Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Good: Empire of Sand delivers exactly what it says on the tin and THEN SOME! Strong female lead (check), magic by birth but you know there’s more to it than that (check), empires and gods (check), non-western fantasy (in this case inspired … Continue reading Review: Empire of Sand
Tag: book
Review: Priest of Bones
Priest of Bones by Peter McLean My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Good: Colourful characters, grimdark gangsters and good ‘guys’ (and girls!) with grit, and a page turner of a plot packing plenty of pace and punchy prose.The Bad: Several reviews have laboured the ‘this seems familiar’ point as a negative, but for me … Continue reading Review: Priest of Bones
Review: Blood of Assassins
Book Review: Blood of Assassins by RJ Barker. The Good: A return to one of the most relatable POVs in fantasy, development that breathes life into characters-plot-and-world alike, more twists and turns than a maze of mirrors, with a heart at its centre that beats with the life of a full fleshed-out fantasy favourite for … Continue reading Review: Blood of Assassins
Review: Snakewood
Book Review: Snakewood by Adrian Selby The Good: A masterclass in character/narrative voice(s), kickass murderous mercenaries, a unique magic-system based on what is essentially magic-mushrooms and their effects, and a genre-bending/blending/breaking triumph of style. The Bad: Now, whilst this wasn’t a ‘bad read’ for me, the style and voice will be polarising. As a reader … Continue reading Review: Snakewood
Review: The Ninth Rain
Book Review: The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams The Good: A trinity of truly memorable PoV characters, an enemy host that isn’t just another orc variant, a fresh take on a ‘big bad’, and a plot that pulls the rug from beneath you when you think you’ve found your feet. The Bad: I. Have. Nothing. … Continue reading Review: The Ninth Rain
Production of a fantasy novel: Interview with Graham Austin-King
Picking up where we left off yesterday with Sarah Gailey, exploring the ‘production’ side of her novella RIVER OF TEETH, I wanted to put another spin on the ‘producing a fantasy novel’ topic, and have today invited Graham Austin-King to talk about his newest release FAITHLESS. FAITHLESS is Graham’s ‘second’ outing, following the success of his … Continue reading Production of a fantasy novel: Interview with Graham Austin-King
Production of a fantasy (alternate-history) novella: Interview with Sarah Gailey
Way back when, earlier in the year, when I ran the ‘producing a modern fantasy debut in 2017’ it got me thinking about other books, and other authors; those that weren’t debuts, but also those that weren’t ‘book 2’ in a series, or weren’t a ‘household’ name on the shelf (e.g. GRrrrrrM, Abercrombie, Sanderson, Hobb … Continue reading Production of a fantasy (alternate-history) novella: Interview with Sarah Gailey
