Publishers Weekly Review: Canadian author Bakker’s impressive, challenging debut, the first of a trilogy, should please those weary of formulaic epic fantasy. Bakker’s utterly foreign world, Eärwa, is as complex as that of Tolkien, to whom he is, arguably, a worthier successor than such established names as David Eddings and Stephen Donaldson. Bakker creates an…
Continue ReadingCover blurb: Logan Gyre is king of Cenaria, a country under siege, with a threadbare army and little hope. He has one chance – a desperate gamble, but one that could destroy his kingdom. In the north, the new Godking has a plan. If it comes to fruition, no one will have the power to…
Continue ReadingFrom Publishers Weekly: Lawhead (Byzantium), known for his historical and fantasy fiction, reimagines the tale of Robin Hood in his latest novel, the first in the King Raven Trilogy. Based on detailed research, Lawhead places the folk hero (whom he names Bran) in Wales in 1093, at a time when the land was under constant…
Continue ReadingPublishers Weekly: Titans clash, but with more fuss than fury in this fantasy demi-epic from the author of Neverwhere. The intriguing premise of Gaiman’s tale is that the gods of European yore, who came to North America with their immigrant believers, are squaring off for a rumble with new indigenous deities: “gods of credit card…
Continue ReadingPublishers Weekly Overview: Friedman delivers a rushed second installment of the Magister Trilogy (after 2008’sFeast of Souls), set in a casually grim world where cloak-and-dagger political intrigue is necessary for survival. Kamala, witch turned immortal Magister, flees north to the barrier called the Wrath of the Gods in a desperate attempt to uncover the truth…
Continue ReadingRed Seas under Red Skies is the second book in Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastards series (the first of which I reviewed a while ago called The Lies of Locke Lamora). This book is set in a different location with different adventures but still follows the main characters Locke and Jean while they try to rip…
Continue ReadingFor what started out as a fairly standard entrence into an epic fantasy series, I was quickly surprised. The plot starts out with strife in the land. The king and his sister are battling over succession. Interspersed in this is the story of two main characters who each have hidden pasts that neither knows about…
Continue ReadingThere is nothing incredibly unique about the plot of this book. There is a bad empire, and one man knows about them. No one will believe that man, so it’s a “one man against the world” type thing. He has his lovable sidekicks which start out ignorant and age throughout the novel because they endured…
Continue ReadingThis book is largely a coming-of-age story. There are three main characters the author follows through their formative years. It isn’t until the very end of the novel that the paths actually connect between the three. This is both positive and negative in my mind. It’s interesting to see how each character develops on their…
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