Review of Grave’s Daughters by S. E. Lindberg

 Review of Grave’s Daughters by S. E. Lindberg

(A Novel of Dyscrasia Fiction, the Fourth in the Series)

Reviewed by Lyndon Perry 

I have not read the previous novels in Lindberg’s innovative universe, but Grave’s Daughters was an emotive, striking introduction. It’s strange, it’s otherworldly. As other reviewers have already said, it’s weird and insane. But it’s also familial and human. It certainly is a poignant testimony to the general dyscrasia in all of us; and yet it offers a glimmer of hope. While tragic in many respects, this novel is ultimately one of triumph and fulfillment.

Dyscrasia (pronounced dis-KRAY-zhuh) comes from the Greek dys (abnormal) and krâsis (mixture). It refers to an imbalance among the four bodily humors: blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm. We get our four personalities from these humors: sanguine, melancholic, choleric, and phlegmatic. The characters in this book are stone-born incarnations of such.

The stories (for this is essentially a fix-up novel in which the author has woven together his collected adventures of Grave’s daughters into a satisfying, overarching tale) follow three golem women—Ember, Melanie, and Leech—who were crafted by Doktor Grave (a golem himself) to aid the inhabitants (human, insectoid, and plant-men hybrids) of this richly bizarre land. 

Question is, will the daughters fulfill their destiny or succumb to their dyscrasia and thus destroy themselves and those around them? Halfway through I was convinced of their utter failure. If power tends to corrupt, eldritch power certainly corrupts completely – and that is something to behold! 

Lindberg paints a picture of exactly that with his well-honed literary brush, ushering us into a universe that is at once cosmic horror yet grounded in reality; grimdark yet not without promise; weird and insane but again not inaccessible. This is a kind of sword and sorcery that is, yes, unique but with echoes of myth and saga that harken to us through the ages. Many of the grotesque and surreal tales of Zeus and his pantheon come to mind. 

A nice feature is that each story is illustrated and a map is placed near the front to ground the reader in this odd and exquisite world. From the credits: C. Aaron Kreader is the artist behind the map and three illustrations; Samuel Dillon drew two; Waclaw Traier drew four; and the cover art is by Bastien Lecouffe Deharme. I appreciated all the artwork and the symbolism involved, but I have to say most of the drawings were not to my taste.

Would I recommend this? For lovers of dark fantasy, strange tales, and alternate realities certainly. For the casual fan of the fantasy genre? My word of advice: tread through this alien land with caution. While there is an internal logic to this alternate reality, be prepared to submerse yourself in it and don’t come up to breathe until the adventure ends. 

Oh, and while this novel is listed in a few odd categories on Amazon like fantasy erotica (?!), you can safely ignore that classification. While not for youth under 14, I would say, this isn't titillating .

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Note: I received a complimentary paperback (which first went up on Kindle as an e-book on June 24, 2026) and chose to voluntarily review this book. Other books in the series include (affiliate links throughout) - Lords of Dyscrasia (Book 1), Helen's Daimones (Book 2), and Spawn of Dyscrasia (Book 3).