Fantasy book reviews

2020-05-24 Ended up re-reading this after it come up for discussion again on the chronicles forums. I opened the book at the first chapter, and that was that – I was hooked. I remembered this book as good, but I enjoyed it a lot more this second time. Previously I would have recommended Best Served Cold for new Abercrombie fans, but now I think The... Continue reading

2020-01-20 This was a fun and entertaining read, mixing moments of drama and brute violence with comedy and outright silliness. Think Pratchett-lite but with less insight and more swearing. It’s also nicely paced with short-sharp chapters and there was a lot to laugh at. However, rather than the quest it originally promised it seemed to digress into unnecessary fighting every few chapters in an attempt... Continue reading

2019-06-18 I did like this book – the characters and dialogue were strong, the plot was well done, and all in all it would have been a great book if it stood by itself. The trouble was, I couldn’t shake the feeling of deja vu: a group of people hold up among ruins in an old building in a wasteland, ready to resist a violent... Continue reading

2019-01-06 Generally a good story, but very dependent on remembering a lot of the characters and events from the previous Rigante books. Which is ironic, because I’ve complained before that the other books seemed written to be standalones with little direct connection – so this book caught me very off-guard. I think I would have enjoyed it far more if I’d have read it closely... Continue reading

2018-12-10 A really engaging read. The story moves fast and is filled with tension. There are various twists and turns, and each time the dial goes up yet another notch. Even when I thought the story couldn’t possibly get more intense, it did. The emotional stakes mirror this – the story isn’t just driven by external conflicts, but also the internal ones between the friends.... Continue reading

2018-09-06 A pseudo-Victorian setting. A deep and mystical shamanism. And a wonderfully intricate plot. The brilliant sequel to a unique debut, where secrets have secrets and nothing is ever as it appears to be. Everything I said about The Goddess Project applies here – but with bells on. The series arc is now really coming to the fore, with plenty of surprises, and a wonderfully... Continue reading

2018-08-14 Upon re-reading, I still think this is a great and powerful debut. 🙂 My original review is here: Promise of Blood review. Rating: 5/5 Continue reading

2018-07-04 Oh. So I ended up reading The Hobbit. I recently discovered that my original paperback had disappeared sometime over the past 30 years – however, my mother-in-law sent me a hardback they had lying around, and I kind of just picked it up. It’s like stepping into a comfortable pair of slippers. I said before that LOTR is one of those books you have... Continue reading

2018-06-11 Another enjoyable novel from Knox, though the focus on immediacy takes away from depth. A great attention to historical detail, though, and some of the character interplay is great. Overall, there are more strengths than weaknesses to this story, but it’s probably going to be enjoyed the most by those with a niche interest in fantasy, Roman and Byzantine history. Rating: 4/5 Continue reading

2018-04-24 I have to admit I couldn’t get into this book for some time. There are a lot of characters, and I often struggled to differentiate them – some had similar names, others went by more than one name, and some had popular names from Irish mythology – none of which made for easy reading when tired. However, where this story absolutely excels is in... Continue reading