The Silverblood Promise

by James Logan

P-Date: 2024

Genre: Fantasy

Review: First off, I would like to thank the author for contacting his publisher so as to provide an ARC at my request. I had a feeling that this was going to be a grand adventure based on the description and fought hard for the copy.

Lukan, as a failed aristo, goes on a quest of discovery in a distant land. With only a cryptic note scrawled in his fathers blood, he wends his way through the murderous twists and turns seeking answers from his inheritance.

Oh my shjt this was good. No, this was great. This novel is written with a deft hand at building characters that leap off the pages. Lukan, Flea, The Scrivener, etc., all of them are wonderfully built. The movement is fantastic and marries well with the character development.

This is one of only a few novels (Red Limit Freeway series, Hobart Floyt series by Brian Daley, Gentlemen Bastards series) that I would read again. Read this novel as slow as you can because once it is over there will be a an aching for more.

Rating: 4.9/5

A Vengeful Realm

The Breaker of Chains – Book 2

by Tim Facciola

P-Date: 2024

Genre: Fantasy

Review: I missed out on the first in this series but thankfully there is a full recap in the beginning.

This was slightly confusing with the characters POV constantly shifting. What this creates is a story line that is stilted and lacks fluidity. Chapters become truncated, almost like there is an urgency to move on to the next iteration. There were several instances where the story line had intense movement then relative calm. This plays well, as the natural sussuration of events invests the reader into the developing characters.

This novel had some great characters and some that resided in Camp Dullard. All of the female characters were indistinguishable from each other. The only differences were their names and where they currently reside. All of them constantly bite their lips, look at the ground like a hand maiden?, shiver their spines and rise like a phoenix to overcome the odds against them. Really? Nallia is the worst of the lot. From the affluent ruling class, she sees the error of her ways in an instant and chooses to side with the desparate Fallen. She is suddenly this GREAT LEADER whom everyone now respects and turns into Zena Warrior Princess, killing hardened soldiers in battle after battle. This is not even remotely believable. ILeaya fumbles around in the halls of the gods, managing to find all the ripe secrets within, because well, she has a heart of gold. Can you say plot device?

The rating flopped around chapter to chapter. Solid 4-5 with good movement and chapters devoted to Zephyrus. One to 2 stars when Nallia is biting her lip (x50). It is too bad the Fallen did not initially send her actual body parts for ransom.

I think this author has a lot of burgeoning talent. You can see the fleeting genius when he utilizes movement to build his characters. The slips are the over-use of common phrasing to set the emotional tone of a character and help expedite the scenes.

Rating: 3.0/5 (avg.)

Gogmagog

The First Chronicle of Ludwich

by Jeff Noon; Steve Beard

Publishing Date: 2024

Genre: Fantasy

Review: Wow. This was some crazy shjt. While the world building was epic, the writing was very “angular”. The scene hopping, without continuity, was strangely refreshing. One minute your on a boat and the next, in a fight with a robotic man with no idea how you got there. Moving from one reality to another in the blink of an eye was a bit confusing but you grow in acceptance of magic suddenly unfolding.

These authors bark up my preference tree in a big way with eccentric writing and jaundiced characters.

Rating: 4.9/5

The Seven Swords #5

Across the Sorrow Sea

Anthony Ryan

Publishing Date: 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4.8/5

Review: My highest rating, ever, for a novella. This author needs to join the full length epic fantasy series crowd. So good but so short.

Ima gunna have to go back and get the first four in this series.

The Contessa of Mostul Ûbar

A Sundering the Gods Novel

by L. James Rice

Publishing Date: 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: It is always nice to discover new authors that hit the reading spot. Mr. Rice gets entered into my little black book of faves.

This was quite the undertaking, with a visceral beginning that hinted at much sublime gore to come. Nope, the plot wends its course through the high seas with many buckles (bucklers?) being swashed. The character development was a bit off with the MC, vacillating between revenge/lust and pirating/nobility. What you think are continuity errors is a major hiccup in the plot where various story lines verge, but in the end it is all for revenge. Kind of weak. Like who follows a revenge maddened maniac in hopes of gaining some loot? I guess life is cheapest on the high seas.

Definitely an expansive story line that overrides Poleen’s lack of development. A rage infused revenant to haughty princess pirate slut does not a believable character make. Still, other characters are drawn beautifully and the world building is top notch. GET IT!

Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz

Stories of the Witch Knight and the Puppet Sorcerer

by Garth Nix

Publishing Date: 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4.4/5

Review: An amalgamation of short adventure stories designed to capture the
imagination. I prefer the one-story line with multiple quests interleaved. I
get that when you’re after various godlets, each has its own story to tell but
it tends to run short in presentation. Way too short.

The characters are wonderfully staged and the world building, although
limited, was good. Count me as a fan of this duo.

Herrick’s Lie

by T. M. Blanchet

Publishing Date: 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4.3/5

Review: A really strong run at world building coupled with constant movement, made for an entertaining read that ended too soon.

The narrative is from Ollie’s perspective which can run a bit dry as he is ruled by emotion. He is at once petty (jealouse) and almost Buddha like in understanding. The two polar perspectives don’t marry well when pushed together. Perhaps develop the character rather than devolve.

The world this story resides in rarely makes sense and that is what makes it so good. Biologicially this is a hot mess yet you must discard logic and enjoy the inventiveness of the authors creation. Really trippy shjt. Looking forward to the next.

Engines of Chaos

R. S. Ford

Publishing Date: 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3.3/5

Review: This installment sat on the edge of a 4 star rating, often plunging to 3 stars based on a repeated pattern of phrasing. “Bile rising” in his or her throat was an oversused pattern. “So what”?, you say. Well, phrasing when done right, uses a mix of words that derive the same meaning, phrase to phrase. For instance, use “bile rising” once or twice but intersperse with a different phrase to denote disgust or a twist on the oft use phrase like, “Gorge” or “Acid” or a lengthy description like the “acid thrust of bile surging against my molars” etc.

The characters are well built with an infusion of new to make it interesting. There are some expected and unexpected die offs. Some killed the story line, others enhanced it. The ones that deserve it, of course, keep on keeping on as we love to hate. The constant bad luck and rubbish odds for our protagonists is lengthy to a fault. The fault being, believability. Hey lets lose two legs, an arm, our eyes and leave us for dead floating in the sea or, pluck out an eyeball and run through the desert for months without water. blah, blah. Not buying some of this shjt but overall an entertaining read.

Better pick it up for the finale’.

Shattered Sea #2

Half the World

Joe Abercrombie

Publishing Date: 2015

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4.8/5

Review: Yarvi is all grown up in this installment and a new protagonist is introduced. Thorn Bathu. A character that rises above all the other spledidly built. The world building is epic and is intertwined with a quest up the Divine river.

A lot of moving parts that are as comfortable as a nice cigar in the evening. The slight deduction in point value is mainly due to a bit of YAhole love tristing. Thankfully it is brief and does not drive the story line into the shitter.

Shattered Sea #1

Half a King

Joe Abercrombie

Publishing Date: 2014

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4.7/5

Review: The Count of Montecristo returns! Child King betrayed by his closest allies, tossed from a tower and made a slave in horrid conditions only to rise like the Phoenix. It is a fairly entrenched theme that works across the genres of literature. And why not? We all root for the underdog in hopes that they gain a firm resolution in the form of righteous retribution while exhibiting skills gained in exile. In this case, the conquering hero grows into the role through trial and trib.

The only downside is the constant mewling of being half a king, half a boy, excrement beneath everyones shoe all because of his deformed hand. There is no chance lost, especially during internal ruminations, that he is not constantly fixated on that percieved shortcoming. It is tiring and drags the dialogue down a dark hole. Hey, I get it, despair and depression within the bounds of a normal life are acceptable. Yet while attempting to survive in the desloate wastes or getting whipped senseless every instant as a slave there should be no other concern or thought, other than survival. There is no time to feel sorry for something that is and was, entirely out of your control.

What can I say? I fell for an entrenched and used up story line, and probably will again and again. I am a sucker for this trope. Good thing the writing is awesome as every character is built bigger than life. Bravo!