Drift of Dreams: A Swordsfall Graphic Novel

This first graphic novel (of which I hope there are many more to come) based in the Swordsfall universe starts with a bang and never lets go, which explains why I couldn't put it down and read it through after I got it. The story based on the idea of a connected dream world known as the Tapestry and what happens when things go bump in the night is fascinating to explore and is only enhanced by the many artists that worked on the graphic novel. Though based in a new world, you do not feel like you are missing any key pieces of lore and everything you need to read and enjoy the graphic novel are contained within. Where this graphic novel really shines in my eyes is the variety of artists brought in to tell the story. Throughout the chapters the story continues but the artist changes and so does the style. While the characters and story remain the same, the art style changing to match the new artist gives the story both a dreamlike quality, fitting for the subject matter at hand, as dreams are often disjointed in pictures, colors, and moods. But more than that it gives the feeling that this is a story that has been told down the generations and we are seeing the Tapestry of the tellers of this tale woven together. The story is an excellent one, the art is amazing, and together they come together to provide an awesome first for the Swordsfall universe. I cannot wait for the next graphic novel from Swordsfall, but while I have to wait I can go read this one again and enjoy all it has to offer. I strongly recommend this title for anyone that likes good story, amazing artwork, and a new world to explore!

I've been in love with the cover since the early days of the Kickstarter project this came from, but missed out on the chance to back at that time, so I was thrilled to hear that this was available through Print On Demand. The art styles make me think of the collaborative efforts of the artists behind the Sandman series, which is fitting, considering the fluid nature of the subject. The world-building is intriguing, leaving enough untold that there are plenty of more stories to find in this dream-realm. There are characters with obvious backstories to be learned, and many more places and ideas to explore, making this an ideal introduction to just one of the many crucial professions in the Swordsfall setting. I am excited to see how both the artists involved and the setting expands over future graphic novels. I don't want to give anything in the story away; suffice to say it was compelling enough to me that I made it through the book in only maybe an hour or so of reading without breaks. This is my first POD purchase from Amazon, and I have to say that I'm pretty damn impressed with the quality of the product! I wasn't quite sure what to expect from them in that regard. My only critiques: 1) there are places where it appears that the printing process might not have clearly warned about the gutter area, where some text gets a little hard to see closer to the binding, 2) the color printing was just shy of the glossiness you see in most full-color graphic novels. Both of these are mechanical issues that I am ascribing to the POD process for now, and it was a steal of a price I paid. I only mention this part because future people might compare the copies received from the Swordsfall KS campaign to this; I think we're still a bit off before POD replaces traditional printer quality, but POD is coming up fast, and this price point makes the work accessible to more people without sacrificing quality.

This is my first foray into the Swordsfall universe, and overall I enjoyed it. The setting is interesting and original, and once the story ramps up it's pretty fast-paced and fun. Chapters have different illustrators, with those by Morgan Madeline and Wayne Spencer standing out in particular: Madeline's for their incredible use of layout and dreamy colors, and Spencer's for their bombastic action and expressive characters. The collaborative illustration is cool as a concept, but I'd love to see a Swordsfall graphic novel with a more focused artistic vision. I'd be quick to buy a Swordsfall visual novel illustrated entirely by Madeline, for example. Story-wise, the first third is a bit slow, relying a lot on exposition and council meetings to set the stage, but really picks up once the main character is introduced. I recommend checking this out! The whole squad should be super proud of their achievement! (And the cover art is KILLER, I love it)

Having already read the novellas for the Swordsfall universe, I was really excited to check out Drift of Dreams. It did not disappoint! Even if you aren't already familiar with Tikor, Brandon Dixon has crafted a captivating setting and a story that feeds your mind and your heart. And the many artists who worked on this graphic novel deserve all the praise possible. The book is beautiful to look at! I highly suggest picking up Drift of Dreams. It's well worth your money and time.

Reading this book just makes me more excited about the author's Welcome to Tikor book that I had backed on Kickstarter, and it reinforces that Welcome to Tikor is worth the wait. Totes honest, I'm not into Sandman style stuff, but Drift of Dreams is about the same as Sandman as a good Doctor Who episode is about the same as a bad Star Trek time travel episode - there is some genre overlap but Drift of Dreams is better. The narrative is deep but not convoluted or hard to follow. The surreal imagery serves to communicate the author's story and point instead of obfuscating it. The book ends with a positive message that is therapeutic in what a crazy-stressful year it's been. My only regret is that the post office bent it slightly when they shoved it in the mailbox, but I've enough big heavy books to flatten it back out. TL:DR - Buy it, get it, you will love it, and appropriate for all ages.

I've lived with the morose my entire life. The sci-fi, fantasy, and horror that I have consumed feeds the same narrative and pulls you in to a darker space. Humanity is selfish, humanity is weak, humanity is, at it's base, a vile contempable monster waiting to break the chains that society has placed on it. What if there was a world where that wasn't the case. Were humanity isn't a creature of destruction, but of ideas. Where if we focus on love, where if we focus on helping each other, we can do so many wonderful things and be badass at the same time. Welcome to the world of Swordsfall, a place that I didn't know I was searching for, but always felt the pull towards. On Tikor, the world is interwoven: religion, science, and magic live in harmony with one another. And nowhere is that more prevalent than in the focus of this novel, The Dream Weavers. Dream Weavers are guardians of the tapestry, a sort of space within dreams that interconnect us all. A place of pure creativity that is as boundless as imagination itself. A god of chaos has entered the dream world, looking to harvest it's power. I would tell you more but to do so would spoil the delight of the journey. Pulling one thread of the story out would be like pulling on the thread and unravelling a sweater. The art is fantastic, bright, and colorful. I found myself bounciing from one detail to another, having to reread pages because I had spent too much time on the art, or going back and looking at the art because I became far to engaged in the story. Neither was a problem, but a delight. This isn't something you breeze through. This is something you chew and digest. I'll be doing something I have never done before, and that is rereading a graphic novel for years to come.

I utterly adore this graphic novel!! Such a fantastic concept, aesthetic, writing, and artwork throughout. Exceptionally talented and hardworking team all around, they helped bring Brandon's vision of this aspect of the world of Swordsfall to life in a such a beautifully impactful way that deeply resonates and left me thinking about it long after i'd finished reading the last page, and especially left me eager for more! I was quite literally tearing up reading the last few pages, and both the artwork and final message contained within. Each chapter is so uniquely brought to life by several talented artists and it gives each of them it's own distinct visual vibe that is wonderful to see. Chapter 7 was a particular favorite of mine! The Seeker is a fabulous character and I found myself wanting to see more adventures with them and know more about who they are as well. This book is pure magic and deserves your consideration, you would be doing yourself a favor by buying yourself and anyone you know a copy to enjoy. Brandon has fought tooth and nail to make this book a reality for us all to read, and it's so satisfying to be able hold a copy of it in my hands. Let's help him take this to number 1 and beyond so that he and his wonderful creative team can continue to create and bring to life many new dreams for us readers to explore and share.

This is a beautiful work of art, and a great introduction to the world of Swordsfall. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a work off the beaten-path of the well worn sci-fi/fantasy tropes.

The story starts as an adventure and ends on a lesson about people. The change in artists between chapters helps in telling the story, and all the artist bring their own style to shape and light the tale. In short, the art is great. I will reread this story again soon, and need to reread poems by Emily Dickinson and Langston Hughes. It touches on all parts of dreams, the goals and aspirations of the waking world and the true desires and surrealism of sleep. For now though, I need to dwell on my own emotions.

Drift of Dreams was a wonderful, well written, visually engaging doorway into the world of Swordsfall! Brandon did such an amazing job weaving various stories together to really engage the reader and guide them through these various stories, weaving sci fi, fiction, mysticism, the surreal, etc in a beautiful way! It also helps that the art from various artists really help visually engage the audience! Seriously, it was a visual delight! With the visuals and storytelling hand in hand, Drift of Dreams is a truly unique wonderful storytelling journey that I'm so glad to have been on! I'm excited to see what more is in store in the world of Swordsfall!

This first graphic novel (of which I hope there are many more to come) based in the Swordsfall universe starts with a bang and never lets go, which explains why I couldn't put it down and read it through after I got it. The story based on the idea of a connected dream world known as the Tapestry and what happens when things go bump in the night is fascinating to explore and is only enhanced by the many artists that worked on the graphic novel. Though based in a new world, you do not feel like you are missing any key pieces of lore and everything you need to read and enjoy the graphic novel are contained within. Where this graphic novel really shines in my eyes is the variety of artists brought in to tell the story. Throughout the chapters the story continues but the artist changes and so does the style. While the characters and story remain the same, the art style changing to match the new artist gives the story both a dreamlike quality, fitting for the subject matter at hand, as dreams are often disjointed in pictures, colors, and moods. But more than that it gives the feeling that this is a story that has been told down the generations and we are seeing the Tapestry of the tellers of this tale woven together. The story is an excellent one, the art is amazing, and together they come together to provide an awesome first for the Swordsfall universe. I cannot wait for the next graphic novel from Swordsfall, but while I have to wait I can go read this one again and enjoy all it has to offer. I strongly recommend this title for anyone that likes good story, amazing artwork, and a new world to explore!

I've been in love with the cover since the early days of the Kickstarter project this came from, but missed out on the chance to back at that time, so I was thrilled to hear that this was available through Print On Demand. The art styles make me think of the collaborative efforts of the artists behind the Sandman series, which is fitting, considering the fluid nature of the subject. The world-building is intriguing, leaving enough untold that there are plenty of more stories to find in this dream-realm. There are characters with obvious backstories to be learned, and many more places and ideas to explore, making this an ideal introduction to just one of the many crucial professions in the Swordsfall setting. I am excited to see how both the artists involved and the setting expands over future graphic novels. I don't want to give anything in the story away; suffice to say it was compelling enough to me that I made it through the book in only maybe an hour or so of reading without breaks. This is my first POD purchase from Amazon, and I have to say that I'm pretty damn impressed with the quality of the product! I wasn't quite sure what to expect from them in that regard. My only critiques: 1) there are places where it appears that the printing process might not have clearly warned about the gutter area, where some text gets a little hard to see closer to the binding, 2) the color printing was just shy of the glossiness you see in most full-color graphic novels. Both of these are mechanical issues that I am ascribing to the POD process for now, and it was a steal of a price I paid. I only mention this part because future people might compare the copies received from the Swordsfall KS campaign to this; I think we're still a bit off before POD replaces traditional printer quality, but POD is coming up fast, and this price point makes the work accessible to more people without sacrificing quality.

This is my first foray into the Swordsfall universe, and overall I enjoyed it. The setting is interesting and original, and once the story ramps up it's pretty fast-paced and fun. Chapters have different illustrators, with those by Morgan Madeline and Wayne Spencer standing out in particular: Madeline's for their incredible use of layout and dreamy colors, and Spencer's for their bombastic action and expressive characters. The collaborative illustration is cool as a concept, but I'd love to see a Swordsfall graphic novel with a more focused artistic vision. I'd be quick to buy a Swordsfall visual novel illustrated entirely by Madeline, for example. Story-wise, the first third is a bit slow, relying a lot on exposition and council meetings to set the stage, but really picks up once the main character is introduced. I recommend checking this out! The whole squad should be super proud of their achievement! (And the cover art is KILLER, I love it)

Having already read the novellas for the Swordsfall universe, I was really excited to check out Drift of Dreams. It did not disappoint! Even if you aren't already familiar with Tikor, Brandon Dixon has crafted a captivating setting and a story that feeds your mind and your heart. And the many artists who worked on this graphic novel deserve all the praise possible. The book is beautiful to look at! I highly suggest picking up Drift of Dreams. It's well worth your money and time.

Reading this book just makes me more excited about the author's Welcome to Tikor book that I had backed on Kickstarter, and it reinforces that Welcome to Tikor is worth the wait. Totes honest, I'm not into Sandman style stuff, but Drift of Dreams is about the same as Sandman as a good Doctor Who episode is about the same as a bad Star Trek time travel episode - there is some genre overlap but Drift of Dreams is better. The narrative is deep but not convoluted or hard to follow. The surreal imagery serves to communicate the author's story and point instead of obfuscating it. The book ends with a positive message that is therapeutic in what a crazy-stressful year it's been. My only regret is that the post office bent it slightly when they shoved it in the mailbox, but I've enough big heavy books to flatten it back out. TL:DR - Buy it, get it, you will love it, and appropriate for all ages.

I've lived with the morose my entire life. The sci-fi, fantasy, and horror that I have consumed feeds the same narrative and pulls you in to a darker space. Humanity is selfish, humanity is weak, humanity is, at it's base, a vile contempable monster waiting to break the chains that society has placed on it. What if there was a world where that wasn't the case. Were humanity isn't a creature of destruction, but of ideas. Where if we focus on love, where if we focus on helping each other, we can do so many wonderful things and be badass at the same time. Welcome to the world of Swordsfall, a place that I didn't know I was searching for, but always felt the pull towards. On Tikor, the world is interwoven: religion, science, and magic live in harmony with one another. And nowhere is that more prevalent than in the focus of this novel, The Dream Weavers. Dream Weavers are guardians of the tapestry, a sort of space within dreams that interconnect us all. A place of pure creativity that is as boundless as imagination itself. A god of chaos has entered the dream world, looking to harvest it's power. I would tell you more but to do so would spoil the delight of the journey. Pulling one thread of the story out would be like pulling on the thread and unravelling a sweater. The art is fantastic, bright, and colorful. I found myself bounciing from one detail to another, having to reread pages because I had spent too much time on the art, or going back and looking at the art because I became far to engaged in the story. Neither was a problem, but a delight. This isn't something you breeze through. This is something you chew and digest. I'll be doing something I have never done before, and that is rereading a graphic novel for years to come.

I utterly adore this graphic novel!! Such a fantastic concept, aesthetic, writing, and artwork throughout. Exceptionally talented and hardworking team all around, they helped bring Brandon's vision of this aspect of the world of Swordsfall to life in a such a beautifully impactful way that deeply resonates and left me thinking about it long after i'd finished reading the last page, and especially left me eager for more! I was quite literally tearing up reading the last few pages, and both the artwork and final message contained within. Each chapter is so uniquely brought to life by several talented artists and it gives each of them it's own distinct visual vibe that is wonderful to see. Chapter 7 was a particular favorite of mine! The Seeker is a fabulous character and I found myself wanting to see more adventures with them and know more about who they are as well. This book is pure magic and deserves your consideration, you would be doing yourself a favor by buying yourself and anyone you know a copy to enjoy. Brandon has fought tooth and nail to make this book a reality for us all to read, and it's so satisfying to be able hold a copy of it in my hands. Let's help him take this to number 1 and beyond so that he and his wonderful creative team can continue to create and bring to life many new dreams for us readers to explore and share.

This is a beautiful work of art, and a great introduction to the world of Swordsfall. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a work off the beaten-path of the well worn sci-fi/fantasy tropes.

The story starts as an adventure and ends on a lesson about people. The change in artists between chapters helps in telling the story, and all the artist bring their own style to shape and light the tale. In short, the art is great. I will reread this story again soon, and need to reread poems by Emily Dickinson and Langston Hughes. It touches on all parts of dreams, the goals and aspirations of the waking world and the true desires and surrealism of sleep. For now though, I need to dwell on my own emotions.

Drift of Dreams was a wonderful, well written, visually engaging doorway into the world of Swordsfall! Brandon did such an amazing job weaving various stories together to really engage the reader and guide them through these various stories, weaving sci fi, fiction, mysticism, the surreal, etc in a beautiful way! It also helps that the art from various artists really help visually engage the audience! Seriously, it was a visual delight! With the visuals and storytelling hand in hand, Drift of Dreams is a truly unique wonderful storytelling journey that I'm so glad to have been on! I'm excited to see what more is in store in the world of Swordsfall!

An engaging story in an incredible world. One of my favorite things is that the artist changes between chapters. It shows off this expansive and collaborative world, and each author's interpretation of their chapter enhances the story.

The premise of this book is excellent and unique. It has some beautiful art and a powerful story. I’m definitely interested to see what more comes out of this universe! My only critique is that it got confusing at times due to the vastly different art styles and the fact the characters sometimes change design (the Seeker especially). There were chapters where I initially thought the Seeker was someone else because their design changed so radically, which made it hard to follow.

I’m just going to copy my Twitter review: 1st: my heart feels so full after reading this. The story itself is stunning on its own and had me tearing up by the end. 2nd: the character designs are beautiful and done so well that even across the widely varied styles of the artists involved, you rarely have to spend more than a second to adjust and identify who is who. 3rd: the story concept in itself is delightfully unique to anything else I’ve read 4th: the lore is phenomenal and the integration of that lore adds so much to the story. TL;DR: BUY IT! You will have exactly zero regrets.

It's a good story, gives more info into the Swordfall world and mythology and features cool art by a diverse group of artists. The chapters being done by various artists gives the book a dynamic feel. It's worth the cost of entry.

I bought this book after a few reviews, and because honestly, I wanted to get more into comics. Swordsfall has a wonderful world mixed with technology and magic, and this book delves deep into the magical part of it. The art is wonderfully done and I love the flavor of each chapter changing. One of my favorites is probably chapter 7 by Morgan Madeline. If you haven't had a chance to get into Swordsfall and look into Brandon Dixon's work, now is the time. This book is a great way to understand how powerful the people in the world of Tikor are.

This was an immersive and exciting adventure to read, and an extremely beautiful graphic novel! It has artwork by a few different artists throughout, so the aesthetic feel of the book is amorphous and fluid, while the story and characters are written consistently- the overall effect feels like you're moving through a dream! The book itself is gorgeous and vibrant- I'm excited to add to my Swordsfall collection!

I don't know much about the world of Tikor. This is my first read of it and I wanted to let people know that it is beautiful. There are thousands of works of fiction out there, and thousands of worlds for that fiction, but this stands alone in my mind as something that is well thought out, well crafted, and has the love of the author behind it. I look forward to reading more about the world of Tikor so I may get more context about the events in this book. However, that shouldn't take away from the message of the book itself, which comes through clearly and beautifully.

The art in this is very vivid, I went back and read this a few times and found some details I had missed previously. Outstanding job and I hope there's more to come.

Oh-oh my. This was a special journey for me. It's not often I get chills from media or any kind and for me it is usually music. This gave me chills at the climax of the story and-AND its conclusion. This is not only a a graphic novel to give another peak into the world of Tikor but-like all narratives-a fantastic story about people and how punk hope can be.

The art and story are amazing. You don't even need to know anything about the world of Swordsfall to really get into this graphic novel, it's that good. If you're even thinking about picking it up, you definitely should.

The quality of the print and the artwork alone is stunning! I can't wait to dig into this Tikor story and see what other Graphic Novels may come next! Well done Brandon, and the awesome team of artists! "What if you could no longer dream? What happens then? ... Would that change you?"

Such a great read! I was so hyped when it came in and now I gotta go buy the rest of them because it was such a meaningful and interesting read. Can’t wait to learn more about such an amazing world! Also the many beautiful art styles were to die for!

I was very excited to see this graphic novel release and I have not been disappointed! Everything about this is beautiful from the story, the art, the themes, and the representation.

Experience BEAUTIFUL artwork and a fabulous taste of Brandon Dixon’s sci-fi/fantasy Afropunk world of Tikor. Tired of the same old Eurocentric tropes that are endlessly regurgitated in science fiction and fantasy literature of all types? Tikor is the place for you!

Best way to summarize my reaction... My 16-y/o son, knowing nothing about Swordsfall, saw this on my desk. He picked it up, flipped through a few pages, then asked if he could borrow it when I was done. Swordsfall just gained another follower!

Absolutely loved this! I’ve passed it around my immediate family 😺

Page after page of beautiful art, with and engaging, emotional, and original story. Not much more you can ask for in a graphic novel.