Tag Archives: fantasy

Sep 25 2012
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Book Review: The Last Stormlord by Glenda Larke

Title: The Last Stormlord

Author: Glenda Larke

Series: Stormlord #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Shale is the lowest of the low-an outcast from a poor village in the heart of the desert. In the desert water is life, and currency, and Shale has none. But he has a secret. It’s the one thing that keeps him alive and may save all the cities of the Quartern in the days to come. If it doesn’t get him killed first…

Terelle is a slave fleeing a life as a courtesan. She finds shelter in the home of an elderly painter but as she learns the strange and powerful secrets of his art she fears she may have traded a life of servitude for something far more perilous…

The Stormlord is dying in his tower and there is no one, by accident or design, to take his place. He brings the rain from the distant seas to his people. Without a Stormlord, the cities of the Quartern will wither and die. 

Their civilization is at the brink of disaster. If Shale and Terelle can find a way to save themselves, they may just save them all. Water is life and the wells are running dry..

 The Review:

I’ve read everything Glenda Larke has published (even the stuff I had to get overseas), and I love her. This particular series is probably the best so far. Her strength has always been world-building, and in the “Stormlord” books, she really takes it to the next level. Between the vivid landscape, unique creatures, and the cultures of the people, she really succeeds in bringing the story to life!

I also thought the plot was excellent: The people who live in the desert cities of Quartern are completely dependent on the stormlords to fill their wells with precious water. The trouble comes when the last stormlord powerful enough to bring rain falls ill. As if the story and cool magic system wasn’t good enough, there is also a character who’s heritage allows her to turn her paintings into reality. I found the whole thing enthralling – it was definitely an “up ‘til 3 a.m. to finish it” novel. What’s more, the story bounces around between different characters, and while sometimes that can bore a reader, I thought each character was well-developed and interesting, with every perspective enriching the overall plot. There wasn’t a single character that I wasn’t eager to read more about.

Overall, I think Larke is a seriously under-appreciated author, between the excellent, unique world, the interesting magic systems, a great plot, and amazing characters, her stories easily rival some of the best fantasy books out there. A well-rounded book, I think it’s a must-read for fantasy fans looking for something new!

Recommendations: If you liked Larke, give “The Isles of Glory” and “Mirage Makers” a try! You’ll be blown away by this woman’s creative range.

Other books you might like:

  • “The Way of Shadows” by Brent Weeks
  • “A Shadow in Summer” by Daniel Abraham
  • “The Thief’s Gamble” by Juliet E. Mckenna
  • “Heart of Myrial” by Maggie Furey   <– arguably my favorite book of all-time!
  • “Mistborn” by Brandon Sanderson

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 17 2012

Book Review: Dragon Champion by E.E. Knight

Title: Dragon Champion

Author: E. E. Knight

Series: Age of Fire #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Knight’s fantasy debut concerns a rare, scaleless gray dragon named Auron. Born high in a mountain cave, he witnesses the slaughter of his parents at the hands of a band of dwarves and eventually matures into the last hope for the survival of his kind. Once above ground, Auron learns quickly just how dangerous it is to be a dragon. With dwarves, elves, and humans relentlessly hunting him, Auron finds friendship in the most unlikely of places — but the young dragon’s quest to find others of his kind may not lead him to the answers he hopes to find. 

The Review:

Even though there are many other excellent dragon books out there, I have never before read one quite like this. Most authors use dragons as important companions to their main human characters, but E.E. Knight takes it one step further by allowing his readers to become a dragon.

Told from the dragon’s perspective, the story follows him from the struggles of hatching all the way to the adventures of adulthood. As if that wasn’t cool enough, this dragon, Auron, is grey-scaled, an anomaly in the dragonworld who lacks the rock-hard scales that protect others of his kind.

Because most of the main characters are dragons, it makes for an interesting dynamic, as they have all sorts of traits and motives that are quite different from a human’s. Everything from their basic regard of other species to the complex inner-workings of their societies was simply fascinating. Not only, that, but it also has a highly interesting story, an engaging plot, and a decent writing style.

Overall, with such a unique concept, this is a must-read for any dragon-lover!

Recommendations: Although “Dragon Champion” is geared towards adults, I sometimes feel comfortable recommending it to young adults who are ready to up their reading level, provided they can handle some “scary” moments.

Other books you might like:

  • “Joust” by Mercedes Lackey
  • “Dragon’s Blood” by Jane Yolen
  • “The Last Dragonlord” by Joanne Bertin
  • “Dragonriders of Pern” by Anne McCaffrey
  • “Eragon” by Christopher Paolini

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 15 2012
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Book Review: Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Title: Assassin’s Apprentice

Author: Robin Hobb

Series: The Farseer Trilogy #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma. Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals – the old art known as the Wit – gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility. So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.

The Review:

Some stories fade from my memory the minute I finish the book. This story not only remained vividly in my mind months later, but I find I can recall tiniest details with minimal effort. That, to me, is the mark of a great book. Hobb has a unique writing style in the fantasy world, using a beautiful descriptive voice that effectively draws you into the story without being overwhelming. You can read two pages or fifty and come away feeling invested and satisfied. Her books are so evoking that she has become my go-to author whenever I need a guaranteed good read.

The characters are well-developed, relatable, dynamic, and quite simiply: brilliant. I often forget that I’m reading fantasy characters, as they sometimes seem like real people. Because of this, some of them are among my all-time favorites. Apart from being so well-developed, what I love most is they have flaws like everyone else, which make you cheer for them all the more.

Overall, “Assassin’s Apprentice” contains a highly memorable plot, exceptional characters, and the beautiful writing style that combines in a story that will take your breath away.

Recommendations: The Farseer trilogy is chronologically the first of four separate trilogies (Farseer, Liveship Traders, Tawny Man, and Rain Wilds – in that order) Each book is as good as the last, and what you take away from each novel just lends to an incredible momentum as the story progresses. Within each trilogy, there is an overall arch to the story that is highly satisfying enough to make them stand-alones, but the overall arch between all the books is so fantastic that it’s well worth your time to read them all.

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes

Sep 9 2012

Book Review: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

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Title: The Name of the Wind

Author: Patrick Rothfuss

Series: The Kingkiller Chronicles #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Told in Kvothe’s own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet’s hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.

The Review:

This is by far one of the best books I’ve ever read! It contains everything I’ve come to expect from a good fantasy novel, and to top it off, it is written beautifully. It is a highly original and unique piece and the basic elements of the story are similar to what made me fall in love with the Harry Potter novels fifteen years ago.  The characters are incredibly well-developed and are part of what make this novel so successful. The plot is a masterfully woven together to completely capture your imagination, with elements of humor, danger, intellect, and love. I can’t say enough good things about this book! It is definitely one I will be rereading in the future.

Recommendations: It takes a few chapters to really get into the story, but once you do, you wont be able to put it down! I had the pleasure to hear this one on audiobook, and I have to say that the experience was worth the cost. Nick Podehl does such a good job that you really forget you’re listening to one person tell the story, he truly brings it to life!

Other books you might like:

by Niki Hawkes