Book Review: The Dreams of Demhe by Joseph Sale
Title: The Dreams of Demhe (Lost Carcosa Book Three)
Author: Joseph Sale
Release date: May 8th, 2024
*Huge thanks to Joseph Sale for sending me a digital ARC!*
Apologies, first off, to Joseph. He sent me a digital ARC a while back, but between the number of books I’ve been reading and the diminished reading time I have currently with summer in full effect, I simply didn’t get to this one until now.
I honestly can’t think of a current, modern-day author who is as ambitious as Joseph Sale. Don’t believe me? Or rather, you’ll throw out fantasy writers who write 1,000 page books and put out one every five years. Sale has created wholly unique worlds while also creating interconnected mythology and released epic-poems and developed characters so deep, you can practically see each of the pores on their skin. And then. And then he goes and decides to tackle the King in Yellow mythology. This is book three of his Lost Carcosa series and judging from the build up of books one and two and what we encounter in book three, he’s just getting started. These books fully lean into the erotic-horror side of things, and not so much the fantasy aspect, but Sale still tells us this tale of yearning, love, seeking and whimsical friendships all buried in the rotting corpses of the darkest, most brutal prose that Barker himself ever conceived. In fact, many moments in here will have you wondering if The Hellbound Heart itself was a PG13 read when compared to the onslaught of brutality Joseph unleashes.
And, as this is book three, if you’ve not read the first two, tread carefully going forward, as I’ll try and stay spoiler free, but can’t guarantee that for books one and two.
What I liked: Picking up after the events in book two, we find Alan, the princess and his lover, Cassilda, LeBarron, Petruccio, and Roland in pursuit of Cali, wanting to put an ending to her betrayal once and for all.
Sale’s set things up nicely at this point. We know somethings off with Alan, that he’s beginning to question who he is and where he’s from. We know that the Claw that has taken over his hand speaks to him, wanting him to do unto others horrible things. And we know that Petruccio still is seeking the pigment that creates all.
The majority of the book takes place with the group dealing with dreams and the issues around the dreams there are having as they make their way across the deserts of Demhe.
As this is the third book in the series, we get to see the interpersonal conflict become more of the front and centre aspect, especially as Demhe grabs hold and more of Alan’s history is revealed.
It all leads to the ultimate show down, where Petruccio takes centre stage and his character arc arrives at some answers. It works really well to answer questions, but also ask some that I’m sure book four will address.
What I didn’t like: I found that Cali’s part within this story was minimized compared to the previous two books. Her character is so multi-layered and important to Alan and Cassilda’s narrative, that having her part limited felt like a gap in pushing the narrative forward. Saying that, Sale still does advance Cali’s portion and I’m sure book four will really bring us back around to her role.
Why you should buy this: The scope of these three books is second to none. I know at some point Sale will be doing an omnibus (he’s got a history of them!) and while it’ll probably clock in around 2,000 pages, the reading experience will make you feel like it’s only 200. The prose is silky smooth, the atmosphere heightened and tense, the characters fantastic and engaging and the actual story that Sale is telling is commanding of your attention wholly.
So far, these three books have delivered a bloody mix of action, gore and erotica and throughout every single book, I’ve had a wicked smile on my face.
Now, we patiently wait for the next book in the series.
5/5
