Litany of Dreams: An Arkham Horror Novel
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- Create Date：2021-07-21 06:51:19
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ari Marmell
- ISBN：1839080272
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Summary
Dark incantations expose the minds of Miskatonic University students to supernatural horrors， in this chilling mystery novel of Arkham Horror
The mysterious disappearance of a gifted student at Miskatonic University spurs his troubled roommate， Elliot Raslo， into an investigation of his own。 But Elliot already struggles against the maddening allure of a ceaseless chant that only he can hear… When Elliot’s search converges with that of a Greenland Inuk’s hunt for a stolen relic， they are left with yet more questions。 Could there be a connection between Elliot’s litany and the broken stone stele covered in antediluvian writings that had obsessed his friend？ Learning the answers will draw them into the heart of a devilish plot to rebirth an ancient horror。
The mysterious disappearance of a gifted student at Miskatonic University spurs his troubled roommate， Elliot Raslo， into an investigation of his own。 But Elliot already struggles against the maddening allure of a ceaseless chant that only he can hear… When Elliot’s search converges with that of a Greenland Inuk’s hunt for a stolen relic， they are left with yet more questions。 Could there be a connection between Elliot’s litany and the broken stone stele covered in antediluvian writings that had obsessed his friend？ Learning the answers will draw them into the heart of a devilish plot to rebirth an ancient horror。
Reviews
Cass （only the darkest reads）
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Thank you to Net Galley and Aconyte Books for the ARC of this book。So this is definitely my fault， but I got so mesmerized by this gorgeous cover that I skimmed over the fact that it is an Arkham Horror game tie-in novel。 While I am familiar with the game， I have never played it。Saying that， this book was A LOT of fun。 I've read a few different reimaginings in the Lovecraft universe this year， and they definitely are a little dry。 This had a lot of action， some compelling characters and a really Thank you to Net Galley and Aconyte Books for the ARC of this book。So this is definitely my fault， but I got so mesmerized by this gorgeous cover that I skimmed over the fact that it is an Arkham Horror game tie-in novel。 While I am familiar with the game， I have never played it。Saying that， this book was A LOT of fun。 I've read a few different reimaginings in the Lovecraft universe this year， and they definitely are a little dry。 This had a lot of action， some compelling characters and a really fun story。3。5 rounded down。 。。。more
Simon Holland
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ExcellentMy favourite of the Arkham Horror series so far。 Probably because it has the feel of a Cthulu campaign， that's not a slight。 The pacing is great， the characters work and it's well written。 I'm hoping a sequel is planned。 ExcellentMy favourite of the Arkham Horror series so far。 Probably because it has the feel of a Cthulu campaign， that's not a slight。 The pacing is great， the characters work and it's well written。 I'm hoping a sequel is planned。 。。。more
Annie
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Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Litany of Dreams is a tie-in horror novel set in the Arkham Horror universe。 Released 13th April 2021 by Aconyte， it's 352 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats。 It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout。 I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately。The setting is Lovecraftian - Miskatonic University and environs。 Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Litany of Dreams is a tie-in horror novel set in the Arkham Horror universe。 Released 13th April 2021 by Aconyte， it's 352 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats。 It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout。 I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately。The setting is Lovecraftian - Miskatonic University and environs。 The mythos is pure Lovecraft - psychological horror， creeping dread， incomprehensible nightmarish chanting in the dead of night and awakening unspeakable elder gods。 Of the intelligently rendered protagonists， one is in search of his roommate who has gone missing after delving in dark mysteries best left alone， one is an indigenous man on the trail of a powerful profaned stolen artifact of his people， and the third is a reference librarian。This will be an obvious choice for fans of the Arkham Horror board & card games and the co-op universe， but for a broader audience who are not necessarily already fans of the canonical Lovecraft stories， this could be a good fit as well。 It's very well written and while it -is- horror， there's very little actual gore （mostly some body horror）。 Four stars。 Not for kids and possibly NSFW because of content， not language， which is fairly mild。 Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes。 。。。more
Joe Crowe
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The Arkham Horror books have been consistently good -- crammed with scariness， action， and mystery。 This one is the creepiest story I have ever read in the series， and I mean that as a compliment。 One of the many cool things about these books is that it showcases authors you might not know。 In this case， it introduced me to Ari Marmell。 I'm reading more of Marmell's stuff right now。 With the light on。 The Arkham Horror books have been consistently good -- crammed with scariness， action， and mystery。 This one is the creepiest story I have ever read in the series， and I mean that as a compliment。 One of the many cool things about these books is that it showcases authors you might not know。 In this case， it introduced me to Ari Marmell。 I'm reading more of Marmell's stuff right now。 With the light on。 。。。more
Charlotte
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Litany of Dreams by Ari Marmell takes us into the world of Arkham Horror， a cooperative adventure board game first published in 1987。 Do not worry， though; you do not have to know one little bit about the original game or those published since to escape in this horror mystery。 Litany of Dreams follows Elliot Raslo。 He is a Psychology student at a Miskatonic university looking for his missing friend and roommate， Chester。The spine-tingling prologue sets the tone of Litany of Dreams， and Ari Marme Litany of Dreams by Ari Marmell takes us into the world of Arkham Horror， a cooperative adventure board game first published in 1987。 Do not worry， though; you do not have to know one little bit about the original game or those published since to escape in this horror mystery。 Litany of Dreams follows Elliot Raslo。 He is a Psychology student at a Miskatonic university looking for his missing friend and roommate， Chester。The spine-tingling prologue sets the tone of Litany of Dreams， and Ari Marmell's use of dialogue helps bring the finer plot details to light。 Many thanks to Ari Marmell， Aconyte Books， and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Matt Turner
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2。5， really。 It’s dead-on average。It’s better than its immediate predecessor in this Arkham Horror series of five， coming in at 2。5 / 5。 It starts off well and things get moving pretty handily， but I reckon it’s the small scale of the story that keeps it coming back to straight exposition more than I like。 It slows it down。
Susan
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I was first attracted to this book by the pretty purple cover and the intriguingly creepy short blurb。 After I received it， I looked up Arkham Horror and discovered it is a card game based on Lovecraft’s horror。 I had never heard of this game and I was honestly a little worried that this book would not be of a high quality and might be kind of silly。 I was also concerned about the level of Lovecraftian influence。 I can enjoy supernatural cosmic horror and otherworldly creatures of ooze and tenta I was first attracted to this book by the pretty purple cover and the intriguingly creepy short blurb。 After I received it， I looked up Arkham Horror and discovered it is a card game based on Lovecraft’s horror。 I had never heard of this game and I was honestly a little worried that this book would not be of a high quality and might be kind of silly。 I was also concerned about the level of Lovecraftian influence。 I can enjoy supernatural cosmic horror and otherworldly creatures of ooze and tentacles， but I do not appreciate the white supremacy， racism， and sexism common to Lovecraft himself and to many of the stories he inspired。 With a fair amount of trepidation， I began reading。 Okay， so the main characters seem to be Elliot-a slightly hapless university student， Daisy-an intelligent female librarian， and a person of colour Billy-a fierce Inuk hunter no less。 As I kept turning pages， I realized I was completely wrong to pre-judge because this book suffered from none of the problematic issues of Lovecraft and instead actively dispelled racism and sexism。 There is even some LGBTQ representation！ The racism faced by the Inuk character is not just present， but also discussed and examined as unfair and unjust。 One of the best characters who appears later in the story is Alice， a strong， clever， and kick-ass black woman。 I seriously would read a whole book just about her！So， with the racism and sexism being not in evidence at all， quite the opposite， you may wonder about the quality of a book based on a game。 Let me tell you this book knocked my sock off！ It was engaging， exciting， funny， terrifying and most of all it was really fun！ It had everything I want from a horror novel。 Even while dealing with some tragic events there was still a lot of humour that kept it light and entertaining。 I absolutely flew through the pages and when I finished， I looked for more Arkham Horror books。 They seem to be by all different authors so I don’t know if they will be comparable to this one， but I was so impressed with “Litany of Dreams” that I’m willing to give them a try。 This book surprised me， and I want to encourage other horror fans to give it a chance。 It just might surprise you too！Thank you to Aconyte Books for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review。 。。。more
Myc
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While this is a recent release， I read an advance copy of this book that I received in exchange for a review。 In Litany of Dreams， Ari Marmell has crafted a wonderfully engaging Lovecraft story worthy of the name （and in many respects， better than many of the original stories）。 The novel’s opening draws the reader in， and as the mystery slowly resolves， new horrors show the unfathomable powers of the Great Old Ones。 A very good horror story that is full of action， adventure， mystery， and heart。 While this is a recent release， I read an advance copy of this book that I received in exchange for a review。 In Litany of Dreams， Ari Marmell has crafted a wonderfully engaging Lovecraft story worthy of the name （and in many respects， better than many of the original stories）。 The novel’s opening draws the reader in， and as the mystery slowly resolves， new horrors show the unfathomable powers of the Great Old Ones。 A very good horror story that is full of action， adventure， mystery， and heart。 This is the nineteenth Arkham Horror novel， but only the fourth in the series by Aconyte。 However， each of the novels appears to be stand-alone works and I have not read any of the other Arkham Horror novels， though I am familiar with Lovecraft as a whole， and more specifically the card and board games that represent this property。 But even that knowledge is unnecessary as Litany of Dreams completely stands on its own。I have some minor issues with the novel。 Notably， the characters—most of them are a little flat。 But there is some emotional depth that is very well explored for at least one character。 Additionally， while the climax is very engaging， it feels a little rushed and there’s a fair bit of deus ex machina on display。 Also， while there is a fair amount of diversity in the cast of characters， it still seems a bit problematic to have the only indigenous character also be the only overtly mystic/magical character from the outset。Overall， I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to any fans of the Arkham Horror series or games， fans of Lovecraft， or anyone who would enjoy a horror/adventure story set in 1920s Massachusetts。 I will absolutely be checking out future Arkham Horror novels and other books by Marmell。 。。。more
Josie ❃The Bubbly Book Reviewer❃
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The first chapter of this book certainly set the scene。 For me， the decision to start there （even though very well written） didn’t help me with the flow of the rest of the book。 I would have liked some more information about the relic earlier on in the book。 Not a favourite for me but if you have some patience and are happy to enjoy the ride， then this book is for you。
Amy Walker - Trans-Scribe Reviews
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I've not played the Arkham Horror game， my only experience in this world is my knowledge of of Lovecraft's stories， and the only book in the series I've read so far， Arkham Horror: The Last Ritual。 As such， when I began reading the latest release in the novel series， Arkham Horror: Litany of Dreams， I was expecting certain things; I was expecting shadowy cults， strange rituals， and mysterious relics。 Whilst this book has all of these things， it also has a lot more going on in it; things that mak I've not played the Arkham Horror game， my only experience in this world is my knowledge of of Lovecraft's stories， and the only book in the series I've read so far， Arkham Horror: The Last Ritual。 As such， when I began reading the latest release in the novel series， Arkham Horror: Litany of Dreams， I was expecting certain things; I was expecting shadowy cults， strange rituals， and mysterious relics。 Whilst this book has all of these things， it also has a lot more going on in it; things that make this a definite stand-out read。The story follows a group of people who are drawn together in the town of Arkham。 There's Elliot Raslo， a young psychology student whose friend， Chester has recently disappeared。 Daisy Walker， one of the librarians of the Miskatonic University， who's in charge of keeping some of the stranger and more dangerous books in the collection under lock and key。 And Billy Shiwak， an Inuit who's travelled across the world to Arkham in search of a relic that was stolen from his people。 At first glance there's not much to connect these three， until their separate investigations draw them together。Our three investigators soon discover that Chester may not only have come into contact with Billy's relic， the Ujaraanni， but has found a connection between it and an ancient， mysterious monolith held deep in the bowels of the University。 The three of them come to believe that Chester's investigation into these artefacts may have led directly to his disappearance， and as such Daisy and Elliot agree to help Billy try and find his missing artefact， hoping that it will also lead to Chester。 Along the course of their investigation the trio will discover a seedy underbelly of Arkham that deals in the mysterious and the occult， as well as a small swamp community that has fallen victim to this strange curse; some kind of odd incantation， one that Elliot has been hearing in his head ever since Chester vanished。One of the things that I loved about Litany of Dreams was how you never knew what to expect next。 The story began with one of the Miskatonic professors searching for Chester， finding a frightening secret deep in the swamps， before the action then shifts back to the city。 Here the mystery focused on our three principal players as they try to find the clues that can help them find Chester， before it takes us back to the small swamp community where something even more horrific is going on。 Then the book brings you back to Arkham and introduces even more frightening stakes; ones that could mean the end of everything。The twists and turns in the story meant that you had to be constantly on your toes。 There was never a moment to feel relaxed reading the book， as there was always something happening。 Even the moments of the book where there wasn't a lot of action the characters were always discovering new things， finding out secret histories or unearthing hidden connections between people。 Ari Marmell never let the reader get bored， and paced the narrative wonderfully throughout。One of the things that really stood out about the book for me though were the scenes set deep within the swamps。 From reading the previous Arkham Horror novel I was expecting a story that would be mainly set within the city itself， focused on the hidden societies and cults that make up the town。 So when the characters found themselves in this remote， rural location it made for a big shift in tone。 The fact that the horror became more overt then too really helped。 Instead of the ever present sense of unease the horror shifted and moved front and centre as people that had fallen under the spell of this strange litany became active threats。These moments brought to mind things like Night of the Living Dead and Resident Evil 7， one because there's the horror of an infection that can turn your loved ones against you and force you to have to kill them， as well as the potential for it to linger inside you before transforming you into one of them too; and the other because of the remote setting where people are slowly changing into something else， with this outside presence controlling their actions and turning them on those they love。 It was the part of the book that really got under my skin the most， and I absolutely loved it。One of the keys to good horror though is having characters that you care about。 If people start being killed off but they're folks you don't really give a damn about it doesn't really mean much; so having characters that you can get attached to is really important。 Marmell seems to understand this， and gives readers some compelling characters to follow。 Daisy is a young woman who's worked hard to get in the position she has， and seems to have something of an impostor syndrome going on。 There are times in the book where she expresses amazement that she has the position she has， and seems to always be worried about something causing her to lose her job and standing。 It's something I think a lot of us can identify with， and it means that when she refuses to get involved with certain things， or to put herself at risk in certain ways， you completely understand it。 You get why she's worried to put her job on the line and you don't hold it against her。Billy is probably the biggest outsider in the book， being a character who's not Caucasian he's almost instantly met with distrust， if not open hostility throughout the book。 Even when there are times people seem to be accepting and polite towards him it can turn and you see that there's bigotry just beneath the surface。 There's one scene in particular where someone uses the phrase Eskimo， Billy tells him that he doesn't like it and prefers the term Inuit， making it quite clear that the other word isn't acceptable; but then that person immediately replies with 'Yes， I've heard that about Eskimo's' and carries on。 It's not overt， but it's there。 And it's there constantly。 The level of restraint that Billy shows throughout the book is astonishing， and it quickly gets you on his side and you see that despite sometimes appearing to be angry or upset about things he's a man in a lot of control of his emotions， one who keeps his actions measured and carefully thought through。Elliot is one of the the more interesting members of our little group。 At first he appears to be a pretty average young man， one who's given himself over to his studies and is trying to better himself。 But we soon discover that he's willing to give up a lot of the advancement he's achieved in order to help his missing friend。 There are heavy hints at why there is in the early stages of the book， and it's no real surprise when it's revealed that he's in love with Chester。 Making him a queer man in a time where such things were unacceptable， where he has to hide his romantic feelings behind 'just good friends' makes his mission to find Chester and save him so much more meaningful and heartbreaking。 Even if he's able to find Chester and get him back safely he can never be with him， can never openly love the person who means the most to him in the world。 It's perhaps one of the more tragic parts of the book。The fact that the three leads are all outsiders， people who aren't in positions of power， who aren't able to be themselves definitely works in the books favour。 Not only does it give the text something interesting to explore， as much of Lovecraft's own work was about straight white cis men， but it also flips the themes of the 'horrific outsider' that was a foundation for the original Lovecraft stories on its head。 We all know that Lovecraft was a huge racist， that he hated and feared anyone who was 'different' or 'other'， so to have those kinds of people be the ones to be rising it all to save everyone else， to be putting their lives on the line to stop the true darkness is an absolutely sublime choice。As I said before， this is only my second Arkham Horror book， but it's quickly become my favourite in the series; as well as one of the better Lovecraft inspired stories I've read。 It takes the expected conventions and turns them on their head。 The book always keeps you guessing， always keeps you on edge。 I adored every minute of reading this book， and I really hope that we get more of Ari in this world。 。。。more
Glenn Allen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 With thanks to the Publisher and NetGallery for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。I have no prior knowledge of the board game this is based upon not have I read any previous book in the series， however I found an entertaining read despite that， with a few issues （that may or may not be answered in previous books）To give a quick overview， we follow the story of Elliot who is trying to find his school friend who has mysteriously disappeared。 Meeting a cast of diverse characters alo With thanks to the Publisher and NetGallery for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。I have no prior knowledge of the board game this is based upon not have I read any previous book in the series， however I found an entertaining read despite that， with a few issues （that may or may not be answered in previous books）To give a quick overview， we follow the story of Elliot who is trying to find his school friend who has mysteriously disappeared。 Meeting a cast of diverse characters along the way， Elliot discovers more than he could possibly imagine， leaving him teetering on the brink of madness， but can he overcome it to stop a darkness overcoming the world？I tried to not give too much away there！ The book is heavily influenced by Cuthulu and Lovecraftian by nature， something it embraces with no shame and nor should it。I thought the book was a decent story with one point even feeling like I was reading a novelisation of Resident Evil 4， I thought the motivations of the characters were all valid and never deviated。 This does make the characters a little one note， none of them I would say grow massively or have massive arcs， but then I think the author is more interested in setting moods and atmosphere as that is the bread and butter of the book。I had some issues with the writing， the amount of trailing off in the first third of the book had me giggling， imaging the characters looking off into the distance in deep thought as the sentences end with “and yet。。。。” and “and if that was the case。。。。。。” etc。 It was used so much it became distracting to me。I also found the main character， Elliot， a little overbearing and desperately co-dependant on his missing class mate; but this does soften as the story goes on。 On that note， the feelings Elliot was sharing about his friend never felt too real as we didn’t ever experience this connection - but I am not sure if they are characters in previous books that I would have missed， so I won’t mark it down on that。Overall if you’re looking to read something on a dark night that isn’t scary but gives some spooky imagery and unsettling moments， this would be a good pick up for a few pounds on offer， and it has made me interested to go back and read a little more of the series， depending if it is going to have some conclusion rather than a never ending series。 3 Stars。 。。。more
Ben Wright
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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Litany of Dreams was a fun pulpy cthulhu adventure with the right level of "horror" that will keep anyone on their toes。 I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Litany of Dreams was a fun pulpy cthulhu adventure with the right level of "horror" that will keep anyone on their toes。 。。。more
Lauren Stoolfire
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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Litany of Dreams （Arkham Horror #19） by Ari Marmell was quite the pleasant surprise。 I've never played the Arkham Horror board game these novels and novellas are based on and I've never read any of those other stories either， but I absolutely loved this。 I think it might make the cut to be on my best of 2021 list actually。 It hooked my attention right off the bat and I enjoyed everything about it from the cast of characters， the d I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Litany of Dreams （Arkham Horror #19） by Ari Marmell was quite the pleasant surprise。 I've never played the Arkham Horror board game these novels and novellas are based on and I've never read any of those other stories either， but I absolutely loved this。 I think it might make the cut to be on my best of 2021 list actually。 It hooked my attention right off the bat and I enjoyed everything about it from the cast of characters， the dark historical fantasy 1920s setting， the core mystery， and the chilling horror。 I have no idea how this compares to the games and other books set in this world， but I certainly want to find out。 。。。more
Michael Botterill
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I have been provided with an advance copy of the new Arkham Horror book Litany of Dreams by Ari Marmell， published by Aconyte Books， so here is the honest review I promised in exchange for the book。So here is an important disclaimer which is always important to put out there first。 I have a casual work contact with Asmodee to demonstrate board games for them in stores and at conventions。 Asmodee being the parent company of Aconyte the publisher。I am going to try my best to not let that cloud my I have been provided with an advance copy of the new Arkham Horror book Litany of Dreams by Ari Marmell， published by Aconyte Books， so here is the honest review I promised in exchange for the book。So here is an important disclaimer which is always important to put out there first。 I have a casual work contact with Asmodee to demonstrate board games for them in stores and at conventions。 Asmodee being the parent company of Aconyte the publisher。I am going to try my best to not let that cloud my judgement in this review， but I accept that subconsciously it might。What is Arkham HorrorAnyway that put to one side， let’s look at this book， by first looking at the game Arkham Horror which is a cooperative game， originally designed by Richard Launius， and is now in its third edition which was released in 2019。It’s published by Fantasy Flight Games， a subsidiary of Asmodee， and is set in 1926 in the town of Arkham， Massachusetts。 Each player takes on the role of an investigator， who are working to stop the Ancient Ones， eldritch horrors which lurk in the void beyond space and time。It’s a 1-6 player game and you work together to gather clues and defeat the evil of the Ancient Ones and save the world。As I said I haven’t actually played Arkham Horror but I do own its spin off Elder Sign the cooperative dice game。The StoryLike the rest of the Arkham Horror novels， its set in the 1920s and in this case revolves around the disappearance of a gifted young student at Miskatonic University as his roommate searches high and low in his friends research for clues to his disappearance， and at the same time struggles against a litany that’s ceaseless in his mind and threatening to drive him into insanity。The search takes on a new twist when an Inuit search for a stolen relic of his people crosses paths with him， and they find themselves joining forces to get to the bottom of the mystery and unearth a terrifying and ancient horror。We get to delve a bit deeper into the lore of the Cthulhu mythos in this book than any of the others so far， and we have a very well rounded plot with characters with various motivations joining forces to prevent an apocalyptic event overtaking the world。Mostly focusing on Elliot and Billy， the story is almost a mismatched buddy novel， crossed with mild horror and a bit of pulp detective thrown in for good measure。ConclusionThe book was a very enjoyable read and a real page turner， the two main protagonists were very well developed and had just enough of a backstory to keep you interested， but without delving into too much。 The motivation of Elliot， felt a little obvious， but when revealed is still highly dramatic and heartbreaking。Billy seemed a little， well not obvious as to his background， its talked about a lot， the racism he experiences is subtle and all the more awful for that， but his background didn’t come through enough for me， I would have liked to have had this explored a bit more， but he was a very cool character。Now I do have a negative thing to say， and that is that the female characters felt a tad underserved， we have two， strong and dynamic women in this book， and I felt that none of them got the service they deserved。The main female character ups and leaves the group in the last quarter of the book and isn’t heard from again， so we have no idea how the events impacted her， or how she dealt with what happened。 She didn’t even get in the epilogue and for me that wasn’t good at all。The other main female character meets a tragic end， and it makes sense for her， what happens to her in the story makes what happens to her in the end seem logical， but with the dropping of the other character from the plot， I dunno， it just didn’t feel the same after I put the book down。But regardless of this annoyance for me， the book was highly enjoyable and one I read in what felt like record time。 The horror is initially slow and building， until the middle of the book when it becomes very real， some of it being almost post-apocalyptic in nature， and some feeling all too close to how things are in the world right now。Would I recommend this book， yes， absolutely， its a solid 4。5 out of 5 for me， and to be honest had the epilogue resolved that one characters story arc， it would have been a 5。The eBook is released on the 13th April and the paperback hits the shelves on 24th June。 。。。more
Ayre
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So I honestly picked this book up only because of the cover。 I had no idea what Arkham horror was （batman was my best guess - its not batman）。With that being said I actually enjoyed this。 Its Lovecraftian horror， so not really scary but a lot of screwing with peoples brains and a little bit of body horror。 The mystery aspect of the story makes it a really engaging yet quick read。 I was shocked to discover indigenous rep in this story。 I don't know how good the rep was because I'm not indigenous So I honestly picked this book up only because of the cover。 I had no idea what Arkham horror was （batman was my best guess - its not batman）。With that being said I actually enjoyed this。 Its Lovecraftian horror， so not really scary but a lot of screwing with peoples brains and a little bit of body horror。 The mystery aspect of the story makes it a really engaging yet quick read。 I was shocked to discover indigenous rep in this story。 I don't know how good the rep was because I'm not indigenous but I didn't find it obviously problematic。 Please read own voices reviews。Recommend if this sounds like your thing。 I received a copy of this title for free from netgalley。 I was not required to give this review。 。。。more
Simon Roadhouse
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Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC （Advanced Review Copy）The Cthulhu Mythos， in which this book is set， is a fictional （we hope） mythos of “Great Old Ones'' and other cosmic horrors that we mere humans cannot begin to comprehend， penned by H。P。 Lovecraft in the early 1920s and one that I have spent a lot of time reading since I first read the Call of Cthulhu around 10 years ago。 This is the second “Arkham Horror Files'' novel published by Aconyte that I have had the pleasure to Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC （Advanced Review Copy）The Cthulhu Mythos， in which this book is set， is a fictional （we hope） mythos of “Great Old Ones'' and other cosmic horrors that we mere humans cannot begin to comprehend， penned by H。P。 Lovecraft in the early 1920s and one that I have spent a lot of time reading since I first read the Call of Cthulhu around 10 years ago。 This is the second “Arkham Horror Files'' novel published by Aconyte that I have had the pleasure to review。This novel follows Elliot， a psychology student at the revered Miskatonic University in Arkham， and his hunt for his missing roommate Chester。 Along with Daisy， the head librarian and Billy， an Inuit that is searching for a stolen relic of his tribe， the unlikely trio embark on an adventure that brings them closer to mysteries and unexpected dangers than any of them expected。 All three characters are well developed and have their own reasons for getting involved in this mystery。 As the story progresses the reasons become more clear and we realise that whilst Elliot's reason is one of compassion， Billy knows he must do more which Elliot is often in disagreements with。The pacing of the book was really well planned out; it really helps you feel when something is coming to a crescendo and with the level of description Ari gets into his prose all adds up to a very good horror book。I look forward to Ari Marmels next foray into the Arkham Horror series#LitanyofDreams #NetGalley 。。。more
Sylri
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Surprising no one at this point， this was yet another good read in the Arkham Horror book series launched by Aconyte Books。 All of these are standalone from each other， only sharing the setting and some background characters that may or may not make cameos between books so it’s easy to hop around between whichever sounds most interesting to you。 Forbidden tomes， eldritch monsters， insidious magic and ancient gods abound in this sometimes eerie historic adventure。 The reader will spend nearly equ Surprising no one at this point， this was yet another good read in the Arkham Horror book series launched by Aconyte Books。 All of these are standalone from each other， only sharing the setting and some background characters that may or may not make cameos between books so it’s easy to hop around between whichever sounds most interesting to you。 Forbidden tomes， eldritch monsters， insidious magic and ancient gods abound in this sometimes eerie historic adventure。 The reader will spend nearly equal amounts of time in the familiar foggy streets of Arkham as well as newly introduced Hockomock swamp。 The Great Old One and its malediction that our crew has to stop was inventive and suitably gruesome - great work by the author！ And the prologue was honestly so good that it could have been a standalone short story， but thankfully we also have a wonderful novel to follow。 The characters that form our investigative crew all have their own reasons for searching for the source of the litany that plagues Arkham and the surrounding environs， and all bring their own skill sets and worldview in how they approach their problems。 You really feel for our main character Elliot especially - he is forever changed by the end of the book， and sacrifices so much to try and save his missing friend。 I’m a bit thick because I didn’t realize Daisy would have such a large part in this， but she’s right smack on the cover（which is lovely by the way）。 I’m always happy to spend time with the resident librarian of Arkham so it was a pleasant surprise。 Speaking of librarians， as a Cthulhu Mythos fan it was a pleasure to see use of the Livre d’Ivon -better known as the Book of Eibon。 There’s some loose ends that can be further explored should the publisher wish to continue this story， which I really hope they do！ Another great read for fans of both Arkham Horror and Lovecraftian dark fantasy。 My thanks to Aconyte Books for my review copy。 。。。more
Jade
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Litany of dreams was kind of a strange book。 It left me with a strange feeling of "what did I just read？"I know the book is set in the Arkham Horror collection， but I must admit I have read nothing else from it。 I don't know if I should have， to get a better idea of the general context。Basically， the plot here is that Elliott， a college student sets out to find his friend who mysteriously disappeared after working of a secret project。 Elliott， along with Daisy， college librarian， and Billy， an I Litany of dreams was kind of a strange book。 It left me with a strange feeling of "what did I just read？"I know the book is set in the Arkham Horror collection， but I must admit I have read nothing else from it。 I don't know if I should have， to get a better idea of the general context。Basically， the plot here is that Elliott， a college student sets out to find his friend who mysteriously disappeared after working of a secret project。 Elliott， along with Daisy， college librarian， and Billy， an Inuit that seeks to recover a relic stolen by Elliott's friend， Chester。I really liked the plot， and there was some mood set right at the beginning。 It's definitely a novel you want to read when it's dark， and no one's home。 But something felt off that made me not enjoy the book as much as I wanted : the linearity of events。I have read the whole book， and still， I'm not entirely sure what happened。 I mean， the events are written， but for some reason， I couldn't link everything in a logical fashion。 The mystery part was great， everything flowed perfectly， but as soon as action started out， I got a little lost in the pace I think。 I loved reading about how the relic is affecting people in that little community， seeing how it affected Chester， etc！ Still， I'm not entirely sure what the relic was， why Chester was looking into it etc。 It might be I wasn't concentrated enough while reading？I'm not going to say much about the characters， because they didn't really stick with me。 I just remember that Daisy was my favorite， because she thought things through much more than the guys and probably prevented them from doing a lot of stupid stuff to find Chester！ We need more Daisys in this type of books。I did enjoy this cool supernatural mystery， and the mood in it is absolutely fantastic。 However， I couldn't really get into it for some reason， and I wasn't able to appreciate it as much as others seem to have。 Bonus point for the cover though， it's absolutely gorgeous！ 。。。more
Audrey
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This is a solid plot with multiples well-developed perspectives。 I enjoyed getting mesmerized in this time period and the multiples dialects used to represent the different characters。 I did have a hard time getting scared of this book which is because the aspect that was supposed to create the early tension was the litany， and I couldn't figure out how to imagine it being said。 Because of my lack of understanding of the chants， all I was getting from them were incomprehensible sentences。 Other This is a solid plot with multiples well-developed perspectives。 I enjoyed getting mesmerized in this time period and the multiples dialects used to represent the different characters。 I did have a hard time getting scared of this book which is because the aspect that was supposed to create the early tension was the litany， and I couldn't figure out how to imagine it being said。 Because of my lack of understanding of the chants， all I was getting from them were incomprehensible sentences。 Other than the chants， I found that the description of the many locations and the emotions of the characters helps set the perfect mood to anticipate the ending。 This book does have gruesome elements so if you are not comfortable with that this might not be the story for you。 Ps。 you do not need prior knowledge of the game to understand the story， 。。。more
pillowreader
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My first ever horror read， and I like this book better than I thought I would。An arc was gifted to me through net galley in exchange for an honest review。 I've been avoiding horror books since I am a scared cat but， I think this book is a very approachable book for a first-time horror reader。 This book actually gives me more post-apocalyptic vibes rather than horror vibes。 I think it is still acceptable for non-horror fans， and it definitely didn't prevent me from sleeping。Now onto the book it My first ever horror read， and I like this book better than I thought I would。An arc was gifted to me through net galley in exchange for an honest review。 I've been avoiding horror books since I am a scared cat but， I think this book is a very approachable book for a first-time horror reader。 This book actually gives me more post-apocalyptic vibes rather than horror vibes。 I think it is still acceptable for non-horror fans， and it definitely didn't prevent me from sleeping。Now onto the book itself。 I really loved the world and the story of this book。 The world is complex and well developed， and the story is well planned。 I particularly like how the world itself feels really concrete and solid。 I also like how the author added inclusivity in this book and incorporated many social and political norms。The writing and pacing， though， needs some time to get used to。 I understand that for horror books， it is important that you can really feel what is happening hence， why the writing is descriptive， and the pacing is slow but， it was really a struggle for me to read。 I think I was well through half of the book when I started getting used to the writing， but I don't think it would be a big issue for those of you who read more adult fiction and horror。Anyways， I really enjoyed this book， and I will try to read horror books from now on。 I think this book is worth reading for horror fans， so do check it out。 。。。more
Stacey
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Thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for this ARC！Rating: 4。5/5 Litany of Dreams by Ari Marmell was the first Arkham horror novel that I have read but it will not be the last！In this book we follow Elliot， a Psychology student at Miskatonic University， who is on a mission to find his missing roommate， Chester。 Along with Billy and Daisy， together they are trying to unlock the mysteries around Chester’s disappearances while trying to survive the dangers that surround them。 The pacing of this Thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for this ARC！Rating: 4。5/5 Litany of Dreams by Ari Marmell was the first Arkham horror novel that I have read but it will not be the last！In this book we follow Elliot， a Psychology student at Miskatonic University， who is on a mission to find his missing roommate， Chester。 Along with Billy and Daisy， together they are trying to unlock the mysteries around Chester’s disappearances while trying to survive the dangers that surround them。 The pacing of this book was perfect and kept me on my toes the entire time， filling me with nerves and actually scaring me at certain points。 This is truly a horror book but the intertwined mystery added a delicious change to your typical horror story。 I want to say more about the plot of this book because there was so much that I enjoyed but one of the best things about this book is unveiling its mysteries while you read it。 Elliot， Billy， and Daisy each bring something different but essential to this story that I just loved learning more about them。 Usually when I read a book， there is always a character or two that I just do not like but I really enjoyed these main characters。 As you are reading this book， you will feel a lot of sympathy for Elliot as he is obviously affected by his missing friend as well as suffering from the never-ending chanting that he hears in his head。 This chanting is torturing poor Elliot slowly。 Then there is Billy and Daisy; who are there to help Elliot with his mission but maybe not for the best reasons。 Each character adds such a different perspective to the story and their perspectives were never dull。 If you love horror， mystery， or both， check out this book。 You do not need to have previous knowledge or experience with Arkham horror to enjoy this story。 #LitanyofDreams #NetGalley 。。。more
Jenn
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