Chasing Sunlight

I absolutely love the eldritch theme, and this absolute gem of a story nailed it perfectly!

The impossible things, the unknowable knowdlege projecting into the world, the madness, subtle and not, all of it is portrayed perfectly. 

The characters are crystal clear and the writing is awesome, as usual from I.C.

It shocked me at the end of this to learn that this is one of the author's less popular stories. The world brims with character and vision, with just enough suggestion that it feels so much larger than it is. Characters are clear and memorable, and the descriptions are wonderfully odd and evocative. A read I enjoyed from start to finish. 

I'm a real fan of anything that involves a large element of worldbuilding mixed in with all the action and adventure and this does it for me. Lots of allusion to ancient civilizations and hidden secrets with plenty of fun interaction and an interesting cast. It frequently reminds me of my D&D campaigns where I'll drop in some structure from a previous campaign or book I've read to serve as backdrop for everything else going on.

Thank you! This was the first of you stories I've read and I have to say, I couldn't stop. It was so interesting and thought provoking that I woke each day thinking of reading more. I will be reading everything I can find of yours, eagerly as well as recommending this story to others.

Terrible secrets, once learned, cannot be forgotten; profound knowledge is a burden upon both soul and body.

The truth of the world is not something the the faint of heart can bear; mere shadows cannot exist in the blinding light of day.

I fear I may have already said too much...

Still one of the best stories I’ve read, especially on RR. Vaguely mysterious throughout, never quite knowing what will happen next or even where we’re headed, but sufficiently exciting to not stop reading til it’s over! Good balance of imagination, magic, and science. One of my favorite worlds to explore. Definitely a real thought-provoker, not the easiest or most casual read. 

This is a Lovecraftian pastiche and a really good one. Prepare for strange geometries, hidden agendas, monsters, each one weirder than the last, and extras dying left and right. If Odysseus had to go on this journey, he would've punked out. I love it, your own opinion will probably depend on how much you like Lovecraft.

This is the sexiest thing I've read all year. It's an enormous departure from their previous writing, but effortlessly captures the oppressive wonder and horror that left me entranced by Sunless Sea. Every port, every person, everything carries secrets. Some whisper at the ear while others burn at the mind. Knowledge is dangerous, opening doors that break weaker men and allow those that understand them to contort reality in ways man was never meant to see. The alien ruins and bizarre encounters with dangers in the darkness are incredible, carefully describing the indescribable. I love it.

The world is brimming with life and vitality, each encounter novel rather than retreading the same ground. The style is firmly locked into a Victorian Lovecraft steampunk aesthetic, without a single slip. To the point that it feels like reading an already edited and published novel, with maybe two grammatical errors I saw. As someone who loved Sunless Sea, papered over that craving with Fallen London, and then continued to Cultist Simulator, this is hands down the best effort I've seen to capture that delightful blend of blood, mystery, and horror. The crew hasn't resorted to cannibalism yet, but perhaps Montgomery is just a better Captain than I ever was.

The crusade, the protagonist's Moby Dick, is the beating heart of the story. Everything revolves around it, and the gradual reveal of how deeply Jonathan has been affected by sunlight is great. It's rare to see in stories where corruption and eldritch endings are close at hand, but Jonathan effortlessly navigates the risks and dangers of esoteric knowledge in a way that keeps the mystery but still satisfies curiosity.

Each character stands unique, with their own purpose and drives, and somewhat uniquely no character is unequivocally on the protagonist's side. They criticize one another, argue, distrust at times, but unite against the darkness as they must. I love how they all handle the horrors of the dark in different ways.

Honestly, this almost feel too good to be true. For anyone that loves Lovecraftian influences this is a must-read, and anyone that enjoys a good adventure story should find a lot to love here. I'm a little thrown by my purveyor of paranoid mages and tentacle cores suddenly delivering fantastic eldritch adventure, but I'd be more than happy if they just continued in the genre for the rest of forever.

This is a wonderfully well-written story that evokes older adventure novels, both in style as well as characterization. Mysteries are revealed, enough are resolved to feel satisfied, and Strange Vistas mankind was Not Meant To Witness are presented with flair and panache. If you’re looking for something different than the normal number-go-up fare, I highly encourage you to check out Chasing Sunlight.

Most truly great stories either explore a new concept in interesting ways (like groundhog day with with its time-loop, which while not the first was certainly the first I ever saw) or totally perfect an already known concept (like Mother of Learning and The Perfect Run perfected the idea of the time-loop).

Chasing Sunlight is one of those rare stories that do both. 

The eldritch horror is perfectly explored, with just enough insight that you have an idea of what is going on while not knowing anything. Most things that you see are described and then just... never explained, as if all of this bizarre shit was normal.

Every word drives the story. Unlike many books here on RR that stretch out for thousands of pages of mostly filler Chasing Sunlight is 500 pages of pure story. No extra chapters, no switching perspectives to see something we have already seen, nothing. 

A breath of fresh air.