I’m always kind of hesitant to read a book that the entire speculative world has already read and raved about. I get nervous because, what if the book just doesn’t live up to the hype? What if I read it and end up being the only person alive who hated it? So I avoided Nights of…
Continue ReadingShadow by K.J. Parker is proving to be a very difficult book for me to review, partly because I highly enjoyed it but can understand why many readers will pick it up and either hate it or be unable to finish it. It’s not a bad book, but it is a unique book and because…
Continue ReadingFrom Publishers Weekly: Tchaikovsky returns to the caste-haunted insect-themed world of 2010’s Empire in Black and Gold, as the inapt kinden realize that their natural gifts and old knowledge are no longer sufficient to allow them to dominate their apt cousins, who can use technology. The Wasp kinden have been slowly conquering the land for three…
Continue ReadingBack Cover Blurb: Basso the Magnificent. Basso the Great. Basso the Wise. The First Citizen of the Vesani Republic is an extraordinary man. He is ruthless, cunning, and above all, lucky. He brings wealth, power and prestige to his people. But with power comes unwanted attention, and Basso must defend his nation and himself from…
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 ReadingI should start this review by saying that I believe this was an ill fated expedition from the start. There are a few reasons for this. First, I rarely, if ever, read YA books. Not because they aren’t good but because they generally are not gritty enough, or have enough depth to keep me interested….
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…
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