Fantasy book reviews

2018-04-16 I think LOTR is one of those books you have to find at a certain age or time to really feel the magic of it. That never happened for me. Even re-reading it 25 years later I’m just too familiar with the story to feel any sense of discovery. Additionally, the archaic style of writing grated at times, as did some of the social... Continue reading

2018-01-03 This was a fun little fantasy adventure that involves a master lockpicker – Quinn-the-sprite – going to a secluded island, where powerful mages have built a sprawling building over the centuries using all sorts of spells. The problem? Someone has locked the library. Only, it’s a magical lock in a magical house where all rules of reality are constantly shifting – and Quinn might... Continue reading

2017-08-20 It was pretty enjoyable – some wonderfully lush descriptions, good historical detail, and a complicated political plot to boot. The negative is that I never really saw a deeper motivation of the main characters – we’d see how they reacted to immediate situations, but not their deeper drives. I’m not sure if that’s because I read the abridged version of not – I’d certainly... Continue reading

2017-07-30 One look at the cover and I’m thinking “teen urban fantasy” and “gay romance” – neither being genres I’d normally give a second glance. However, the first line of the description caught my attention: “Florist. Psychic. Addict.” And the opening sample hooked me with its smooth and fluid writing and immediate sense of tension. This was not the book I was expecting. It was... Continue reading

2017-01-29 It’s hard to go wrong with Gemmell – his books make for smooth and easy reading. There are grim heroes with a hard – but reasonable – outlook on life, who despite their sometimes amoral arguments, usually find themselves fighting against a clear evil. The King Beyond the Gate is little different, and there’s yet-another-siege that the heroes must stand in. What makes it... Continue reading

2017-01-29 The lead character, Jimmy Stark, begins like a John Constantine but without the cleverness, which was frustrating. Magic was mostly all flash without subtlety. But it improved into the last third of the book when the story proper came into being and finally showed some insight and intelligence. In the end, this book felt like a long prologue which finally set up an interesting... Continue reading

2017-01-29 This is a really unique, intriguing, and well-written fantasy. For a start, the main story centres around a pair of young divers – Cass and Orc – who can’t remember who they are, or even if they were siblings or lovers. They believe that exploring sunken ziggurats will lead them to an artefact that will reveal all. Then there’s Tashi, something akin to a... Continue reading

2017-01-29 3 1/2 stars. If ever there was an argument for the second book in a trilogy sagging, this is an example. Main characters, especially Taniel, seemed to lack direction and just drifted through the story. All too often characters seemed to reach plot points for no other reason than the author wanted them there – being knocked unconscious, so other characters could take them... Continue reading

2017-01-29 4 1/2 stars. If The Crimson Campaign stuttered a little, Brian McClellan gets back on form with The Autumn Republic, by grabbing everything he has and taking it forward at a furious pace. The story develops well and overall this is both a strong novel and good conclusion to the Powder Mage trilogy. It’s left namely to Tamas and Adamat to really push the... Continue reading

2014-06-08 The story opens in 1645, after Richard Treadwell’s capture by Parliamentarian forces of Crowell’s New Model Army, in the aftermath of the Battle of Naseby. The account is a First Person narrative, as he seeks to shrive himself of the sins of 20 years ago, during the German campaign, while locked up and awaiting trial. The German campaign provides the main focus for the... Continue reading