A hectic work month has set me back in keeping up with this blog, but I have a brief reprieve this week, just long enough to write a review of a recently finished novella, The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss. This is the first book I’ve ever read that warns readers they…
I’m rounding out my reviews of recently finished novels with the epic fantasy Malice by John Gwynne. I’ve admired his brilliant book covers for years at my neighborhood Barnes & Noble and finally got around to reading his debut novel. Better late than never, as they say. My first observation is how squarely this book…
Earlier this year, I declared Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien de Castell the best book I’ve read in 2024. That remains true, but de Castell’s Play of Shadows now stands as its equal. Both are part of his new Court of Shadows series, with Crucible of Chaos serving as a prequel to the rest of…
After relishing Sebastien de Castell’s Crucible of Chaos, I went back and finished his earlier Greatcoats series. The third book, Saint’s Blood, sets up the tale that unfolds in Crucible of Chaos, and it turned out to be one of my favorite Greatcoat books. Falcio Val Mond, the First Cantor of the Greatcoats, continues his…
Richard Swan’s Empire of the Wolf series reaches its epic conclusion in The Trials of Empire. This installment is more harrowing and bloody than its predecessors, but it provides a satisfying conclusion to this captivating trilogy. This novel begins where The Tyranny of Faith left off. Former magistrate justice Sir Konrad Vonvalt and his law…
I returned to Jacob Pepper’s Saga of the Known Lands earlier this year with the series’ second installment A Warrior’s Redemption. The novel is a worthy sequel to this grimdark fantasy tale. So far, these books are not epic stories but more personal journeys focused on the series’ chief protagonist, Cutter. Also known as “Kingslayer,”…
Richard Swan’s The Tyranny of Faith is that rare sequel that outshines its predecessor, The Justice of Kings – which happened to be one of the best books I read last year. Suffice it to say that Swan’s Empire of the Wolf series is becoming one of my favorites. Set in the aftermath of the…
Among the best novels I’ve read in 2023 was The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan. Like me, Swan is a lawyer, and armed with his legal background, he’s crafted a compelling novel about the importance of the rule of law in a sprawling medieval empire on the verge of collapse. Central to the novel…
In addition to exploring new takes on the Arthurian legend, I’m continuing my foray into bestselling fantasy fiction as I contemplate what type of story to write after I complete my Dragon-Myth Cycle series. One book I recently finished and thoroughly enjoyed is Prince of Fools by Mark Lawrence. Here’s my review. Prince of Fools,…
With the third novel in my Dragon-Myth Cycle trilogy nearly complete, I’ll soon be turning toward finishing the prequel series that began with The Fae Dealings. The two upcoming novellas may be the closest I come to writing in the realm of Arthurian fiction, so I’ve been reading different takes on the legendary characters who…
The Republic of Thieves, the third installment in Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard series, delves deep into the layered past of Locke Lamora. The novel begins with Locke on death’s door after the events of Red Seas Under Red Skies, until he encounters an unlikely savior – one of the Bondsmagi of Karthain, which sets the entire…