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Dream of Legends (Fires of Eden #2)

by Stephen Zimmer (Goodreads Author), Karen Leet, Matthew Perry (Goodreads Author)

4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 · rating details · 13 ratings · 9 reviews

Dream of legends, and soar across the world of Ave! For Janus and the other exiles from a modern world, finding themselves in the fantastical lands of Ave was just the beginning. The assault upon the Kingdom of Saxany and the tribes of the Five Realms ignites, as the eyes of The Unifier turn southward, across the seas towards faraway Midragard. A desperate, dangerous time...more

Paperback, 746 pages

Published December 8th 2010 by Seventh Star Press, LLC

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Jun 11, 2012 edifanob rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-books, 2011-reads

What a book!
A moderate beginning followed by a middle part where I thought I will get lost in information. I read a lot of pages twice or thrice because I was afraid to miss something. I changed my reading habit a bit after an email exchange with author Stephen Zimmer. The end of the book (the last quarter) turned to be like the first book in the series which I liked a lot.
After the promising end I look forward to read book three in the series.

Read my full review over at Edi's Book Lighthouse.

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Nov 29, 2012 Ryan Thomason rated it 5 of 5 stars

It’s not very often that I’ve been tackling book reviews lately. Especially massive volumes that could be used as a bludgeoning device. I spent the last couple of months squeezing in time to read Dream of Legends by Stephen Zimmer whenever I could. I was justly rewarded with a world and story that is on par with some of my favorite epic fantasy writers of all time.

Dream of Legends is the second book in the Fires in Eden series, you can see my thoughts on the first book Crown of Vengeance. Where...more It’s not very often that I’ve been tackling book reviews lately. Especially massive volumes that could be used as a bludgeoning device. I spent the last couple of months squeezing in time to read Dream of Legends by Stephen Zimmer whenever I could. I was justly rewarded with a world and story that is on par with some of my favorite epic fantasy writers of all time.

Dream of Legends is the second book in the Fires in Eden series, you can see my thoughts on the first book Crown of Vengeance. Where the first book took the unknowing characters from our world with the mist that seem to serve as a transportation device. That book was heavy on the Earth characters that had been transported to the world of Ave. The Point of Views (POV) were a large focus on those characters from our timeline. In Dream of Legends we get a focus on the POV of the inhabitants that played small parts in the first book. While I was craving to find out what was going to happen next to my worldly kin tossed into Ave, I found myself being even more excited to read about characters such as Gunther the Woodsman, Dragol the Trogan skyrider, and the character I found myself surprised in being one of my favorites, Wulfstan. That Saxon bastard won over my heart when he was finally given a chance to shine toward the end of the book.

And holy crap what a way to close out the book. Obviously I’m going to keep it spoiler free. But as I was nearing the end, and as each POV was being wrapped up for the book, I found myself almost feeling a tinge of excitement and sadness to see where they were going to be left off. Wulfstan of course, is now the king bad-ass in my book.

In true epic fantasy fashion, Zimmer has created a gigantic world full of crazy races of beings, gigantic battles (especially in the war for Saxony) and a cast of characters that you find yourself getting attached to. His writing style is highly descriptive to such a degree that on numerous accounts of reading before bed I found myself having vivid dreams from pages I had just read. I’ve said it numerous times, and I’ll say it again, Stephen Zimmer is a top tier author that is within reach of breaking out. If you’re a fan of Tolkien and R.R. Martin, you’ll find the world of Ave and the Fires in Eden series right up your alley. I love titanic struggles of Good Vs Evil locked in dreary battlefields on such a scale that it could be mind boggling. Armies that have swelled into the realm of batshit crazy amounts of participants are detailed on both sides, as well as the grizzly struggle as the wars rage on against the Unifier. Stephen isn’t a total blood-letter though, especially in concern to the Main POV characters. Though, I’ll completely understand if he starts a bloodbath to trim down the character POV list in his next book, especially with the stage set at the end of Dream of Legends.

Read this book, read Crown of Vengence if you want to start the series, but by all means, just start reading, it’s a glorious ride, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next.

This book is available in Print at your local bookstore (or make them order it), ebook (Kindle and Nook), or straight from the publishers website. There now you have no reason not to buy.(less)

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Sep 23, 2011 Daniel Cann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Book two of ‘The Fires in Eden’ series finds Janus and the other ‘exiles’ (people from our world) learning more about the fantastical realm of Ave.

Unfortunately they have arrived at a time of great unrest and conflict. The assault upon the Kingdom of Saxany and the tribes of the Five Realms ignites as the Unifier’s gaze turns southward across the seas to the faraway lands of Midragard. These are desperate and dangerous times for everyone with war inevitable. It will take all the guile, skill an...more Book two of ‘The Fires in Eden’ series finds Janus and the other ‘exiles’ (people from our world) learning more about the fantastical realm of Ave.

Unfortunately they have arrived at a time of great unrest and conflict. The assault upon the Kingdom of Saxany and the tribes of the Five Realms ignites as the Unifier’s gaze turns southward across the seas to the faraway lands of Midragard. These are desperate and dangerous times for everyone with war inevitable. It will take all the guile, skill and courage of everyone to survive.

Anyone familiar with Zimmer’s work will know that he writes people exceptionally well, no matter what world or realm they are from!

There is a palpable sense of fear and anxiety early in the book and the reader is reminded that everyone has been taken out of their comfort zone. All the usual elements are present: fantastic creatures, frenetic action, desperation, courage and resolve.

Driving the plot is the truly menacing and Machiavellian Unifier. Here is a villain who knows how to pull the strings and manipulate people to get his own way. Everything he does is under the guise of being for ‘the good of everyone’ but really his actions mask his true self-serving evil motives and desires.

I found myself immediately drawn into the Saxan struggle as they attempt to repel the invasion of their land and make a bold stand against overwhelming odds. Also the plight and continued stalwart struggle of the people of the Five Realms engages and keeps the pages turning.

Despite being set in a fantasy world there are plenty of universal themes explored and whether it is a human from our world or an inhabitant of Ave the thoughts and emotions of its characters will resonate with readers.

‘Dream of Legends’ manages to expand and enhance on the first book with the action taking place on the ground, in the air, on the seas and even in a subterranean world where giant grey skinned beings known as the Unguhur live. We also meet the seafaring people the Midragardians and importantly the exiles learn more about their place in the greater scheme of things.

If ‘Crown of Vengeance’ was about the exiles then this entry is very much about the inhabitants of Ave, particularly their struggle for freedom. Hefty at over 700 pages long, but ultimately rewarding, this epic and ambitious Fantasy adventure will appeal to anyone who enjoys reading of bravery and heroism in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds. I am certain that this entry will continue to enthral its fans. Bring on book three!
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May 07, 2011 Èmina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

First of all this is not really a review...I have never written a review before so I don't think this will end up as anything like a real review should look like...however I love to read them. So why did I suddenly want to write anything? Well I like this book and the previous one in this series...they are huge and I spent a lot of time on reading them and trying to remember everything and keep up with the information given to me in this book. So after all that time and energy spent I came to ca...more

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Feb 11, 2011 William Bentrim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dream of legends by Stephen Zimmer

This is book two of the Fires in Eden series. Forces of the good All Father are facing the Unifiers dreaded minions. Help from a surprising source provides hope and leads to the next book in the series.

Stephen Zimmer is crafting an epic fantasy. The book is practically overwhelming in its scope and detail. I found it difficult to keep track of the good guys and bad guys. Zimmer does a very good job showing that opponents are not necessarily evil. Zimmer colorfu...more

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Apr 14, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-or-review-copy, epic-fantasy, read-in-2011

Dream of Legends is the second installment of an epic fantasy series. This book is highly character driven, filled with rich (and sometimes mind-boggling) details, accented by a nicely paced plot and intriguing developments.

To read my full review, go here:

http://bookwormblues.blogspot.com/201...

1 like · like · see review

Jun 27, 2011 Rob rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: random-comments-review

...While Zimmer improves in some areas, most notably the tighter focus on a more limited group of characters, the novel suffers enormously from overly detailed descriptions and long and repetitive interior monologues. It simply stifles the progress of the plot to the point where large sections of the book stall completely. I'm used to reading big books and consider myself a fairly patient reader (I rarely put a book down once I start reading it) but the temptation to skim sections of this novel...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Robin Blankenship rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love entering the world Stephen Zimmer has created. It is amazing. The depth of characters and details of the world. I find it hard to talk about his books cause everything is so woven together I am so afraid of letting spoilers slip. But this is a great fantasy read. I look forward to venturing into this world again soon.

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Nov 30, 2012 Alis Bookshelf rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-books-from-authors-publisher

Review Coming Soon!!!

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May 23, 2013 Lauren marked it as to-read

Shelves: ebook, z-books

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Apr 03, 2013 Kirk rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Shelves: library

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Shelves: ebook, epic-fantasy, fiction, fantasy, indie, won-in-giveaway

Mar 25, 2012 Kirk Stevens rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Nov 20, 2011 Netanella marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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About Stephen Zimmer

Born in Denver Colorado in 1974, Stephen Zimmer is an author and filmmaker currently residing in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Exodus Gate, the first book in the Rising Dawn Saga, was Stephen's debut novel, published through Seventh Star Press.

Stephen's independent films as a writer/director include the indie feature Shadows Light (Modern Fantasy/Supernatural Thriller) and the horror short film The Sir...more

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Books by Stephen Zimmer

The Storm Guardians (The Rising Dawn Saga, #2)

The Seventh Throne (The Rising Dawn Saga, #3)

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“Already he had achieved a tremendous success, as the great wings of an Elder had lifted him above the impossible, and were carrying him ever closer to the possible.” — 1 person liked it

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Dream of Legends (Fires of Eden #2)

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