A Submerged Past - An Illusory Dream (Paperback) - Volume 2

The seabed is a tomb for dreams.

Back in Caer-Isel, Effy is finally free from the fairy king.

With Preston, she revealed that Angharad Myrddin is the true author of her favorite novel, exposing the imposture of Llyr's cherished writer, Emrys Myrddin. Now the first woman to study at the faculty of letters, Effy is under constant pressure from a collegiate world that is just waiting for her to fail.

While Effy's fantasies crumble, Preston embarks on a secret project with Professor Gosse, venturing beyond the boundaries of reality. He begins to dream of a palace under the sea, a world where he would be king – visions that haunt him until he wakes.

As the war between Llyr and Argant threatens to explode, the two young people find themselves caught between two fires: Effy loses her dreams and Preston loses himself in his own. But are dreams ever just illusions?

Translated from English by Michelle Charrier.

📖 The opinion of La Librairie du Grimoire Ancien

By our editorial committee & librarian

Ava Reid continues with A Drowned Past - An Illusory Dream (Volume 2), translated by Michelle Charrier and published by De Saxus, the gothic saga of Effy and Preston in a second volume that explores the boundaries between dream and reality, illusion and truth. The introductory warning — "The seabed is a tomb for dreams" — announces a darker narrative where dreams become traps.

What makes this volume strong is its exploration of the price of truth: Effy and Preston revealed that Angharad Myrddin is the true author, exposing Emrys Myrddin's imposture. But this victory comes at a cost: Effy, the first woman to study at the faculty of letters, is under "the constant pressure of a collegiate world that is just waiting for her to fail." Her fantasies crumble while Preston "loses himself in his own."

Reid masterfully orchestrates the shift: Preston ventures "beyond the boundaries of reality" in a secret project with Professor Gosse, dreaming of a palace under the sea where he would be king. These visions that "haunt him until he wakes" evoke the Celtic myths of the underwater Otherworld. The war between Llyr and Argant threatens to explode, placing the two young people "caught between two fires." The final question — "But are dreams ever just illusions?" — invites us to reconsider the very nature of reality.

We recommend this volume to readers of the first volume and to all those who enjoy stories where the line between dream and reality blurs. A darker second volume that deepens the mythology of the saga.

Our rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — A second volume that explores the boundaries between dream and reality with depth and darkness.