Eleventh Cycle (1) (Mistland)

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Somewhere among the tallied days was the first of them all, the day where I felt so withered and my heart was like a distant thrum, my breath so ragged that it stumbled over itself. At the end of the day, Eleventh Cycle is an exceptional character-focused fantasy novel about hope, fear, compassion, rage, will, and humanity. At least for the most part, there were some threads like the Forgotten that seemed to have a lot of potential at the beginning of the book, but then seemed to be lost in the rest of what was happening – now maybe it will have more focus in later books, but it felt as though it was being shown as something that was going to have more of an impact and it was a little disappointing to see that thread vanish.

There was a part in the foreword that notes these events, but says that it was for a purpose, but for me, those particular elements didn’t serve a purpose – as I explained when talking about Nora. In fact, it felt to me that we saw her interact more with the others in that group, so that connection with the loss wasn’t there. Not so much the unrelenting dark, or the wounds inflicted by this world and the worst (and even the best intending) of its denizens, although there were a few places where it felt like fault lines were being inflicted on characters that were already shattered glass. The worldbuilding is definitely aided by epigraphs at the beginning of every chapter that dive into the history and cosmology of this world’s inhabitants, but even just subtle character interactions and behaviors exhibit clear and deep cultural backgrounds.There is so much potential in this book, and it has some of the most spectacular worldbuilding, but it turned out not to be the book for me. The grand house, the eyes, the pillar upon which we stand as I am known to be your son first and general second. Haar manipulation was one I wanted to see more of, as we got glimpses of what it could do, but also how it was counterbalanced by the danger of Haar let loose (and I do love that there was that consequence – give me all the magic with risks and costs involved), and colour/ink magic was more talked about than really experienced in this book. And ever since I got the ARC two months ago, I have been inching to read this novel but decided to hold it off until January because my instinct says I would love this one, and I wanted to start my year with terrific books.

However, I will say here and now, while this book is fantastic, and I loved it, and will be reading the sequel – do read the warnings before you embark.There is something universal about the desire to fit in, and his struggles to find his place in Akar society – especially with the split between those in the settlement where he grew up, and those who were gathering as an enemy – were one that resonated. But, for the weight of what the Seed needed to learn, it didn’t feel like it was matched by what was given on the page. Give me all the poetic writing, the descriptions that can be more ethereal than anything else, that is trying to touch on something that isn’t necessarily intended to be contained by words. I think another reason for that, is we see Dalila reconnect briefly with others who witnessed that death, and in those moments, it felt like the impact of that loss slipped away.

But the main POV characters don’t actually fall into the morally grey or villainous characters often discovered in grimdark fantasy. Or maybe akar (a race born from the end of the 6th cycle with large charcoal-hued bodies and monstrous strength), giant flying stingray (like in Demon's Souls), and so many more. ELEVENTH CYCLE is a book that can horrify you one minute and then touch every heartstring in your being the next. The present is very much built upon the past, and the future is being shaped by the present, which not only gave the world itself an organic feeling, but it raised the stakes because it meant that was what was happening now on these pages was going to be like a stone in a lake, the effects rippling outwards.There were long stretches of the book where nothing new was happening, or where we were covering stretches of time that retread plot points and characters arcs that we had already covered. And along the way you will be treated to some outstanding worldbuilding, egotistical gods, magical creatures born of nightmares, and some of the very best writing out there.

If you are in a dark place or have personal experience with the trigger issues noted, do pause to consider how reading this content will make you feel before reading. With the existence of Elder Kings, Elder Guards (the one in the cover art), and the unstoppable rot, it is understandable why readers/gamers might think that. Ardalan painted each character with immense care and depth, which definitely helped me keep turning the pages. Despite his teacher’s warnings, Kian decided to lean into that realm and now invites others to also explore these vibrant (and perhaps worrying) reflections of his own psyche.This book got put onto my radar when I was told that it was a grimdark in the vein of Dark Souls - I've never read a book with that connection before which intrigued me. I can say for certain that Eleventh Cycle won't be for everyone but if you like a compelling story with less than perfect character that feel real, set in a cruel and unforgiving world, where sometimes hope is hard to find, this book is definitely for you. The author does a good job of giving you all the information you need to enjoy the scenes as you get to them and learn naturally about the places, people and lore as the novel progresses. The story itself begins as fragments told from these multiple perspectives, allowing us to build emotional connections to each of the individual characters before their plot lines eventually intersect.