It is a troubled time, for the old gods are returning and they want the universe back… sleep. And they are being hunted.
Senior Inquisitor Tolde Breed is sent to the planet Crimeat to investigate the escape of one of the deadliest beings in the history of the universe: Amongeratix, one of the fabled THREE, sons of the god-king. Tolde arrives on a world where heresy breeds insurrection and war is only a matter of time. Aided by Sister Abigail of the Order of Blood Witches, and a company of Prekhauten Guards, Tolde hurries to find Amongeratix and return him to Conclave custody before he can restart his reign of terror.
What he doesn’t know is that the Three are already operating on Crimeat.
Read Dreams of Winter now and begin your journey into the realm of the Forgotten Gods.
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This was a truly worthwhile read. It’s a pretty lengthy but fascinating sci-fi/ fantasy novel, with Greek God-like characters. I found the pace of the book to be about right and the plot really engaging. The author’s descriptions of the characters and the places are very detailed, which allowed me to imagine that i was right there in the fantasy along with the characters. In my opinion this is a great book for anyone wholes Fantasy/Sci-Fi novels. I will definitely recommend this book to friends.
North Carolina author Christian Warren Freed earned his degree in history from Campbell University and a Masters of Arts degree in Digital Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has served in the US Army for twenty years and now devotes his time to writing, having published over 20 books to date – including his inclusion in various anthologies.
Military experience informs Christian’s writing, making credible the incredible worlds of science fiction in a most unique manner. For example, the nidus for this novel dates back to Christian’s Iraq tour in 2005 – 2006 when his thoughts about the beyond were stirred: ‘to explore whether we truly need God or the gods to justify our existence in the universe- albeit set in the middle of a galaxy spanning civil war.‘ Add to this stimulating postulate the author’s gift for electrifying prose, and A FORGOTTEN GODS series began, of which this is the initial volume.
Inviting the reader to join this fantasy journey, the book opens with a new timeframe, A.G. (After Gods) and sets a unique sense of ‘somewhere’ in a most picturesque manner: ‘A single drop of rain fell. Lost quickly amongst the dust and grime of the village street, the raindrop went unnoticed. Who could have guessed that a single drop would alter the course of events set n motion thousands of years ago and change the face of the universe forever? Autumn’s bit was crisp this year… It should have been a time for celebration, a time to pay tribute to the gods for their generosity bestowed. As winter drew closer the people prepared for the worst…’ A fine atmosphere is painted and the epic story unfolds.
The novel is lengthy and complex, but Christian has provided a guiding plot description: ‘It is a troubled time, for the old gods are returning and they want the universe back…Under the rigid guidance of the Conclave, the seven hundred known worlds carve out a new empire with the compassion and wisdom the gods once offered. But a terrible secret, known only to the most powerful, threatens to undo three millennia of progress. The gods are not dead at all. They merely sleep. And they are being hunted. Senior Inquisitor Tolde Breed is sent to the planet Crimeat to investigate the escape of one of the deadliest beings in the history of the universe: Amongeratix, one of the fabled THREE, sons of the god-king. Tolde arrives on a world where heresy breeds insurrection and war is only a matter of time. Aided by Sister Abigail of the Order of Blood Witches, and a company of Prekhauten Guards, Tolde hurries to find Amongeratix and return him to Conclave custody before he can restart his reign of terror. What he doesn’t know is that the Three are already operating on Crimeat.’
New concepts of time, outer space, conflicts between gods and man, and one fascinating exploration of the realm of superpowers, aka gods, make for an immersing, sweeping epic of the first order. Recommended for fantasy lovers.
A war with the potential to reach epic levels is about to break out on various fronts on the planet Crimeat. Senior Inquisitor Tolde Breed and Sergeant Major Matthias are dispatched —along with a small army— to recapture the most violent of the mythical sons of the King of the Gods, who has managed to escape from a prison protected by arcane spells. Elisa, the bounty hunter, seeks to avenge a gruesome crime committed against her people years ago. Mollock Bolle, an old military man broken by his past, risks his life carrying information on the devastation that is coming. Ambitious and nefarious Baron Scura seeks full control of Lethendweil at any cost. A powerful secret group made up of members of the highest spheres seeks to awaken the ancient gods, who have lain dormant, scattered throughout the galaxy for more than three millennia. And in the midst of all these events, an ominous meeting among The Three recalls that previous encounter in which their anger left an entire planet dead and uninhabitable.
This very interesting novel, set in the year 3,210 on a distant planet, is full of adventure, secrets, intrigue, danger, action and violence. The characters and their dialogues feel totally natural, alive and transcendent. The descriptions of places are eloquent, precise, vivid, even poetic: “his words were pregnant with a slowly understood fear.” The implications of the events that unfold on planet Crimeat could not be greater: the possible awakening of long-asleep gods, a fight to the death between three powerful demigods and a war that involves nations and surely entire worlds.
Even though there are many characters weaving their threads at the same time, the plot is quite clear and the narrative maintains an excellent rhythm throughout the entire book. The motivations of each character are clear and well-founded, and their persons have the perfect balance between logic, emotion, accident and reaction. The mix between elements of technologies with different degrees of development (energy weapons and flying transports along with rifles and horses) seemed strange to me at first, but it immediately merges into this story that reunites humans with gods and advanced technology with religion and magic. Anyway, I totally recommend this book!
This is my first story that I’ve read by Freed, and I was impressed by the detailed multi-world-building done for this book (and, I assume, the series). Freed’s background shines in here in this story in providing his world with a rich history. From what I can tell Freed has a good number of books out, and the way this book is written really shows that he is a veteran of the craft.
The story isn’t an uncommon one in reference to old gods. The old gods fight with each other in a power struggle. Once upon a time, the good has triumphed and humanity, who was thrust into the center of the fight, has since forgotten that their existence relies on the two titanic gods not fighting (Amongeratix and Tannus).
What stood out to me, though, is that as rich as the world itself is, the gods really don’t seem to develop in a sensical way (which, if I’m being fair, is usually the case in stories about the wars of gods). The two main brothers fight for control, and when Amongeratix escapes his prison we (humans) are on Death’s platter again, but realistically their reason for fighting and control seems to be overblown. There is a third brother, and I honestly couldn’t figure out why he was necessary at all, other than a minor plot device to break up some of the story a bit for pacing control (which, especially in the first hundred or so pages, really needed to be picked up).
This story IS good, despite the above. I do think that as a part of a series there are unresolved issues that I just haven’t been through entirely. I definitely have to read the next one. However, as a first book, I feel like this should be the foundation balanced with foreshadowing and action and I left the story with more questions than I’d like.
It’s worth the read, though. The writing is good, the world is rich. The description, though thick, allows for a great escape away from the real world. It is a very enjoyable book. I hope the next one clears up some of my questions!
Dreams of Winter is the first book in the Forgotten Gods series, and the first book that I have ever read by Christian W. Freed. To be perfectly honest, my enjoyment of this book was a little rocky at times. I was immediately drawn into the story in the beginning, then I wasn’t sure that I wanted to finish… but I did finish and I’m glad I did.
I found myself immersed into a world that is filled with twists and turns. Interesting characters and excellent world building make this novel difficult to put down. The wars amongst Gods and humans can be brutal, and the author doesn’t shy away from sharing details that create a visual in the minds of his readers. This is an exciting, unforgettable read and I can’t recommend it enough for lovers of fantasy and sci-fi!
Dreams of Winter: A Forgotten Gods Tale #1 by Christian Warren Freed is a compelling if somewhat convoluted science fiction tale. Crimeat is the world the author has created, and through his vision, it is beautifully rendered and quite complex. There’s a God of war, Amongeratix who is at once blood thirsty and a little angry at the same time. His brother Tolde is blood thirsty as well, and the tale sets forth into quite a battle, just waiting for some kind of apocalypse. The author has rendered the story in beautiful detail with evocative language, creating a highly visual landscape and story backdrop. Sometimes all of this detail feels like it slows down the pace of the book, while reading you may lose sense of where you are in the plot of the story. That, plus the omniscient view make this a bit of challenge to get through, but nonetheless this is a worthwhile read. Just give yourself time to devote to the story.
Dreams of Winter by Christian Warren Freed is the first in his Forgotten Gods tales. There was a god who had three sons; Amongeratix, Tannus, and one is not. After warring amongst themselves and destroying worlds, Amongeratix is captured and peace allows humans to forget. A time comes when Amongeratix escapes and monsters are real. Crimeat was the world where the Inquisitors chained him like an animal and cast a spell on him to restrain his powers that is no more. The Inquisitors are called on again.
Christian Warren Freed writes with great detail and passion. Dreams of Winter felt like a Charles Dickens novel turned science fiction. I couldn’t help but be drawn to the characters who are superior physically and mentally. There is a strong drive to right the wrong these gods inflict on humans. I am looking forward to the next in this series, though I got chills just reading this novel.
Dreams of Winter is the first book I’ve read from author Christian Freed, and I’ll be reading more in the future. DoW deals with lots of characters, and what I found really refreshing was there there wasn’t an obvious parallel of good and evil. There were traits to various characters I could see different types of readers responding to in different ways, so I can understand that a bunch of readers could all take very different things from the book. I felt this was a strong point of the book because allowing the reader freedom to determine their own feelings rather then have them forced upon you is much more refreshing. I devoured this one and I’ll be back for more from Freed very soon.
Dark, atmospheric, and violent, Dreams of Winter by Christian Warren Freed is definitely for fans of The Witcher of Game of Thrones. The plot is full of betrayal, deceit, and bloody battles that make Dreams of Winter a real page-turner. I thought the idea of dormant Gods waking up to claim back the universe was so interesting.
With an escaped God ready to lay waste to the world, can a small band of humans prevent disaster? And is there more trouble yet to be discovered? Dreams of Winter is exciting, full of action, and completely unique. It’s a great fantasy novel that I think many readers would enjoy. Bring on book two.
‘Dreams of Winter’ is the first installment in the sci-fi series, ‘A Forgotten God’s Tale.’ It is written by Freed, a US Army veteran, who has plenty of experience writing military fantasy novels, with over 20 books under his belt to date. Freed has a talent for immersing the reader into his fantasy worlds, and this story is no exception. Many pages are devoted to building the society in which his scenes take place, with rich and detailed descriptions.
The story does tend to take a slower pace, as a result of the elaborate world-building and character backstories, so it will be popular among those who enjoy a more measured speed with comprehensive scene and character development. The result of Freed’s well-crafted descriptive narration is a believable set of characters with consistent personalities and actions. This story will be a joy to read for fantasy and sci-fi fans and will leave them hungry for the next volume.