes to his apprenticeship, many of them wanting to deny him the title of Master now that Eldrick is dead. Luckily Master Luthor is not so inflexible and takes him on as his own apprentice. We see a large change in the Apprentice from the unconfident helper we saw in A Ritual of Bone to a much more maniacally self-assured Master with his own devious plans by the end of A Ritual of Flesh.
Nym has now moved to the city and is struggling to control her wayward younger brother who has taken to thievery. Her part in the story helps illustrate the lives of normal townsfolk amid this horrifying situation and the rising panic around the plague:
“There was a body every few strides now, laying in the gutter, the twisted dead frozen in their final agonised throes. Stiffened, bloody death masks, nightmare faces choked with dark blood and flies. Many houses had been daubed in red paint, a sign that all inside had fallen victim to the blood plague.”
Conley is a master at describing the world of Arnar in great detail, using sights, sounds and smells to evoke the scene, helping the reader to easily immerse themself in the locations and situations he describes so cleverly:
“The hunter looked out into the valley below. His hair dripped in the rain and the faint smell of decomposing wood and damp permeated the air. He imagined, now the rains had come, the winding valleys, gullies and gulches would quickly become a tangle of stinking mire and choking branches.”
Through the multiple points of view we get to see how widespread the plague has become and how daily life is being affected. There are so many bodies piling up they are now being tossed carelessly into the river which is affecting the drinking water supply. The pyres are causing a thick smog to hang over the city. Everyone is distrustful and fearful of walking through the city in case they catch the plague. People are even starting to wear plague masks, their long beak-like noses filled with nice smelling herbs to fight off the ever-present stench of death.
In addition to the plague we have the continued conundrum of the cannibalistic Stone Men of legend and Bjorn the Hunter is still accompanied by Tung, a Stone Man who is not a savage like the others. I was intrigued by this story arc and since it wasn’t really concluded I can’t wait to see where it will lead in the next book. What with plague, cannibalism and the dead walking, Arnar is not a healthy place to find oneself and the various different POV groups all eventually converge on the citadel, hoping it’s fortifications will be their salvation.
I really enjoyed being spooked out by the horror elements of A Ritual of Flesh and will be on the lookout for the next installment in this story, A Ritual of Blood, which I understand the author is currently working on. I can only imagine where his imagination will take us next – but I’m sure it will be a thrilling, horrifying ride!
I am not usually a big fan of horror books but I do enjoy Norse fantasies and zombies despite that, and A Ritual of Flesh delivers those in blood chilling spades, starting as early as Chapter 1:
“Galen’s eyes widened as he realised the man was no looter. The body at his feet lay torn open, its innards spilled into the mud. The man kept chewing.
He is eating the dead.”
The twisted mystery of the Apprentice continues from A Ritual of Bone. He is being haunted by a hooded figure who whispers menacingly in his head and appears to be able to control what he says in order to keep secrets he does not want the Apprentice to reveal to the College council. This story arc is both fascinating and spooky (that hissing voice!! It makes the Apprentice question his sanity) it was my favourite arc of the book. The Council members at the college are typically bureaucratic and self-serving, disbelieving the Apprentice’s story of dark experiments and terrifying reanimation. They are full of distrust of anything they do not understand or that cannot be proven to them and are frustrating in their lack of flexibility when it comes to his apprenticeship, many of them wanting to deny him the title of Master now that Eldrick is dead. Luckily Master Luthor is not so inflexible and takes him on as his own apprentice. We see a large change in the Apprentice from the unconfident helper we saw in A Ritual of Bone to a much more maniacally self-assured Master with his own devious plans by the end of A Ritual of Flesh.
Nym has now moved to the city and is struggling to control her wayward younger brother who has taken to thievery. Her part in the story helps illustrate the lives of normal townsfolk amid this horrifying situation and the rising panic around the plague:
“There was a body every few strides now, laying in the gutter, the twisted dead frozen in their final agonised throes. Stiffened, bloody death masks, nightmare faces choked with dark blood and flies. Many houses had been daubed in red paint, a sign that all inside had fallen victim to the blood plague.”
Conley is a master at describing the world of Arnar in great detail, using sights, sounds and smells to evoke the scene, helping the reader to easily immerse themself in the locations and situations he describes so cleverly:
“The hunter looked out into the valley below. His hair dripped in the rain and the faint smell of decomposing wood and damp permeated the air. He imagined, now the rains had come, the winding valleys, gullies and gulches would quickly become a tangle of stinking mire and choking branches.”
Through the multiple points of view we get to see how widespread the plague has become and how daily life is being affected. There are so many bodies piling up they are now being tossed carelessly into the river which is affecting the drinking water supply. The pyres are causing a thick smog to hang over the city. Everyone is distrustful and fearful of walking through the city in case they catch the plague. People are even starting to wear plague masks, their long beak-like noses filled with nice smelling herbs to fight off the ever-present stench of death.
In addition to the plague we have the continued conundrum of the cannibalistic Stone Men of legend and Bjorn the Hunter is still accompanied by Tung, a Stone Man who is not a savage like the others. I was intrigued by this story arc and since it wasn’t really concluded I can’t wait to see where it will lead in the next book. What with plague, cannibalism and the dead walking, Arnar is not a healthy place to find oneself and the various different POV groups all eventually converge on the citadel, hoping it’s fortifications will be their salvation.
I really enjoyed being spooked out by the horror elements of A Ritual of Flesh and will be on the lookout for the next installment in this story, A Ritual of Blood, which I understand the author is currently working on. I can only imagine where his imagination will take us next – but I’m sure it will be a thrilling, horrifying ride!
March 19, 2021
Somehow I was under the impression that this series is a duology, which made me really confused when with only 10% of the book left there was so much more to uncover and so many lose ends.
It turns out there will be more books though 🙂 and that is great because some of the characters really started to grow on me and I am looking forward to read their story.
As for the book itself, it was packed with people under stress taking questionable decisions that always turned out the worst way possible, which was great. I'm glad that the author made sure that actions have consequences, which makes for a thrilling story during the second part of the book when the pace picks up. It is a story of hardship, misery and hopelessness, and when the ending comes, it feels like no matter how much the good guys fought we are worse off than when we started. That is awesome!
It turns out there will be more books though 🙂 and that is great because some of the characters really started to grow on me and I am looking forward to read their story.
As for the book itself, it was packed with people under stress taking questionable decisions that always turned out the worst way possible, which was great. I'm glad that the author made sure that actions have consequences, which makes for a thrilling story during the second part of the book when the pace picks up. It is a story of hardship, misery and hopelessness, and when the ending comes, it feels like no matter how much the good guys fought we are worse off than when we started. That is awesome!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2023
Damn that was truly bloody epic, where to start, A Ritual of Flesh has everything, from Cannibalism, the blood plague, and if things couldn't get any more Grimm for the people of Arnar, the cursed and the dead have risen.
A Ritual of Flesh is the second book in the Dead Sagas series, Lee C. Conley's writing and story weaving are incredible. The way you are sucked in from the start, feeling every horror and blood curdling moment each character is put through as old dark night reigns terror on the citizens of Arnar.
Lee is ruthless with his characters, and the worldbuilding and plot are second to none. If you are looking for blood and gore and flesh eating zombies or just fantastic storytelling at its finest, then you have come to the right place, look no further than the Dead Sagas.
R.J Bailey is one of my favourite narrators, the life he gives to each character in the book with his arrangement of voices. The performance he has given each book is absolutely amazing. Lee couldn't have picked a better person for this epic series.
Lee C. Conley takes you on a very dark adventure. The northern Lords Arnulf, Fergus, and their men of arm's travel to the capital with hope to find answers and take vengeance on the college that has caused all the nightmares, darkness and death that has succumbed to the north.
But things are only about to get worse as old dark night grips the lands of Arnar in its icy clutches, bringing terror and fear that is the absolute stuff of nightmares.
The anticipation for waiting on book 3 A Ritual Of Blood and wanting more of this world has me blood lusting for more. I truly implore that if you haven't checked out these books yet, then I very highly recommend that you do.
P.S. Don't read alone..😱🧟♂️🔥
A Ritual of Flesh is the second book in the Dead Sagas series, Lee C. Conley's writing and story weaving are incredible. The way you are sucked in from the start, feeling every horror and blood curdling moment each character is put through as old dark night reigns terror on the citizens of Arnar.
Lee is ruthless with his characters, and the worldbuilding and plot are second to none. If you are looking for blood and gore and flesh eating zombies or just fantastic storytelling at its finest, then you have come to the right place, look no further than the Dead Sagas.
R.J Bailey is one of my favourite narrators, the life he gives to each character in the book with his arrangement of voices. The performance he has given each book is absolutely amazing. Lee couldn't have picked a better person for this epic series.
Lee C. Conley takes you on a very dark adventure. The northern Lords Arnulf, Fergus, and their men of arm's travel to the capital with hope to find answers and take vengeance on the college that has caused all the nightmares, darkness and death that has succumbed to the north.
But things are only about to get worse as old dark night grips the lands of Arnar in its icy clutches, bringing terror and fear that is the absolute stuff of nightmares.
The anticipation for waiting on book 3 A Ritual Of Blood and wanting more of this world has me blood lusting for more. I truly implore that if you haven't checked out these books yet, then I very highly recommend that you do.
P.S. Don't read alone..😱🧟♂️🔥
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