After one hundred years, the war is over. The peninsula has been united under the Queen Commander and Amerand has wiped Vedra from the map, bringing peace to the war ravaged land once more. However, for many that peace is an illusion. The magical child soldiers who fought for years have all be released from … Continue reading Kindling
In one of my all time favorite fantasy reads of 2023 Travis Baldree has done it again! I loved the cozy fantasy he crafted in Legents and Lattes and he brings us another installment with some familiar faces but an all new plot! The stakes are slightly higher, but the humor and cozy setting are … Continue reading Bookshops and Bonedust
Hanuvar returns, this time in the heart of the Dervan Empire. He comes not at the head of a conquering army, and not even to kill the emperor in revenge, but to free his people. He enters the City of Marble and Blood. Hanuvar returns in this excellent sequel to Lord of a Shattered Land … Continue reading City of Marble and Blood
The once great city of Volanus has fallen. The Dervan Empire has invaded, crushing all resistance and driving its people to extinction or slavery. Their greatest general falling to his death in the sea. Soon, there will be no trace of Volanus left if Derva has anything to say about it. Little did they count … Continue reading Lord of a Shattered Land
As part of his record setting kickstarter campaign Brandon Sanderson revealed he had a batch of secret novels he had written and planned to publish across the coming year. The first of these was Tress of the Emerald Sea, a touching and extremely humorous story in answer to the question "What if Buttercup went looking … Continue reading Tress of the Emerald Sea
I found that 2022 was a good reading year. Not necessarily as good as 2020 with the new non-fiction and huge re-reads I did, but still a banner year for reading. I re-explored some of my favorite fiction, while also jumping into a pair of exciting new series and exploring a lot of wonderful science … Continue reading What I Read in 2022
An interesting beginning to a new fantasy trilogy. The city of Kithmar is old, has a grand character all its own, and politics and plots that span centuries. When Alys, member of a street gang, runs a pull that goes awry, she sets in motion a series of events which could undo the whole city. … Continue reading Age of Ash
Three men, one battle, no heroes. Thus is the tagline to another epic story from Joe Abercrombie. In truth, this is about the fourth time I have read my well loved, and much worn, copy of the book. It was in fact the first I ever picked up of his. I effectively went into the … Continue reading The Heroes
I am a huge fan of Robert Jordan's (and eventually Brandon Sanderson's) amazing Wheel of Time series. It is a series which, consciously or unconsciously, much of modern fantasy owes some homage to. It has everything one might want, prophecy, madness, war, amazing magic, battle scenes, and a plot which can propel you through fourteen books and … Continue reading First Thoughts on Amazon’s The Wheel of Time
Or, "Stuck in the Middle Ages with you" and how we can fix the interpretation of fantasy stuck in the past.
Matthew Stienberg 