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Lightblade
One day, Jyosh will climb the heavens and slay a dragon god.
Though nothing could seem less likely for a slave, especially one whose body is too broken to cycle sunshine into destructive magical energy. Until he meets a woman who can secretly teach him the lightblade, an energy sword transmuted from sunlight, capable of changing size, shape, and performing incredible magical feats according to the wielder’s skill level.
Except she only exists in his dreams. Each hour of sleep equals a day in these shared lucid dreams, wherein he must master new lightblade abilities, bond with his teacher and other allies, and gain the fortitude to overcome his weakness and crush his enemies.
When Jyosh awakens to learn that a mysterious lightblade master, who also commands an armada of sky ships, is spreading destruction across the land, he’ll face a trial by fire against forces far more frightening than he could ever dream.
And forged from that fire, a Light Ascendent will rise.
Though nothing could seem less likely for a slave, especially one whose body is too broken to cycle sunshine into destructive magical energy. Until he meets a woman who can secretly teach him the lightblade, an energy sword transmuted from sunlight, capable of changing size, shape, and performing incredible magical feats according to the wielder’s skill level.
Except she only exists in his dreams. Each hour of sleep equals a day in these shared lucid dreams, wherein he must master new lightblade abilities, bond with his teacher and other allies, and gain the fortitude to overcome his weakness and crush his enemies.
When Jyosh awakens to learn that a mysterious lightblade master, who also commands an armada of sky ships, is spreading destruction across the land, he’ll face a trial by fire against forces far more frightening than he could ever dream.
And forged from that fire, a Light Ascendent will rise.
516 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2022
About the author
Zamil Akhtar
8 books402 followersThe Gunmetal Gods Ultimate Collector's Edition is launching from Nov 14 to Dec 5, 2023! Check it out here: https://bit.ly/gunmetalgods
Get your FREE copy of Death Rider, a standalone novella in the Gunmetal Gods series, by joining his mailing list at https://ZamilAkhtar.com
When Zamil was fourteen, he moved from the dry, dune-spotted Arabian peninsula to the hilly, arctic wasteland that is Western Massachusetts. He despises the cold, isn’t very fond of the sun, and prefers spending all day indoors mashing the keyboard in the hopes something great will come of it. When not dreaming up dark and fantastical journeys, he enjoys binging horror movies, wasting precious time arguing about international relations on Reddit, and occasionally traveling somewhere exotic. He currently lives in Dubai with his loving wife and his badly-behaved pet rabbit.
Get your FREE copy of Death Rider, a standalone novella in the Gunmetal Gods series, by joining his mailing list at https://ZamilAkhtar.com
When Zamil was fourteen, he moved from the dry, dune-spotted Arabian peninsula to the hilly, arctic wasteland that is Western Massachusetts. He despises the cold, isn’t very fond of the sun, and prefers spending all day indoors mashing the keyboard in the hopes something great will come of it. When not dreaming up dark and fantastical journeys, he enjoys binging horror movies, wasting precious time arguing about international relations on Reddit, and occasionally traveling somewhere exotic. He currently lives in Dubai with his loving wife and his badly-behaved pet rabbit.
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June 24, 2022My most action packed novel yet. Hope you love it!
May 24, 2022
For more reviews, go to www.wolfmantula.com/book-reviews
Follow me on Twitter @wolfmantula
I RECEIVED AN
ADVANCED READER COPY
PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
IN EXCHANGE FOR
A FAIR AND HONEST REVIEW.
This is a mind-bending progression fantasy adventure work of art. I got some influences from Star Wars, Ready Player 1, Matrix and even Total Recall while I was reading this, and the Star Wars influence is the one that is a lot more clearer than most. On top of that, the influences into Zamil’s culture that he infuses into his stories, the same way he does in his Gunmetal Gods series, to give a great mythology, which is something that I absolutely love. While this might be lighter in tone than GG, because I know I laughed and giggled on many occasions throughout, it still has that same Zamil grit that I’ve come to enjoy. It’s fun and it’s edgy, it’s bloody and it’s going to make your brain work in overdrive!
“Because one day the truth will burn us all. And only those wide awake will see the fire for the fire, and the shade for the shade, and be able to choose their course.”
The cover art is insane and deserves so much love, especially the other cover that you haven’t seen yet! It is absolutely STUNNING! We are always told not to judge a book by its cover, but Zamil throws that out the window and says LOOK AT THIS COVER! LOVE THIS COVER! Even better is that it’s amazing inside and out. There is also a couple more illustrations hidden within to help you see his visions of certain characters. Speaking of characters, this has some really fantastic flawed, morally grey characters, including its protagonist Jyosh, some strong women and some truly epic bad guys. The character development of Jyosh is nothing short of amazing for how much he evolves in just 1 book so far!
“Your life is naught but flower petals blowing in the breeze. A bright flash in a dark sky.”
I thought the story was amazing, and Zamil worked in some really great things that are going to pay off big time later on. The world building was also phenomenal, he painted vivid pictures of dragons, massive buildings, cities and entire worlds! There were so many incredible fights that happened and Zamil did such a great job of giving as much description as possible to see the fights happening in my mind as I read.
“The pen has been lifted and the ink has dried. Your freedom is an illusion.”
Zamil has definitely improved as an author and this series is showing how much flexibility he has with his writing skills by moving out of the GrimDark genre. I absolutely loved this and I have a feeling that this might do quite well in the upcoming SPFBO-8! I can’t wait to see what happens next with Jyosh in book 2.
Follow me on Twitter @wolfmantula
I RECEIVED AN
ADVANCED READER COPY
PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR
IN EXCHANGE FOR
A FAIR AND HONEST REVIEW.
This is a mind-bending progression fantasy adventure work of art. I got some influences from Star Wars, Ready Player 1, Matrix and even Total Recall while I was reading this, and the Star Wars influence is the one that is a lot more clearer than most. On top of that, the influences into Zamil’s culture that he infuses into his stories, the same way he does in his Gunmetal Gods series, to give a great mythology, which is something that I absolutely love. While this might be lighter in tone than GG, because I know I laughed and giggled on many occasions throughout, it still has that same Zamil grit that I’ve come to enjoy. It’s fun and it’s edgy, it’s bloody and it’s going to make your brain work in overdrive!
“Because one day the truth will burn us all. And only those wide awake will see the fire for the fire, and the shade for the shade, and be able to choose their course.”
The cover art is insane and deserves so much love, especially the other cover that you haven’t seen yet! It is absolutely STUNNING! We are always told not to judge a book by its cover, but Zamil throws that out the window and says LOOK AT THIS COVER! LOVE THIS COVER! Even better is that it’s amazing inside and out. There is also a couple more illustrations hidden within to help you see his visions of certain characters. Speaking of characters, this has some really fantastic flawed, morally grey characters, including its protagonist Jyosh, some strong women and some truly epic bad guys. The character development of Jyosh is nothing short of amazing for how much he evolves in just 1 book so far!
“Your life is naught but flower petals blowing in the breeze. A bright flash in a dark sky.”
I thought the story was amazing, and Zamil worked in some really great things that are going to pay off big time later on. The world building was also phenomenal, he painted vivid pictures of dragons, massive buildings, cities and entire worlds! There were so many incredible fights that happened and Zamil did such a great job of giving as much description as possible to see the fights happening in my mind as I read.
“The pen has been lifted and the ink has dried. Your freedom is an illusion.”
Zamil has definitely improved as an author and this series is showing how much flexibility he has with his writing skills by moving out of the GrimDark genre. I absolutely loved this and I have a feeling that this might do quite well in the upcoming SPFBO-8! I can’t wait to see what happens next with Jyosh in book 2.
May 30, 2022
I was given a ARC copy for an honest review from Mr. Zamil himself! I give this
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️stars
“Can we Dream in Living Color”
The source of Magic is through the LIGHTBLADE color
light (red, green..etc to drives their various sorts of magic.
Dreams or Reality ( no this is not virtual and NO Freddy Krueger! Ok….Got that out of the way!!!!)
It’s Trippy at times, found my self re- reading passages just to make sure I read that correctly.
The main protagonist is a slave; and all he has is his dreams and what vivid dreams they are…. A layering set of dreams , …….. if it had a price tag on it you would purchase ( cha- Ching..)…… What!!! …..wait…the book …will be released in June, ……….I guess Dreams do come true! 😙
I had a fun experience with this can’t wait for Book Two
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️stars
“Can we Dream in Living Color”
The source of Magic is through the LIGHTBLADE color
light (red, green..etc to drives their various sorts of magic.
Dreams or Reality ( no this is not virtual and NO Freddy Krueger! Ok….Got that out of the way!!!!)
It’s Trippy at times, found my self re- reading passages just to make sure I read that correctly.
The main protagonist is a slave; and all he has is his dreams and what vivid dreams they are…. A layering set of dreams , …….. if it had a price tag on it you would purchase ( cha- Ching..)…… What!!! …..wait…the book …will be released in June, ……….I guess Dreams do come true! 😙
I had a fun experience with this can’t wait for Book Two
May 5, 2022
Fantastic book! Lightblade is a grand adventure that becomes grander at every turn. Zamil perfectly captures the strangeness of dreams and the waking world is equally fascinating and shrouded in mystery. The world and mythology of Lightblade is compelling and has me thirsting for more!
Lightblade was an enthralling read and difficult to put down. Having finished it, I feel inspired to read it again to shift through the many layers of intrigue.
Lightblade was an enthralling read and difficult to put down. Having finished it, I feel inspired to read it again to shift through the many layers of intrigue.
June 2, 2022
Star wars x the matrix x Inception
In modern fantasy, technology and magic are typically used as a plot device, maybe for social commentary, or sometimes to ask relevant moral questions. But I hardly ever see any fantasy book use technology to question the state of reality itself. In the Lightblade, Zamil has created something truly unique; a fantasy world where the technology is not merely a prop or a plot device but something that is truly mystical, mysterious; something the nature of which the characters themselves are trying to comprehend. Zamil is able to capture a shred of the “unknown” in this wonderful story he is telling; something which most fantasy writers simply seem to ignore.
Zamil creates this sense of mysticism by using a form of technology called “dream stone.” It essentially allows someone to spend time in a dream and each hour in the real world translates to 3 days in the dream. This is the concept he uses to draw inspiration from the likes of Matrix and Inception. Zamil questions the very nature of reality and what it means to truly be alive by using dreams as his medium of exposition.
Zamil uses a first person perspective in this book to build mystery and intrigue regarding the world he is setting the story in. The reason it works so well is because the characters know very little about the nature of the world as well. This results in the characters and the readers finding information at the same time which this creates tension and this tension is used in a fantastic storytelling tool all throughout the book. Due to the narrative style, we get to experience the confusion the characters go through when certain revelations happen and exactly how they feel at specific points of the story. We see how they grow and their beliefs and personality change and it is truly a sight to behold.
Because of the aforementioned narrative choice, there is never a dull moment in the story. For a large portion of the book, the readers and the characters alike are trying to find out what is happening. Once we think we have figured it out, Zamil introduces a new concept that completely contradicts any preconceived notions the characters might have had. He uses subversion masterfully in this book and that keeps the pacing going very fast all throughout the book. He uses the tropes people have come to expect from the archetypal fantasy stories and flips them on their head to create a story that is full of twists and turns that leaves the reader wanting more.
The fast pacing blends in very well with the action scenes and the magic system in the book. The magic system is very well explained and Zamil draws inspiration from Star Wars in creating it. The magic system used is essentially like wielding light sabers from star wars as that’s what the characters predominantly use to fight. Additionally, there are big battle sequences with the scsope of epic fantasy where there are big battle ships shooting laser beams at each other, fighting on a floating city, and even fighting a dragon. Fights are engaging, well paced and used sparingly. As a result, when they do take place they have a certain gravitas behind them.
This fast pacing is perhaps why when he does decide to slow down, it makes the scenes that much more impactful. Zamil shows his range by not only showing the rampant barrage of exposition and combat sequences but with the slow, relaxing moments characters spend with each other and just relish in each others company. This allows the characters to breathe and develop in an organic manner. Zamil chooses to show not tell, a flaw that can be found in a lot of fantasy stories these days. He uses these moments to build up characters that have depth and intrigue. Due to how secretive most of the characters are, it might be hard to figure out their motivation and why they do certain things. However, by the end of the book, Zamil does an incredible job of fleshing out everyone’s motivations. This includes the antagonist as well. While at first glance, the antagonist might seem like he falls into the classic trope of diabolical evil villain that just wants the world to burn, it turns out even he has deeper motivations that some might even think is justified.
Zamil definitely did not shy away from letting his characters philosophize and muse about the nature of the world. That being said, there are definitely times where he goes overboard with philosophical musings. Characters will go on and on about their beliefs on religion and their belief on life and morality. While I definitely don't mind discussions of philosophy in my fantasy books, sometimes those discussions came at the cost of pacing and bogged down the story. While it was not a major issue throughout the book, it did happen often enough where it was noticeable.
If you don't like introspective fantasy this book is not for you. The book asks a lot of questions, a lot of which are philosophical in nature and the characters stumble in their way to find the answers. If you do not like philosophical musings in your book, then I encourage you to steer clear because that is a big focus of this book and it does not shy away from hard to answer questions.
Read this book if you like: Star wars, The Matrix, Inception, Black Mirror, Stormlight Archive
Themes discussed: Life and death, cycle of life, Illusions, Dreams, Nihilism
Overall rating: 9/10
If you liked this review, do give me a follow at https://twitter.com/GaimanAndCats where I share my thoughts on books and all things fantasy.
Disclaimer: I received an EARC for this review.
In modern fantasy, technology and magic are typically used as a plot device, maybe for social commentary, or sometimes to ask relevant moral questions. But I hardly ever see any fantasy book use technology to question the state of reality itself. In the Lightblade, Zamil has created something truly unique; a fantasy world where the technology is not merely a prop or a plot device but something that is truly mystical, mysterious; something the nature of which the characters themselves are trying to comprehend. Zamil is able to capture a shred of the “unknown” in this wonderful story he is telling; something which most fantasy writers simply seem to ignore.
Zamil creates this sense of mysticism by using a form of technology called “dream stone.” It essentially allows someone to spend time in a dream and each hour in the real world translates to 3 days in the dream. This is the concept he uses to draw inspiration from the likes of Matrix and Inception. Zamil questions the very nature of reality and what it means to truly be alive by using dreams as his medium of exposition.
“are you alive”
“I am not alive. I am a program.”
Zamil uses a first person perspective in this book to build mystery and intrigue regarding the world he is setting the story in. The reason it works so well is because the characters know very little about the nature of the world as well. This results in the characters and the readers finding information at the same time which this creates tension and this tension is used in a fantastic storytelling tool all throughout the book. Due to the narrative style, we get to experience the confusion the characters go through when certain revelations happen and exactly how they feel at specific points of the story. We see how they grow and their beliefs and personality change and it is truly a sight to behold.
Because of the aforementioned narrative choice, there is never a dull moment in the story. For a large portion of the book, the readers and the characters alike are trying to find out what is happening. Once we think we have figured it out, Zamil introduces a new concept that completely contradicts any preconceived notions the characters might have had. He uses subversion masterfully in this book and that keeps the pacing going very fast all throughout the book. He uses the tropes people have come to expect from the archetypal fantasy stories and flips them on their head to create a story that is full of twists and turns that leaves the reader wanting more.
The fast pacing blends in very well with the action scenes and the magic system in the book. The magic system is very well explained and Zamil draws inspiration from Star Wars in creating it. The magic system used is essentially like wielding light sabers from star wars as that’s what the characters predominantly use to fight. Additionally, there are big battle sequences with the scsope of epic fantasy where there are big battle ships shooting laser beams at each other, fighting on a floating city, and even fighting a dragon. Fights are engaging, well paced and used sparingly. As a result, when they do take place they have a certain gravitas behind them.
This fast pacing is perhaps why when he does decide to slow down, it makes the scenes that much more impactful. Zamil shows his range by not only showing the rampant barrage of exposition and combat sequences but with the slow, relaxing moments characters spend with each other and just relish in each others company. This allows the characters to breathe and develop in an organic manner. Zamil chooses to show not tell, a flaw that can be found in a lot of fantasy stories these days. He uses these moments to build up characters that have depth and intrigue. Due to how secretive most of the characters are, it might be hard to figure out their motivation and why they do certain things. However, by the end of the book, Zamil does an incredible job of fleshing out everyone’s motivations. This includes the antagonist as well. While at first glance, the antagonist might seem like he falls into the classic trope of diabolical evil villain that just wants the world to burn, it turns out even he has deeper motivations that some might even think is justified.
“As alone as we were in this hell, we were alone together.”
Zamil definitely did not shy away from letting his characters philosophize and muse about the nature of the world. That being said, there are definitely times where he goes overboard with philosophical musings. Characters will go on and on about their beliefs on religion and their belief on life and morality. While I definitely don't mind discussions of philosophy in my fantasy books, sometimes those discussions came at the cost of pacing and bogged down the story. While it was not a major issue throughout the book, it did happen often enough where it was noticeable.
If you don't like introspective fantasy this book is not for you. The book asks a lot of questions, a lot of which are philosophical in nature and the characters stumble in their way to find the answers. If you do not like philosophical musings in your book, then I encourage you to steer clear because that is a big focus of this book and it does not shy away from hard to answer questions.
Read this book if you like: Star wars, The Matrix, Inception, Black Mirror, Stormlight Archive
Themes discussed: Life and death, cycle of life, Illusions, Dreams, Nihilism
Overall rating: 9/10
If you liked this review, do give me a follow at https://twitter.com/GaimanAndCats where I share my thoughts on books and all things fantasy.
Disclaimer: I received an EARC for this review.
May 9, 2022
Rage of Dragons meets The Matrix in this thrilling, dark, surreal work of progression fantasy.
Having read Zamil Akhtar's previous novel, Gunmetal Gods, I knew that he could get pretty dark. I think it's safe to say that Lightblade is the darkest book I've read so far in the progression fantasy genre. Which isn't to say that it's hyper-violent or full of explicit sex or gore or swearing or anything like that--it's more that the world the characters inhabit is just so bleak. Jyosh is a slave, toiling away in a factory day in and day out, with his only reprieve being a dream crystal his masters give everyone so that they can enjoy the "company" of a person in the dream world, if you catch my drift.
Akhtar perfectly captures the weirdness of dream logic in these sequences, and he also perfectly captures the hopelessness of Jyosh's waking life. Jyosh's reality is brutal and relentless and seemingly hopeless, and the atmosphere is almost suffocating, even for the reader. Retreating into the dream crystal isn't just a relief for Jyosh, but for us, as well.
I loved the setup of the book: Jyosh training in his dreams (where time dilates, much like in Inception) so that he can prepare for the raja's tour of the factory in 3 days, when Jyosh plans to kill him. He still needs to figure out how to obtain a lightblade hilt in the real world, if he can even master using one at all, but that's a problem for later.
To describe more than that, though, would spoil the journey. I can confidently say that this book never went in a direction I was expecting, and yet every shocking turn of events felt like a natural progression from the previous one. There are a ton of layers to peel back in this book, in terms of characters, the story, and even the world itself.
The action is also a lot of fun, with the characters channeling different types of light (red, green, violet, etc.) to power their different types of magic. It was a cool system that I haven't seen done before, relying on sunlight for their powers. It's a fun contrast, having their magic fueled by the sun while dreams--typically a, uh, nighttime thing--are so vital to the story. It also adds a layer of complication to things if the characters have not stored up enough light and are suddenly without any, for instance if they are trapped deep underground.
Lightblade was a riveting, intriguing start to what promises to be an exciting new series. Discovering all of the book's secrets is like diving into deeper and deeper layers of dreams, and I didn't want to wake up.
Having read Zamil Akhtar's previous novel, Gunmetal Gods, I knew that he could get pretty dark. I think it's safe to say that Lightblade is the darkest book I've read so far in the progression fantasy genre. Which isn't to say that it's hyper-violent or full of explicit sex or gore or swearing or anything like that--it's more that the world the characters inhabit is just so bleak. Jyosh is a slave, toiling away in a factory day in and day out, with his only reprieve being a dream crystal his masters give everyone so that they can enjoy the "company" of a person in the dream world, if you catch my drift.
Akhtar perfectly captures the weirdness of dream logic in these sequences, and he also perfectly captures the hopelessness of Jyosh's waking life. Jyosh's reality is brutal and relentless and seemingly hopeless, and the atmosphere is almost suffocating, even for the reader. Retreating into the dream crystal isn't just a relief for Jyosh, but for us, as well.
I loved the setup of the book: Jyosh training in his dreams (where time dilates, much like in Inception) so that he can prepare for the raja's tour of the factory in 3 days, when Jyosh plans to kill him. He still needs to figure out how to obtain a lightblade hilt in the real world, if he can even master using one at all, but that's a problem for later.
To describe more than that, though, would spoil the journey. I can confidently say that this book never went in a direction I was expecting, and yet every shocking turn of events felt like a natural progression from the previous one. There are a ton of layers to peel back in this book, in terms of characters, the story, and even the world itself.
The action is also a lot of fun, with the characters channeling different types of light (red, green, violet, etc.) to power their different types of magic. It was a cool system that I haven't seen done before, relying on sunlight for their powers. It's a fun contrast, having their magic fueled by the sun while dreams--typically a, uh, nighttime thing--are so vital to the story. It also adds a layer of complication to things if the characters have not stored up enough light and are suddenly without any, for instance if they are trapped deep underground.
Lightblade was a riveting, intriguing start to what promises to be an exciting new series. Discovering all of the book's secrets is like diving into deeper and deeper layers of dreams, and I didn't want to wake up.
February 3, 2023
3.5 Stars
This was a fun litrpg, but I'm learning that I don't love this subgenre as much as I thought I did. It was fun, but I tend to prefer epic fiction. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a good job.
This was a fun litrpg, but I'm learning that I don't love this subgenre as much as I thought I did. It was fun, but I tend to prefer epic fiction. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a good job.
May 31, 2022
Lightblade is an incredibly layered fantasy story. The base story is about Jyosh, who escapes from a factory where he was kept to produce weapon parts. His goal was to kill the emperor, but somehow he forgot why and after the factory got attacked, he is now simply trying to survive. His journey brings him closer to the war and with that closer to a challenging destiny. But that’s not all. In this world, you can use magical stones that are connected to you through your chest to, for example, use machines, fight, or dream. And those dreams bring paradise to you. Or do they?
Worldbuilding & characters
Zamil did it again. He built a world that is bleak and oozes despair. War, evil, opposing forces, none of this sounds great to Jyosh. He just wants to survive and live a better life. But somehow, he can’t walk away. I loved Jyosh’s insecurities and seeing him grow as a character. While he learns what’s going on, Jyosh meats some great allies that all have their own agenda and their own baggage, but together, they are truly remarkable. Hard to explain without spoiling too much, but their story and their dynamic is everything!
Contrary to Gunmetal Gods, Zamil’s other series, this world is not as epically big. Which makes exploring it a lot easier. Slowly you get to know the different fractions and generally what’s happening around Jyosh. I can’t even fully describe the world yet, as I’m sure there’s more to come in the following books. But the world he lives in is actually not the interesting part. The dreams are way more important and the story revolves around Jyosh’s urge to go back to sleep.
Writing style
The pacing is perfect. The writing is incredibly engaging. Zamil figured out how to let a story flow at its natural speed. Nothing is revealed too early or too late and the breaks between the action-packed scenes are timed perfectly.
The story itself is more plot than character-driven. It took me a bit to warm up to the main characters as their purpose and their motivation were not clear immediately (and I’m one of those readers that needs to know why we are doing what we are doing). But once I figured that out, I was blown away. Definitely, a book that I need to reread to appreciate more of the details now that I’m aware (at least a bit more) of what’s going on.
The twists and turns this story takes are not even close to being clear. There’s so much going on and I was just baffled at the end. The last 15% really made this book an outstanding experience. And if that’s not enough, Zamil’s descriptions of the surroundings (landscape, houses, monuments…) are epic. My imagination had a great time.
You would like this/ don’t like this if…
You would like this book if you are a fan of Star Wars, middle eastern-inspired Fantasy, epic dragons, and stories that are layered in a way that leaves you speechless. The depth is mind-blowing.
I don’t know if there would be anyone not liking a story like this. Maybe if you can’t deal without character depth? That definitely takes a bit, but it’s for a reason. I had moments where I wasn’t sure what Zamil was trying to do. But since I trust him as a writer, I continued reading through the slower parts (if that’s what you can call them). And the reward was just phenomenal.
Personal opinion (pro/con)
At multiple times in the story, I thought I had it figured out. I felt so proud, thinking I outsmarted Zamil. But nope… he keeps you on your toes for sure. I definitely did not see that ending coming. The last 20-25% were the best part of the book for me. Also, dragons, and I hope we get more of them. I can’t wait to read the second book because I’m sure that this is just the beginning (duh… it’s book one in a series..). You can feel that there is even more to uncover.
I haven’t read anything about this book beforehand. So, I only realized afterward that this is considered a progression Fantasy. I’m not quite sure what that means other than it is similar to a computer game where your abilities grow as you gain experience. When I heard that, I thought it was funny because at the beginning I had some Monkey Island vibes. Not because it reminded me of pirates, but because of the scenes in the game where you had to combine one item with another to solve a puzzle.
Either way, Zamil Akhtar continues to be one of my favorite authors. I loved Gunmetal Gods and Lightblade is no different. Zamil could write a dictionary and I would read it cover to cover…
Thank you Zamil for sending me an eArc of your book. Also just ordered the paperback to add to my collection ;)
Worldbuilding & characters
Zamil did it again. He built a world that is bleak and oozes despair. War, evil, opposing forces, none of this sounds great to Jyosh. He just wants to survive and live a better life. But somehow, he can’t walk away. I loved Jyosh’s insecurities and seeing him grow as a character. While he learns what’s going on, Jyosh meats some great allies that all have their own agenda and their own baggage, but together, they are truly remarkable. Hard to explain without spoiling too much, but their story and their dynamic is everything!
Contrary to Gunmetal Gods, Zamil’s other series, this world is not as epically big. Which makes exploring it a lot easier. Slowly you get to know the different fractions and generally what’s happening around Jyosh. I can’t even fully describe the world yet, as I’m sure there’s more to come in the following books. But the world he lives in is actually not the interesting part. The dreams are way more important and the story revolves around Jyosh’s urge to go back to sleep.
Writing style
The pacing is perfect. The writing is incredibly engaging. Zamil figured out how to let a story flow at its natural speed. Nothing is revealed too early or too late and the breaks between the action-packed scenes are timed perfectly.
The story itself is more plot than character-driven. It took me a bit to warm up to the main characters as their purpose and their motivation were not clear immediately (and I’m one of those readers that needs to know why we are doing what we are doing). But once I figured that out, I was blown away. Definitely, a book that I need to reread to appreciate more of the details now that I’m aware (at least a bit more) of what’s going on.
The twists and turns this story takes are not even close to being clear. There’s so much going on and I was just baffled at the end. The last 15% really made this book an outstanding experience. And if that’s not enough, Zamil’s descriptions of the surroundings (landscape, houses, monuments…) are epic. My imagination had a great time.
You would like this/ don’t like this if…
You would like this book if you are a fan of Star Wars, middle eastern-inspired Fantasy, epic dragons, and stories that are layered in a way that leaves you speechless. The depth is mind-blowing.
I don’t know if there would be anyone not liking a story like this. Maybe if you can’t deal without character depth? That definitely takes a bit, but it’s for a reason. I had moments where I wasn’t sure what Zamil was trying to do. But since I trust him as a writer, I continued reading through the slower parts (if that’s what you can call them). And the reward was just phenomenal.
Personal opinion (pro/con)
At multiple times in the story, I thought I had it figured out. I felt so proud, thinking I outsmarted Zamil. But nope… he keeps you on your toes for sure. I definitely did not see that ending coming. The last 20-25% were the best part of the book for me. Also, dragons, and I hope we get more of them. I can’t wait to read the second book because I’m sure that this is just the beginning (duh… it’s book one in a series..). You can feel that there is even more to uncover.
I haven’t read anything about this book beforehand. So, I only realized afterward that this is considered a progression Fantasy. I’m not quite sure what that means other than it is similar to a computer game where your abilities grow as you gain experience. When I heard that, I thought it was funny because at the beginning I had some Monkey Island vibes. Not because it reminded me of pirates, but because of the scenes in the game where you had to combine one item with another to solve a puzzle.
Either way, Zamil Akhtar continues to be one of my favorite authors. I loved Gunmetal Gods and Lightblade is no different. Zamil could write a dictionary and I would read it cover to cover…
Thank you Zamil for sending me an eArc of your book. Also just ordered the paperback to add to my collection ;)
May 3, 2023
Full text review: https://jamreads.com/reviews/lightbla...
Lightblade is the novel that marks the start of a homonymous series, written by Zamil Akhtar. A progression science-fantasy proposal, an authentic mix of genres that I had the pleasure of reading as part of the SPSFC semifinals; and that has surprised me for the good, as progression elements are really well integrated into the plot, being used for more than a simple training aspect for the main character.
Our main character, Jyosh, dreams of breaking his slave chains; and has acquired in the black market a modified dream stone that instead of giving him pleasure or love, will be used to train him in the use of a lightblade.
His final goal is to kill the emperor, despite not remembering why; and once the slave field where he is trapped is attacked, Jyosh will only care about surviving, taking a path that will take him closer to war, putting him in a position to reach his goals.
With this premise, we have a progression story, in which the main character is able to improve his abilities and gain new by training. In this case, the author chooses to integrate it with the dream stones, a kind of mystical dispositive where the time goes slower, giving Jyosh time to practice and polish his abilities, with the help of the instructor program.
Despite the main purpose being to justify the leveling up of the character, Akhtar also uses it to bring some philosophical questions, about identity and reality, improving one of the aspects I tend to find less enjoyable in the genre.
Outside of this, we have a cast of characters that get relevance in the story, but without losing the focus on Jyosh, as the story is told using a 1st POV; making use of the duality between dream and vigil. Most of the secondary characters play an important role in Jyosh's development, especially the special instructor his stone has.
Said that, I find pacing dragging a bit, especially in the sequences that are inside the stones, probably as a consequence of their nature. It balances with the faster fight scenes, especially once Jyosh is skilled enough to use his skills outside the stone.
Worldbuilding is original, blending some technological elements into a fantasy world, with a rich imaginarium of creatures. The combat system is mixed with magic, taking light as the base, not the hardest one, but not exactly a soft system.
Lightblade surprised me for the good, as progression tends to be a genre I don't enjoy as much as others, but the world definitely got me in. Zamil Akhtar proves that with good prose and imagination, you can create awesome things.
Lightblade is the novel that marks the start of a homonymous series, written by Zamil Akhtar. A progression science-fantasy proposal, an authentic mix of genres that I had the pleasure of reading as part of the SPSFC semifinals; and that has surprised me for the good, as progression elements are really well integrated into the plot, being used for more than a simple training aspect for the main character.
Our main character, Jyosh, dreams of breaking his slave chains; and has acquired in the black market a modified dream stone that instead of giving him pleasure or love, will be used to train him in the use of a lightblade.
His final goal is to kill the emperor, despite not remembering why; and once the slave field where he is trapped is attacked, Jyosh will only care about surviving, taking a path that will take him closer to war, putting him in a position to reach his goals.
With this premise, we have a progression story, in which the main character is able to improve his abilities and gain new by training. In this case, the author chooses to integrate it with the dream stones, a kind of mystical dispositive where the time goes slower, giving Jyosh time to practice and polish his abilities, with the help of the instructor program.
Despite the main purpose being to justify the leveling up of the character, Akhtar also uses it to bring some philosophical questions, about identity and reality, improving one of the aspects I tend to find less enjoyable in the genre.
Outside of this, we have a cast of characters that get relevance in the story, but without losing the focus on Jyosh, as the story is told using a 1st POV; making use of the duality between dream and vigil. Most of the secondary characters play an important role in Jyosh's development, especially the special instructor his stone has.
Said that, I find pacing dragging a bit, especially in the sequences that are inside the stones, probably as a consequence of their nature. It balances with the faster fight scenes, especially once Jyosh is skilled enough to use his skills outside the stone.
Worldbuilding is original, blending some technological elements into a fantasy world, with a rich imaginarium of creatures. The combat system is mixed with magic, taking light as the base, not the hardest one, but not exactly a soft system.
Lightblade surprised me for the good, as progression tends to be a genre I don't enjoy as much as others, but the world definitely got me in. Zamil Akhtar proves that with good prose and imagination, you can create awesome things.
May 5, 2023
I read Gunmetal Gods a little over a year ago and while the storyline took a turn that wasn’t to my liking, I was really impressed with the writing itself. It felt well crafted and was a breeze to get through. I was therefore excited to give another book by the same author a try. While I can see why this one would work for others (again, check out Jamedi’s review here), sadly this one didn’t quite turn out to be for me either. There were some elements that were really cool and the author is obviously super creative, it just overall isn’t my kind of story.
Compared to what I remember of his other book, the writing for this one felt a little choppier in places, I struggled with feeling the emotions I should based on the words and scenes, and the dialogue felt a little awkward here and there as well. I also really struggled to picture the world this was set in with its mix of fantasy and tech aspects.
I didn’t read the blurb before reading the book so I didn’t know about this comparison until getting my blog post ready but it very much had a Matrix feeling to it. The dreams were a cool way to allow for more training time without risking weird timeline issues in the real world that would’ve made the reader skeptical about the MC’s experience and skills. Using the light spectrum/sunshine as a base for magic was also very different from anything I’ve read before so I enjoyed that as well. I was a little apprehensive about this book being considered progression fantasy as I haven’t felt too happy with that in the past but I thought this particular element was integrated into the story really well.
Sadly overall though, the book was a little too weird for me between the craziness that happened within and outside of the dreams. I also had no clue what was going on for a while towards the end and found the ending a little bit cheesy.
In contrast to that again though, the main trio was a really good group of characters to follow. They felt consistent in their personalities and had some fun humor. I especially enjoyed the self-doubt and questions of the main character as that felt very familiar to me personally. I also liked some of the reveals we finished up with.
So as you can tell, this book left me with quite a mixed bag of feelings. There were multiple pros and cons. Again, I can see the talent of the author despite not quite enjoying where the story takes me and will probably pick up more of his books in the future.
Compared to what I remember of his other book, the writing for this one felt a little choppier in places, I struggled with feeling the emotions I should based on the words and scenes, and the dialogue felt a little awkward here and there as well. I also really struggled to picture the world this was set in with its mix of fantasy and tech aspects.
I didn’t read the blurb before reading the book so I didn’t know about this comparison until getting my blog post ready but it very much had a Matrix feeling to it. The dreams were a cool way to allow for more training time without risking weird timeline issues in the real world that would’ve made the reader skeptical about the MC’s experience and skills. Using the light spectrum/sunshine as a base for magic was also very different from anything I’ve read before so I enjoyed that as well. I was a little apprehensive about this book being considered progression fantasy as I haven’t felt too happy with that in the past but I thought this particular element was integrated into the story really well.
Sadly overall though, the book was a little too weird for me between the craziness that happened within and outside of the dreams. I also had no clue what was going on for a while towards the end and found the ending a little bit cheesy.
In contrast to that again though, the main trio was a really good group of characters to follow. They felt consistent in their personalities and had some fun humor. I especially enjoyed the self-doubt and questions of the main character as that felt very familiar to me personally. I also liked some of the reveals we finished up with.
So as you can tell, this book left me with quite a mixed bag of feelings. There were multiple pros and cons. Again, I can see the talent of the author despite not quite enjoying where the story takes me and will probably pick up more of his books in the future.
May 31, 2022
Having read gunmetal gods I thought I knew what I was in for with this enthralling and exciting book, I was wrong, the author (yet again) subverts the usual tropes and tells a tale rich in characters and history (sort of) and mythology (definitely) I love the authors version of history and mythology add to that a bloody good story and I am all in! You should be too
June 2, 2022
I had seen a lot about Gunmetal Gods on Twitter before and even bought the book, but I just never got the time to get to it among my huge tbr. So when I saw that the author’s new series was coming, I requested him for an advance copy and was very excited when he sent it to me. That gorgeous cover was also very enticing and I hoped that the book would be equally amazing too. And it turned out to be something so so different from the books I usually read.
I’ve had an idea what a progression fantasy means but having never read anything in the subgenre and no experience in playing video games, it took me a while into this book to realize what the essence of the subgenre is. But before that, I have to mention, the strength of the book is the world building and mythology. To be honest, I don’t think I can even describe this world in my own words because it was too wondrous and huge and I still think we have a ways to go to understand it better, and the mythology with the gods and their avatars and the dreamers is all very very intriguing. The author does a marvelous job revealing bits of it as we progress through the book, mostly learning everything along with our main character. The descriptions of the cities, weapons, landscapes, dream worlds, dragons and more are all absolutely stunning and as someone who loves skipping descriptive passages, I couldn’t do that here. The line between dream and reality is very thin here and it’s very easy to get lost in it. The writing is easy to engage with and despite not being familiar with the kind of fantasy this book was, I found the concepts easy to grasp and read it pretty fast. The pacing is pretty great, with action packed scenes interspersed between quiet ones, giving us enough times to digest all the information without feeling overwhelmed. The last quarter of the book was probably the best with so many more reveals and epic fight scenes, and a couple of short chapters full of unbelievable descriptions which I can’t even articulate properly.
And while it is a mostly plot driven book, the characters are not any less fleshed out. Jyosh took a while for me to like because I wasn’t sure what his motivations were but he was also unsure what he wanted to do, because he hasn’t had much of a choice for a long part of his life. Despite his insecurities, he is also ready to learn and progress and I loved watching him train and learn to fight, strengthening not just his body but mind too. And we slowly come to see his capacity for love and compassion, how his own suffering has made him a person who doesn’t want others to suffer.
He is ably supported in his endeavors by some amazing strong women and I frankly couldn’t choose who I liked more. Zauri is the first person Joysh bonds with and while it may feel like instalove, it feels natural due to his circumstances and Zauri tries her best to help him learn to fight and survive. Kaur can come across as grumpy and uncaring but she has her own traumas and is only trying to do what she thinks is right. Saina is a healer who is devoted to her vocation and is hoping to find her way back to her god. They all start with some mistrust between them, each having their own goals and being secretive about them, but slowly they all come to care for each other and work together to save the world.
We only have some formidable villains here and while I don’t wanna give up much about them, I thought the author used these villains to show us the way brainwashing works, how a person’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities can be twisted to make them believe deeply about something, and how fanatical beliefs can lead to death and destruction. These themes form the major backdrop of this story, along with questioning what is real and what is not, and whether temporary suffering is justifiable in the hope of attaining some kind of Nirvana.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable book while also being bleak and dark at times. The characters are slow to warm up to but we eventually start caring about them; but ultimately it’s the world building and lore where the author shines and creates something that is unique and unforgettable. I think fans of progression fantasy genre will definitely love and appreciate this more than someone like me will, but I was also quite impressed and I’m eager to see where this story goes next.
I’ve had an idea what a progression fantasy means but having never read anything in the subgenre and no experience in playing video games, it took me a while into this book to realize what the essence of the subgenre is. But before that, I have to mention, the strength of the book is the world building and mythology. To be honest, I don’t think I can even describe this world in my own words because it was too wondrous and huge and I still think we have a ways to go to understand it better, and the mythology with the gods and their avatars and the dreamers is all very very intriguing. The author does a marvelous job revealing bits of it as we progress through the book, mostly learning everything along with our main character. The descriptions of the cities, weapons, landscapes, dream worlds, dragons and more are all absolutely stunning and as someone who loves skipping descriptive passages, I couldn’t do that here. The line between dream and reality is very thin here and it’s very easy to get lost in it. The writing is easy to engage with and despite not being familiar with the kind of fantasy this book was, I found the concepts easy to grasp and read it pretty fast. The pacing is pretty great, with action packed scenes interspersed between quiet ones, giving us enough times to digest all the information without feeling overwhelmed. The last quarter of the book was probably the best with so many more reveals and epic fight scenes, and a couple of short chapters full of unbelievable descriptions which I can’t even articulate properly.
And while it is a mostly plot driven book, the characters are not any less fleshed out. Jyosh took a while for me to like because I wasn’t sure what his motivations were but he was also unsure what he wanted to do, because he hasn’t had much of a choice for a long part of his life. Despite his insecurities, he is also ready to learn and progress and I loved watching him train and learn to fight, strengthening not just his body but mind too. And we slowly come to see his capacity for love and compassion, how his own suffering has made him a person who doesn’t want others to suffer.
He is ably supported in his endeavors by some amazing strong women and I frankly couldn’t choose who I liked more. Zauri is the first person Joysh bonds with and while it may feel like instalove, it feels natural due to his circumstances and Zauri tries her best to help him learn to fight and survive. Kaur can come across as grumpy and uncaring but she has her own traumas and is only trying to do what she thinks is right. Saina is a healer who is devoted to her vocation and is hoping to find her way back to her god. They all start with some mistrust between them, each having their own goals and being secretive about them, but slowly they all come to care for each other and work together to save the world.
We only have some formidable villains here and while I don’t wanna give up much about them, I thought the author used these villains to show us the way brainwashing works, how a person’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities can be twisted to make them believe deeply about something, and how fanatical beliefs can lead to death and destruction. These themes form the major backdrop of this story, along with questioning what is real and what is not, and whether temporary suffering is justifiable in the hope of attaining some kind of Nirvana.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable book while also being bleak and dark at times. The characters are slow to warm up to but we eventually start caring about them; but ultimately it’s the world building and lore where the author shines and creates something that is unique and unforgettable. I think fans of progression fantasy genre will definitely love and appreciate this more than someone like me will, but I was also quite impressed and I’m eager to see where this story goes next.
June 9, 2022
3.5/5
Intresting world building, concepts and characters let down by the execution.
The world building in this book was very exciting to read with heavy inspiration from Star Wars and The Matrix. The strongest aspect of this book.
I also loved the chemistry between the main trio. The banter between them was written very well.
The book started out pretty slow with bare minimum progression upto 50% mark after that it was strating to pick up but not to great effect as the climax part of the book became predictable and just pages and pages of explanation.
Had high hopes for this one but still a fun read though.
Intresting world building, concepts and characters let down by the execution.
The world building in this book was very exciting to read with heavy inspiration from Star Wars and The Matrix. The strongest aspect of this book.
I also loved the chemistry between the main trio. The banter between them was written very well.
The book started out pretty slow with bare minimum progression upto 50% mark after that it was strating to pick up but not to great effect as the climax part of the book became predictable and just pages and pages of explanation.
Had high hopes for this one but still a fun read though.
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February 23, 2023SPSFC2 Semi-Finalist!
thespsfc.org
Full review to come...
thespsfc.org
Full review to come...
June 25, 2022
First and foremost I have to thank Zamil Akhtar for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.
So what would happen if Star Wars and The Matrix got a little tipsy one night and decided to have a quick romp and accidentally produce a love child. Well that child's name would be "Lightblade" by Zamil Akhtar and it's an easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read.
The story has three main characters Jyosh a factory worker/slave with little to no self worth, Saina a healer who blindly follows the god she worships and Kaur a battle tested military vet hell bent on revenge.
At first glance you wouldn't think these three would make a great team but boy o boy would you be wrong. The way Zamil intertwines these three characters back stories and brings them together is a masterpiece in itself.
The magic in this story is almost like a never ending onion in that each layer you peel back and start to grasp another awaits to take you a layer deeper making you second guess which is reality and which is fantasy.
Are you still reading this review wondering if this book is for you then let me as you a few quick questions:
After watching Star Wars did you wish light sabers were real?
Did you ever watch Back to the Future and dream of one day riding a hover board?
Also there are dragons do you like dragons?
Well if you answered yes to any of those questions than what are you waiting for go read this book already :)
So what would happen if Star Wars and The Matrix got a little tipsy one night and decided to have a quick romp and accidentally produce a love child. Well that child's name would be "Lightblade" by Zamil Akhtar and it's an easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read.
The story has three main characters Jyosh a factory worker/slave with little to no self worth, Saina a healer who blindly follows the god she worships and Kaur a battle tested military vet hell bent on revenge.
At first glance you wouldn't think these three would make a great team but boy o boy would you be wrong. The way Zamil intertwines these three characters back stories and brings them together is a masterpiece in itself.
The magic in this story is almost like a never ending onion in that each layer you peel back and start to grasp another awaits to take you a layer deeper making you second guess which is reality and which is fantasy.
Are you still reading this review wondering if this book is for you then let me as you a few quick questions:
After watching Star Wars did you wish light sabers were real?
Did you ever watch Back to the Future and dream of one day riding a hover board?
Also there are dragons do you like dragons?
Well if you answered yes to any of those questions than what are you waiting for go read this book already :)
May 11, 2022
Lightblade's greatest strength is also its only weakness. The dream layers that entangle and rest alongside the story provide its greatest mysteries and moments, but also draw the reader into a twisty plot that is sometimes hard to follow.
At its core, Lightblade is fun. Versatile lightsabers and an extremely fun magic system mixed with Inception-style dreamscapes kick off this adventure. I would have been sold on that premise alone, but throw in some Matrix-style questions about reality and a shadow over the memories of the main characters, and I'm doubly sold! ... and also second guessing everything I read.
The way memory, motivation, and character are handled in this book wouldn't work in any other story. I've seen amnesia plots and destroyed families and such before, but the way things are presented and handled here feels new. The action is vivid and brutal, the characters brash and active, and the world-building is exceptional.
On the downside, the plot takes a while to figure out where it is going, and won't stop twisting expectations down to the last page. Some of these twists were awesome, some were cliched, and some took me away from the story a little bit. The pacing changes caused by jumping into the dream world at times helped or hindered the story's flow. It's all over the place, yet every page feels like it would have a double meaning if I reread the book. Kinda awesome, but in the moment I struggled a couple of times to keep up.
The character dialogue is also a little rough in places, and characters are free to rant about philosophy or rip and roar from subject to subject with little regard for situation. This could be a culture or language thing.
As winding as the plot and dialogue can be, it's usually lightning paced, vivid, fun, and full of an amazing world, interesting characters, and a lot of mythological weight. I could go on about how perfectly Zamil balanced the progressive fantasy elements even with the broken powers of the dreams, or the uniqueness of the premise and world. 9/10 would read again. And apparently I need to read Gunmetal Gods now.
I was gifted an ARC and am voluntarily leaving this review.
At its core, Lightblade is fun. Versatile lightsabers and an extremely fun magic system mixed with Inception-style dreamscapes kick off this adventure. I would have been sold on that premise alone, but throw in some Matrix-style questions about reality and a shadow over the memories of the main characters, and I'm doubly sold! ... and also second guessing everything I read.
The way memory, motivation, and character are handled in this book wouldn't work in any other story. I've seen amnesia plots and destroyed families and such before, but the way things are presented and handled here feels new. The action is vivid and brutal, the characters brash and active, and the world-building is exceptional.
On the downside, the plot takes a while to figure out where it is going, and won't stop twisting expectations down to the last page. Some of these twists were awesome, some were cliched, and some took me away from the story a little bit. The pacing changes caused by jumping into the dream world at times helped or hindered the story's flow. It's all over the place, yet every page feels like it would have a double meaning if I reread the book. Kinda awesome, but in the moment I struggled a couple of times to keep up.
The character dialogue is also a little rough in places, and characters are free to rant about philosophy or rip and roar from subject to subject with little regard for situation. This could be a culture or language thing.
As winding as the plot and dialogue can be, it's usually lightning paced, vivid, fun, and full of an amazing world, interesting characters, and a lot of mythological weight. I could go on about how perfectly Zamil balanced the progressive fantasy elements even with the broken powers of the dreams, or the uniqueness of the premise and world. 9/10 would read again. And apparently I need to read Gunmetal Gods now.
I was gifted an ARC and am voluntarily leaving this review.
December 30, 2022
I received an arc provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Disclaimer: This is my first Zamil Akhtar book but I've heard a lot of praise recently - Lightblade definitely confirms why. In three days, Jyosh will slay the God Emperor, or die trying. But first he must train his lightblade skills. While asleep. Each hour of sleep equals a day in a lucid dream, plenty of time to master the essential lightblade techniques and hopefully get skilled enough to defeat the monster who enslaved him and beheaded his parents and sister.
When Jyosh awakens to learn that the God Emperor has surrendered to an even crueller foe, a mysterious lightblade master who can summon divine dragons to burn whole cities, he’ll face a trial by fire against forces far more frightening than he could ever dream. That is, if he’s not still in one.
This was a brilliantly crafted piece of art. It is clear that Zamil has taken influence from many mind-bending works like Star Wars and the Matrix but has weaved culture into this story. The action was gritty and edgy, with sprays of blood infused with intelligent workings. This was a solid foundation for a series that looks to be truly epic and influential. The vision that Zamil has introduced is evolutionary and the world-building is phenomenal. The cyberpunk-esque designs and the descriptive markers really helped create an image and world in my mind which is reminiscent of the story.
There is a weirdness to the concept that is perfectly captured along with the hopelessness of waking life. Each chapter provided an unexpected narrative change but was progressively nurturing. The level of complication to the characters was brutal yet intriguing. This is a promising start to a solid series that requires re-read upon re-read to digest its many layers.
If this is the level of work that we get with Zamil Akhtar then I can honestly say that I am excited for the rest of the series and look to previous books.
Disclaimer: This is my first Zamil Akhtar book but I've heard a lot of praise recently - Lightblade definitely confirms why. In three days, Jyosh will slay the God Emperor, or die trying. But first he must train his lightblade skills. While asleep. Each hour of sleep equals a day in a lucid dream, plenty of time to master the essential lightblade techniques and hopefully get skilled enough to defeat the monster who enslaved him and beheaded his parents and sister.
When Jyosh awakens to learn that the God Emperor has surrendered to an even crueller foe, a mysterious lightblade master who can summon divine dragons to burn whole cities, he’ll face a trial by fire against forces far more frightening than he could ever dream. That is, if he’s not still in one.
This was a brilliantly crafted piece of art. It is clear that Zamil has taken influence from many mind-bending works like Star Wars and the Matrix but has weaved culture into this story. The action was gritty and edgy, with sprays of blood infused with intelligent workings. This was a solid foundation for a series that looks to be truly epic and influential. The vision that Zamil has introduced is evolutionary and the world-building is phenomenal. The cyberpunk-esque designs and the descriptive markers really helped create an image and world in my mind which is reminiscent of the story.
There is a weirdness to the concept that is perfectly captured along with the hopelessness of waking life. Each chapter provided an unexpected narrative change but was progressively nurturing. The level of complication to the characters was brutal yet intriguing. This is a promising start to a solid series that requires re-read upon re-read to digest its many layers.
If this is the level of work that we get with Zamil Akhtar then I can honestly say that I am excited for the rest of the series and look to previous books.
May 30, 2022
Lightblade by Zamil Akhtar is one of the most unique books I’ve read, unlike anything I’ve read previously.
It’s fantasy, and it’s sci-fi. It’s the matrix and inception and star wars and total recall, with Middle Eastern influences. It feels dystopian but also wondrous and magical and I really feel like the author has taken a bold leap that really makes you pay attention. That’s good, because it’s a book that you certainly have to pay attention to, in order to follow the plot and the various elements at play.
Parts of the book feel like a fever dream. This is mostly achieved because our main character Jyosh is able to travel to a seemingly boundless world in his sleep, where time passes much slower. Akhtar’s writing and imagination really shines during these sequences, where the limits of the real world don’t have to be followed.
For the most part, the author has a control on what must be a big challenge in keeping the plot moving, when there are endless possibilities to diverge into. Despite being quite action packed (and I love the light blades, which are essentially lightsabers) this isn’t a short book at over 500 pages, and the pacing can go between a real frentic page turner to more of a meandering speed. I do feel there is enough interest and intrigue to keep you reading when the action isn’t happening though. Because you know as much as the characters, it helps keep you interested as you learn about what’s going on along with Jyosh as he navigates the story.
I had to concentrate more than I had to for the other two books of Akhtar’s that I’ve read (Death Rider and Gunmetal Gods) mainly because this is a different subgenre with different themes than I usually read, and the subject matter is a little more mind-bending. Saying that, I’m glad I gave something a go that isn’t usually my sort of read as I was able to experience a really colourful, imaginative story.
I think to fully appreciate Lightblade, it’s definitely one of those books you need to be in the right mood for – in this way it could easily be a favourite, 5 star read of some readers whilst others might decide to take a short break and come back to it when they’re ready. I also think I probably missed some references or parts that were inspired by mythologies/stories I don’t know and those readers who understand them will benefit from an extra layer of cleverness.
In Gunmetal Gods, I was really impressed with how the author was able to write captivating characters and you can really hear Jyosh’s voice too and feel his emotions in this too, aswell as the continuing theme of antagonists not being pure evil – or at least, having their own motivations they believe to be the right ones.
Akhtar’s imagination is perhaps the biggest star of the show though, with some beautiful prose and scenery you can really fall in love with. Often this is like one of those dreams where you wake up in the morning and fall back to sleep; vivid, wondrous and expansive. You wake up and it feels almost real. I’m not sure I’ve read many (if any) authors who have such a fantastic, ambitious imagination and the ability to put the world on paper in such a striking way, and this often blew me away. Of course, I also really enjoyed the writing alot (but I already knew I would) and many of the ideas presented were really thought provoking, in the sense that you are still thinking about some of the ideas later in the day.
In addition to this, despite being a regular fantasy reader I am actually not usually a fan of magic – yet I loved the magic system here. The titular lightblade and the magic system surrounding them, with different colours of light having different power for example, I really enjoyed.
I have a massive admiration for Zamil Akhtar taking this book in a direction quite unfamiliar to many readers (or at least most of the books I’ve seen advertised).
Fiction is often an escape from reality and this is the perfect read for leaving the real world and experiencing a dream – complete with lightblades, dragons and stunning descriptions.
Thankyou to the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
It’s fantasy, and it’s sci-fi. It’s the matrix and inception and star wars and total recall, with Middle Eastern influences. It feels dystopian but also wondrous and magical and I really feel like the author has taken a bold leap that really makes you pay attention. That’s good, because it’s a book that you certainly have to pay attention to, in order to follow the plot and the various elements at play.
Parts of the book feel like a fever dream. This is mostly achieved because our main character Jyosh is able to travel to a seemingly boundless world in his sleep, where time passes much slower. Akhtar’s writing and imagination really shines during these sequences, where the limits of the real world don’t have to be followed.
For the most part, the author has a control on what must be a big challenge in keeping the plot moving, when there are endless possibilities to diverge into. Despite being quite action packed (and I love the light blades, which are essentially lightsabers) this isn’t a short book at over 500 pages, and the pacing can go between a real frentic page turner to more of a meandering speed. I do feel there is enough interest and intrigue to keep you reading when the action isn’t happening though. Because you know as much as the characters, it helps keep you interested as you learn about what’s going on along with Jyosh as he navigates the story.
I had to concentrate more than I had to for the other two books of Akhtar’s that I’ve read (Death Rider and Gunmetal Gods) mainly because this is a different subgenre with different themes than I usually read, and the subject matter is a little more mind-bending. Saying that, I’m glad I gave something a go that isn’t usually my sort of read as I was able to experience a really colourful, imaginative story.
I think to fully appreciate Lightblade, it’s definitely one of those books you need to be in the right mood for – in this way it could easily be a favourite, 5 star read of some readers whilst others might decide to take a short break and come back to it when they’re ready. I also think I probably missed some references or parts that were inspired by mythologies/stories I don’t know and those readers who understand them will benefit from an extra layer of cleverness.
In Gunmetal Gods, I was really impressed with how the author was able to write captivating characters and you can really hear Jyosh’s voice too and feel his emotions in this too, aswell as the continuing theme of antagonists not being pure evil – or at least, having their own motivations they believe to be the right ones.
Akhtar’s imagination is perhaps the biggest star of the show though, with some beautiful prose and scenery you can really fall in love with. Often this is like one of those dreams where you wake up in the morning and fall back to sleep; vivid, wondrous and expansive. You wake up and it feels almost real. I’m not sure I’ve read many (if any) authors who have such a fantastic, ambitious imagination and the ability to put the world on paper in such a striking way, and this often blew me away. Of course, I also really enjoyed the writing alot (but I already knew I would) and many of the ideas presented were really thought provoking, in the sense that you are still thinking about some of the ideas later in the day.
In addition to this, despite being a regular fantasy reader I am actually not usually a fan of magic – yet I loved the magic system here. The titular lightblade and the magic system surrounding them, with different colours of light having different power for example, I really enjoyed.
I have a massive admiration for Zamil Akhtar taking this book in a direction quite unfamiliar to many readers (or at least most of the books I’ve seen advertised).
Fiction is often an escape from reality and this is the perfect read for leaving the real world and experiencing a dream – complete with lightblades, dragons and stunning descriptions.
Thankyou to the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 6, 2022
Lightblade is the first book in a new series. It combines reliable fantasy tropes with an innovative combat system that uses swordplay enhanced with magic with a Middle Eastern inspired world.
The world of Lightblade is built on a world of dreams. Our central character Jyosh is able to escape a cutthroat life in a labour camp with use of a dream stone, which gives the workers respite and a way to gain enjoyment, whether that be love or otherwise.
Jyosh has recently acquired a black market dream stone to achieve his goal of rising up out of the mire and give his life and existence meaning. He considers himself unimportant and powerless and sees his ability to wield a lightblade as a have an impact. His dream stone includes a companion whose job is to teach him skills but their relationship suggests a deeper connection.
The author doesn't leave anything out there as the stakes are continually shifting. Many of the ideas are reminiscent of the Matrix ideology but the author plays with this in new and interesting ways. The book is always thrilling and introduces a lore that is deep but promises even more.
I can't wait to see what is next!
The world of Lightblade is built on a world of dreams. Our central character Jyosh is able to escape a cutthroat life in a labour camp with use of a dream stone, which gives the workers respite and a way to gain enjoyment, whether that be love or otherwise.
Jyosh has recently acquired a black market dream stone to achieve his goal of rising up out of the mire and give his life and existence meaning. He considers himself unimportant and powerless and sees his ability to wield a lightblade as a have an impact. His dream stone includes a companion whose job is to teach him skills but their relationship suggests a deeper connection.
The author doesn't leave anything out there as the stakes are continually shifting. Many of the ideas are reminiscent of the Matrix ideology but the author plays with this in new and interesting ways. The book is always thrilling and introduces a lore that is deep but promises even more.
I can't wait to see what is next!
May 28, 2022
*NO SPOILERS*
Wow, what a ride! Zamil is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
Many things I loved about Gunmetal Gods, Conqueror's Blood, and Death Rider are on display here:
* The characters have great depth,
* Pretty prose
* The plot is super intriguing and keeps moving along in unexpected directions.
And in particular for this book, the worldbuilding is incredible. I don't want to get into details because of spoilers. Do yourself a favor read it. I guarantee you won't regret it.
Wow, what a ride! Zamil is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
Many things I loved about Gunmetal Gods, Conqueror's Blood, and Death Rider are on display here:
* The characters have great depth,
* Pretty prose
* The plot is super intriguing and keeps moving along in unexpected directions.
And in particular for this book, the worldbuilding is incredible. I don't want to get into details because of spoilers. Do yourself a favor read it. I guarantee you won't regret it.
August 2, 2022
Despite the fact that the environment in this story is beyond anything I've ever experienced, Mr. Aktar made it totally believable by tying it to his very human characters. The ways in which the characters dealt with their realities was so much like the way I would deal with my life, or my friends would.
There were points in the book where I just thought, "Why am I reading this?" but it was so well-written I couldn't stop reading it.
This was not just a good story, it was an experience, and I would recommend it to anyone.
There were points in the book where I just thought, "Why am I reading this?" but it was so well-written I couldn't stop reading it.
This was not just a good story, it was an experience, and I would recommend it to anyone.
June 9, 2022
Fantastic read
Rarely feel inclined to leave a review but this is such a great book. The world building alone makes it worth a read but the journey the characters take had me hooked. Really looking forward to seeing where the series goes and the no doubt many re-reading of this book
Rarely feel inclined to leave a review but this is such a great book. The world building alone makes it worth a read but the journey the characters take had me hooked. Really looking forward to seeing where the series goes and the no doubt many re-reading of this book
August 15, 2022
Very unique
I think one of this book's biggest strengths is how fresh and unique it feels. The world and character interactions were definitely atypical compared to most books I've read. Lots of passion flowing from the characters. I look forward to book 2.
I think one of this book's biggest strengths is how fresh and unique it feels. The world and character interactions were definitely atypical compared to most books I've read. Lots of passion flowing from the characters. I look forward to book 2.
July 21, 2022
I picked this up because of the epic blurb, but … dang. Really, really wanted to like this, but on the whole, it’s a bit of a mess – tonally, plot-wise, pacing-wise, character-wise, trope-wise.
Conceptually, I am all for a pseudo-lightsaber wielding, revenge-seeking, progression-fantasy protagonist who’s out to murder the tyrannical emperor whose government has enslaved him. I mean, just the sound of that just hits all the beats of cool.
The reality of it, is unfortunately, less so. For one thing, this book is nothing like the blurb. Instead, it reads more like a salad of lifted elements from other SFF works, from the . It wouldn’t be a big deal if the book does anything interesting (or different from the original) with these lifted elements… but it doesn't. So I’m mostly left with recurring reminders of other works, which really only serve to distract me from the actual book.
Thematically as well, it feels like this book is stuffed full of pantomiming of deeper contemplation of Big Concepts, only without heft or originality. Reality, freedom, personhood etc... None of it felt significantly touched on, or in a substantial, original, or different way, than other works of SFF have done. I kept going, OK so what? I think another reviewer said it best - "In the end, everything is quite confusing, and although there are moments of explanation, I still don't understand."
Tonally, the book shifts in really jarring ways. It just makes it hard to take anything seriously, and makes the emotional beats in the story shallow.
And on other threads of incoherence – the was... not easy to slog through. Their connection never felt like anything but surface-level, considering it was built on bland and trite interactions. Ultimately, the at the end of the book feels contrived and emotionally flat.
This one was just not for me.
Conceptually, I am all for a pseudo-lightsaber wielding, revenge-seeking, progression-fantasy protagonist who’s out to murder the tyrannical emperor whose government has enslaved him. I mean, just the sound of that just hits all the beats of cool.
The reality of it, is unfortunately, less so. For one thing, this book is nothing like the blurb. Instead, it reads more like a salad of lifted elements from other SFF works, from the . It wouldn’t be a big deal if the book does anything interesting (or different from the original) with these lifted elements… but it doesn't. So I’m mostly left with recurring reminders of other works, which really only serve to distract me from the actual book.
Thematically as well, it feels like this book is stuffed full of pantomiming of deeper contemplation of Big Concepts, only without heft or originality. Reality, freedom, personhood etc... None of it felt significantly touched on, or in a substantial, original, or different way, than other works of SFF have done. I kept going, OK so what? I think another reviewer said it best - "In the end, everything is quite confusing, and although there are moments of explanation, I still don't understand."
Tonally, the book shifts in really jarring ways. It just makes it hard to take anything seriously, and makes the emotional beats in the story shallow.
And on other threads of incoherence – the was... not easy to slog through. Their connection never felt like anything but surface-level, considering it was built on bland and trite interactions. Ultimately, the at the end of the book feels contrived and emotionally flat.
This one was just not for me.
June 1, 2022
My first exposure to Zamil Akhtar was his 2020 fantasy novel Gunmetal Gods. In a refreshingly Middle Eastern setting with a pair of first-person mutual antagonists narrating their stories in turns, it set Akhtar up as an up and coming young author with a hell of a lot to say. With a strong focus on family, it was no surprise when turning to an Advance Reader Copy of his new progression fantasy Lightblade that one of the first things we learn about protagonist Jyosh is that he is the sole survivor of a purge of his family by their Emperor, who makes examples of his parents and sister after his elder brother deserts from the military. Not quite teenaged Jyosh, after being made to watch the beheadings of his own family, is thrown into a factory/prison and forced to spend his days helping manufacture weapons for the Emperor he hates.
Factory workers are paid a salary, though severely restricted in what they may buy with it, and many of the things they must buy to maintain standards of hygiene and such are in short supply in this repressive regime. Jyosh, on the strength of his hate for the Emperor, manages to save enough to buy a highly illegal modification to his “dream crystal”. Like other crystals that can be swapped out from a slot in his chest, depending on need, dream crystals are intended to assist in the subjugation of the workers. While the crystal he uses at work facilitates the manufacture of weapons by utilizing the energy from light, the dream crystal takes its wearer into a dream world as they sleep, four hours passing in the dream world for every hour they are asleep. A program within the dream crystal, a “dream wife”, offers them a lifelike – to some extent – devoted female companion, designed to keep them docile. But the mod Jyosh purchases has another purpose: Lightblade Training. Lightblades, in an obvious Star Wars homage, start out as a sword-like hilt with no blade, but when activated by yet another crystal they extrude deadly beam of light that takes the place of a sword blade. Unfortunately for Jyosh, his factory work, involving light running through his veins as he funnels it into the machinery, has severely curtailed his ability to activate and maintain the blade of light, even in the dream world. He really needs the extra time afforded by the dream training if he is to succeed in his goal: to slay the Emperor during an upcoming scheduled visit to the factory where his weapons are made.
Surprisingly to Jyosh, the dream trainer, Zauri, is far more sophisticated than he had expected. “This program showed more self-awareness than half the fools I knew in the waking world.” Like himself, however, he observes next that those fools were “programmed by their fears, as I was.” Jyosh tries to focus on his training, but Zauri continually surprises him with her knowledge and skills, and he begins to learn how to wield a lightblade despite the damage to his veins from the factory work.
“Progression Fantasy” is a relatively recent term in the never-ending spawn of “new” fantasy subgenres, describing stories that focus on characters increasing in powers and or skills over time. The dream training affords the perfect instrument for Jyosh’s progression – until he learns that even more powerful tools exist for the higher classes in his world – and that someone behind the scenes is making those tools available to Jyosh as well. Then a new kind of progression takes over as Jyosh begins to learn how different the world is from what he has been told all his life. Almost none of what he thinks he knows is true.
Highly recommended both to those familiar with progression fantasy and those who are not – having read only one or two previous examples myself, I’m firmly in the latter category, but happy to read more if Lightblade is any indication of what’s in store.
Factory workers are paid a salary, though severely restricted in what they may buy with it, and many of the things they must buy to maintain standards of hygiene and such are in short supply in this repressive regime. Jyosh, on the strength of his hate for the Emperor, manages to save enough to buy a highly illegal modification to his “dream crystal”. Like other crystals that can be swapped out from a slot in his chest, depending on need, dream crystals are intended to assist in the subjugation of the workers. While the crystal he uses at work facilitates the manufacture of weapons by utilizing the energy from light, the dream crystal takes its wearer into a dream world as they sleep, four hours passing in the dream world for every hour they are asleep. A program within the dream crystal, a “dream wife”, offers them a lifelike – to some extent – devoted female companion, designed to keep them docile. But the mod Jyosh purchases has another purpose: Lightblade Training. Lightblades, in an obvious Star Wars homage, start out as a sword-like hilt with no blade, but when activated by yet another crystal they extrude deadly beam of light that takes the place of a sword blade. Unfortunately for Jyosh, his factory work, involving light running through his veins as he funnels it into the machinery, has severely curtailed his ability to activate and maintain the blade of light, even in the dream world. He really needs the extra time afforded by the dream training if he is to succeed in his goal: to slay the Emperor during an upcoming scheduled visit to the factory where his weapons are made.
Surprisingly to Jyosh, the dream trainer, Zauri, is far more sophisticated than he had expected. “This program showed more self-awareness than half the fools I knew in the waking world.” Like himself, however, he observes next that those fools were “programmed by their fears, as I was.” Jyosh tries to focus on his training, but Zauri continually surprises him with her knowledge and skills, and he begins to learn how to wield a lightblade despite the damage to his veins from the factory work.
“Progression Fantasy” is a relatively recent term in the never-ending spawn of “new” fantasy subgenres, describing stories that focus on characters increasing in powers and or skills over time. The dream training affords the perfect instrument for Jyosh’s progression – until he learns that even more powerful tools exist for the higher classes in his world – and that someone behind the scenes is making those tools available to Jyosh as well. Then a new kind of progression takes over as Jyosh begins to learn how different the world is from what he has been told all his life. Almost none of what he thinks he knows is true.
Highly recommended both to those familiar with progression fantasy and those who are not – having read only one or two previous examples myself, I’m firmly in the latter category, but happy to read more if Lightblade is any indication of what’s in store.
July 16, 2022
This is easily my favorite Akhtar book, and I’m rather mad it took me this long to get around to reading it.
First, I want to cover exactly what this book is not:
1. It is not your standard RR-style progression story, where character spends 40 chapters focusing on “getting stronger” or facing wave after wave of bad guys.
2. It is not your standard murder-hobo style MC who justifies early on that killing without remorse is the best path to life and proceeds to do what they want with little to no consequences to their own mental health.
3. It is not a blood-soaked tale of revenge as the initial blurb might lead you to believe.
What this story is:
1. A deeply thought-out story of human suffering and our need for escapism.
2. A tale of war and personal trauma told through the lens of an MC that is already broken before the story even begins.
3. A surrealist dreamscape that plays with the idea of an unreliable narrator in a fresh way, a story wherein even if you figure out the midsection twist, it done in such a way that it’s still surprising and wondrous to encounter on the page.
4. A classic Zamil Akhtar story where the surprise twists and reveals just keep coming at an unrelentless pace, where the happy and sad moments tumble over each other in a chaotic jumble, carrying you along for the ride until the inevitably violent conclusion.
Akhtar likens this book to the Matrix, but I think something like Inception or the 13th Floor is probably a better comparison, a story where the reader questions the reality of what they’re being shown right from the outset. Add to that the vibrant and detailed world that Jyosh and his friends find themselves in, and this book was absolutely stunning.
Whether the characters were navigating strange dreamscapes, fighting for their lives in the gritty and unforgiving real world, or waxing upon the nature of reality and human suffering, this book slaps in all the best ways.
First, I want to cover exactly what this book is not:
1. It is not your standard RR-style progression story, where character spends 40 chapters focusing on “getting stronger” or facing wave after wave of bad guys.
2. It is not your standard murder-hobo style MC who justifies early on that killing without remorse is the best path to life and proceeds to do what they want with little to no consequences to their own mental health.
3. It is not a blood-soaked tale of revenge as the initial blurb might lead you to believe.
What this story is:
1. A deeply thought-out story of human suffering and our need for escapism.
2. A tale of war and personal trauma told through the lens of an MC that is already broken before the story even begins.
3. A surrealist dreamscape that plays with the idea of an unreliable narrator in a fresh way, a story wherein even if you figure out the midsection twist, it done in such a way that it’s still surprising and wondrous to encounter on the page.
4. A classic Zamil Akhtar story where the surprise twists and reveals just keep coming at an unrelentless pace, where the happy and sad moments tumble over each other in a chaotic jumble, carrying you along for the ride until the inevitably violent conclusion.
Akhtar likens this book to the Matrix, but I think something like Inception or the 13th Floor is probably a better comparison, a story where the reader questions the reality of what they’re being shown right from the outset. Add to that the vibrant and detailed world that Jyosh and his friends find themselves in, and this book was absolutely stunning.
Whether the characters were navigating strange dreamscapes, fighting for their lives in the gritty and unforgiving real world, or waxing upon the nature of reality and human suffering, this book slaps in all the best ways.
June 15, 2022
Awesome story that plays out across every page.
I thoroughly enjoyed the prose – it's just pretty enough to lend a sometimes ethereal quality to the story without being flowery, and had me occasionally stopping to ponder particular quotes. I also enjoyed the lore/mythology, though I would have liked a little more of it.
The story is, well, extremely layered – in the best possible way. Akhtar delivers gasp-inducing revelations like they're going out of style. On a few occasions I considered stopping to try and un-puzzle things, but I think this story is best enjoyed if you just go with the flow and accept the surprises as they come. Just when you think the plot is becoming a little convoluted, the author drops a revelation or a little nugget that makes it all make sense again. That's not to say that things are as they seem – that's almost never the case. Part of the dilemma in this story is trying to figure out who the good and bad guys really are (if there's such a thing) as the characters seem to be divided between doing the right things for the wrong reasons, or the wrong things for the right reasons, and therefore never really know for sure who they can trust.
Or maybe none of it actually really matters at all . . . . .
I thoroughly enjoyed the prose – it's just pretty enough to lend a sometimes ethereal quality to the story without being flowery, and had me occasionally stopping to ponder particular quotes. I also enjoyed the lore/mythology, though I would have liked a little more of it.
The story is, well, extremely layered – in the best possible way. Akhtar delivers gasp-inducing revelations like they're going out of style. On a few occasions I considered stopping to try and un-puzzle things, but I think this story is best enjoyed if you just go with the flow and accept the surprises as they come. Just when you think the plot is becoming a little convoluted, the author drops a revelation or a little nugget that makes it all make sense again. That's not to say that things are as they seem – that's almost never the case. Part of the dilemma in this story is trying to figure out who the good and bad guys really are (if there's such a thing) as the characters seem to be divided between doing the right things for the wrong reasons, or the wrong things for the right reasons, and therefore never really know for sure who they can trust.
Or maybe none of it actually really matters at all . . . . .
June 26, 2022
Firstly, I'd like to say that the blurb for this book is quite misleading. It is technically true, in the sense that at the start of the book the situation is pretty much that, but then the story moves on quite far from that quite quickly. If you liked the idea of the blurb, I recommend you read The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter. If you want to know what this book is actually about, keep reading this review. I will not spoil anything, but will explain a bit of the themes and setting.
As this book was promoted in r/ProgressionFantasy, I went in expecting your average week to strong story, but in a world with bootleg lightsabers. And if you squint really hard, maybe you can see that. The problem is, the scope of the world quickly becomes unreasonably big. The scale of thigs is ridiculous (I mean, how much is even a million billions anyway?).
All that is due to how the world works, which I'm not sure I understand. People have compared it to The Matrix and Inception, and it is a reasonable analogy. Lightblade imported a mixture of both, with some magic thrown in. But the thing is, the philosophical questions of both those movies are also imported. You get questions about what is reality, what is free will, what is love... In the end, everything is quite confusing, and although there are moments of explanation, I still don't understand.
In my opinion, the book is trying to do too much at the same time. You could take each of the ideas here and make a story about that alone. A problem every fiction suffers is that the bigger it becomes, the more apparent the seams are. If you have a simple magical system, say telekinesis, you have relatively few issues. But when you have a super complex magic system, the seams start to show up: "why doesn't this work that way?", "why didn't he do x instead of y?". It's a lot more things to come up with a reasonable explanation, and so, naturally, more flaws slip through.
The effect this has in Lightblade is that the story is constantly straining my suspension of disbelief. Every time I'm getting immersed, some new absurdity shows up and I have to readjust to that. It's like, "I get what the author is going for, but it doesn't make sense. But I'll go along with it for now".
Another issue I have, and this one is more related to the execution rather than the idea, is that character motivation and personalities are a bit inconsistent. One minute they are angry and the next instant they crack a joke. When they have something important to tell, they wait until the very last moment, and naturally are interrupted. Or they meet the person with the answers to their questions, but don't ask them.
There is a romance plot, but I didn't like it very much. It stomps all over the aforementioned philosophical questions, but even if it didn't, it still has some problems. For starters, the characters fall in love almost instantly (hate that trope). They get ridiculously, hopelessly in love. You could say that is the primary motivation for their characters, to get back to each other. And yet, there is a moment where one of them is about to cheat on the other. That inconsistency is particularly annoying.
But enough criticisms. There's some good here too. Although I would say the book is light on action (at least in fights), what we have is good. The lightblades are cool, when they get their moment to shine. The chemistry between the main trio is pretty good. And even though I complained about the strange and complicated world, it's interesting enough to make me curious to know more about it.
Despite the problems I listed, I'll very likely check out the sequel. I think that if if narrows the scope of the story a bit and leaves most of the nonsensical world in the background, to be revealed gradually and with better explanations, it could find it's stride and start a great story.
As this book was promoted in r/ProgressionFantasy, I went in expecting your average week to strong story, but in a world with bootleg lightsabers. And if you squint really hard, maybe you can see that. The problem is, the scope of the world quickly becomes unreasonably big. The scale of thigs is ridiculous (I mean, how much is even a million billions anyway?).
All that is due to how the world works, which I'm not sure I understand. People have compared it to The Matrix and Inception, and it is a reasonable analogy. Lightblade imported a mixture of both, with some magic thrown in. But the thing is, the philosophical questions of both those movies are also imported. You get questions about what is reality, what is free will, what is love... In the end, everything is quite confusing, and although there are moments of explanation, I still don't understand.
In my opinion, the book is trying to do too much at the same time. You could take each of the ideas here and make a story about that alone. A problem every fiction suffers is that the bigger it becomes, the more apparent the seams are. If you have a simple magical system, say telekinesis, you have relatively few issues. But when you have a super complex magic system, the seams start to show up: "why doesn't this work that way?", "why didn't he do x instead of y?". It's a lot more things to come up with a reasonable explanation, and so, naturally, more flaws slip through.
The effect this has in Lightblade is that the story is constantly straining my suspension of disbelief. Every time I'm getting immersed, some new absurdity shows up and I have to readjust to that. It's like, "I get what the author is going for, but it doesn't make sense. But I'll go along with it for now".
Another issue I have, and this one is more related to the execution rather than the idea, is that character motivation and personalities are a bit inconsistent. One minute they are angry and the next instant they crack a joke. When they have something important to tell, they wait until the very last moment, and naturally are interrupted. Or they meet the person with the answers to their questions, but don't ask them.
There is a romance plot, but I didn't like it very much. It stomps all over the aforementioned philosophical questions, but even if it didn't, it still has some problems. For starters, the characters fall in love almost instantly (hate that trope). They get ridiculously, hopelessly in love. You could say that is the primary motivation for their characters, to get back to each other. And yet, there is a moment where one of them is about to cheat on the other. That inconsistency is particularly annoying.
But enough criticisms. There's some good here too. Although I would say the book is light on action (at least in fights), what we have is good. The lightblades are cool, when they get their moment to shine. The chemistry between the main trio is pretty good. And even though I complained about the strange and complicated world, it's interesting enough to make me curious to know more about it.
Despite the problems I listed, I'll very likely check out the sequel. I think that if if narrows the scope of the story a bit and leaves most of the nonsensical world in the background, to be revealed gradually and with better explanations, it could find it's stride and start a great story.
July 27, 2022
Thanks to the author for providing an early review copy of this book to me!
Over all, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It’s biggest strength is definitely in its worldbuilding, providing an intriguing blend of cyberpunk-esque and fantasy elements. The magic system felt like it started on the same base concept as Lightbringer, but took it in a completely different direction. I wish that a little more time had been spent with the time dilation within dreams, a concept that felt underused for a book advertising itself as progression fantasy. I was honestly surprised by how little progression Jyosh makes with his lightblade training, leaving a couple of his victories feeling a little unearned.
I think the book struggled a little from about 20%-50%, particularly with interactions between characters. Once the cast lets their secrets out between each other, the chemistry improves immensely, and the story really takes off for the remainder of the book. Even the worldbuilding starts taking an extra couple of steps up from this point, getting bigger and bigger all the way through the end.
I would recommend this book to people looking for something world and plot focused. People looking for something character or progression focused might leave a bit disappointed. Personally, I’ll be looking out for more!
One last thing, major props to the artist. There are four pieces of art spread throughout the book, at least in the ARC edition, and each one is phenomenal. I can’t seem to find any mention of who did the art, if anyone knows who they are, please let me know, I’d love to follow them.
Over all, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It’s biggest strength is definitely in its worldbuilding, providing an intriguing blend of cyberpunk-esque and fantasy elements. The magic system felt like it started on the same base concept as Lightbringer, but took it in a completely different direction. I wish that a little more time had been spent with the time dilation within dreams, a concept that felt underused for a book advertising itself as progression fantasy. I was honestly surprised by how little progression Jyosh makes with his lightblade training, leaving a couple of his victories feeling a little unearned.
I think the book struggled a little from about 20%-50%, particularly with interactions between characters. Once the cast lets their secrets out between each other, the chemistry improves immensely, and the story really takes off for the remainder of the book. Even the worldbuilding starts taking an extra couple of steps up from this point, getting bigger and bigger all the way through the end.
I would recommend this book to people looking for something world and plot focused. People looking for something character or progression focused might leave a bit disappointed. Personally, I’ll be looking out for more!
One last thing, major props to the artist. There are four pieces of art spread throughout the book, at least in the ARC edition, and each one is phenomenal. I can’t seem to find any mention of who did the art, if anyone knows who they are, please let me know, I’d love to follow them.
December 30, 2022
I was 4 hours or so into the book when I couldn't take it any longer. The blurb made this seem like an epic cultivation story but it seems that was a complete lie. This was well written yes. But did it actually have any interesting plot or characters that kept you wanting more? No it did not have anything like that. The plot is all over the place, the characters are so fucking whiny and frankly boring I gave up on the book. This was very much the case of a story that held promise at first glance. However that was all it was a promise of potential, sadly the author didn't have the skill or imagination to make that promise into something real. So instead we got this sorry excuse for a book.
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