Dreams Made Flesh is the fifth book in Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels series.
Dreams Made Flesh consists of four new stories set in the Black Jewels world, all set around the original trilogy of books. It is probably necessary to have read the original books or to at least have familiarity with the world, as little backstory or explanation is given in any of these stories.
Weaver of Dreams is the shortest and most experimental of the stories. It is told from the point of view of one of the spiders who feature in the books, the Spinners of Dreams. It’s an interesting piece for the backstory to the development of magic in the spiders, but other than that, ultimately somewhat forgettable.
The Prince of Ebon Rih is the story of Marion, a hearth witch. More romance than anything else, this story delves into the melodramatic at times (which can be said, honestly, of most of the Black Jewels books) but is no less enjoyable for it. This story takes place between the second and third books of the original trilogy, and will be most welcome to the readers who felt the loss of this plotline between the two books.
Zuulaman is another prequel to the original books, telling of events that are revealed through only a handful of lines in those books. There is more darkness in this story than the others, but it feels almost half-realised as a narrative, lacking the impact that it should have had.
Kaeleer’s Heart is an epilogue to the trilogy, expanding on the original ending and explaining some of what was left ambiguous. Those who enjoyed the series will definitely enjoy this story. The one issue with this story is that the villains of the piece feel almost slotted into place simply to create conflict, which lessens the emotional tension.
Readers who are fans of the Black Jewels books will definitely enjoy Dreams Made Flesh.
Dreams Made Flesh is published by Harper Voyager.
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