Category Fantasy Books

Aug 8 2014
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Book Review: Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

words of radianceTitle: Words of Radiance

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Series: Stormlight Archive #2

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: In the first volume, we were introduced to the remarkable world of Roshar, a world both alien and magical, where gigantic hurricane-like storms scour the surface every few days and life has adapted accordingly. Roshar is shared by humans and the enigmatic, humanoid Parshendi, with whom they are at war. Among those caught up in the conflict are Highprince Dalinar Kholin, who leads the human armies; his neice Jasnah, a renowned scholar; her student Shallan, a brilliant but troubled young woman; and Kaladin, a military slave who, by the book’s end, was beginning to become the first magically endowed Knight Radiant in centuries.

In Words of Radiance their intertwined stories will continue and, as Sanderson fans have come to expect, develop in unexpected, wonderfully surprising directions. The war with the Parshendi will move into a new, dangerous phase, as Dalinar leads the human armies deep into the heart of the Shattered Plains in a bold attempt to finally end it. Shallan will come along, hoping to find the legendary, perhaps mythical, city of Urithuru, which Jasnah believes holds a secret vital to mankind’s survival on Roshar. The Parshendi take a dangerous step to strengthen themselves for the human challenge, risking the return of the fearsome Voidbringers of old. To deal with it all, Kaladin must learn how to fulfill his new role, while mastering the powers of a Windrunner.

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The Review:

I’ve been stalling on writing this review for months. You see, there wasn’t a single thing I disliked about the entire novel. It was every bit as amazing as Way of Kings and was, if anything, better. This provided me a bit of a challenge while trying to compose the review because 1) I didn’t want to talk specifics and give away spoilers 2) I felt the pressure to do it justice and 3) I didn’t want to just regurgitate everything I talked about in my review of Way of Kings. It has everything you’d want out of a high fantasy novel – great characters, epic world-building (some of the best I’ve ever seen), a masterfully woven plot, rich cultural immersion, and beautiful, exotic settings – all adding up to one of the best books I’ve ever read. Since I’ve already broken down all of these story elements in my review of Way of Kings, I’m going to take this review in a slightly different direction (… a geek-out).

Let’s talk about Sanderson for a minute and how totally fantastic and unreal I think he is. I mostly want to know how he managed to publish two 1000+ page books and not have a single boring passage within either one?! Every scene had purpose, developing character or advancing the plot with a vibrance and elegance you don’t come across often. I devoured every page and finished the novel feeling like I could have kept reading for ages. I personally believe this series marks a new generation of fantasy… it’s absolutely brilliant. I’d like to say it’s my new all-time favorite, but am having trouble relinquishing loyalty to all of the other amazing fantasy books I’ve read. Let’s just say for now that it’s in strong contention.

While I acknowledge that it’s impossible for a book to please every reader, I’ve never had a conversation with someone who didn’t also love the shit out of this book. If you’ve been on the fence with this one, take it from me – it’s a crowd pleaser. And the best news? The Stormlight Archive is currently projected to be a 10+ book series, and those novels can’t come out soon enough! Seriously, this is the type of epic storytelling that makes my inner fangirl go crazy. I’m positive I will be rereading them for years to come.

Overall, if you are a fan of high fantasy, this series is a MUST read. I’m not normally that pushy but, if you haven’t read it, you are missing out on the beginning stages of what I consider to be the next era of fantasy evolution. As blasphemous this will sound, Jordan ain’t got nothing on Sanderson.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Jul 12 2014
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Book Review: Prophecy by Elizabeth Haydon

ProphecyTitle: Prophecy

Author: Elizabeth Haydon

Series: Symphony of Ages #2

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: In Rhapsody, a fellowship was forged–three companions who, through great adversity, became a force to be reckoned with: Rhapsody, a singer of great talent and even greater beauty; Achmed, an assassin with unearthly talents; and Grunthor, a giant Sergeant-Major whose jolly disposition stands at odds with his deadly skill at weapons. Having fled the F’dor–an ancient, powerful evil–the three emerged on the other side of the world, only to discover fourteen centuries had passed. Their homeland had been destroyed, their people scattered across several continents, and everyone they ever knew had long since passed away…except, perhaps, the F’dor.

Prophecy continues this powerful epic. Driven by a prophetic vision, Rhapsody races to rescue the religious leader of her new homeland while Achmed and Grunthor seek evidence of the F’dor. These three may be their world’s only hope, the heroes spoken of in the Prophecy of the Three, but their time is running short. They must find their elusive enemy before his darkness consumes them all.

Prophecy

The Review:

This is actually my second read-through of this novel. Why I chose to reread one of the most long-winded fantasies out there is beyond me, but at the time it perfectly suited my mood, so no regrets. You see, back in December (yes, it has taken me that long to get around to writing this review… embarrassing) I had signed up for so many NetGalley and Edelweiss ARCs that my life pretty much revolved around “obligation” reading. I finally got fed up and picked up this 700 page behemoth and completely indulge myself in it for two whole weeks. A reading vacation, if you will. It’s not totally as random as it sounds, as I had just finished a reread of the first book for a book club about a year earlier, so I had intended on continuing anyway.

[Jump forward a few months: Haydon is once again writing, and the release of her 7th “Symphony of Ages” book, The Merchant Emperor, (which I’ve been waiting for for eight years) was finally released. So it turns out my reread couldn’t have come at a better time.]

My impressions of the book this time around are mostly positive ones, reminding me why I’d enjoyed it so much. Knowing what was going to happen obviously took away a little bit of that build up and excitement I felt the first time around, but it also freed up my attention to focus on other things. Ahem:

On one hand, I noted the excellent world building (specifically with the creation of the many nonhuman races), appreciated how thorough and rounded the plot was, and could clearly see how integrated dragons were into the story (because to me it wasn’t always that obvious). I also more than ever appreciate the excellent characters and how each of their stories culminate into a satisfying story arc.

On the other hand, I also noticed how incredibly long-winded and repetitive the writing was. I don’t remember that bothering me the first time around, but I definitely think Haydon could have shaved off a couple hundred pages of reminiscing and still had all of the things that made the story great. I don’t actually consider it a boring book, by any means – there was some really good bits of awesomeness thrown into the monotony that made reading through the rambling all worthwhile. I’m just saying I found several places where Haydon could have just cut to the chase. Furthermore, there were several instances where she would ramble on and on for dozens of pages about things that were secondary to the plot and only to skim over details of something within the immediate story. It was designed to have a more dramatic effect, but I think those moments might have been wasted opportunities to make the book more active rather than passive.

I also was a tad surprised at how confrontational and, shall I say it, downright bitchy the main character acted on occasion. I definitely don’t remember it being that prominent the first time around, but I’m thinking the overall arc of the story was so interesting I was mostly focused on that. In any case, once you get past the part where the characters are bristling at every little thing (say, the first half of the book), they mellow out a little bit and you’re really able to dive into the compelling parts of the story. 

As you can see, I’ve a bit of love/hate with this book… but am leaning more on the love side. Yes, it has some flaws, but it also has moments of brilliance to balance them out. I enjoyed every moment I spent reading it, but will probably stop my reread and jump right into the newest book next (I waited eight years, I definitely don’t want to wait any longer). If you are wondering whether or not this series is a good match for you, I’d say if you don’t mind slow fantasy reads, this book has brilliant world building, plot design, characters, and momentum, it just may take wading through a lot of words to find them.

 Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Jun 6 2014
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Book Review: The Dragon’s Path by Daniel Abraham

The dragon's pathTitle: The Dragon’s Path

Author: Daniel Abraham

Series: The Dagger and the Coin #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

The Overview: All paths lead to war…
Marcus’ hero days are behind him. He knows too well that even the smallest war still means somebody’s death. When his men are impressed into a doomed army, staying out of a battle he wants no part of requires some unorthodox steps. Cithrin is an orphan, ward of a banking house. Her job is to smuggle a nation’s wealth across a war zone, hiding the gold from both sides. She knows the secret life of commerce like a second language, but the strategies of trade will not defend her from swords. Geder, sole scion of a noble house, has more interest in philosophy than in swordplay. A poor excuse for a soldier, he is a pawn in these games. No one can predict what he will become. Falling pebbles can start a landslide. A spat between the Free Cities and the Severed Throne is spiraling out of control. A new player rises from the depths of history, fanning the flames that will sweep the entire region onto The Dragon’s Path-the path to war.

The dragon's path 2

The Review:

While The Dragon’s Path was entertaining, I’m sad to say I didn’t like it nearly as much as the other two series I’ve read from this author (The Long Price Quartet & Leviathan).

Abraham has a talent for orchestrating multiple POVs. While it was especially brilliant in Leviathan and LPQ, it didn’t work as well for me here. I’ve been known to criticize authors who have more than two POVs because they run the risk that readers will have a hard time getting emotionally invested with so many characters (I know people who skip entire passages when this happens just to get back to the characters they like). Up to this point, I’ve used Abraham as a prime example on how to present multiple protagonists without losing any interest or momentum from the story. I don’t think what I read in The Dragon’s Path was necessarily poor execution, I just found myself much more interested in some characters over others. I often found myself hurrying through passages so I could get back to the perspectives of my favorites – which I’m sure didn’t help matters.

I will say though that by the end of the book all of the characters eventually caught my interest, but I wish that would’ve happened much earlier on. There’s a chance the reason I felt disconnected was because he introduced each character one after the other, so it was a good 80 pages before there was a repeat POV. In his other novels, he had just as many protagonists, but he started with one or two, letting us get established with them, and then moved on to introduce more as the story progressed.

Anyway, the book had sparks of the same originality as The Long Price Quartet, and the inclusion of original nonhuman races was probably my favorite element. Well, maybe “nonhuman” isn’t the right term – they were humanlike, but of a different variety or species. I thought they added an interesting dynamic to the story. I liked the ideas so much I wish there had been an even stronger focus on their differences – everything from mannerisms to physical attributes – because I found myself sometimes forgetting that some of the characters weren’t “human.” That said, there were definitely a few great drop-in references (I noticed more at the end than at the beginning), I just would have liked there to have been a little more.

So I’ve kind of established that I enjoyed the second-half of the book a lot more than the first, and part of that has to do with how well it ended. The ending offered a cool “reveal” – one which has me especially interested in continuing on in the series. This author has dazzled me so much in the past that I definitely have hope that the second book (The King’s Blood) will grab me where the first did not.

As you can see, most of my objections to the story are preferential, and I’d like to clarify that there really wasn’t flaw to the way the story was written – I just would’ve liked to see slightly different approach. Because of that, it would still definitely recommend this title to other fantasy lovers, but only after handing them A Shadow in Summer (LPQ #1) first. And for science fiction fans, you can’t get any more kickass than the Leviathan series.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

May 15 2014
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Book Review: City of Dragons by Robin Hobb

City of dragonsTitle: City of Dragons

Author: Robin Hobb

Series: Rain Wild Chronicles #3

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Once, dragons ruled the Rain Wilds, tended by privileged human servants known as Elderlings. But a series of cataclysmic eruptions nearly drove these magnificent creatures to extinction. Born weak and deformed, the last of their kind had one hope for survival: to return to their ancient city of Kelsingra. Accompanied by a disparate crew of untested young keepers, the dragons embarked on a harsh journey into the unknown along the toxic Rain Wild River. Battling starvation, a hostile climate, and treacherous enemies, dragons and humans began to forge magical connections, bonds that have wrought astonishing transformations for them all. And though Kelsingra is finally near, their odyssey has only begun.

Because of the swollen waters of the Rain Wild River, the lost city can be reached only by flight—a test of endurance and skill beyond the stunted dragons’ strength. Venturing across the swift-running river in tiny boats, the dragon scholar Alise and a handful of keepers discover a world far different from anything they have ever known or imagined. Immense, ornate structures of black stone veined with silver and lifelike stone statues line the silent, eerily empty streets. Yet what are the whispers they hear, the shadows of voices and bursts of light that flutter and are gone? And why do they feel as if eyes are watching them? The dragons must plumb the depths of their ancestral memories to help them take flight and unlock the secrets buried in Kelsingra. But enemies driven by greed and dark desires are approaching. Time is running out, not only for the dragons but for their human keepers as well.

City of dragons 2

The Review:

I talk about Robin Hobb as often as I can! Her books contain everything I love about fantasy – great characters, epic world building, engaging conflict, effortless writing, and dragons! While Kim Harrison is my go-to author for urban fantasy, Robin Hobb is definitely my go-to for high fantasy. I can always count on Hobb to deliver a meaningful, entertaining story. I’ve been slowly working my way through all of her books for the last five years. The trouble is, I’m almost caught up and that horrifies me. All I’m saying is, thank goodness she has a new series coming out in August (The Fitz and the Fool).

City of Dragons is the point when readers start discovering answers to questions that have been built over the entire saga. What’s more, the answers to most of those questions revolve around dragons! And fabulous dragons, at that – they have distinct personalities, always behaving exactly how I think dragon should. Even when the story jumps into a dragon’s POV, you can tell there’s nothing human about them – it’s excellent! The good news is, these are some of the best dragon books out there (in my opinion), the bad news is, I don’t often recommend them for the dragon appeal because dragons don’t play a huge role until later in the saga (though they are still integral to the plot). They’re worth reading, though, because part of the magic is the momentum–building throughout several trilogies, which makes the bits I’m reading now so much feel absolutely epic!

The dragons are great, there’s no doubt about that, but the human characters are what pull me in emotionally and make Hobb’s books so absorbing. Each characters has such strong, compelling conflicts that it’s impossible not to become involved with their individual stories. I’m particularly happy in this novel that we got a chance to read more about Malta and Selden – characters I don’t think we’ve seen since the Liveship trilogy. Good storytelling for me is seeing characters tackle challenges and overcome them, and Hobb’s books have that in abundance. While the most evoking challenges take place on a personal level, the external conflicts in this series are just as strong. Hobb is so conscious of what’s happening in this world on a global scale that it makes everything so much more integrated and realistic. When things that are happening to the characters affect cities half a continent away, it adds a level of complexity and dynamics to the story that helps bring it to life.

It’s no secret Hobb is one of my favorite authors, and I hope I was able to convey a smidgen of why that is through my gushing. These books are excellent, but they definitely have a slower pacing compared to some other fantasy novels on the market (although never boring). If that doesn’t bother you then trust me, you’re in for something amazing!

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Apr 6 2014
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Book Review: Kushiel’s Scion by Jacqueline Carey

kushiel's scionTitle: Kushiel’s Scion

Author: Jacqueline Carey

Series: Imriel’s Trilogy #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Imriel de la Courcel’s blood parents are history’s most reviled traitors, but his adoptive parents, the Comtesse Phèdre and the warrior-priest Joscelin, are Terre d’Ange’s greatest champions. Stolen, tortured, and enslaved as a young boy, Imriel is now a Prince of the Blood, third in line for the throne in a land that revels in art, beauty, and desire. It is a court steeped in deeply laid conspiracies … and there are many who would see the young prince dead. Some despise him out of hatred for his birth mother Melisande, who nearly destroyed the realm in her quest for power. Others because they fear he has inherited his mother’s irresistible allure – and her dangerous gifts. And as he comes of age, plagued by dark yearnings, Imriel shares their fears.

kushiel's scion 2

The Review:

I want to start off by saying that Carey’s Kushiel’s trilogy (the first set of novels that comes before this trilogy) is easily one of my all-time favorite fantasies. Those books affected me so profoundly that I was incredibly sad to see them come to an end… Until I realized that Imriel’s trilogy picks up right where Kushiel’s left off. It’s always wonderful to find out that a journey you thought was over is, in fact, just beginning! Only now, we are reading from Imriel’s perspective rather than Phedre’s, which is a change that only furthered my excitement for this new adventure. I fell in love with Imriel in the last book and was incredibly curious to see the world and the other beloved characters through his eyes. So, as you can see, I went into this novel with high expectations (risky, I know) and was not disappointed in the least!

While I loved the Kushiel’s trilogy for its epic love story and adventure, I love this one mostly for the inner conflicts and strong character development (although by no means did it lack love or adventure). The story follows the journey of Imriel as he learns about himself, his allies and enemies, and the world. His growth throughout the novel pulled at my heartstrings. Watching him try to overcome the horrors of his past while simultaneously trying to find his place in a world of intrigue (one he would not have chosen for himself) was profound. While it’s a little early in his journey for a true love story to develop, there is still plenty of adventure and excitement to be had within these pages. It’s one of those novels that had me up until the wee hours of the night just to see how everything played out.

This novel, much like its predecessors, was incredibly sexual, but not once did it ever feel dirty. The sex is more like an integral part of the plot and character development rather than a ploy to make the novel more risqué. Because of this, the love/sex/relationships remained secondary to the overall arc of the story. This is why, even though it has elements you’d find in a romance novel, it’s still read more like an epic fantasy than anything else. Although I don’t mind an occasional romance, reading about characters and relationships within a complex plot structure and robust world always seems more gratifying. I’ve come across very few who achieved that beautiful balance as well as Jacqueline Carey.

These novels are also very political. You should know that I find politics in general incredibly boring. What’s amazing is that Carey incorporated them into the story with abundance but managed to make it interesting and often… dare I say it… downright entertaining. As profoundly not boring as the politics are, it requires a bit more focus from the reader than your average fantasy novel. Because the payoff was so high, the extra effort to remember all the foreign names and political agendas tied to them didn’t bother me in the least (the trick is to relax a little bit – Carey usually reminds you what each person was involved with in the past when she brings them up again).

Overall, there’s not a single bit of this novel I didn’t like. I will say it is difficult to recommend because of the risqué subject matter, generous politics, and incredibly slow-developing plot line. If you think you can handle all that, I suggest starting with Kushiel’s Dart… :)

Other books you might like:

by nikihawkes

Mar 20 2014
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Book Review: Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb

Dragon HavenTitle: Dragon Haven

Author: Robin Hobb

Series: Rain Wild Chronicles #2

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Fifteen dragons have set off on a dangerous trek up the Rain Wild River, in hopes of rediscovering their lost haven, the ancient city of Kelsingra. Accompanying them is a disparate group of rejects from Rain Wild society, including strong and defiant young Thymara; wealthy dragon scholar and Trader’s wife Alise; and her companion, the urbane Sedric. These human keepers yearn also to create a new home where they can decide their own fate. But is Kelsingra real or merely a fragment of a glorified past buried deep in the dragons’ shared memories? As they forge ever deeper into uncharted wilderness, starvation, flashfloods, and predators imperil them all. But as dragons and humans alike soon learn, the most savage threats come from within their own company . . .

Dragon Haven 2

The Review:

You could safely say Robin Hobb is one of my favorite authors, perhaps even my #1. Since I have gushed over how much I love her books in several past posts (and will continue to do so for the handful of titles I’ve yet to read) I’m going to keep this review relatively short. If you would like a full geek-out about the Rain Wilds series, check out my review of Dragon Keeper.

What can I say? Hobb gets better and better with every book, and Dragon Haven (book 2 of this series) was no exception! I love the progression of the story, the characters, and (most notably) the dragons. I particularly excited about these books because they are finally revealing some answers to questions I’ve had since books 2 or 3 of the Farseer trilogy. It’s that slow, ever present discovery process that makes these books so much fun to read. Add that to the fact that all of the mysteries seem to be centered around dragons, and you can see why I’m in love.

Hobb’s books have been my go-to books for years now – they’re always the ones I pick up when nothing else sounds good. You could even say I’ve been savoring them. However, with the release of The Fool’s Assassin (the beginning of a new trilogy) looming before us sometime in August, I admit I’ve been clipping along faster than usual to try to catch up. It’s bittersweet because I’m not sure what I’ll do with myself once I’ve finished all of the books (maybe go back and reread them?).

Part of the reason I love Hobb’s work is that every novel has an abundance of great characters. Every POV is relatable in one way or another, always adding their own unique momentum to the story. Multiple perspectives can be rough on a reader because it can make it difficult to get emotionally attached. This is so not an issue with these novels. I always want to know more about the character in question, mostly because they are all just so human. They have flaws and charms just like real people, which makes them incredibly interesting and fun to read about.

Overall, Dragon Haven was another strong novel from an exceptional author. I will continue to talk about her with anybody who will listen (and will hopefully one day have the chance to meet her).

Recommended Reading: as far as high fantasy is concerned, in my opinion you can’t get any better than Robin Hobb. I do find her books interesting to recommend, however: on one hand, my passion for them really comes out when I talk about them, but on the other, I’m aware that it does take a few books to see that earth-shattering momentum start to build and I get concerned that some readers might not have the patience. I’d say, if you don’t mind slowly developing (though never boring) fantasy novels, this is a great series to immerse yourself in. I’d recommend starting with The Assassin’s Apprentice. :-)

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes