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Dawn of Eternity: Arising
Dawn of Eternity: Arising is the first. It is the beginning. It is the seed of it all.
It is a story that started a long time ago, and perhaps like the vampire, has an immortal soul that will live forever. It is the story of friends fighting against a true darkness, a tale that seeks to invert the ideas of good and evil, and reconnect with the magick in the world we have forgotten.
Van Morgue, an orphan raised by those who now seek to dominate all life on Earth, is given the chance to be the person he always knew he was; something which his soul has always held onto. However, a deeper truth will begin to quickly unravel as unexpected allies must see reason to stand side by side.
In Arising, we witness the start of a journey that will not only take the main characters, but the friends they make in the process, into the darkness that is growing upon the world: the Farothers.
It is in this new struggle that Morgue finds himself, fighting to learn who he has become, and who he must be-by choice or destiny.
It is a story that started a long time ago, and perhaps like the vampire, has an immortal soul that will live forever. It is the story of friends fighting against a true darkness, a tale that seeks to invert the ideas of good and evil, and reconnect with the magick in the world we have forgotten.
Van Morgue, an orphan raised by those who now seek to dominate all life on Earth, is given the chance to be the person he always knew he was; something which his soul has always held onto. However, a deeper truth will begin to quickly unravel as unexpected allies must see reason to stand side by side.
In Arising, we witness the start of a journey that will not only take the main characters, but the friends they make in the process, into the darkness that is growing upon the world: the Farothers.
It is in this new struggle that Morgue finds himself, fighting to learn who he has become, and who he must be-by choice or destiny.
102 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 10, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 18, 2019
When Morgue sets out on a routine journey to slay just another vampire, he cannot envision the turn of fate that will convert him into that he has always hunted.
Lees does well in weaving a tale of fantasy embroidered on a backdrop of a dark, medieval Europe, blending things both nightmarish and hauntingly familiar with deftness. Arising—as the title suggests—is the first in the Dawn of Eternity series and does what all good first instalments should: lays a background, introduces key characters, gives us a twist, throws us into a conflict and then leaves us wondering what will happen next.
A note of mention is Lees’ prose which I found playful and at times philosophical; I can tell the writer thinks deeply about his words and bringing environments to life.
Perhaps the element I enjoyed the most is that the ‘enemy’ is all too familiar and draws many parallels with something that exists within our own world, adding a sinister weight to proceedings. Despite this darkness however, I was also surprised to find lighter elements of romance and some comic moments which worked well in deepening the bonds between the characters.
I would have liked to have delved a bit deeper into Morgue’s character; we know little about his upbringing and past hunting exploits, save some tantalising hints, such as where he was found and who reared him. I suppose that further enlightenment will come in future instalments. His character promises to have as colourful a history as his future looks set to be!
In conclusion, I enjoyed this book and will certainly continue to follow Morgue’s tale. The parts that worked well truly satisfied, and those which seemed to fall short did a good job in leaving me wanting to find out more. For someone whose forays into the worlds of vampires and werewolves had been little more than Dusk til Dawn and American Werewolf in London, this is a big compliment, and I look forward to hearing more from Mr. Lees in the future!
Lees does well in weaving a tale of fantasy embroidered on a backdrop of a dark, medieval Europe, blending things both nightmarish and hauntingly familiar with deftness. Arising—as the title suggests—is the first in the Dawn of Eternity series and does what all good first instalments should: lays a background, introduces key characters, gives us a twist, throws us into a conflict and then leaves us wondering what will happen next.
A note of mention is Lees’ prose which I found playful and at times philosophical; I can tell the writer thinks deeply about his words and bringing environments to life.
Perhaps the element I enjoyed the most is that the ‘enemy’ is all too familiar and draws many parallels with something that exists within our own world, adding a sinister weight to proceedings. Despite this darkness however, I was also surprised to find lighter elements of romance and some comic moments which worked well in deepening the bonds between the characters.
I would have liked to have delved a bit deeper into Morgue’s character; we know little about his upbringing and past hunting exploits, save some tantalising hints, such as where he was found and who reared him. I suppose that further enlightenment will come in future instalments. His character promises to have as colourful a history as his future looks set to be!
In conclusion, I enjoyed this book and will certainly continue to follow Morgue’s tale. The parts that worked well truly satisfied, and those which seemed to fall short did a good job in leaving me wanting to find out more. For someone whose forays into the worlds of vampires and werewolves had been little more than Dusk til Dawn and American Werewolf in London, this is a big compliment, and I look forward to hearing more from Mr. Lees in the future!
December 30, 2021
Van Morgue is a monster slayer. He's apparently very good at it, getting his targets from afar and going to do so without much question. Yet he is sent to slay the vampire Tanith and cannot, deciding instead to take the opportunity to become one of his former prey. Morgue then finds himself in the middle of a war he hadn't been aware was coming, learning more about the creatures he was sent to kill in the past as he moves along.
I have a very hard time figuring out how I want to explain this book. I suppose I should start with this: it is too short. Too short for everything that happens in it. Too short for the amount of characters involved that we are supposed to get to know. Too short for the developments, both interpersonal and not, which happened both too slowly and at a rapid pace.
There is a good story under here. At least, one I think I would be really interested in if done differently. But there are extended paragraphs describing the environment (a lot of comparing the moon or the darkness to something else, too much for my taste), yet not enough accurately describing the passage of time. It was hard for me to tell how much time was supposed to have gone on between the beginning of the story and every other movement of the characters. Eventually I realized a lot of time must have passed, but only because of mentions of how Morgue viewed other characters now. Specifically through another comparison moment.
This story is very plot based and the characters there could have been anything, because there was never enough time with the characters themselves to have them be more than the name and the label of their race or profession. The exception being Tanith, which the characters in the first half of the book spend a lot of time praising for things we do not really get to see her do. We hear about her curiosity (which in her flashback, she of course has), but we don't really see her do anything to further prove that until later in the book, at which point Morgue is apparently well aware of this character trait the reader hasn't been given the privilege of.
This book feels like someone has cut out very important swatches of it, that if those passages were returned I would finally be allowed in. Until then I am trapped on the outside of a premise which sounds interesting and totally up my alley, wishing for more. Not more books, as the book does end on more excitement instead of resolution, but more of this book.
I give this book a two out of five. I couldn't tell myself to TDR it, hoping something would finally fall together, but in the end I am left disappointed by a story which promised me so much more.
I have a very hard time figuring out how I want to explain this book. I suppose I should start with this: it is too short. Too short for everything that happens in it. Too short for the amount of characters involved that we are supposed to get to know. Too short for the developments, both interpersonal and not, which happened both too slowly and at a rapid pace.
There is a good story under here. At least, one I think I would be really interested in if done differently. But there are extended paragraphs describing the environment (a lot of comparing the moon or the darkness to something else, too much for my taste), yet not enough accurately describing the passage of time. It was hard for me to tell how much time was supposed to have gone on between the beginning of the story and every other movement of the characters. Eventually I realized a lot of time must have passed, but only because of mentions of how Morgue viewed other characters now. Specifically through another comparison moment.
This story is very plot based and the characters there could have been anything, because there was never enough time with the characters themselves to have them be more than the name and the label of their race or profession. The exception being Tanith, which the characters in the first half of the book spend a lot of time praising for things we do not really get to see her do. We hear about her curiosity (which in her flashback, she of course has), but we don't really see her do anything to further prove that until later in the book, at which point Morgue is apparently well aware of this character trait the reader hasn't been given the privilege of.
This book feels like someone has cut out very important swatches of it, that if those passages were returned I would finally be allowed in. Until then I am trapped on the outside of a premise which sounds interesting and totally up my alley, wishing for more. Not more books, as the book does end on more excitement instead of resolution, but more of this book.
I give this book a two out of five. I couldn't tell myself to TDR it, hoping something would finally fall together, but in the end I am left disappointed by a story which promised me so much more.
February 26, 2021
An interesting trip
It's not my favourite genre, but I liked some of the poetry throughout the book, the humorous bits and the world building, especially the cosy feeling.
It's not my favourite genre, but I liked some of the poetry throughout the book, the humorous bits and the world building, especially the cosy feeling.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews