I’m always a sucker for a fantastic fantasy book. Neil Gaiman charmed me back in the day with Sandman. So whenever the opportunity to read a book like this comes across my desk, I take advantage of it. Much like Gaiman, this is a story, about stories.
The Book
Dreamlands: Lives and Epics
Written by Thanos Kyratzis
Illustrated by Stelios Pliatsikas
Publisher: Loud Mouse Crew
Dreamlands begins with a story about the end of the world. Pernathoris is the last living person and thing in the world. He chronicles the end of the world and buries the dead. His life is a long eulogy of a world near its end.
The book is about his journey to the end of the world. You go through a tour of wonders lost and long. You see dead giants, crystal pillars abandoned skulls, and a list of a world no longer quite there. This is the end.
The book reads like a tomb as you turn the pages. You can almost hear the footsteps of the tomb you explore with Pernathoris as he copes with the fact that he is the only one left. It’s sad and haunting, and beautiful all the same—credit to both creators for setting the tone and pace of the story.
Why is he doing this? For two reasons. There is a story god named Nehiram, who wants to be satiated with tales. But the other reason is all too human. Pernathoris is alone in this world, and this is his only purpose.
Eventually, the task is finished. In the forty pages, you go from the end to the beginning. What is left once all the stories are collected and the eulogy is finished? This is very much a story about a world being remembered and a story about a world being created. I mentioned Neil Gaiman at the beginning as this book reminds me of Sandman quite a bit. Dreamlands is a story about stories, and Thanos Kyratzis has started a tale in those veins.
Credit to Stelios Pliatsikas for the illustrations that add to the feel of the tomb. The giant’s hall and the walk in the crystal desert felt larger and alive and added to the story’s haunting. This is a story about the beauty of an old world dying and a new world beginning. It’s a great start to the series. Take a read if you can.
If you want to support the duo, check out their Kickstarter with their latest issue. I recommend this series to anyone who likes Sandman, Wasteland, or any kind of post-apocalyptic fantasy. This is a wonderful start.
The Business
Been in the business of doing a lot of projects since the new year began. I’m working very hard on my novel. It’s in an agent’s hands. No guarantees what’s happening next, but I’m happy I got this far. It’s been the second-biggest project so far this year.
The biggest is my podcast course. I’ve uploaded 6 of the 8 modules and the 7th one is going live sometime after this is out. Adding worksheets and teaching everyone how to create a blooper video and the importance of making small clips for a bunch of marketing. You can check out the course here, and see what else I’m up to.
Finally, I’m working on a graphic novel. Right now you can see me creating the characters for Lights Out on my webpage, newsletter, or patreon. I’ll be starting to post the story soon. I’ve come a long way as an illustrator. It blew me away to see where I’ve gotten to working on this. I can’t wait to finish the story. Is it a traditional graphic novel? No. I would recommend checking out Thomas Wheeler and Frank Miller’s Cursed for the inspiration for the design.
That will do it for now. I think I’ll do something mainstream next time. Should be good. Until then guys, be good to each other.
Stay inspired out there.
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