Eleventh Cycle (Mistland Book 1)

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It is time for my stop on the Escapist Book Tours Co. book tour of Eleventh Cycle, a big chonky grimdark self-published fantasy book! The prose are trying too hard for their own good and that's not too bad (there are times where I think it aids the atmosphere) but the narrators are trying too hard too. They insert inflections, pauses, and odd emphasis in the worst ways and the end result is that they end up highlighting how hard the prose are trying.

Eleventh Cycle by Kian N. Ardalan BOOK REVIEW: Eleventh Cycle by Kian N. Ardalan

It is in the long span of generations, as we are given glimpses of each pivotal moment in spider evolution, where we begin to see the whole image take shape. The gilgamesh, meanwhile, faces the most nascent challenge since the beginning of human civilisation: themselves.

Read Eleventh Cycle by Kian N Ardalan

A soft and gentle breeze rustled the long field of grass as if grooming it with an invisible tongue. The orange glow of an egg yolk covered it all and the soft touch of grey began to grow like mould over its tapestry.' It's not all this poetic, it finds a warm tonal balance between Sanderson and someone such as Wurts or Rothfuss. The prose only adds to the story, never detracts. when we have moments of wonder the poetic prose is played up, in moments of dialogue and casual scenes it's more workmanlike. But just like this world, it's never anything less than haunting. I'm sure a lot of you have heard of the esteemed Grimdark Magazine in the fantasy community, well recently Eleventh Cycle got a glowing review. I'll post the link and the last few summary lines below By the end I am sure I will need a mountain of tissues! So far it's been a few tears, which is very hard to get from me in a book, and I have been assured by my friends whom have read it, that it only gets more emotional from here on out! I’m coming to this book a bit late, and I have been following the hype for this book for a couple of weeks now. This means that I started this book with very high expectations. I probably over-hyped the book in my own mind a bit too much, which definitely colored my perception of it.

Eleventh Cycle (Mistland): Ardalan, Kian N: 9783200086739

Multiple races are introduced, enemies between them, in wars that only bring destruction and despair to the land; using different 1st person POVs helps transmit how each one of them sees the world. Ardalan uses a really particular style of narration, mixing these 4 main characters narrating from their perspective to a fifth voice written in 3rd when related to the Seed. Minethria was born from Mist, shaped and moulded by the Elder King himself. Many cultures have different names for it. The Bayrish language calls it the Haar, yet the Highers beings name it Nif. Though its shaping comes naturally from the higher being, talented mortals have also shown a proclivity for being able to mould it into equipment or magical objects." Erefiel: A halfblooded warrior, part human, part Zerub (humanoid creations whom have animalistic features to them, for example Erefiel is bird like), he feels caught between the Elders and humanity. A good hearted soul whom often takes 'strays' under his wing, he is a natural leader.Apparently there are 4 or 5 future books planned for the series. I am so excited to see more of this world! Dalila, Nora, Chroma, and Erefiel Numaya are the POV characters. They all feel distinct and are incredibly well written. I could see the outline of a slumbering forest, its silhouette looking much like the curled body of a dreaming giant.'

Eleventh Cycle - Mistland, Book 1, by Kian N. Ardalan Eleventh Cycle - Mistland, Book 1, by Kian N. Ardalan

In addition to the four first-person protagonists, we also read the third-person story of the Eleventh Seed. Despite the glorious prophecies, the Eleventh Seed is just an innocent child trying to understand human emotions and make sense out of this complex, violent world. And in the center of all those stories, there is the Seed, the cause of the prophecies, the perspective that will be told from a third-person standpoint. And despite all that is expected, the Seed is just a child, incapable of understanding human emotions and making sense of this chaotic violent world.There is a steep learning curve in Eleventh Cycle but it’s well worth the time and effort you put in. You might initially feel a little confused or overwhelmed with the character names, places, lore etc, and I think that’s kind of the point! On its own it may not move you to tears as it did I, but within its context this was a heartbreaking line that gave us magnificent insight into this character's inner turmoil, this struggle with this hero complex they have thrust themselves into as a distraction from their grief and trauma. Let's start with the fact that I absolutely loved James' prose. It felt so fitting in the way that it tied the culture of more spiritual folk into the worl 4.5 rounded up.

Eleventh Cycle (Mistland, book 1) by Kian N Ardalan

On the other hand, The Fantastically Underwhelming Epic wonders why the hero of the story always has to be some all-powerful child of prophecy? Why can’t it just be about a clueless, young bard who is simply tryin Kian N. Ardalan was born in Germany, Dusseldorf to Persian parents and has since travelled between so many places that he sees himself as a person of the world; well, with one exception.And now I shall sign off so I can go and read the remaining 42% of the book, but if Dr Mauro's review is anything to go by, this will be an unrelenting emotionally powerful journey all the way through to the gritty end. Probably the most important aspect of all. This is an intensely character driven tale. Now this is not to say the the plot moves like a glacier, it moves at the pace needed for the story, and the raw and real character work keeps us in the meantime. But this is not some kind of 'trauma porn', there is still light and hope in these books. These characters are inherently flawed but good people. They are fiercely loyal, compassionate, trying to do the right thing to survive their way in this miserable world. It has been a thousand years since the last Seed abandoned their duty. The mists are closing in. Finally, the Morning Bell tolls. A new Seed is born, but is it too late? 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. It’s especially rewarding to see how everything comes together in the latter part of the book, as many of the subtle connections become clear. Ardalan also keeps us guessing through a variety of unexpected plot twists.