Do you like reading books that expand on the world in a video game or board game? Arkham Horror is a series of standalone books set in the Arkham universe and I only discovered it last year. Litany of Dreams by Ari Marmell is the 19th book in the collection but like me, if you have no prior knowledge of the world, you will still be able to enjoy this horror mystery.
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.
Content Notes: Body horror, cultural stereotypes, gun violence, death.
Thoughts on Litany of Dreams
Litany of Dreams is the story about Elliot looking for his friend Chester. Chester has been missing for sometime now and Elliot suspects this is because of his research. As a linguist, Chester had been spending more and more time in the protective section of the library, studying an ancient stone artifact called the Ujaraanni. With the help of Bill Shiwak from whose family the artifact was originally stolen, Elliot finds himself on a dangerous quest to find his friend. However, there is this string of words that he learned from Chester and he can’t get them out of his head. What is this litany that keeps playing in his mind and are there others who can hear it too?
On Roots and Research
This is my first time reading Arkham Horror and I really enjoyed it. The variety of characters and the dark underbelly of the city exposed in this story was a unique experience and I appreciated the pace of the book as well as the historical connections. Litany of Dreams is rooted in linguists research, occult dealings, and ancient relics that have power beyond comprehension. There are a number of key players in the events that transpire and almost each of them have a knowledge base of their own.
Miskatonic University has housed a massive stone tablet called the Ujaraanni in their private collection without realizing that it holds a dangerous being. No one has been able to translate the writing on the tablet and I found the process of doing such a translation fascinating. Chester, while researching under his professor, has figured out a translation but it seems to have driven him mad to the point that he disappeared without a trace.
One of the important characters in the book was Daisy Walker, the librarian at Miskatonic University. She wants to help Elliot but the moral obligations of involvement with unethical people and thieves caused a tug of war in her. She is a smart person and I liked how her knowledge helped fill in the holes about Chester’s research and course of action.
A lot of time in the book is spent researching about the artifact, tracking down Chester’s contacts and, for Elliot, finding a way to protect himself from the litany driving him crazy. This book felt like a culmination of a number of genres with roots in witchcraft, zombie-like apocalypse and I enjoyed how the stressful situations were portrayed in the book.
On Arkham
The world building in this book is amazing. Arkham is a dangerous place and it felt like the kind of town where it is always dark and dreary. Apart from the main characters, the rest of the people in the book were strange and I got the feeling that I would not want to live there. Learning about the occult and secret societies still present in the city made me wonder about the sides of a city that not everyone interacts with.
Overall, Litany of Dreams is a fast paced horror mystery. I enjoyed the setting and it took me on a ride to a world that I had not experienced before. I also really liked how it ended and the commentary on the partnerships that we have to make to find the people we love or chase down the answers we seek. I look forward to picking another book in Arkham Horror as well as books by Ari Marmell.
** Litany of Dreams will be available in stores from April 13th, 2021. Be sure to check your local library and support them. **
Many thanks to the publisher for providing me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review through The Nerd Daily. This review was first published there on April 6th.
For other contemporary fiction novels and horror, check out my Book Review Index!
Cover image: Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash
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