Category Archives: Fantasy

Patricia A. McKillip – Ombria in Shadow (2002) Review

Posted on June 5, 2019 by

“In that house who could assume that even fire and water would not conspire?” The main character of this novel is the shadowy city Ombria itself, and the Byzantine dealings of its royal house. But first there is Lydea, mistress … Continue reading →

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Patricia A. McKillip – The Changeling Sea (1988) Review

Posted on May 15, 2019 by

The Changeling Sea is (and I have a feeling that I’ll be saying this about every McKillip novel) a short, dreamlike fairy tale. It is mostly about loss and longing. The 14 year old Peri lives with her mother at … Continue reading →

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J.R.R. Tolkien – The Fall of Gondolin (2018) Review

Posted on April 23, 2019 by

There is a special breed of people who have read and loved JRR Tolkien’s The Silmarillion (1977). To them, the title The Fall of Gondolin must ring some bells. After all, the story of Gondolin is present in that mighty … Continue reading →

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Robert Jackson Bennett – City of Miracles (2017) Review

Posted on April 13, 2019 by

City of Miracles is a truly excellent final part in what is an odd, unusual but compelling little series. Each entry has a different protagonist and this time it is the turn of everyone’s favourite northman: Sigrud. Some devastating stuff … Continue reading →

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Josiah Bancroft – The Hod King (2019) Review

Posted on February 14, 2019 by

Also in this series: Senlin Ascends (2013) Arm of the Sphinx (2015) By this point in the series, Thomas Senlin’s search for his kidnapped wife feels increasingly hopeless. He knows where she is, but he can’t just walk up. And, … Continue reading →

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Robert Jackson Bennett – City of Blades (2016) Review

Posted on January 30, 2019 by

Also in this series: City of Stairs (2014) It’s a couple of years later and the bookish but inventive Shara Komayd is now a bigwig in Saypur, and old general Mulaghesh is finally retired, as Shara promised her, to some … Continue reading →

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Robert Jackson Bennett – City of Stairs (2014) Review

Posted on December 17, 2018 by

Also in this series: City of Blades (2016) City of Miracles (2017) City of Stairs is one of those novels where you have to sit down and spend some quality time with it – pour the novel some tea, listen … Continue reading →

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Joe Abercrombie – Red Country (2012) Review

Posted on November 23, 2018 by

Also in this series: The Blade Itself (2006) Before They are Hanged (2007) Last Argument of Kings (2008) Best Served Cold (2009) The Heroes (2011) With Red Country, the sixth First Law book and situated another decade after The Heroes … Continue reading →

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Roger Zelazny – The Chronicles of Amber (1970 -’78). Review of the first 5 books.

Posted on October 10, 2018 by

Comprising: Nine Princes in Amber (1970) The Guns of Avalon (1972) Sign of the Unicorn (1975) The Hand of Oberon (1976) The Courts of Chaos (1978) I’m confused on how to regard this series. This book has the first five … Continue reading →

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Terry Pratchett – A Hat Full of Sky (2004) Review

Posted on October 1, 2018 by

In the early 2000s, with about two dozen Discworld novels behind him, Terry Pratchett changed his style a bit. A new subseries focusing on a young girl, Tiffany Aching, introduced a “young adult” line of novels, and, in my opinion, … Continue reading →

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