Dreamer's Throne (Dreamer's Throne #1), by Seth Ring
The Book
Synopsis:
A broken body. A mysterious world. It’ll take all his Intelligence to survive.
After close brush with death, Garrett realizes that he’s in a new world. And worse, he’s missing an arm and paralyzed from the waist down. A fact that doesn’t deter the brutal gang lord whose floor he’s crashing on from wanting to throw him out into the street.
The only thing standing between Garrett and a cold death at the mercy of the city’s scavengers are his own wits and a plucky young woman.
Armed with a System that gives him experience for exploring his new world, Garrett is determined to do whatever it takes to keep himself safe from the threats closing in all around him. Even if it means becoming a villain.
But the inn and city are far from what they seem.
Terrifying creatures lurk around every corner and there is no weapon that can stop them. A strange lucid Dream world hovers on the edge of Garrett’s consciousness, and it isn’t content to stay a dream. When it starts bleeding into the real world, Garrett realizes that the hostile gangs around him are the least of his worries…
Don’t miss Book 1 of a new Fantasy LitRPG Series by Seth Ring, bestselling author of Nova Terra and Battle Mage Farmer. Join Garrett as he uses his intelligence and talents to make himself useful in a harsh reality, proving it takes more than just muscles to be strong.
My Review
Dreamer's Throne is the first book in the eponymous LitRPG/fantasy series created by Seth Ring; following the adventures of Garrett after waking up in a new world, paralyzed waist down and depending on a brutal gang leader to have a roof over his head. Luckily for him, he soon discovers that he has a System that allows him to gain powers and take advantage of an oneiric world, plagued by creatures, but which can help him to become stronger.
He's not alone in this world, as he will have the help of a young woman, Ryn; and his own intellect and experiences. But the world and the gangs are not what it seems to be, and soon our main characters will have to prove themselves useful for the gang, and going up the ranks so they can get more control on their situation.
With this premise, Ring creates an interesting story, where the main two worlds are separated at the start, not mixing the fantasy and litRPG elements until we are more invested into the story; with a fast pacing, we see how Garrett makes use of his abilities and the Path he has chosen to develop new abilities.
The world of Dreamer's Throne is inspired by Lovercraftian horror and dark fantasy, mixing those nightmare creatures with a more mundane world where gangs are fighting for the control of the city and the inn; discovering the small details of it will become one of the ways Garrett can use to improve his abilities.
The writing is simple and accessible, making of this a quick read; despite I'm not a litRPG reader, I'm an avid video-game player, so it felt quite natural how those elements were added to the story, being a part of the world, not an unnecessary add-on.
Dreamer's Throne aims to reach a fantasy/horror audience while still catering to those that prefer progression/litRPG, and I can say that Seth Ring has been pretty successful at this front. Eager to see how the world is expanded in the next books.
The Author/s
Seth Ring
Author of the Titan Series, Seth loves telling stories, building worlds, and sharing those stories and worlds with other people.
Growing up traveling between the USA and Ghana, West Africa, books were Seth’s constant companions. As he grew, so did his imagination spawning fantastical tales of heroes and villains, of magic, technology, and skill.
Eventually, Seth thought it would be a good idea to write some of his stories down since he was running out of room in his head. Seth Ring currently lives with his wife, kids, and dog in the United States of America.