'Dreadgod' (Cradle #11) by Will Wight | Book Review | The Book Physician
Experiencing the calamitous reawakening of the Dreadgods in the penultimate book of Will Wight's popular 'Cradle' series.
“We do belong together.” The Void Icon bled into his voice. “When I Consume your spirit and tear out your heart, you will be with me forever.”
Rating: 3.75/5.
Disclaimer: The following review contains some spoilers for this book as well as for the previous books in this series. Do tread with caution.
Review:
[First Read: July 2022]
After eagerly waiting for over six months (since I last read 'Reaper'), it was a great delight to finally get to read 'Dreadgod'. It wasn't a great book as I had expected, but it was nothing short of a good one. But the book got me out of a major reading slump, so I'm sure I'll end up liking it more during my subsequent rereads.
(A) Strengths:
A Return To Familiarity:
I binged through the first ten books of the Cradle universe earlier this year and I ended up loving the story, the characters, and the world. Picking up Dreadgod brought back all those first-read memories and the nostalgia. It felt quite effortless to slide into the story and be a part of Lindon's journey as he advances through Cradle. A return to familiarity, indeed! Honorable mention must be made of the scene featuring Lindon and Fisher Gesha - such a hilarious and precious exchange between them.
Action:
The book suffers from certain pacing issues. But, oh boy, when the action kicks in, it becomes so much more enjoyable. Around the 60% mark, the Cradle-launche sets in, and it is one heck of a ride. There are some incredible fight sequences and back-and-forth exchanges involving Lindon and the Silent King. Lindon taking on the Monarchs, especially Akura Malice, is the cherry on the cake.
Humor:
What really drives the book, apart from the mind-blowing action, is the humor. Eithan, as one may expect, has some hilarious moments with Suriel. There are some excellent quips in scenes involving Lindon and his team. The stakes are high and you are worried about the fate of your characters, and yet these cleverly interspersed comedic elements effortlessly end up making us laugh.
The scenes featuring Noroloth the Herald Remnant were comedic gold. 'Here kitty kitty kitty' was perhaps the standout hilarious moment of the book. It took me some time to get adjusted to Goth Dross, but when I did, I ended up liking his exchanges with the other characters.
(B) Weaknesses:
Far Too Little Of Eithan:
Although the Cradle series always has been a tale of Lindon's advancement, the heart of the books has always been Eithan since he was introduced. Eithan's quips, his amusing mannerisms, and his interactions with other characters ended up enriching the story even more. Towards the end of Reaper, Eithan was forced to ascend and take his place among the Abidan. As a result, we get far less of Eithan in this book. And that's what this book is majorly found to be lacking! We do get some Eithan content, but it is restricted to the sparse Abidan sections.
Filler:
Although the book is an absolute banger in its second half, most of the initial half of the book seems to be packed with filler subplots.
Lindon's team splits up to cover more ground (in terms of obtaining means of further advancement), but the team-ups don't end up enriching the story because of the lack of prior chemistry between these characters (Yerin and Little Blue, Ziel and Orthos). Almost all of these subplots don't end up leading to anything definitive in this book. It feels more like they are a means to the end for the plot of the final book, thus making one feel that this book is padded with some filler subplots - especially considering the main focus of the story is the fight against the Dreadgods and we don't even reach to a definitive conclusion of the fight within the book itself.
The Ziel And Orthos Arc:
The Ziel and Orthos team-up was underutilized in my opinion. It had a lot of scope going forwards, but unfortunately, most of it felt to have been edited out from the story. The fight between Ziel and Archlord Helethshan (where the former defeats the latter) happens offscreen. Ziel, who was at the Archlord level, was using an Overlord-level construct (designed for Mercy initially) against the Silent King's mind control. I think we did miss some great moments by skipping these key moments.
Overpowered:
Lindon, who is now a demi-Dreadgod (Dreadlord?) and a demi-Sage (not yet reached his full potential), and Yerin, newly turned Herald, take on Akura Malice, who is at the Monarch level. Even with the combined powers and Lindon's Dreadlord status, it felt too soon and too easy. Don't get me wrong; it was a spectacular affair to read, but it just felt too easy for them to defeat a Monarch in their first attempt.
Future Concerns:
This isn't an inherent weakness of the book, but one of my minor gripes and worries. With only two books left in the series, I hoped that the plot of 'Dreadgod' would successfully tackle the issue of Dreadgods while the final book 'Waybound' would deal with the remaining Monarchs and Abidan level threat. But alas, after this book we are still left with three powerful Dreadgods, three irksome Monarchs (and a few more), the Abidan-level threats of the Mad King and the Vroshir, and much more. With just one more book to go, I'm worried whether Will Wight would be able to successfully tie all loose ends and wrap it all in the next book in a satisfactory manner without making it seem that he is cramming too much in a single book. We shall have to wait and watch, I guess. But in Will Wight, I do trust.
Overview:
Another solid, fast-paced, and action-filled installment in the Cradle series. Although this book wasn't as great as 'Wintersteel' or 'Reaper', it does fall in my top five list of my favorite Cradle books. I do hope that Will Wight delivers a successful and satisfactory conclusion to the saga with his next book in the series - 'Waybound'.
Second-Read Notes:
[Re-read: June 2023]
I'm happy to say that I had a much better experience with this book during the current re-read as compared to my first read of the same. Back when I read this book for the first time, I had been suffering from a major reading slump – which might explain the undeserving low rating I dished out to this book. I was worried whether I would have the same experience with it during a re-read. But, thankfully, after starting the current re-read of the Cradle books and finishing the recently released final book of the series, I have gained a newfound appreciation for this book.
I won't talk much about the strengths of this book as I have elaborated upon it in great detail in my first-read review. I would rather prefer to address the elements that I had marked down as its weaknesses in my initial review.
Reading 'Dreadgod' immediately after having read the first 10 books back-to-back gave me a much better understanding of the character dynamics and helped me to figure out the subtle references alluding to the events from the earlier books. While I do agree that Eithan was the heart of these books, I was invested enough in the larger story to consider it to not only be Lindon's tale, but also that of Yerin, Orthos, Little Blue, Dross, Ziel, and Mercy’s tale. The minimum exposure to Eithan in this book still hurts, but not as much as it did during my first read. Furthermore, Eithan shines in the sparse Abidan sections he features in and makes those parts spectacularly hilarious by his association.
Although the book starts slow, it plays an important part in establishing the raised stakes and setting up the ultimate conflict that is supposed to happen in the next book. This book isn't as fast-paced and action-packed as the 'Uncrowned' and 'Wintersteel' books were, but when things do start happening, it is an absolute banger of a book. It is dense with rising intrigue, Monarchs' manipulations, quests, heists, fights, conflicts, and so much more! The book never feels like it is intended to be a filler book whose only purpose is to set up events for the final book of the series.
In my earlier review, I had vented my frustrations regarding the mini team-ups as Lindon's team splits up to complete different quests. I ended up thoroughly enjoying these sections featuring the mini team-ups during the current re-read. Little Blue was always apprehensive about Yerin in the earlier books, but as the years went by, she gradually started putting her trust in Yerin. Yerin and Little Blue's mission at the Redmoon Hall just reinforces their budding friendship and the trust they have been building over the course of this series.
Similarly, Ziel and Orthos were two characters who lacked any prior chemistry amongst them. Orthos, a descendent of the legendary Black Dragons, had been raised on the whitewashed (and heavily biased) legends of his ancestors, and as a result, he ends up hero-worshipping them. Ziel, on the other hand, had his sect destroyed by the cult of the Weeping Dragon and was later rehabilitated in the Wastelands – a region often under attack from the Dragon Monarch's stooges. Their team-up, thus, helps them understand each other's perspectives and eventually works wonders in strengthening the team spirit.
Another concern I raised in my first-read review was about how Lindon seemed to be far too much overpowered. Having recently reread the book, I believe I was far too stringent about certain aspects of this book. Lindon might appear to be too powerful now that he is part-Dreadgod and part-Monarch, but in no way does Lindon get a free pass in his battles with those superior in Sacred Arts than him. He was able to kill the Silent King only because he had the active intervention of three Monarchs. And when Lindon and Yerin fought Malice, they were able to banish her only because of their combined efforts and Lindon's newly acquired Dreadgod abilities (Malice's reluctance to unleash all of her capabilities and deadly techniques too worked in their favor). In the end, considering the raised stakes and his super-powered adversaries, Lindon doesn't feel overpowered at all.
And finally, my last major concern about this book (as noted in my initial review) was regarding the mammoth task that lies in front of Will Wight to tie all the loose ends in the final book of the series and deliver an epic conclusion. Now that I have read 'Waybound', I must confess that I should never have worried about such a trivial thing. Will Wight successfully delivers a highly satisfying ending to this series. I shall refrain from revealing much about 'Waybound' for now, though. In case you are interested, you should check my detailed review of the book (which shall be posted soon).
Overall, 'Dreadgod' was a highly fascinating read. It was fast-paced, action-packed, and filled with incredulous moments that evoke a variety of emotions within the readers. I was fortunate enough to appreciate it much more during a re-read as compared to my first read – and I'm sure that its enjoyability factor shall increase exponentially with each subsequent re-read.
“At last!” the spirit of the black dragon prince cried. “I am fr—”
Its perception stretched upward and froze. Then the spiritual sense spun right back into its soul.
“Put me back!” Noroloth demanded.