So far, the best book I’ve read in 2024 is Crucible of Chaos by Sebastian de Castell. The book is a prelude to de Castell’s upcoming Court of Shadows series and a sequel to his excellent Greatcoat novels. Whatever I read next will have a hard time topping this one! The story’s protagonist, Estevar Borros,…
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…
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, the first installment in his Gentleman Bastards series, is arguably the best book I’ve read since George R.R. Martin’s A Storm of Swords. In fact, I venture to say it’s one of the finest pieces of fantasy fiction I’ve had the pleasure of delving into for many…
What is Historical Fantasy? This is a question I’ve been asking myself more and more these days. I always viewed “historical fantasy” as the genre of my novels Enoch’s Device and The Key to the Abyss – stories set in the real historical world with fantasy elements, such as magic. But if you look at…
Saint Patrick’s Day is one of my all-time favorite holidays, so today, I’m re-posting an article about Stephen R. Lawhead’s Patrick: Son of Ireland. I had little appreciation for Saint Patrick’s story until I began my research for Enoch’s Device. The novel tells the story of two Irish monks who try to prevent the apocalypse at the end…
The Master’s Apprentice: A Retelling of the Faust Legend was the best historical fantasy novel I’d read this year. However, that distinction did not last long because its sequel, The Devil’s Pawn, is even better. The Devil’s Pawn completes the fascinating story of Doctor Johann Georg Faustus. By the time the novel begins in 1518,…
While perusing Amazon’s bestseller list for Historical Fantasy some time ago, I came across The Master’s Apprentice: A Retelling of the Faust Legend by German author Oliver Pötzsch. What I discovered upon reading it was an astounding tale supposedly based on the real, historical Doctor Faustus who inspired both Christopher Marlow and Goethe. The book…
Saint Patrick’s Day is one of my all-time favorite holidays, so today, I’m re-posting an article about Stephen R. Lawhead’s Patrick: Son of Ireland. I had little appreciation for Saint Patrick’s story until I began my research for Enoch’s Device. The novel tells the story of two Irish monks who try to prevent the apocalypse at the end…
Robert Masello has become one of my favorite authors of true historical fantasy. The Haunting of H.G. Wells is his fourth novel featuring famous historical figures such as Albert Einstein, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Bram Stoker encountering the supernatural in what always proves to be a page-turner. I’m happy to report that Masello’s new novel…
Guy Gavriel Kay is perhaps the most famous writer of what I call “historical” fantasy – that is, fantasy fiction set in a world nearly indistinguishable from our historical own with characters and storylines modeled after actual history. In Sailing to Sarantium, he brings a fictional version of 6th-century Byzantium to life in the first…