King of Dreams

A Vereldan Tale

Fiction - Fantasy - General
520 Pages
Reviewed on 10/08/2014
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Born in the U.S., Greg McLeod has lived in Michigan, Florida, Germany, and Italy, and now makes his home in southern Switzerland.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite

An Iceling named Anuun fears that Forbidden, a place where no man must ever be allowed to set foot, has been breached. Stranded on the frozen shores of the Ice Wastes, Nudd Wiggin, the only survivor of the ill-fated Albatross ship, stumbles onto a mysterious chamber where he was killed and resurrected into something inhuman. Nudd is now an ancient weapon in a semi-human form, raising unspeakable terror towards the war-torn kingdoms’ borders. In the far south, Laurin the dwarf is trying to outrun an assassin. His path crossed with Rhea Redbreast’s, an apprentice Headhunter, who abandons her mission and protects him from another fellow Headhunter. Their journey will bring them to Bryn of Bailon, an unwilling heir to a dark and troubling secret.

King of Dreams: A Vereldan Tale is well-plotted and the narrative is firm. It also excels in the political and cultural fable with an unerring humanist sense of the dangerous will to power. Overall, the novel’s range, ambition and execution are solid. Greg McLeod has the imagination and skill to deliver a fully figured world with its own language and customs that readers can visualize. The astonishing texture of details makes each character feel alive and real. It’s a fantasy novel with a heady potion of betrayal, conflict and adventure. It takes a crafty writer to create a multi-faceted story that is also an easy read, but McLeod does just that. It is one of the rare books that manages to be compact with details while avoiding the mistake of being redundant.

Melinda Hills

Supernatural beings, a magic sword and brave, stouthearted warriors – what more could a story need! King of Dreams: A Vereldan Tale by Greg McLeod contains all that plus more in this fabulous tale reminiscent of the Arthurian legend. Bryn, the young lord of a small holding, becomes embroiled in the political machinations of a power-hungry king. To that end, his path crosses that of Rhea, a young woman brought up by her Grandda after the murder of her parents by this same ruthless king. With the help of a Waylen dwarf who had spent his life searching for precious metals and gems, Rhea and Bryn join the campaign to fight against the evil king Eldric. To everyone’s surprise, an ancient relic of pure malice has come out of the North and threatens the inhabitants of the Seven Kingdoms. Will all the legends come to pass so that this threat can be defeated and will this help or hinder the fight against Eldric? In a time when no one is sure about anything, can two young people make a difference?

Greg McLeod has created a wonderful fantasy world filled with amazing characters – both good and evil. His writing is clear and direct with sharp dialogue and tremendous action that keep the story moving along to the enormous clash of forces that will determine the outcome of the Seven Kingdoms. King of Dreams: A Vereldan Tale is a book that is hard to put down since it draws the reader directly into the story with its vivid accounts of battles, treachery and bravery.

Kathryn Bennett

King of Dreams: A Vereldan Tale by Greg McLeod takes us into a realm where Laurin the dwarf has been sent on an errand by a dead king and an assassin is following him. There is also Rhea, the apprentice headhunter, who ends up getting on her own guild's hit list simply because she wanted to avenge her parents. If this wasn't enough, there is an ancient weapon and a evil king who starts a war.

I can't say how much I love a fantastic fantasy novel and with King of Dreams: A Vereldan Tale author Greg McLeod has created a world of wonder and danger that I really enjoyed delving into. This is the kind of book that you don't just read; you fully fall into the world, you enjoy the characters and the depth of work that is being woven around you. These kinds of books I always read more than once and I enjoy the different things I pick out. In short, this is a well written, well crafted book that has had some fantastic work put into it. The flow is good, although it felt just a tiny bit sluggish in the first chapter to me, but I often feel that way with fantasy books until I feel more comfortable with the world. After that, everything felt good to me - there is action and a bit of mystery as well and, of course, danger. I love a spot of danger in a book. In short, if you are a lover of fantasy books, this is a great one for you; you will enjoy every moment and every page.