Friday 13 August 2010

Dreams Made Flesh - Book Review


Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop

What is it about:
Set in the realm of The Black Jewels trilogy, this collection features four brand-new revelatory stories of Jaenelle and her kindred.

What did I think of it:
The short stories in this book are best read only if you read the original Black Jewels Trilogy as they fill in some of the blanks. I must say these stories are a lot less gritty and dark than the trilogy (except for one), but I found three of them a joy to read and was happy to find out more about some of the things that were only hinted at in the trilogy. Bishop's writing is excellent and rich as always.

Here's an overview of the stories:

Weaver of Dreams
This story is about the creation of the Jewels and although I loved the richly written text I found the story a bit boring I must confess.

The Prince of Ebon Rih
This story is about how Lucivar finds love.
I really like this one and was glad it was included as I thought Lucivar's marriage was glossed over very hastily in the Trilogy.

Zuulaman
This is the only dark and disturbing story of the four, but I loved it. It gives more insight in Saetan and why he became who and what he is.

Kaeleer's Heart
This is the story about what happens just after the end of the original Trilogy and centers on Jaenelle and Daemon. A great read.

Why should you read it:
If you read and loved The Black Jewels trilogy you will love this book

4 comments:

Aleksandra said...

I haven't read the series, but I added them on my list! All her books sound great :)

Carrie at In the Hammock Blog said...

great review! i haven't read anything by this author yet.

meljean brook said...

I remember not being sure what to expect from this book (I am a HUGE fan of the trilogy) and ended up reading the whole thing in a McDonald's parking lot.

Lucivar's story was my favorite (and remains one of my favorite romantic novellas) but I really enjoyed the peeks into the history of the world in the first novella, and Saetan's personal history.

And because the trilogy ended so abruptly, I loved seeing what happened to Jaenelle's power, and the reason behind it.

Just a winner all around.

Sullivan McPig said...

Lucivar's story is my favourite too, I was really bummed out when in the original trilogy he was suddenly married and it wasn't told how and when.