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…
Of all the fantasy novels I read at the end of last year, A Warrior’s Burden by Jacob Peppers may have been my favorite. My review has been a long time coming, primarily due to the time I’ve spent away from my blog while finishing the third book in the trilogy that began with Enoch’s…
Among the bestselling fantasy fiction I’ve been reading lately is A Forest of Vanity and Valour by A.P. Beswick. The story is a fantasy retelling of the legend of Robin Hood, and it’s quite good. Here’s my review. Vireo Reinhold plays the role of Robert of Locksley in Beswick’s retelling, set in the fictional kingdom…
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…
It’s probably been a year since I finished The White Tower, an epic fantasy by Michael Wisehart, and I’m beyond past due in recommending this book. Commercially, the book has been very successful and racked up thousands of positive Amazon reviews. For readers who like sprawling fantasy novels with abundant magic and a small army…
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…
I’ve been away from the blog for nearly three months, although there’s been a good reason for my absence — I’ve been working feverishly to finish the final book in my Dragon-Myth Cycle trilogy, and a complete draft is nearly in sight! But I am way behind on writing reviews for books I think my…
As I do each year, I’m re-publishing my post on the very first Thanksgiving. Happy holidays everyone! Growing up, I never paid much attention to the origin of Thanksgiving. Other than what I may have learned in elementary school, all I recall knowing was that it was a feast between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans sometime…
Of all the fantasy novels I read growing up, Deryni Rising by Katherine Kurtz was among the few that affected me the most. Published in 1970, it was a short novel that introduced me to two things that have influenced my writing ever since: a quasi-historical medieval setting and a puzzle-like plot. The novel takes…
Well, that wasn’t the ending I expected for Season 4 of Westworld. My primary theory after last week’s episode ended up D.O.A., though we did get answers to several season-long mysteries. *Spoilers* to follow as I try making sense of it all on Westworld. After Episode 7, I had really hoped we’d see Bernard and…
The mind-blowing seventh episode of Westworld Season 4 left me with one huge question: What’s real and what isn’t on Westworld? Keep reading for my best spoiler-filled guess. Into the Sublime The episode begins with Bernard in one of his many simulations. This time, he and Maeve are breaking into the Hoover Dam to open…