This is one of my favorite reads in the last ten years! I really liked A Gathering of Ravens, the first book in this series, but Twilight is even better, in my humble opinion. Oden draws on multiple mythologies, though most heavily Norse, as well as Christianity, to create one of the most creative and compelling stories I've read in a very long time. An amazing tale of a clash between the old gods and the new. Dark, action-packed, with unique characters that will scare the shit our of you, but you can't help rooting for. Very highly recommended!
My review of Uncanny Collateral by Brian McClellan
Fast action and great characters.
I looks like Brian McClellan had a lot of fun writing this, and I had just as much fun reading it. A welcome entry to the UF scene. A surprisingly fleshed out world for a short first novel. I would highly recommend this to fans of Butcher, Silvers, and Massey, and am looking forward to the next in the series.
WorldCon and EuroCon, Here I Come! Complete panel schedule…
Not only am I excited for my upcoming Ireland trip, I'm also thrilled to announce the programmers are allowing me to serve on a number of panels at each. WorldCon is also letting me deliver an academic paper!
Very much looking forward to hanging out with old author and reader friends, and meeting new ones :D
You can see my full schedule here. If you are attending, please don’t hesitate to say ‘hello.’
My review of The Wolf's Call, by Anthony Ryan
Okay folks, listen up. For all the readers who had complaints about the last two books in The Raven's Shadow Trilogy—this book has none of those problems. Put that out of your mind and dive into this. I loved it. Vaelin is older, more grizzled, and he's lost his song. He can still wield a blade though, and boy does he. I love this Vaelin, and the group he travels with on a crazy rescue mission that leads to a pending war even more frightening than those from Raven's Shadow are fantastic. This is fun, fast-moving epic fantasy at its best!
My review of Warlord, by Keith McArdle
Truly astounding battles. Warlord puts 'epic' and 'fantastic' back in epic fantasy.
Though it's all damn good, there are a few things that really stood out for me. I found the deep forest, grassland, and highland locations unique and incredibly well described. And the cavalry battles were amazing. I don't think I've ever read them quite like McArdle does it. And if you like castle sieges, oh boy. Really great stuff. The characters are also a great strength of the book, and their actions, interactions, and inner thoughts great fun to witness. Oh, and nature spirits!
All in all, I'd say this is a must read for fans of epic fantasy with brilliant characters and amazing battles.
Fantasy Fiends Podcast!
Six authors (including yours truly) talk about mythology, mythological creatures, and fantasy.