Spoiler-Free Eleventh Cycle Book Review
Eleventh Cycle by Kian N. Ardalan is a beefy book but I burned through it! This fantastic epic fantasy novel comes out on February 1st 2023, so be read for this exciting release!
Rewarding Learning-Curve
There is a steep learning curve in Eleventh Cycle but it’s well worth the time and effort you put in. You might initially feel a little confused or overwhelmed with the character names, places, lore etc, and I think that’s kind of the point!
The author does a good job of giving you all the information you need to enjoy the scenes as you get to them and learn naturally about the places, people and lore as the novel progresses. And you have over 800 pages to learn what you need to know, so you’ll be fine!
Characters & Worldbuilding
Inspired by Beserk and the Dark Souls games, you can feel the influences throughout the book – especially in the tone and atmosphere. Minethria is a rich, well developed world with a huge amount of lore that I loved learning more about.
The misty world feels claustrophobic at times which is just a sign of how good the author is at drawing you into the setting.
Dalila, Nora, Chroma, and Erefiel Numaya are the POV characters. They all feel distinct and are incredibly well written.
This is definitely a character-driven narrative, despite having such a detailed world to learn about.
Overall Thoughts
Eleventh Cycle is a gritty, grimdark fantasy novel with a huge list of trigger warnings (provided by the author), so not for the faint of heart!
This is essentially a perfect book. It’s only January and I have now read 2 of my favourite books of all time (see reviews of Illborn and Aiduel’s Sin). You should all definitely read this indie fantasy book.
Apparently there are 4 or 5 future books planned for the series. I am so excited to see more of this world!
I have interviewed Kian N. Ardalan, and that post will come out on February 17th 2023.
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