Book Description
This book is on discount promotion on Amazon for $0.99 (regularly $5.99) 9/19/2026 - 9/24/2026!
Perfect for dark fantasy readers who crave a character-driven, neurotic slow-burn with a unique writing style + the found family and aesthetics of Dragon Age and Expedition 33.
And if you gaze into The Darkness…
A prince who will risk everything to save his kingdom.
A magical violinist desperate to unveil the truth about The Darkness.
And a pair of sisters who promise to protect each other at all costs.
United together, Alaric, Legato, Zoe, and Celena join a deadly expedition to investigate the sudden emergence of The Darkness—a creature-infested realm that shadows the entire land in fear.
But as the group attempts to traverse The Darkness, they’ll quickly learn that nightmarish creatures are not the only danger. Cultists who worship The Darkness’s horrors believe it is a necessary evil that should be upheld for the good of the world. At first, the cultists seem insane. Yet as each step forward reveals its secrets, the four are forced to confront a truth that clues within their pasts have long since entwined them in this gruesome conspiracy. So if any of them hope to survive, Alaric, Legato, Zoe, and Celena must accept that the very same things which brought them together could lead to their undoing.
Because what are they willing to sacrifice? And what will they leave behind? Every decision they make for the people they’ve come to love will determine who will make it out alive—lest they succumb to the shadows within themselves.
More About This Book
When and Why Should Someone Read It?
Dream Catchers: A Dark Epic Fantasy is perfect for dark fantasy readers who crave a character-driven, neurotic slow-burn with a unique writing style + the found family and aesthetics of Dragon Age and Expedition 33. It contains many quiet moments between the ensemble class as they build their complex relationships with one another as they struggle against monsters and human villains alike.
Themes, Ideas & Atmosphere
One of the core themes of Dream Catchers: A Dark Epic Fantasy is about how in seeking out noble pursuits, we may led us down a dark path to achieve it. And that only in acknowledging that there is a 'darkness' within us can we truly overcome these challenges, rather than denying that such darkness exists. The protagonists in Dream Catchers will face monstrous creatures, but also human villains who they empathize with and see themselves in as they have similar sounding goals like wanting freedom or creating big changes for the good of humanity, albeit as corrupted, extreme versions of them.
If You Loved These, You'll Love This
If you liked the unique cast and party dynamics of Dragon Age, with the expedition plot of Expedition 33.
The Story Behind the Book
Much of the inspiration for Dream Catchers and its recurring themes comes from the saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, in regards to things like social justice/change and people performing executives decisions that they believe is best for whole of humanity, when really many times it comes from a place of selfish intentions. I wanted to show that the protagonists and antagonists have similar goals, but that the villains motivations are rooted in selfishness, despite sounding as noble as the protagonists goals. The protagonists will then reflect on whether or not their own pursuits are as noble as they initially believe.
The Central Question
The core plot of the book is discovering what 'The Darkness' is as well as the creatures that come from The Darkness itself, and whether or not its existence is truly good for humanity, despite the horrors it causes. Each of my 4 protagonists struggles to answer this question in their own ways, as they see it from different angles and life experiences.
Dream Catchers: A Dark Epic Fantasy by Matthew Phen, a book, promoted on Goodkindles for .