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 if you don’t have prior knowledge of the world, you will still be able to enjoy this horror mystery.
Content Notes: Body horror, cultural stereotypes, gun violence, death.
Thoughts on Litany of Dreams
Litany of Dreams follows Elliot in his search to find his friend Chester, who 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 realising that it holds a dangerous being. Nobody 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 and zombie-like apocalypse, and it was enjoyable how the stressful situations were portrayed in the book.
On Arkham
The worldbuilding 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 with an enjoyable setting and it took me on a ride to a world that I had not experienced before. The ending was great as well as 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 is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of April 13th 2021.
Will you be picking up Litany of Dreams? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Dark incantations expose the minds of Miskatonic University students to supernatural horrors, in this chilling mystery novel of Arkham Horror.
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.
