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A Greater Story
The Legacy of the Dreamer follows a man on the brink of death who pleads for his life only to have his wish granted by someone with forbidden magic, leaving him with the unsettling realization that he can no longer die. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’ve always enjoyed stories of immortality, but they never end in a way that realizes its definition. Even at a young age when I heard someone say they wanted to live forever, I knew there was no way for that to end well. I wanted to explore what it would be like to truly live forever.
I wrote about how I personally view immortality, as something that could not have a happy ending. With my vision of this, there can only be yearning, despair, and hopelessness in the end.
What were some of the emotional and moral guidelines you followed when developing your characters?
It was important for my main character, Renealt, to be suffering. I was not kind to him. He is grieving, and unable to move on. He suffers the worst fate that I can imagine. His morality changes drastically throughout his exceptionally long life as he loses his humanity. He starts as a fairly neutral person, who becomes a pacifist and turns outright evil.
When I wrote the three short stories that are spread out through the main story, I deliberately based each main character around two of the seven deadly sins. This was a lot of fun to write. Renealt takes the seventh sin through his desire for knowledge and power and to be reunited with Renay. While these seven deadly sins come from a religion, this should not be taken as a tie between Earth and Cenadur.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Obsession, and the simple fact that things are not always what they seem. People misread situations. People make mistakes, waste time looking into the wrong place, and are flawed. There is always something more important happening in the background, and a greater story is being told somewhere else. Earth is vastly complex, and the world Renealt is in is no different. He is both a cog in the machine, and the machine itself, but at the end nothing he does matters. He cannot have what he desires.
Will there be a follow-up novel to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?
When I first began writing this book, I intended for it to be a single novel. As I neared completion I realized I had more to tell. I have begun working on outlines for a prequel and a sequel. They will be drastically different from the story told here, and will not even take place on Cenadur. The Legacy of the Dreamer completes Renealt’s storyline, but how it came to be and its aftermath could be fascinating.
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Who was that he pleaded to in those final moments before he faded into the black?
Driven by an obsessive desire for knowledge, he embarks on a quest to uncover the truth. Every answer only leads to another question, but he can never give up.
On his journey he discovers that the magic that saved him was not only impossible, but permanent. He cannot die.
Is an eternal life long enough to unravel his mystery?
What mark will he leave on the world, with a life that will not end?
Only time will tell, and he certainly has enough of it.
The Legacy Of The Dreamer
Nathan Ash’s The Legacy Of The Dreamer is a dark, gripping fantasy that follows Renealt, a man whose life takes an unexpected and unsettling turn after a violent encounter with mages. What starts as a simple mercenary job quickly spirals into an eerie mystery, forcing him to question everything he knows about magic, power, and even the fate of his late wife. The story unfolds in a world where magic is outlawed, and the Natural Coalition ruthlessly eradicates anything that threatens their control. As Renealt digs deeper both figuratively and literally, his obsession leads him down a dangerous path of exile, loss, and self-discovery.
From the very first chapter, the writing pulls you in. Ash doesn’t waste time with flowery descriptions or unnecessary exposition. Instead, the prose is direct, intense, and full of sensory details that make every scene vivid. The opening moment of Renealt waking up, drenched in blood that isn’t his, sets the tone perfectly. That kind of immediate, visceral engagement continues throughout the book. It’s easy to feel Renealt’s confusion, fear, and growing obsession. The pacing is sharp, with just enough mystery unraveling to keep you hooked. There’s no excessive worldbuilding dump; you learn about the Natural Coalition, the mages, and the societal conflict naturally, through Renealt’s experiences and conversations.
Renealt is a fascinating protagonist. He starts as a simple man trying to make ends meet but quickly finds himself in over his head. His descent into obsession feels raw and real. One of the strongest parts of the book is how it portrays grief, especially in how Renealt clings to the memory of his wife, Renay. His fixation on the possibility of seeing her again is heartbreaking. The moment he digs up her grave, expecting answers but finding only her decayed remains, is gut-wrenching. It’s a rare thing to read a fantasy novel that handles emotion so well while still delivering action and suspense. The side characters, like Chrok, the gruff but caring dwarf, and the skeptical yet loyal friends he leaves behind, add layers of depth to the story. Their reactions to Renealt’s increasing desperation make the world feel grounded and real.
The book’s greatest strength is also its biggest frustration: ambiguity. Ash refuses to spoon-feed the reader answers. The mystery surrounding the mages, the strange key Renealt finds, and the symbol he can’t shake from his memory are all compelling, but they also leave you feeling just as lost as the protagonist. While this works for the tone of the book, I found myself wanting just a little more clarity by the end. Some readers will love the unresolved tension, while others might feel like they’ve been left dangling off a cliff. The themes of control, loss, and the dangerous allure of forbidden knowledge are beautifully handled, but they don’t offer easy resolutions. If you’re the kind of reader who needs everything wrapped up neatly, this book might test your patience.
If you love dark fantasy, morally complex protagonists, and a slow descent into madness, The Legacy Of The Dreamer will grip you from start to finish. However, if you prefer lighter fantasy or need clear-cut answers by the final page, you might find it frustrating. That said, this book lingers in your mind long after you’ve finished reading, and that’s the mark of a great story.
Pages: 305 | ASIN : B0DR6197H3
LITERARY TITAN 