Dark Moon, Shallow Sea

The Gods of Night and Day Series, Book 1

By: David R. Slayton

Narrated by: Michael David Axtell

The first in a new epic fantasy series from David R. Slayton—author of White Trash Warlock—Dark Moon, Shallow Sea is a powerful story of divine betrayal, ghosts, and self-discovery, perfect for fans of the Dark Souls series or Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.

When Phoebe, goddess of the moon, is killed by the knights of the sun god, Hyperion, all who follow her are branded heretics. With Phoebe gone, the souls of the dead are no longer ferried to the underworld, and instead linger on as shades who feast on the blood of the living.

Raef is a child of the night. He lives in the shadows, on scraps, eking out a meager existence as a thief. But when an ornate box is sequestered in the Temple of Hyperion, the chance of a big score proves too great to resist. What he finds within propels him on an odyssey across the sea and back again, altering the course of his life forever.

Seth is a knight of the sun. But unlike the others of his order, the fire of Hyperion only brings him pain. He believes he deserves this penance, exacted for his unknown origins. Tasked with recovering the contents of the box, Seth must also venture beyond the horizon if he’s to learn the truth about himself.

In a dying world divided by the greed of those in power, Raef and Seth find their destinies intertwined—and learn they might have more in common than they ever imagined.

©2023 David R. Slayton (P)2023 Blackstone Publishing

Extraordinary

I don't read much fantasy, but this was amazing. I simply cannot, and I mean cannot, wait for more.

Very interesting read

It was a little slow to start. The story line turned out to be good and unexpected.

Another great read from Slayton

After having devoured the Adam Binder-series (and come back to it more times than I’m ready to admit), “Dark Moon, Shallow Sea” has undoubtedly been my most anticipated read this year.

As per usual, David R. Slayton delivers.

His special brand of human emotions and motivations, the way his main characters are gentle souls with pure intentions without being any sort of pushovers, a captivating story in an fascinating world… This book came out less than a week ago, and I have already finished it twice.

I can’t put my finger on it, but Slayton has some sort of formula in his work for all the things I want in a book - I didn’t even realize a clever animal companion was one of those things until this one had it too.

If I had to say anything negative about this read at all, it’s that some of the “whispered” parts are a little hard to catch when you’re listening to an audiobook on the go, but I’m so happy to hear Michael David Axtell again that I’m not gonna take a star away over maybe five lines in the book.

Good work, gentlemen!

Stunning

This book has me wanting to have the next in the series just so I can continue with the imaginative journey with the MCs.

The narrator was wonderful once again.

David R Slayton is an amazing writer and definitely his natural growth taking hold here in this story.

DRS does it again

I fell in love with the White Trash Warlock series so when I found this book, I knew I could go in blind and still be entertained. DRS is an absolute master at world building, lore creation, character development, you name it. The way I fell in love with the protagonists and hated the antagonists, could only be done by such a great storyteller. I can’t wait to see what DRS writes in the future, because he creates such a wonderful and accessible entrance into fantasy that other authors seem to shy away from.

twist and turns, loyalties tested

this is the tale of the aftermath of a massacre, and in this fantastical world, the aftermath is tangible and deadly. they call it grief, and it lies all over the city. ghosts haunt the city as the living try to make sense of the world after the religiously motivated massacre. we get to follow two young men, seemingly very different at first, as they try to figure out how to keep faith when everything they know is shown to be lies.. if you like bromance, romance, torn loyalties, questions of faith and really twisty plots, this is for you!

This is a beautiful and smart book

Everything about this book is well crafted. The fantasy world building is first rate, a place I look forward to returning to in my imagination as the series progresses.

The conflicts and surprises in the book show that life is complicated in so many ways. In fact, "It's complicated" appears to be a reoccurring theme throughout all four of the author's published works

The high quality of the author's writing and his ability to grapple with the complexities of life, including being in a family, are two of the things that make this a smart book.

The characters and world make the book beautiful. The craft of the writing and ideas that are explored make it a smart book.

I highly recommend this enjoyable fantasy story that includes a sweet romance.

Great story! Vivid fantasy world!

My favorite thing about the fantasy world that exists here is that there isn’t over-explanation of the strange world. Instead it lets you understand the works through the story over time. Give it a minute and be okay without understanding everything right away!

Fantastic Writing

The pace, the story, the plot, the characters, the world, the everything. David R Slayton is one of my favorite writers but I feel he really really outdid himself with this one.
It kept me riveted the entire time.

Amazing story

David R. Slayton is a wonderful writer who puts a lot of thought into his stories. The reading is so well done.