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Lords of Dyscrasia

S.E. Lindberg

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What Members Thought

Sep 19, 2014 Athena Shardbearer rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Buddy Read with Markus

"Fathered by the He-wasp and by a man who decieved,
Mating the She-bird formerly free,
The gallwraiths and chromantis now fly,
Spewed from Her stone womb,
Wings shrouding all in shadow's hue,
Seeking, ever seeking, their mother
Fevered with dyscrasia,
The gallwraiths and chromantis now sail,
O'er the Land that pitch bleeds,
Feeding on color and beauty,
Seeking comfort through consumption,
Peace through melancholy,
Seeking, ever seeking, their mother"

The one thing that scares me ...more

19 likes · Like · see review

Aug 25, 2020 Jason Koivu rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, fantasy

A very intriguing series beginning! Lords of Dyscrasia by S.E. Lindberg reminds me of a Lovecraft/Moorcock lovechild, a sentence that sounds more profane than intended.

The language is intentionally archaic, setting a tone that marries perfectly with the macabre subject matter of a nobility in the throes of insectine disease. The prose is definitely dense and takes some getting used to. It can slow a reader down, which for me was the book's biggest detraction. One might say it's a distraction, si ...more

16 likes · Like · see review

Sep 20, 2011 S.E. Lindberg added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: sword-and-sorcery, weird-fiction, dyscrasia-fiction, sword-sorcery-group-authors, book-by-selindberg

No rating from me, since I'm the author. I use this platform to communicate that the Lords of Dyscrasia Audiobook (2015) was just released with narration by Englishman Thomas B. Hackett. While I am here, I'll summarize other people's reviews:

"Pulp fantasy for the horror fan!"Looking for unique horror? Beware, Lords of Dyscrasia is dark. How dark? "...This is, without a doubt, the darkest book I've ever read. I don't have any problem with those sorts of things normally, but this was on a whole ot ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Feb 08, 2017 Andrew Weston rated it it was amazing

Know yourself.
Never has a saying been so profoundly true than in one man’s quest to find his place and that special “something” that will bring meaning to his life.
Endenken Lysis is lord of Clan Lysis, inheritor of a proud family lineage that will entail his blending to a godlike creature known as the Muse. Doing so will seal his fate and take away any control he has over his destiny, for only his family stand any hope of ending a blight that destroys the land – Dyscrasia – a disease that warps ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Aug 18, 2013 Periklis rated it really liked it

Shelves: grimdark, sword-n-sorcery, weird-fiction, audiobooks

A truly operatic dark tale in a uniquely structured setting. Illustrations, appendices and maps help unravel the world-building even more. The writing evoked the dreadful beauty and heroic despair, of the Weird Tales authors of Sword & Sorcery, especially Clark Aston Smith. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Apr 24, 2017 Michael Fierce rated it liked it

Shelves: horror, demons-devils, fantasy, lovecraftian, cannibals, sword-and-sorcery, illustrated

3 1/2 stars.

review to come.

5 likes · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2014 Janet E. rated it it was amazing

Lords of Dyscrasia: Darkly bold and literate fantasy -1st in a series

S.E. Lindberg leads us on an amazing adventure into character and danger with his first in a series, "Lords of Dyscrasia." Lindberg's work is dark, violent; sometimes beautiful, sometimes lyrical; always thoughtfully written. For an emerging writer, Lindberg takes many chances, and almost always succeeds. He is a more thoughtful writer than many, exploring the psyches of humans and their gods. Lindberg is a chemist, and in this ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 05, 2015 Katrina rated it it was amazing

This book is not like any other I've read. It's weird and complex and graphic.....Seth Lindberg has an attention to detail that speaks volumes about his chosen profession and skills. You have to pay attention while reading it and for me, it was easier to read it in chunks rather than all the way through.

There is an interesting take on the concept of blood: the power in the blood, power of the blood, the Gods' need of it, and the inheritance that is passed through the blood from one generation to ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

May 18, 2015 Joe Bonadonna rated it really liked it

S.E. Lindberg is an original voice in fantasy. His prose is lush and colorful, and his style leans toward that of classic literature, without being stilted, self-conscious or pretentious. He has a gift for putting words “down on paper” and constructing sentences that flow with a poetic nuance. Lords of Dyscrasia (an abnormal or disordered state of the body or of a bodily part) is touted as “Graphic Sword and Sorcery,” but to me it has more in common with the dark fantasy of Clark Ashton Smith a S.E. Lindberg is an original voice in fantasy. His prose is lush and colorful, and his style leans toward that of classic literature, without being stilted, self-conscious or pretentious. He has a gift for putting words “down on paper” and constructing sentences that flow with a poetic nuance. Lords of Dyscrasia (an abnormal or disordered state of the body or of a bodily part) is touted as “Graphic Sword and Sorcery,” but to me it has more in common with the dark fantasy of Clark Ashton Smith and the gothic tones of Mervyn Peake’s first two Gormenghast books. There is some nice Lovecraftian shading to this novel, as well, with a touch of Edgar Allen Poe to lend it a feverishness of tone, and even a psychedelic flavor in style. While Lindberg channels his influences with a deft hand, he has mapped out a beautifully grotesque world that is truly his own unique creation. This book was described to me as being part of the Grimdark subgenre of dark fantasy, and it is indeed a grim, dark tale.

Lindberg’s “dyscrasia” is a really nasty plague — a disease of the blood that has infected the insectoid and avian elder lords of the Underworld. The disease also affects pregnant human women, who give birth to mutants — hybrids of human and elders — if they don’t die during pregnancy, that is. The lords of the Underworld are also on the verge of extinction: their Queen is dying. In order to save the elders, a golem named Doctor Grave injects the soul of the Queen into the blood of a human aristocrat, Lord Lysis, who then passes her soul onto his descendants. As a result, they can only mate with those who share their blood and the disease.

Now the main character of the story is Lord Endeken, last descendant of Lysis, and he desires to marry a woman who is not of his bloodline. The Picti are Endeken’s people, and they worship the elder gods of the Underworld, but he doesn’t. He refutes his birthright and rebels against the religious practices of his people, which puts the curse of the plague on their realm of Gravenstyne. What happens next is the story of a man whose choices destroy not only his people, but all that he loves and holds dear. Seeking his revenge against gods and shades of the dead, he passes through death and enters the Underworld. And everything revolving around Endeken is orchestrated by the mysterious Doctor Grave, who has his own plans and his own purpose.

This is a complex and well-written novel, very difficult to describe. The settings and the atmosphere are rich in color and texture, and story’s pace is almost relentless: it rushes along like a bullet train, with very few stops along the way. Although Lysis Endeken is the main character, it is the weird and wonderful Doctor Grave who really rises above all others. He is a very cool and unique creation, and I found myself more interested in him than I did for Endeken’s quest and what happened to him along the way. For me, Endeken wasn’t fleshed out enough, and I never felt anything for him, couldn’t relate to him. On the other hand, Doctor Grave emerges as a strong and sympathetic character, and he is far more interesting than Endeken. The golem comes across as being more human than does the human character.

I think what’s missing here are some quieter, more reflective moments. The human drama is often slighted in favor of action scenes and a fast-paced narrative. There is a lack of insightful and character-revealing dialogue, too — dialogue that could convey information and move the story along in ways that exposition can’t always do. I wanted and needed more character interplay, especially between Endeken and his family; so little time is spent with them. I think Lindberg should have gone deeper into their relationships, their lives, and given us a real sense of family so that when events unfold, we really feel for these characters and for Endeken in particular. This is my take on it, at any rate.

That being said, this is still a wondrous reading experience. I believe this is Lindberg’s first novel, and it’s an impressive one. He knows what he’s doing, and I have a feeling that he’s grown as a writer, and has mastered the art of pace, dialogue and character since this book was published four years ago. Lindberg is the real deal, a gifted writer with a strong command of language, and a soaring talent that stretches beyond the verbal: he illustrates his novel with his own wild and weird and excellent drawings. If you like action-packed dark fantasy with bizarre settings, an original premise and clever twist, then add this one to your Must Read List.
...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 13, 2011 Greg rated it liked it

Shelves: horror

There is much that I like about Lords of Dyscrasia. For one thing, I like the author's illustrations, which have a dark and brooding quality to them that matches the narrative. The cover illustration is spectacular in colour and I wonder how some of the book's other illustrations would look this way too (I'm presuming they are all grey-scale versions of original colour works). I also like the appendices, which I didn't realise existed until I came to the end of the book (I read a PDF of the prin ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 14, 2012 Melissa Bryan rated it it was amazing

What a book…if you like dark fantasy and horror you have to read this book. I would call it “Splatter punk” I don’t know if that term is still used anymore but it is what came to mind while I was reading this book…blood, guts, rape, cannibalism, incest, necrophilia, feeding on carrion, torture, and much much more.

Mr. Lindberg has written a well constructed story line one that I enjoyed and not one that I have read before. The book was disturbing at times which I don’t mind but I do not like to r ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 09, 2014 Robin rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

While Lords of Dyscrasia benefits from an extremely original setting and intense, driving action, my enjoyment was hindered by some storytelling issues.

The premise is an interesting one. We're introduced to Endenken Lysis, who rules an unusual tribe afflicted with Dyscrasia, an imbalance of the humors that has resulted in a long history of birth defects and mutations within the society. An epic struggle results when Endenken refuses to play his preordained role in a mystic ritual, instead coming While Lords of Dyscrasia benefits from an extremely original setting and intense, driving action, my enjoyment was hindered by some storytelling issues.

The premise is an interesting one. We're introduced to Endenken Lysis, who rules an unusual tribe afflicted with Dyscrasia, an imbalance of the humors that has resulted in a long history of birth defects and mutations within the society. An epic struggle results when Endenken refuses to play his preordained role in a mystic ritual, instead coming to the aid of a fleeing woman from the outside. Complications ensue and Endenken soon finds himself undead and infused with necromantic magic, caught in a struggle between two ancient divinities.

Rather than high or low fantasy, the book has a particularly mythic feel. There's not much introspection or even dialogue, the bulk of it focuses on the epic deeds of larger than life figures (most undead). The downside to this approach is that it felt like the characters were ciphers. Apart from the immediate aim (e.g., "strike down this enemy"), their overall goals or motives were frequently hard to ascertain.

The setting was very fresh and interesting (some of it reminded me of Tanith Lee, minus the eroticism but with the gruesome dialed to maximum), but likewise rendered in broad strokes. This is seen frequently in the sword & sorcery sub genre, where intriguing names and concepts are touched upon but usually not elaborated in detail. While this is a perfectly valid storytelling approach, the amount of setting-specific jargon in the text left me feeling confused for much of the book. While it was possible to "go with the flow" for most of the narrative, I think the reliance on insufficiently explained terms kept the central plot (including a betrayal by a supporting character) from having the intended impact. When you have two opposing characters spouting bewildering dialog at each other, it's difficult to appreciate the stakes underlying their conflict.

Surprisingly, the book concluded with a detailed glossary and dramatis personae. Tucked away in the back of the ebook, this appendix obviously did me no good while reading the story, but it did manage to clear away a lot of the confusion lingering after the narrative ended. While it would have been nice to know about this glossary before reading the book (the Table of Contents only--unhelpfully--marks this section as an "Index"), it would have been even better if this background had been better incorporated into the text itself as terms are introduced.

Finally, while the action scenes are plentiful and exciting (a blade that slices through bone while leaving flesh intact; how cool is that?), there's an almost comical over-reliance on exclamation points in the second half of the book. The prose was strong enough to stand on its own, the constant exclamation points felt like having somebody poking me at the movie theater, saying "This is the cool part!" every few moments. I can see that it's cool, no need to jab me.

While the storytelling issues hindered my enjoyment of the book, I respect its ambition, originality, and exciting action a great deal. Parts confused and frustrated me, but I was never bored. I think most of my issues can be chalked up to a first-time novelist finding his footing, and look forward to reading the second Dyscrasia novel. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 25, 2018 Chris rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, book-shelf, did-not-finish

I received a copy of this book as GoodReads Giveaway. Unfortunately, I am stopping at page 130.

2 Things I Liked:
- It's a beautiful book, very well done with illustrations throughout. It reminds me of the Del Rey Conan collections.
- Mr. Lindberg has a very vivid imagination. He has created a very detailed world.

2 Things I Didn't Like:
- I found the story hard to follow. The reader is thrown into the middle of this world with very little background information. I had to make frequent use of the app ...more

1 like · Like · see review