With its epic worldbuilding, hauntingly beautiful aesthetic, and well-realized protagonists, Eleventh Cycle is a tour de force of grimdark fantasy and a bold statement from emerging indie author Kian N. I provide all these examples not to dunk on the book or the author but to show how this many mistakes and so many writing issues can make it impossible to fully engage with a story. With the existence of Elder Kings, Elder Guards (the one in the cover art), and the unstoppable rot, it is understandable why readers/gamers might think that.

The author mentions right from the very start of the book that none of this is done simply for the sake of it, to make light in any way, or for any type of shock value. So there’s a lot of work that has gone into building this world, and it works very well, with everything coming together to give us a vast landscape to explore.Then it came as a scream, a scream which worked its way through my belly and burst from my lips like a shredding storm evoked by the caustic mists.

Ardalan shares Sanderson’s talent at creating empathetic, broken characters, bringing a deeply personal focus to a vast, complex world. Berserk and the Souls franchise were advertised as major influences and as a huge fan of both, I was convinced this would be a surefire winner for me. There was another point that really soured the story and the character for me, but I talk about that later as it also relates to Nora. In fact, it felt to me that we saw her interact more with the others in that group, so that connection with the loss wasn’t there.As I progressed through Eleventh Cycle, each of the four protagonists took turns being my favorite character. I have given my approval to the intricate world-building, Dark Souls inspirations, and powerful themes. There are some truly spectacular descriptions in this book, and Ardalan for the most part does a fantastic job of bringing this world and all it’s myriad peoples and tales to life, and we can see how it is all woven together.