Newest Fantasy Reviews
Reign of Iron (The Iron Age Trilogy) by Angus Watson
Spoilers ahead for Books 1 and 2. Lowa and Spring both mourn the deaths of Dug in their own ways, each having reminders of the warrior they loved: Lowa carries around his baby while Spring carries around… well… Dug. They don't have time to brood though. The Romans may be taking their time but they haven't given up on the invasion idea. Meanwhile Ragnall, still in Rome with Caesar, is being given a good reason to join them. And so it begins as both sides gather troops and galvanise assistance ready for the mater of all battles. Full review...
The City Stained Red by Sam Sykes
This story follows a ragtag team made up of murderers and misfits. Through with adventure and being paid to kill, Lenk leads the gang into the grand silk city of Cier'Djaal to hunt for the man who was yet to pay them for their service. Lenk is determined to live a normal human life and may be willing to leave his friends behind in order to do so, but soon they become tied up in a religious war that wreaks chaos upon the city and their plans for peace. Full review...
The Time Of The Clockmaker by Anna Caltabiano
The Time Of The Clockmaker is not so much a sequel to 'The Seventh Miss Hatfield, rather it's more like The Seventh Miss Hatfield : Part Deux. Cynthia (who is now the aforementioned Seventh Miss Rebecca Hatfield and from this point we shall refer to her as such) has just seen her predecessor and mentor, the somewhat intimidating Sixth Miss Hatfield, murdered in the only way it is possible for an immortal to die – she has been slain by another immortal. Forced to flee for her life (with the clock that governs Rebecca's ability to travel through time), Rebecca is stunned to find herself back in the Court of King Henry VIII. It seems that the hands of her mysterious clock have somehow inadvertently been moved, during the course of a break-in, and Tudor England is the backdrop for Miss Hatfield's fight for survival. Full review...
The Riddle-Master's Game by Patricia McKillip
IIn a realm where the wizards have long since died, but where magic and riddlry reign, no one takes much notice of the small, peaceful kingdom of Hed. That is until the young Land Ruler Morgon, wins a riddle game that sends a series events into motion that will shake the realm. Together he and the High One's harpist embark on a journey across the realm, to discover his destiny and finally marry the second most beautiful woman in the land. But Morgon has a long way to go and his journey is just the begginning of the impossible riddles before him. Full review...
Twelve Kings: The Song of the Shattered Sands by Bradley Beaulieu
When she was a young child Ceda took a blood oath to seek vengeance against the twelve kings of Sharakhai and with good reason. Now, years later, the oath hasn't been fulfilled but Ceda has plenty of other things to keep her occupied. Whether couriering suspect packages, avoiding the asirim or risking her life in the combat pits to satisfy the blood thirsty crowd. Ceda has been biding her time and that time is approaching. However, she's only one 19 year old girl whereas the kings are legion and have powers to call on that aren't altogether natural. Blood must be avenged with blood; the only question is whose blood will it be? Full review...
The Dark Defiles by Richard Morgan
Ringil Eskiath, Egar Dragonbane and Archeth Indamaninarmal have been through hell. Almost literally, in some cases. Now without fight or cause, they find themselves bored, searching for answers and fights wherever they can. But then the fight arrives, along with the Dark Court, the Empire and the greed of men. It soon becomes clear that a war fought thousands of years has not ended, but still rages fiercely on. A war that will take more than our adventurers to stop… Full review...
Mark of the Black Arrow (Robin Hood: Demons Bane 1) by Debbie Viguie and James R Tuck
A vast darkness is spreading. If left unchecked, it will engulf the world, and so Richard the Lionheart must depart England on a holy mission. In his absence, the safety of the realm is entrusted to his brother, Prince John. With the King departing, black sorcery grips the land, horrific creatures stalking the forests and threatening noble and peasant alike. A handful of rebels fight back, but are doomed to fail unless they can find a hero to lead them – and Robin Hood may be just the man for the job. Full review...
Mark of the Black Arrow (Robin Hood: Demons Bane #1) by Debbie Viguie and James R Tuck
A vast darkness is spreading. If left unchecked, it will engulf the world, and so Richard the Lionheart must depart England on a holy mission. In his absence, the safety of the realm is entrusted to his brother, Prince John. With the King departing, black sorcery grips the land, horrific creatures stalking the forests and threatening noble and peasant alike. A handful of rebels fight back, but are doomed to fail unless they can find a hero to lead them – and Robin Hood may be just the man for the job. Full review...
Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Castell
Falcio del Mond and his companions Kest and Brasti used to be Greatcoats; travelling Magister's upholding King's Law. Then they stood and watched as their King was killed by the Dukes who took control of the kingdom, and their company of 144 supposedly brave men and women are scattered throughout the land and reviled as traitors. The three are working as hired security while hoping to fulfil their last promise to the King, until one of their clients is killed and they're framed for his murder. Running for their lives, they're caught in a conspiracy which could have dark consequences for the entire land. Full review...
Grendel by John Gardner
The first impression we get of Grendel in the epic poem Beowulf is not a good one. Life is fine for the townspeople of Heorot, the anonymous poet tells, 'until finally one, a fiend out of hell, began to work his evil in the world.' Grendel, there can be no doubt, is a monster, a beast, a marauder, a demon, a villain. Full review...
Affinity Bridge by George Mann
London, 1901: airships and automata herald a shining future in a city of steam-powered road trains and carriages. Queen Victoria is still alive (after a fashion) and one of her trusted Crown Agents has his work cut out investigating some decidedly odd goings-on in the capital alongside the chaps at Scotland Yard. Revenant corpses and vengeful, ghostly policemen in the dense fog of Whitechapel don't phase Newbury, however, accustomed as he is to dabbling in the occult. Full review...
Veiled by Benedict Jacka
It's a time of great change for future divining mage Alex Verus. He's come to the decision that his apprentice Luna has reached a stage where she needs more multi-faceted training than he can offer. An additional teacher is therefore sought and one applicant in particular isn't exactly Mary Poppins. Meanwhile Alex adds a new chapter to his life by working with the Keepers, the Council's police force, adding perhaps a little more danger than is good for him. However his past is never far away and no, that's not a good thing. Full review...
The Good, the Bad and the Smug by Tom Holt
Mordak, award winning goblin king, is on a quest for truth. His companion Efluviel is a journalist whom he'd sacked and who is elf – that's two counts against her, without taking the smugness into account. Meanwhile a little man spins gold from straw, offering benefits as well as a riddle. He may sound familiar, but forget the fairy tale; this Rumplerimp… Rumpski… bloke has a more sophisticated strategy. Oh and have you heard about the two chaps who pre-invented the Hadron Collider in their garden shed? No? Well, stay tuned. Full review...
The Table Of Less Valued Knights by Marie Phillips
Sir Humphrey has been demoted from King Arthur's Round Table to the Table of Lesser Valued Knights. The only way to get his comfier seat back is to redeem himself via a quest. Therefore when damsel Elaine seeks help to find her kidnapped fiancé, Humphrey and his ward, the teenage giant Conrad, eagerly set forth. Meanwhile in the kingdom of Tuft, new Queen Martha has run away after a disastrous wedding to… a… well… disastrous Prince Edwin. She may not realise it yet, but she too will have a job for Humphrey! Full review...
Beneath London by James P Blaylock
The collapse of the Victoria Embankment uncovers a passage to an unknown realm beneath the city. Langdon St. Ives sets out to explore it, not knowing that a brilliant and wealthy psychopathic murderer is working to keep the underworld's secrets hidden for reasons of his own. St. Ives and his stalwart friends investigate a string of ghastly crimes: the gruesome death of a witch, the kidnapping of a blind, psychic girl, and the grim horrors of a secret hospital serve the strange, murderous ends of perhaps St. Ives' most dangerous nemesis yet. Full review...
Foxglove Summer (Rivers of London 5) by Ben Aaronovitch
After the disappearance of two girls in Herefordshire, PC Grant finds himself assisting with the investigation. It may be countryside rather than the London patch he's used to, but crime is crime, especially when there's a supernatural element to it. He also has a little help and comfort from his home patch to augment the ethereal beings… just in case. And remember Lesley and that taser moment? She's not exactly totally off the scene either. Full review...
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
London 1883: Thaniel Steepleton, a telegraphist in a government office, finds himself living and working in a city at siege during a Clan na Gael bombing campaign. It's around this time that he also realises that his pocket watch seems to have some odd, previously unnoticed functions. Grace Carrow, a 'bluestocking' physics student also owns such a watch. The two total strangers may think their watches odd, but 'odd' takes on a new meaning when they meet Mr Mori, the Japanese watchmaker. His clockwork pet octopus is only a small measure of the oddity ahead. Full review...
Queen of Fire: Book 3 of Raven's Shadow by Anthony Ryan
THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE FIRST TWO RAVEN SHADOW BOOKS (ONLY) Queen Lyrna has been badly burnt but lives to rule and seek vengeance through her massed armies. She also lifts the prohibition of the Dark due to their healing properties and three Gifted, the practitioners of the power are promoted with less than popular approval. Meanwhile Lyrna's right hand man Vaelin Al Sorna has lost his blood song, that precognition that made him such a strong and feared opponent in the past. Talking of opponents, the Volarians have a surprise – the mysterious entity known only as The Ally. To Vaelin he's anything but and so he must go to the ends of the world (or at least to a pretty inhospitable climate) to find him… her… it. Full review...
The Seventh Miss Hatfield by Anna Caltabiano
Cynthia is a simple, All American girl who whilst generally happy – she’s fed and watered with a roof over her head - and relatively care free, she is somewhat bored of her existence in Suburbia. Miss Hatfield is Cynthia’s mysterious and rarely seen neighbour. What an enigma she is and how compelling and irresistible it is for Cynthia to attempt to discover more about her. Ever hear the phrase Be careful what you wish for?. Full review...
Trollhunters by Guillermo del Toro, Daniel Kraus and Sean Murray
West Coast USA in the 1960s, and the city is wracked and wrecked by a slew of missing children reports. The parents with their new anguishes, and new rules against playing out after dark, have no idea of the horrors in their vicinity – literally under their feet lies a city of trolls, guilty of snatching the children. Last to go, Jack Sturgess. Cue the modern era and Jack's younger, now grown-up brother Jim, and Jim Jr live a sheltered life in the most barricaded and secure home imaginable, and Jim Jr's life is as exciting as you'd expect. Unfortunately, however, the trolls are about to make a return to their nastiest of ways – and their intentions are a lot more surprising than Jim Jr could ever predict… Full review...
The Damned (The Darkest Hand Trilogy) (Inquisitor Poldek Tacit 1) by Tarn Richardson
France, 1914: A priest is murdered, if you could ascribe such a mundane term to such an act. He was actually pulled apart brutally, literally and totally. The Catholic Inquisition sends one of its best to investigate: Poldek Tacit. Tacit may be a tortured, troubled soul fighting the demons of his own past but when it comes to eliciting information he's good, albeit via some questionable methods. Meanwhile on the battle lines at Arras the British face the Germans in a war that will become even more horrific due to the evil that walks among them as a dark, inescapable shadow. Full review...
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Many years ago, in a village deep in Eastern Europe, the locals live a life of relative peace and happiness - knowing to always avoid the wood that borders their land, and safe in the knowledge that they are guarded by a powerful wizard - the Dragon. Aware that he is the one thing keeping them safe from the dangers of the wood, the villagers take part in a ritual called 'The Choosing' every ten years - when a young girl is sent to serve the wizard for a decade. Agnieszka is of age for the choosing, but nobody fears that she will be picked - her best friend Kasia is pretty and graceful, and sure to catch the eye of the immortal Dragon. However, Agnieszka is not aware of the talents she holds that may attract the wizard - talents that the safety of the entire kingdom may come to depend on for their survival... Full review...
The Eye of Winter’s Fury by Michael J Ward
The Cold North awaits you…War is coming to Valeron, where an ill and ineffectual king is beset on all sides by the scheming of ambitious men. His youngest son, Prince Arran is sent on a fool’s errand, with the real threat waiting to be revealed. Your are Prince Arran. The ghost prince, a sickly boy who haunts the palace library. As danger threatens, you must finally prove yourself. Will you defy fate and become a great hero of legend? You decide in this epic fantasy adventure. The cold north awaits you…are you ready for the challenge? Full review...
The Novice by Taran Matharu
The Novice, Taran Matharu’s Wattpad sensation has already received a staggering five million reads. This book doesn’t just survive the hype; it deserves it. Full review...
Sword Of The North (The Grim Company) by Luke Scull
The heroes are scattered and seemingly powerless; the Age of Ruin is indeed upon the land as the new ruler may not be an improvement on the old. Back at the heroes, Emerul the half-mage is reduced to sending a messenger rather than acting upon it himself and Shanna is reduced to being that messenger. Davarus Cole is dying but it won't be the last time and what of the Sword of the North? He, Brodar Kayne, continues to seek someone he thought he'd never see again even though there's no guarantee of finding her. Meanwhile he has more pressing problems in the form of a Brick and a Grunt. Full review...
The Boy Who Killed Demons by Dave Zeltserman
Henry Dudlow is 15½ and has had a hidden gift since he was 13. It was then he discovered that some people are in fact demons and – what's worse- he can see their real demonic form. How, after two years of knowing what Mr Hanley a couple of doors down is really like and hearing that children are going missing under under the most bizarre circumstances, it's time to do something about it. Full review...
Starborn by Lucy Hounsom
On the day Kyndra comes of age, she accidentally destroys the relic of an ancient ceremony, ending centuries of tradition. So when terrible phenomena target her community, Kyndra is blamed. Fearing for her life, she is saved and rescued by two mysterious strangers – one who wields the power of the Sun, the other – the Moon. Together, they flee to the hidden citadel of Naris. And here, Kyndra experiences disturbing visions of the past, and is brutally tested in a bid to unlock her own magic. If she survives the ordeal, she'll discover a force greater than she could ever have imagined. But could it create as well as destroy? And can she control it, to right an ancient wrong? Full review...
Clash of Iron (The Iron Age Trilogy) by Angus Watson
Lowa is now queen at Maidun Castle as she, Dug the reluctant (but highly effective) warrior and his young ward Spring attempt to defend it from the local tribes chancing their arm. Spring seems to have lost her magic but hopefully this is only temporary. There are bigger worries however; Lowa knows that the Romans will come and so sends Ragnall and Dunstan, former prince and his druid tutor Durstan to Rome on a mission to gather intelligence about the enemy. Unfortunately things don't go to plan on either front! Full review...
Voyage of the Basilisk: A Memoir by Lady Trent (A Natural History of Dragons 3) by Marie Brennan
It's time. Lady Trent – Isabella Camherst – can finally leave her educational soirees in her own salon and go and discover more about her beloved dragons. This time it's going to be epic – not only has she for the first time taken her young son with her, she is on a sailing ship with a whole two years plying the seven seas to be looked forward to. The world is on the tip of a seesaw as regards dragons – just as one side weighs down with new knowledge, so the other side comes down with industrialised exploitation of the creatures – and Lady Trent must make sure that she has a (decorous, Victorian-styled covered) firm bottom to keep things on the side she wants. But she has no idea how buttock-clenching the whole voyage will turn out to be… Full review...
Glass Thorns - Window Wall (Book Four) by Melanie Rawn
The Touchstone Players begin another season but, once again it differs from previous years. Now each of the quartet have become or are about to become fathers; all apart from Cade that is. He still has to find that special person but isn't particularly looking as he has problems of his own. His kid brother Derien is starting to come into his own magical gifting which could potentially attract the wrong attention. Cade's elsewhens (his visionary glimpses of possible futures) have also stopped; or rather he has chosen to thwart them. Meanwhile there has been an accident badly maiming Jez, one of Mieke's brothers. At least everyone believes it's an accident until Mieke finds something suspicious in the debris. Full review...
A Few Words For The Dead by Guy Adams
Warning: spoilers for both The Clown Service and The Rain-Soaked Bride so best read them first. Remember the near-demonic Fratfield? Well, the honeymooning Toby and Tamara find themselves – and Fratfield – in the South American jungle. However, things aren’t running smoothly. Not only does Fratfield still control the forces of nature, now he has some help. Meanwhile back home a hit man prepares to continue his profession. The target? August Shining, Toby's boss, friend and wanted as an interview subject by MI6, should he live that long. Full review...
