Category Fantasy Books

Dec 9 2012
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Book Review: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Title: The Eye the World

Author: Robert Jordan

Series: Wheel of Time #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Overview: The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

The Review:

I would like to start out by saying: don’t let my conservative rating scare you off from this series. At least 75% of customers I talk to about fantasy rank this series in their top 3, if not their #1. I am definitely the minority here, as the book didn’t even make my top 20.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a classic that deserves its place as one of the all-time fantasy greats, it just happened to have some elements that I personally didn’t care for. As the beginning of an epic quest not unlike that of Tolkien, I found it a bit long-winded. Not boring, mind you, as there were several highly developed and exciting characters (who were frankly the biggest reasons why I’m tempted to read the second book). The magic system and overall measure of time were also highly original and interesting, even though we didn’t get to learn much about them.

No, what the book lacked is that sense of excitement I usually feel while reading a great fantasy novel. I believe this is due to poor pacing decisions rather than any issues with the plot. It was just too slow-moving with too many senseless encounters. There also wasn’t much of an arc, lacking the sort of emotional highs and lows that usually go along with good storytelling. I definitely would’ve appreciated more time spent on the climax of the book rather than endless chapters of the characters meeting one fat innkeeper after another. I guess I just missed that emotional payoff – I suppose I’ll have to evaluate the series as a whole for that kind of reaction.

Overall, I respect this author a great deal, as I believe he has done wonders for the fantasy genre by inspiring new authors every day. There are just too many out there that I enjoyed more.

Other books I liked better (in a particular order):

by Niki Hawkes

Nov 28 2012

Book Review: Into a Dark Realm by Raymond E. Feist

Title: Into a Dark Realm

Author: Raymond E. Feist

Series: Darkwar Saga #2

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: The Conclave of Shadows has smashed the Nighthawks’ dread plot to destroy the Empire of Great Kesh, but the mad sorcerer Leso Varen hides on the world of Kelewan, and vicious Dasati warriors mass to invade. Sorcerer Pug, Magnus, Nokor, and disturbing Bek, full of bloodlust and uncanny strength, seek the solution in the heart of the Dasati Empire.

The Review:

Feist’s works are always impeccable and I’m hard-pressed to identify anything I don’t like in his stories. “Into a Dark Realm” was no exception, and in fact exceeded my expectations with its creativity and complexity.

What I liked about it was the total transportation into another realm. It provided a culture immersion that I haven’t really seen since his “Daughter of the Empire” trilogy written with Janny Wurts. This time, however, the world we got to explore was of another dimension -that of the Dasati. Following a male warrior from that evil and twisted world, we get to learn the mentality behind their rather brutal lifestyles. I really got caught up in the fascinating culture offered within this book, and found it to be one of my favorites in the entire saga.

As always, the characters are well-rounded with a nice balance between long-time beloved characters and the introduction of new ones. The story bounces back and forth between the multiple plot-lines seamlessly, maintaing my interest with each transition.

Overall, for the middle book in a trilogy, it advanced the plot nicely – revealing just enough to help build the momentum towards what promises to be an amazing conclusion!

by Niki Hawkes

Other books you might like:

Nov 19 2012
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Book Review: Jhereg by Steven Brust

Title: Jhereg

Author: Steven Brust

Series: Vlad Taltos #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: The first to be published, this is actually the fourth novel in the timeline of the VLAD TALTOS series. The books recount the adventures of the wisecracking hired killer Vlad, a human on a planet mainly inhabited by the long-lived, extremely tall sorcerers known as the Dragaerans. One of the most powerful bosses in the Jhereg–Dragaera’s premier criminal organization–hires Vlad, one of their guild members, to assassinate Mellar, who stole millions from the Jhereg leadership and fled. Unfortunately, this thief turns out to be protected in a way that makes it difficult for Vlad to do his job without gaining the permanent enmity of a friend. The reader also learns more about Vlad’s past in this, and in other, lives.

The Review:

Jhereg was nothing like I thought it would be… it was better! I was expecting a typical “boy gets a dragons and goes out on an epic adventure” book (I guess I need to stop judging by the cover alone). What I ended up with was a cheeky, magical, modern-day assassin mystery that blew my socks off.

Highly interesting characters and plot-lines, it was an extremely fast-paced novel that keeps you page-turning to the very end. And when I say fast-paced, I’m not joking around. The author has an incredible “no words wasted” writing style that makes for an exciting read. Trouble is, if you blink or get distracted for even a moment (as I am wont to do) you’ll likely miss something important and plot-advancing – so stay focused!

Initially, I thought a draw-back to this series was the lack of attention on setting. I couldn’t tell if the book was taking place in a complete fantasy world or just in a twist of our modern-day (and actually, I’m still not sure). I initially thought the author was lazy, but now I’m starting to suspect he’s a bit brilliant. His overall mastery over other elements of the craft is what clued me in. You see, the story is written in a strong first-person narrative – done well enough that I always felt totally immersed into the character. I now think the reason the reader doesn’t get to see the settings clearer is that the main character doesn’t pay much attention to such commonplace (for him) details. If this is truly the case, the Brust did an excellent job sticking to his chosen perspective, and I applaud him on it.

Overall, it was a unique read that I wish I’d picked up years ago. The author has a good fusion of fantasy and mystery that really maintained my attention. Though not the first book chronologically, it is the first book according to the publisher, and that’s good enough for me (especially since the author admitted he has no clue in what order his books should be read).

by Niki Hawkes

Other books you might like:

  • “Dragon Weather” by Lawrence Watt-Evans
  • “The Thief’s Gamble” by Juliet E. Mckenna
  • “Mistborn” by Brandon Sanderson
  • “Black Sun Rising” by C.S. Friedman
  • “Sword-Dancer” by Jennifer Roberson
Nov 14 2012
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The Adamantine Palace by Stephen Deas

Title: The Adamantine Palace

Author: Stephen Deas

Series: Memory of Flames #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: N/A

The Overview: The Adamantine Palace lies at the centre of an empire that grew out of ashes. Once dragons ruled the world and man was little more than prey. Then a way of subduing the dragons through alchemy was discovered and now the dragons are bred to be little more than mounts for knights and highly valued tokens in the diplomatic power-players that underpin the rule of the competing aristocratic houses. The Empire has grown fat. And now one man wants it for himself. A man prepared to poison the king just as he has poisoned his own father. A man prepared to murder his lover and bed her daughter. A man fit to be king? But uknown to him there are flames on the way. A single dragon has gone missing. And even one dragon on the loose, unsubdued, returned to its full intelligence, its full fury, could spell disaster for the Empire. But because of the actions of one unscrupulous mercenary the rivals for the throne could soon be facing hundreds of dragons …Stephen Deas has written a fast moving and action-fuelled fantasy laced with irony, a razor sharp way with characters, dialogue to die for and dragons to die by.

 The Review:

Unfortunately, this was a book I didn’t finish, which bums me out because I’d been looking forward to reading it since I first laid eyes on it. I don’t usually write reviews for the books I didn’t care for, preferring instead to focus on the recommend-worthy titles. I decided to make an exception in this case because I believe there are a few people out there who would enjoy this book a lot more than I did.

‘The Adamantine Palace” was difficult for me to walk away from, as the storyline was actually quite interesting – it kept me trying for about 100 pages. I liked the world, I liked the plot, and I liked the dragons. What I didn’t care for was the writing style. There were times where it was just underdeveloped enough that it read like a draft rather than a finished product. The dialogue was also a bit weak. Everybody spoke with the same voice and there was little variation in tone. It was unfortunate because it made interesting characters come across one-note.

I’ve been in the book business long enough to know that just because I don’t care for a title doesn’t mean others wont. If you might be one of those people, the digital world we live in makes it easy for you to find out. Just go to www.bn.com and download a digital sample. After reading the first few pages, you’ll know if it works for you or not.

Other dragon books you might like:

  • “Dragon Weather” by Lawrence Watt-Evans
  • “Joust” by Mercedes Lackey
  • “Dragon Champion” by E.E. Knight
  • “The Last Dragonlord” by Joanne Bertin
  • “Dragonflight” by Anne McCaffrey

by Niki Hawkes

Nov 10 2012

Book Review: Dragonlance – Dragons of Dwarven Depths by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

Title: Dragonlance: Dragons of Dwarven Depths

Authors: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Series: The Lost Chronicles #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Tanis and Flint seek out a haven in the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin while Raistlin is strangely drawn to the haunted fortress known as Skullcap. Sturm seeks the legendary Hammer of Kharas, and Tika embarks on a perilous journey to rescue those she loves from certain death.

But it is the Dwarf, Flint Fireforge, who faces the most crucial test. The heroes race against time to save the lives of those dependent on them and Flint is forced to make a difficult choice, one on which the future of mankind may rest.

The Review:

Even though the Lost Chronicles are the latest in publication, they actually fall in the middle of the Dragonlance saga chronologically. It is an expansion of some events that happened that didn’t quite make it into the original series. Happy to have anything new from these authors, I was thrilled when it was released, and found it to be an incredibly nostalgic read.

I don’t think the original manuscript was a full trilogy, and so the authors had to add quite a bit of additional scenes to create a more sustainable storyline. This might be the main reason why certain elements were a bit repetitive. The perspective jumps around between about a dozen characters, and unfortunately that means we get the thoughts on certain events and behaviors several times over as we go through each character’s mental assessments. There was also quite a bit of series recap, but that didn’t bother me much – it’s been ages since I read the original story.

The characters are what make this saga so enjoyable, and I must say my favorite in this book was Tasslehoff – he is so delightfully irritating and cheerful that I have to give kudos to the authors for creating such a memorable character (one of many).

Overall, it was a fun addition totally entertaining the whole way through. I highly recommend it for fans of the series.

by Niki Hawkes

Other books you might like:

Nov 1 2012
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Book Review: Redwall by Brian Jacques

Title: Redwall

Author: Brian Jacques

Series: Redwall #1

Genre: Young Adult

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Redwall Abbey, tranquil home to a community of peace-loving mice is threatened by Cluny the Scourge – the evil-one-eyed rat warlord – and his battle-hardened horde of predators. Cluny is certain that Redwall will fall easily to his fearsome army but he hasn’t bargained for the courage and strength of the combined forces of the Redwall mice and their loyal woodland friends. . . . .

The Review:

If I could say one thing about Jacques, it’s that he was a master storyteller! His books take you on grand adventures that rival the best fantasy novels out there. I’ve read them so many times the covers are falling off! An what’s more, the series sustains itself, with drawn out stories about downright fascinating characters. Bravery and Goodness can come from anywhere, and there are always evil-doers to stand up to. They are such well-rounded stories that I recommend them to even you hardcore fatasy buffs out there. They are often overlooked because people are expecting them to be like “Watership Down” or “Animal Farm”, and while those are worthwhile books in a certian context and place, they do not make for happy fantasy reading like these books do.

Redwall will make you forget you’re reading about animals. They boast creatively awesome representatives of different races. For example, mice are the humans of this world, sort of the standard by which we measure everyone else. The rabbits are the comic relief, and always put off a dwarf-like sentiment. The otters are the graceful archers, and very elf-like in their mannerisms. Even the villians are special – with rats as the cannon fodder and henchmen (orcs) and other creatures such as foxes and weasels who plot against our heroes.

All in all, I can credit this series for sparking my interest in books when I was in the fifth grade. I saw one in the library, and started reading smaller books with the hopes of working my way up to one someday. These are excellent adventures for children, and I’m a living example that they encourage literacy at young ages. As an adult I still love them, and am long overdue for another reread!

Word of warning: do not read these books if you are hungry… you’ll see.

by Niki Hawkes