Newest Fantasy Reviews
From TheBookbag
Fantasy
The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas
Young boy discovers that he is in possession of hitherto unknown magical powers… does this sound a familiar scenario? Well, I guess for many, it will sound somewhat familiar, but being one of the few people on the planet who hasn't read Harry Potter, then I'm afraid I can't make comparisons, which at their best would perhaps be invidious! So let's rewind… Full review...
Warlord (Wolfblade Trilogy) by Jennifer Fallon
In the city of Greenharbour Marla Wolfblade, sister to the High Prince of Hythria, mourns the death of her beloved slave Elezaar and faces the fact that her secrets are in the hands of her deadliest enemy. But Marla has been playing a waiting game for the last twenty years and now the gloves are off. She will have revenge and, if she has her way, it will be cunning, treacherous and lead to her enemy's total annihilation. Full review...
Dark Alchemy: Magical Tales from Masters of Modern Fantasy by Gardner Dozois (Editor), Jack Dann (Editor)
I'm always in two minds about short story collections. On the one hand it's a bit of a risk – there could be one or two really good stories and a load of rubbish. But, the great thing about them is they can introduce you to writers you might never have read otherwise. While you probably wouldn't be prepared to invest time and money into a book you aren't sure you'll like, spending half an hour or so reading a short story won't leave you feeling too robbed if you don't enjoy it. Full review...
Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson) by Patricia Briggs
To state the obvious, there is more than a little trepidation involved in the art of book reviewing – added to the relief when a successfully enjoyable read is encountered. This series has provided me with both a pleasant and an unpleasant surprise, and so with the third book poised to either return to form or sink further into mediocrity, the sense of the unknown was greater. Full review...
Nation by Terry Pratchett
Somewhere in the South Pelagic Ocean, a devastating tidal wave all but wipes out the Nation. On his island, only Mau is left - he had been on his rite of passage to becoming a man, and was paddling home in his canoe when the wave struck. Caught between boyhood and adulthood, he's now without a soul. But is that any bad thing, when the gods would unleash such destruction upon people? Full review...
Warrior (Wolfblade Trilogy) by Jennifer Fallon
Despite the 'official' rule of her brother, the High Prince, Marla Wolfblade controls the kingdom of Hythria, holding it in trust for her young son, Damin. But politics have made her ruthless and cruel, a stranger to her own family. And though Alija Eaglespike, the powerful High Arrion of the Sorcerer's Collective, is a known, and implacable enemy, there are dangers from within her own family that Marla can only guess at. When plague surges across the country, dealing death to noble and commoner alike. Marla finds herself cut off from her own family, helpless to reach the world outside the city and facing the most terrible betrayal of her life. Full review...
Path of Revenge (Broken Man) by Russell Kirkpatrick
Big things tend to scare me, as they're frequently filled with stuff you'll never need, or things that are simply there to take up space. Often with large books, you find lots of empty writing, which seems to be there more to increase the page count than to advance the plot. Kate Elliott's recent Shadow Gate was one such and, as a result, the sheer size of Path of Revenge was off putting. Full review...
Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow
Downtown LA. Ever wondered why there's so much crime? Ever thought the howling of stray dogs might have something to do with it? In this LA, the howling of dogs has everything to do with it. Many of the gangs aren't quite human, you see - they're werewolf packs. Lark is a lawyer and head of a werewolf pack with grand designs on taking over the city from the humans. Antony is a lowly dog-catcher who falls in love with a mysterious woman at a bar. Peabody is a detective, investigating dog-related murders in which a small, bridge-playing man and his enormous companion seem tremendously interested... Full review...
Wolfblade by Jennifer Fallon
And I thought it was going to be so normal. Another average mediaeval-style fantasy novel. And at the start, that's precisely what it seems to be, a box ticked for just about every fantasy element you could want. I thought it was going to be readable, but nothing memorable. I shouldn't have underestimated this author's ability for plot twists! Full review...
Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
Set in the same alternative Renaissance time line as Carey's previous three Kushiel novels, this is the first of a trilogy focusing on Imriel nó Montrève de la Courcel. Whilst it is able to stand on its own by giving some needed background information within the story, told from Imriel's point of view, it is actually a continuation of the Kushiel saga featuring Imriel's now foster mother, the anguisette former courtesan Phèdre nó Delauney. It's a tale of a young boy's quest to discover who he really is as a human being and to find his true place in the world, when all he has known before was a lie. Full review...
The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan
After a couple of attempts at science fiction, Richard Morgan has turned his hand to fantasy. His earlier works have been well thought of; frequently praised for bringing a touch of reality to the science fiction genre and his fantasy work promises to do the same. Full review...
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
A wonderfully romantic fairy tale that's packed with adventure, comedy and excitement. The additional back-stories of S Morgenstern and a fictional Goldman himself give it a fresh twist that raises it up to a modern classic. Full review...
Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson) by Patricia Briggs
There's nothing much I can teach you about being indebted to a vampire you don't already know, so let me instead use the example of our heroine Mercy. The vampire, Stefan, calls in his favour, and takes her as company to meet a fellow preternatural, in the form she can naturally, easily, adopt – that of a coyote. It's a bloody encounter, however, and one that carries an awful threat to the entire vampire race. Full review...
Bloodheir by Brian Ruckley
The Godless World is changing; the events of Winterbirth have left their scars and the Black Road is growing ever stronger. Many of the True Bloods are in mourning for their lost friends and relatives, but the battle isn't even nearly over. Encouraged by previous successes, the Black Road are pushing for further gains and they are being assisted by the rogue na'kyrim, Aeglyss, who is growing in power since being left to die on the Breaking Stone by the White Owls. Full review...
Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert
Gabriel Blackstone is a computer hacker and information thief. He and his partner Isidore make an exceedingly comfortable living stealing corporate secrets and selling them on. It's earned Gabriel a London loft apartment and a classy car. And Gabriel likes the good things in life. Hardly a shrinking violet, Gabriel probably regards himself as one of the good things in life. Full review...
The Summoning (Darkest Powers 1) by Kelley Armstrong
Chloe Saunders is a normal teenager. She likes boys but not as much as peer pressure makes her pretend to. She wishes her periods would start. She'd like her hard-working father to pay more attention to her. As much as she likes her Aunt Lauren, she misses her mother who died when Chloe was very young. Chloe wants to be a film director and she's enrolled at an arts school and spends her days happily making movies in her head. Full review...
Blood Ties (Castings Trilogy) by Pamela Freeman
The history of the Eleven Domains is a violent one, with the whole country having been overthrown by Acton and his armies some years before. Now the invaders live in the villages the original residents were removed from and those who survived now live a rootless existence as Travellers and are looked down upon and mistreated by the locals and the Warlords who control each Domain. Even those who have settled down and made a life for themselves and have cast off the road are treated with suspicion by those they live amongst. Full review...
Eulalia! (Redwall) by Brian Jacques
From inside the stronghold of Salamandastron comes a prophecy – one that is more than a little unfortunate. The sad, world-changing events it heralds focus on three incredibly unlikely characters. The first is a badger currently tied to the mast of a piratical fox's ship's mast, and trying to still his nature while said fox is trying to turn him into a bloodlust-filled berserker warrior. The second is a squirrel being, at that moment, thrown out of Redwall Abbey on account of his only being reliable for his light-fingered thievery. And the female destined to bring these together, and return them to Salamandastron, is a hare, noted only for her cooking, and her willingness to box all and sundry, with her favourite war-cry, Eulalia! Full review...
Goddess (Percheron) by Fiona McIntosh
We pick up the story approximately three months after the events of Emissary. Zaradine Ana, the wife of the Zar of Percheron, has been captured in the desert whilst travelling to the neighbouring state of Galinsea in an attempt to prevent war. Her captor, Arafanz, is determined to keep her safe as he and his army believe she is vital in the fast approaching war between the gods, believing her to be the incarnation of the goddess Lyana. Full review...
Moon Called (Mercy Thompson) by Patricia Briggs
Mercedes the car mechanic (tee-hee) has employed a werewolf as assistant. Not only that, he is a fresh young werewolf, barely in his mid-teens, and changed mere months ago. Therefore, he has learnt nothing of the were-life, nothing of controlling his changes with the full moons, nothing of the societies werewolves live in, with packs controlled by Alpha males, and so on. Full review...
The Better Mousetrap by Tom Holt
I approached this book with a fair degree of trepidation, as I had never heard of the author, and wondered if, when reading the synopsis, I was about to embark on a Terry Pratchett type novel (and I have to say, much though I admire his achievements, I'm not a fan of Discworld!) However, my fears were unfounded, and from page one I found myself drawn into this clever and erudite novel. Not having read the preceding novels in the series did put me at a slight disadvantage, but didn't detract from my enjoyment, and has certainly ensured that I'll read the others in the near future. Full review...
The Nursery by Warren Hargodd
A man in a strange city picks a suspiciously single girl up in a bar, but back at her place finds her jabbing him with a needle and her flatmate laying out protective floor covering. What ensues after a mysterious gap is him thinking he can fly around the high towered building he wakes up in. Full review...
Empress (Godspeaker) by Karen Miller
Karen Miller took the fantasy world by storm with her debut Kingmaker, Kingbreaker duology, with both The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage selling well and getting good reviews in many places, including The Bookbag. Whilst I missed those, I'd heard enough good things about her work to be excited about Empress, the first in a planned trilogy of Godspeaker novels. Full review...
Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan
England, 1588 and the English have successfully defeated the Spanish Armada. Michael Devon, a young nobleman, comes to court to join the Queen's retinue and to offer his services to Walsingham, the Queen's spymaster. But deep beneath the city of London there lies another kingdom, a mirror image of the world above encased in stone halls that never see the light of day, this is the court of Invidiana, the Fairy Queen. Full review...
The Reliquary Ring by Cherith Baldry
In an alternate Venice ruled by The Church, genetically engineered beings called genics are bought and sold as the servants and playthings of wealthy aristocrats. They are considered heretical, outside the laws of both man and God and even their touch is believed to be unclean. Full review...
Primeval: Shadow of the Jaguar by Steven Savile
One of the benefits, or otherwise, of being a committed Bookbag reviewer is that one misses all the TV that other people seem to enjoy. As a result, I am turning to this book, apparently the first novel to tie-in with ITV's Primeval series, having not seen hide nor hair of the thing, nor having any idea what it is about, save for dinosaurs roaming the modern-day world, and such things needing being put to rights. Full review...
Song of the Shiver Barrens (Mirage Makers) by Glenda Larke
I might as well declare that I'm a fan of Glenda Larke. I very much enjoyed the first two books in the series and I've been waiting with impatience to discover what she had in store for Ligea, Arrant, and all her other characters. My expectations weren't disappointed, and the final book is a very enjoyable read. Full review...
Monster Blood Tattoo 2: Lamplighter by D M Cornish
Rossamund Bookchild has finally arrived at Winstermill to take up his apprenticeship as a lamplighter of the Half Continent. He's a bit of a Johnny-come-lately and so ends up rather at the bottom of the pile. He's missed the making friends stage. And so he struggles on until Threnody arrives, even later than he was. Threnody is the first ever female lamplighter apprentice, and so she doesn't fit in either and at last Rossamund has a friend - even it is a friend he doesn't quite trust. But the bogles, shrewds and grinnlings on the Empire's highways aren't the only things Rossamund and Threnody have to worry about. There's something evil deep inside Winstermill itself... Full review...
Dark Wraith of Shannara by Terry Brooks
I should probably start this review by confessing that I've never read any of Terry Brooks' work before. As a completely new reader, I was both excited and intimidated to read and review Dark Wraith of Shannara. The blurb declares it as an ideal opportunity to venture into the world of Shannara for the first time, however, I think whoever wrote it was being a bit optimistic. Full review...
Shadow Gate (Crossroads) by Kate Elliott
I found Kate Elliott's Spirit Gate to be a well written story, with great character development, but which took a little too long getting nowhere. With this in mind, seeing the sheer size of the second in the series was nearly enough to put me off. Full review...
Procession of the Dead (The City Trilogy) by D B Shan
Capac Raimi arrives in the City full of ambition. He intends to make a name for himself in his Uncle Theo's protection business. And, as he always knew he would, Capac turns out to be good at it. He loves the seedy side of the City and he has no compunction in using any dirty tricks to climb the gangster ladder. Capac's ultimate aim is to work directly for the Cardinal, the City's godfather. The Cardinal is the City and the City is the Cardinal. But when Capac finally gets his wish, things start to unravel. Full review...
Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman
We at the Bookbag are always proud of our ability to give you the reviews no-one else is capable of. And stretching that remit to the limit comes a review of this fancy edition of a new, stand-alone work from the His Dark Materials world, by someone who has never actually read the main trilogy, or the prior, similar book, Lyra's Oxford. And so, with the hope that this is fully understandable without, and won't go to spoil the main, hugely successful books, we jump in. Full review...
Small Favour by Jim Butcher
Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, is, as usual, not getting much of the quiet life. A large building in downtown Chicago has been blown up by some amazingly strong magical force, causing the police to call him in on an ad-hoc basis, but more fundamentally, he's being attacked – by creatures that look remarkably like the billy goats gruff? And, as usual, several people (okay, not all of them could be classified as people) want things from him – his cooperation, for example, or his life. Not much of a choice, really. Full review...
Journey to Mailcann by James Fitzsimmons
The Clykes are tiny humanoid creatures that like to live in homes they have hollowed out from the base of dry stone walls. They prefer to live alongside, and overlook, organic farms, and seem to prefer our author's homeland in Cumbria. They have a lot of the fine life about their living – plenty of communal adventures and feasts, lots of birthday parties – naturally, when you reach 200 with ease – and just oodles of camaraderie and joy. Full review...
Wrath of a Mad God (Darkwar) by Raymond E Feist
The ideal middle part to a trilogy is one that hooks you, reels you in and leaves you desperate to find out what is going to happen next. Feist achieved exactly that with Into A Dark Realm, the middle part of his Darkwar trilogy and so it was with excitement and anticipation that I turned to Wrath of a Mad God. Full review...
Betwixt by Tara Bray-Smith
Odd things are going on for a group of teenagers just entering their final year at high school. Morgan d'Amici sleepwalks, and not in a good way. She comes to only to find twigs and leaves in her hair, dirt under her nails and the image of blood in her mind. Nix Saint-Michael can foretell who will live and who will die. He sees haloes of light around people's heads. Ondine Mason can't cry, but when she looks at a painting, it comes alive. Full review...
