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Underland #1
Underland: A Dark Fantasy
Once, the sun shone brightly on Azlant. Until came the Whitemoon, to steal mankind's light and condemn it to eternal darkness.
Valdemar Verney is a sorcerer with a dream: to find a new world for his people to settle, one where the sky isn't a ceiling made of stone. But in the underground empire of Azlant, dissent is never tolerated. Brought before one of the undead Dark Lords, Valdemar is offered a choice he cannot refuse. Meanwhile, the swordswoman Marianne Reynard is given a mission: to investigate a dead cult with a few mysteries left to unravel.
Both are looking for the truth, though they might regret finding it; for many cultists, monsters, and cosmic horrors stand in their way. They'll just have to kill them all.
Valdemar Verney is a sorcerer with a dream: to find a new world for his people to settle, one where the sky isn't a ceiling made of stone. But in the underground empire of Azlant, dissent is never tolerated. Brought before one of the undead Dark Lords, Valdemar is offered a choice he cannot refuse. Meanwhile, the swordswoman Marianne Reynard is given a mission: to investigate a dead cult with a few mysteries left to unravel.
Both are looking for the truth, though they might regret finding it; for many cultists, monsters, and cosmic horrors stand in their way. They'll just have to kill them all.
369 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 6, 2022
91 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
October 23, 2024
Underland: A Dark Fantasy (Kindle Edition) by Maxime J. Durand
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Underland: A Dark Fantasy by Maxime J. Durand is a mesmerizing journey into the heart of darkness, a literary masterpiece that seamlessly blends the ethereal and the macabre. With a narrative that unfolds like a dark symphony, Durand takes readers on an unforgettable exploration of the Underland, a world that lingers in the shadows of imagination.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
Underland: A Dark Fantasy by Maxime J. Durand is a mesmerizing journey into the heart of darkness, a literary masterpiece that seamlessly blends the ethereal and the macabre. With a narrative that unfolds like a dark symphony, Durand takes readers on an unforgettable exploration of the Underland, a world that lingers in the shadows of imagination.
Atmospheric Excellence:
Durand's command over atmosphere is nothing short of exceptional. From the opening pages, the Underland comes to life with an eerie and haunting vibrancy. The author's descriptive prowess paints a vivid canvas of dark landscapes, labyrinthine realms, and ethereal beings that evoke a sense of awe and trepidation. The atmospheric excellence sets the stage for a journey that is both immersive and chilling.
Character Complexity:
The characters in Underland are masterfully crafted, each possessing layers of complexity that add depth to the narrative. Durand delves into the psyches of protagonists and antagonists alike, exploring their motivations, fears, and the shades of gray that define their morality. The protagonist's evolution is particularly compelling, as they navigate the enigmatic and perilous realms of the Underland.
Intricate Plot Weaving:
The plot of Underland is a tapestry of intricate weaving, with multiple storylines converging and diverging in a dance of mystery and suspense. Durand's ability to seamlessly transition between perspectives and timelines adds a layer of complexity that keeps the reader engaged. The unfolding plot twists and revelations are expertly paced, creating a narrative rhythm that is both unpredictable and satisfying.
Prose as Dark Poetry:
Durand's prose is a dark poetry that lingers in the mind. The language is evocative, with each sentence carefully crafted to convey the emotional weight and atmospheric essence of the Underland. The author's use of language transcends mere storytelling; it becomes a lyrical exploration of the shadows, enhancing the immersive experience and elevating the novel to a work of literary art.
Exploration of Dark Themes:
Underland explores themes of darkness, mortality, and the enigmatic dance between light and shadow. Durand confronts the darker aspects of human nature and the allure of the unknown with a philosophical nuance that elevates the novel beyond conventional dark fantasy. The thematic depth invites readers to contemplate the boundaries between fear and fascination, beauty and horror.
Conclusion:
Underland: A Dark Fantasy is a magnum opus that stands at the pinnacle of dark fantasy literature. Maxime J. Durand's storytelling prowess, atmospheric brilliance, and exploration of profound themes make this novel a rare gem. For those seeking an immersive, chilling, and intellectually resonant journey into the abyss, Underland is a must-read that transcends the boundaries of the genre.
September 11, 2022
Solid enough but a little predictable after reading the Perfect Run books and a bunch of LitRPG/progression fantasy stuff recently. It isn’t exactly one of those but some of the structural patterns are similar.
May 28, 2023
I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoyed this book. As with 99% of all books, there are a couple of negatives. First would be character development and/or secondary characters being flushed out. I did not dislike any of the characters. The opposite in fact. I wanted to know more of our two protagonists, much more. Three of the supporting characters were flat. Very flat. Each of them embodied one personality/emotion, and we're almost over the top, as well as a bit "trope-ish". The second would be that in a couple of sections, the book does seem to drag, just a bit.
Do these take away from the book over all? Probably. HOWEVER, this book was a blast to read. I felt the behavior and interaction between the MC's and two of the Dark Lord's was refreshingly positive.
The plot wasn't overly predictable, which was nice. No one made any absolutely stupid decisions. (Again, nice). Wasn't watered down with unnecessarily flowery or poetic language. Easy to read, easy to understand, easy to just sit back and have a damn good time. World building was great! So good that I wanted to know so much more. There's a litch, sorcerers, undead, demonic entities, knights, dark elves, vampires, witches, and wererats! You read that correctly - wererats! And the MC is a good dude. Just a downright good person, which is a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre these days. I will most assuredly continue this series.
Do these take away from the book over all? Probably. HOWEVER, this book was a blast to read. I felt the behavior and interaction between the MC's and two of the Dark Lord's was refreshingly positive.
The plot wasn't overly predictable, which was nice. No one made any absolutely stupid decisions. (Again, nice). Wasn't watered down with unnecessarily flowery or poetic language. Easy to read, easy to understand, easy to just sit back and have a damn good time. World building was great! So good that I wanted to know so much more. There's a litch, sorcerers, undead, demonic entities, knights, dark elves, vampires, witches, and wererats! You read that correctly - wererats! And the MC is a good dude. Just a downright good person, which is a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre these days. I will most assuredly continue this series.
August 26, 2022
An underground world populated by humans who fled the freezing of the surface of their planet. Sorcerers. Swordplay. Dark lords. Dark elves. Troglodytes. The undead. Lovecraftian creatures from another dimension. All these elements and more are skillfully woven together in Underland.
Valdemar is the only living living descendant of his family, who was eliminated by the authorities for cult like activities. It’s unclear why Valdemar was spared. His grandfather supposedly was magically transported from Earth, and all Valdemar can do is dream of living on the surface of Earth. While performing a spell attempting to bring his grandfather’s spirit back, he’s arrested but then becomes the apprentice to the Dark Lord Och.. From that point, we meet a cast of characters who are well drawn and believable, even though they may be not human. The complex plot moves along at a brisk pace.
My only minor complaint about the book is the quality of the writing at the beginning. At times, it seemed awkward and poorly done, and I questioned myself as to whether or not to continue. But I’m glad I did as I really did enjoy reading about Valdemar’s story.
My thanks to Podium Publishing and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of Underland.
Valdemar is the only living living descendant of his family, who was eliminated by the authorities for cult like activities. It’s unclear why Valdemar was spared. His grandfather supposedly was magically transported from Earth, and all Valdemar can do is dream of living on the surface of Earth. While performing a spell attempting to bring his grandfather’s spirit back, he’s arrested but then becomes the apprentice to the Dark Lord Och.. From that point, we meet a cast of characters who are well drawn and believable, even though they may be not human. The complex plot moves along at a brisk pace.
My only minor complaint about the book is the quality of the writing at the beginning. At times, it seemed awkward and poorly done, and I questioned myself as to whether or not to continue. But I’m glad I did as I really did enjoy reading about Valdemar’s story.
My thanks to Podium Publishing and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of Underland.
September 1, 2024
Audible edition review
A let down after Perfect Run
I have enjoyed some of the authors other works (Vainqueur, PR) and respect his decision to try to write a novel in each genre but this cosmic horror (?) just wasn't for me.
There's no real goal or objective for the protagonists to work towards. They just bumble along through life in their semi-medieval dystopia. Plenty of stuff happens but I was never invested in it. Even with the "mystery" somewhat solved by the end I'm still not sure who to care for. Then again, people love Warhammer 40k where every faction is bleak and horrific so maybe it's just not my cup of tea.
The characters were well written and had decent depth. The setting was somewhat well described. The plot made sense even if it was dull. The narration was good.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this and I won't read the sequel but I will come back when this author tries something else. His writing is very good even if I didn't love the story this time.
A let down after Perfect Run
I have enjoyed some of the authors other works (Vainqueur, PR) and respect his decision to try to write a novel in each genre but this cosmic horror (?) just wasn't for me.
There's no real goal or objective for the protagonists to work towards. They just bumble along through life in their semi-medieval dystopia. Plenty of stuff happens but I was never invested in it. Even with the "mystery" somewhat solved by the end I'm still not sure who to care for. Then again, people love Warhammer 40k where every faction is bleak and horrific so maybe it's just not my cup of tea.
The characters were well written and had decent depth. The setting was somewhat well described. The plot made sense even if it was dull. The narration was good.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this and I won't read the sequel but I will come back when this author tries something else. His writing is very good even if I didn't love the story this time.
April 5, 2024
It was one of the best novels of Durand, and I would have like it more but, for me at least, an author need to have a greater skill in evocative environment and dialogue to make the gorefest, semibetrayal stories become something than the first shocking scenes and Durand almost but no quite gets it.
The story, removing the constant murder and spooky vibes, its your typicial story of the heir apparent send to a magical school along with some detective work. There is nothing new and nothing that its used is done more than serviciable, but its enjoyable and it left me wanting to read the next installment.
Plust one star because there was no forced wittiness or "comedy" in the form of memes or quotes. If Perfect run had the same care and tone (but not the setting or spooooky vibes) that book would have been 5 stars.
The story, removing the constant murder and spooky vibes, its your typicial story of the heir apparent send to a magical school along with some detective work. There is nothing new and nothing that its used is done more than serviciable, but its enjoyable and it left me wanting to read the next installment.
Plust one star because there was no forced wittiness or "comedy" in the form of memes or quotes. If Perfect run had the same care and tone (but not the setting or spooooky vibes) that book would have been 5 stars.
September 20, 2022
Maxime Durand is one of my recent favorites authors. Still this story and the style used really don't fill my cup. I've dropped the book half-way after struggling with it for days.
This story feels like a detective-noir magic-college enrollment adventure centered around solving the mystery of the main protagonist's origins and powers. There are some interesting applications of magic (pictomancy, biomancy, elemancy, necromancy, etc) but there are little to no action scenes (in the first half at least).
The world and its lore are rather well written, but I felt it lacked essence. It was like staring at a beautiful looking painting, but seeing only a very common theme and very basic elements. I didn't have the patience to finish the book to find out if there's an extraordinary ending to compensate.
I love the intricate story and the group dynamic from "the perfect run" series, and the goofy yet strong characters and powers from "Vainqueur", as well as most actions scenes throughout. I found none of that here.
Not my cup of tea, won't continue the series.
This story feels like a detective-noir magic-college enrollment adventure centered around solving the mystery of the main protagonist's origins and powers. There are some interesting applications of magic (pictomancy, biomancy, elemancy, necromancy, etc) but there are little to no action scenes (in the first half at least).
The world and its lore are rather well written, but I felt it lacked essence. It was like staring at a beautiful looking painting, but seeing only a very common theme and very basic elements. I didn't have the patience to finish the book to find out if there's an extraordinary ending to compensate.
I love the intricate story and the group dynamic from "the perfect run" series, and the goofy yet strong characters and powers from "Vainqueur", as well as most actions scenes throughout. I found none of that here.
Not my cup of tea, won't continue the series.
October 29, 2022
The best word I can use to describe this read is, well, interesting. The world and concept were fascinating, but I felt it could use more world building to really draw me in. The characters were good - but they needed to be a bit more fleshed out to be great. There's a lot happening in this book, and at times it felt like maybe it was going to be too much, but the author did a wonderful job at keeping the storyline moving forward. It's my first time reading anything by the author, but I see a lot of potential, and can understand why there is a solid following. 3 solid stars.
April 16, 2023
This was much different in comparison to Maxime’s other works. Those were very light hearted and funny, while this was much more serious and dark at times. Those while all of the took place originally on RoyalRoad, this one didn’t have the web serial / slice of life feel that the others had.
This had a very well thought out story, plot, and world building that was deep and intriguing. I loved how refreshing this was, even though in general I am not a huge fan of darker stories. Not that it was super dark or anything, don’t get me wrong.
This had a very well thought out story, plot, and world building that was deep and intriguing. I loved how refreshing this was, even though in general I am not a huge fan of darker stories. Not that it was super dark or anything, don’t get me wrong.
September 12, 2022
Spent five hours listening to the audio book before giving up.
The world building was OK. Not 'omg' but OK.
The characters? If the author suddenly had the characters killed in brutal ways, it wouldn't have triggered a flicker of emotion. The characters were just that flat. Uninteresting.
If you don't like the MC and give any sort of crap as to what happens to them, why keep reading?
The world building was OK. Not 'omg' but OK.
The characters? If the author suddenly had the characters killed in brutal ways, it wouldn't have triggered a flicker of emotion. The characters were just that flat. Uninteresting.
If you don't like the MC and give any sort of crap as to what happens to them, why keep reading?
October 20, 2022
I didn’t finish
Not because it’s bad. It’s quite good. There’s a lot happening right from the start and it’s very imaginative.
It just wasn’t keeping my attention. And I don’t know why.
I kept thinking about other books I had just read, or playing mobile games instead of reading. I’ve read two other books since starting this one.
I have to throw in the towel. Other books are again calling me. But I can’t point to anything that makes this *bad*.
DNF
Not because it’s bad. It’s quite good. There’s a lot happening right from the start and it’s very imaginative.
It just wasn’t keeping my attention. And I don’t know why.
I kept thinking about other books I had just read, or playing mobile games instead of reading. I’ve read two other books since starting this one.
I have to throw in the towel. Other books are again calling me. But I can’t point to anything that makes this *bad*.
DNF
October 23, 2022
4.5 stars because it could have been longer. I really love this series already. The world-building, the character-building, and the relationships are all top-notch. The mysteries in it make me hyped for the next in the series. This book has it all, a very interesting world with mysteries to solve and enemies to fight. The overall mystery surrounding the MC is a big part of it all, but that's not all the side character's a pretty interesting on their own as well.
May 25, 2022
Void is a brilliant writer and this is my second book from him on dark fantasy/magic genre.
The bits work great and I have deep interest in Eldritch Lovecraftian tales so I was interested in some sections.
However, the book can be tiring/unappealing at times and it is best that Void ended it short.
It is best to cut your losses short when you don't have a working plan.
The bits work great and I have deep interest in Eldritch Lovecraftian tales so I was interested in some sections.
However, the book can be tiring/unappealing at times and it is best that Void ended it short.
It is best to cut your losses short when you don't have a working plan.
September 12, 2022
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Engaging fantasy with an amazing cast of characters. Sorcerers, elves and dark lords all play their parts. Valdemar dreams of returning to the earth's surface, finding it difficult to do so. A little predictable and difficult to get into at the start, but if fantasy is your thing, worth the read.
Engaging fantasy with an amazing cast of characters. Sorcerers, elves and dark lords all play their parts. Valdemar dreams of returning to the earth's surface, finding it difficult to do so. A little predictable and difficult to get into at the start, but if fantasy is your thing, worth the read.
September 14, 2022
Fascinating world of darkness and magic.
Really interesting read. The author has created a world where the grisly, eldritch and macabre is somehow day to day. My imagination was certainly captured by that, and the characters are similarly well constructed. Definitely worth a read, though you wouldn't want to have a squeamish imagination.
Really interesting read. The author has created a world where the grisly, eldritch and macabre is somehow day to day. My imagination was certainly captured by that, and the characters are similarly well constructed. Definitely worth a read, though you wouldn't want to have a squeamish imagination.
September 15, 2022
Fast appreciating this author. This book was interesting and took elements from many aspects of other genres out there that I enjoy and melded them nicely into a captivating story. I loved the ending and am so looking forward to the next instalment.
September 18, 2022
Seriously?! Another one!?
Author, how many books of yours must I obsess over?
This was a very good book. The imagery and setting of the story was top notch! The characters were believable and competent. And the lore astounding! I will absolutely read book 2.
Author, how many books of yours must I obsess over?
This was a very good book. The imagery and setting of the story was top notch! The characters were believable and competent. And the lore astounding! I will absolutely read book 2.
September 25, 2022
READ.THIS.BOOK
For the love of the Blood, and all that is and isn’t , read this book !
If we are lucky and enough people do it , the authors may even punk out the next ones faster !
For the love of the Blood, and all that is and isn’t , read this book !
If we are lucky and enough people do it , the authors may even punk out the next ones faster !
June 19, 2023
I thought this was well written with interesting ideas. Was dark fantasy with a necromancer MC so I figured I'd love it. Still will try anything Maxime J. Durand writes as I find them creative and Perfect Run was a masterpiece
November 28, 2023
Overall, it held my interest and I'm willing to continue the series. The last series I read from this author was hilarious, and that's what I was hoping for more of. This was not particularly light hearted or funny. And the ending was quite abrupt.
September 12, 2022
Excellent!
Amazing world building!
What a strange and interesting story, very unique with lots of surprises. So many unknowns. Lots of action! Great read.
Amazing world building!
What a strange and interesting story, very unique with lots of surprises. So many unknowns. Lots of action! Great read.
October 1, 2022
Into Madness
Let’s all be honest the finale 2 pages made this book a gem of a find for every reading like a good cosmic horror/ dark fantasy types stories.
Let’s all be honest the finale 2 pages made this book a gem of a find for every reading like a good cosmic horror/ dark fantasy types stories.
October 2, 2022
Really enjoyed this one. Lots of Drizzt vides and feels inspired by the Drow.
April 11, 2023
It was a good book, but not what I was looking for. Pretty dark, but very interesting. Fully realized characters.
April 13, 2023
This was really good. A creative world with an MC who wants to build a gate to Earth, which he only heard stories about, joins a Lich Lord to figure out his destiny. I think it was free on Audible.
April 19, 2023
This book is difficult to review. Some parts are 3 stars, some parts 4 stars, and some 5. So, lets give it a solid 4. Interesting concept and well written. I would recommend this book.
September 30, 2023
7.5/10
October 7, 2023
DNF 10%, bored. Another fantasy school novel with adult students.
October 8, 2023
Pretty good horror fantasy about a Frenchman trying to convince people to visit France.
dnf
April 10, 2025Characters were so nothing that I just couldn’t.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews