The Good: The titular dragons aren’t the only things that come raging out of the pages thanks to the triple-threat of people, ‘places’ and plot, making this Africa (Xhosa) inspired epic an unforgettable read. The Bad: For me? Nothing. Seriously, I love this book. I have seen some people getting put off by the ‘simple … Continue reading Book Review: The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
Tag: orbit
Book Review: A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher
The Good: A fresh take on what the ‘end of the world’ looks like, a story that is as heart-warming as it is heart-breaking, strikingly simple prose on the surface with plenty of depth beneath, plot-twists that pull the rug right out from underneath you, and most importantly…DOGS! The Bad: As much as I loved … Continue reading Book Review: A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher
Book Review: Rosewater by Tade Thompson
The Good: I can’t even attempt to summarise the good in a line or two – all I can say is that Rosewater blew my expectations out of the water in every way possible. The Bad: This will NOT be for everyone. Seriously. It doesn’t get off to a bumpy or even a slow start, … Continue reading Book Review: Rosewater by Tade Thompson
Book Review: The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan
The Good: A line-up of the usual suspects with a plot as thick as thieves, complete with Warcraftian worldbuilding and Lovecraftian lore, making for a truly unique and at times unusual (and this is a good thing!) debut. The Bad: Not so much a trigger warning, but this will NOT be for everyone. There are … Continue reading Book Review: The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan
Review: Empire of Sand
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
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
Update: What’s going on, and what’s coming up.
A lot can happen in a year. Or half. And as I’ve been blogging (again) for somewhere between that, I thought I’d do a little recap/update. So firstly, before I look back, I want to take a look around at the present. Today marks the release day of RJ Barker’s phenomenal debut Age of Assassins. … Continue reading Update: What’s going on, and what’s coming up.
Edge-Lit & the David Gemmell Awards 2017
What does bang-average shampoo, a ‘babby’, and a Swedish horse have in common? Derby, apparently. (Or, if you’re Sadir, ‘Daaaaar-by’.) This weekend I’ve been lucky enough to attend Edge-Lit, an annual science-fiction, fantasy and horror event, held in Derby. It was my first ‘convention’, having previously attended smaller get-togethers for author panels/book signings in bookshops. … Continue reading Edge-Lit & the David Gemmell Awards 2017
Guest post: RJ Barker on Everyday Inspiration
Wrapping-up the mini-series on RJ Barker and his phenomenal debut 'Age of Assassins', I invited RJ to talk about anything he wanted. This being RJ, the guest post could have been about antlers, or taxidermy, or his editor-cat. Now, not to spoil your fun, because those would've all been brilliant topics (and RJ if you're … Continue reading Guest post: RJ Barker on Everyday Inspiration
