Gods of the Wyrdwood is the newest book by RJ Barker. I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. I love the forest and the pitch for this series sounded super interesting, so I went in with high expectations. And it sort of met them? I’m conflicted about this one. Let’s get into it.
About Jared Besse
Review: The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan
A magnificent follow up to the Justice of Kings, the Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan expands on the worldbuilding and delivers an epic return to the world of Sir Konrad Vonvalt.
Review: Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky
I’m happy to announce that Children of Memory exceeded my expectations and was a wild ride from the front to back. It may not be perfect, but it is a great science fiction novel with signature Tchaikovsky creativity all wrapped in a great philosophical question.
Review: Eversion by Alastair Reynolds
Alastair Reynolds is a sci-fi author who is typically at the top of the genre lists when looking at the best of modern sci-fi. I read his first book in the Revelation Space universe and found it enjoyable but was not particularly compelled to keep reading. I’ve been wanting to give his work another shot (that was his first published novel after all) and when I saw Eversion was a shorter standalone novel, I had the perfect opportunity.
Review: Shards of Earth (The Final Architects Trilogy #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky
I’m a big Adrian Tchaikovsky fan. Children of Time is a modern classic and stands as my favorite sci-fi novel of all time while Cage of Souls is a vastly underrated and incredible novel. Tchaikovsky’s works are always incredibly innovative and creative. From Elder Race (a fun novella which mixes fantasy and sci-fi) to his Shadows of the Apt series (a fantasy book with insect type races which I need to read more of) there’s always some interesting worldbuilding and fascinating ideas going on – and Shards of the Earth is no exception.
SPFBO 7 Finalist Review: Hall of Bones (The Brotherhood of the Eagle #1) by Tim Hardie
From Jared Besse: It’s been a pleasure to read and review this year’s SPFBO. I’ve gotten to love many new authors and series because of this competition and I’m excited to talk about yet another great book. See below for a synopsis, the FanFiAddict team’s thoughts, and our final rating of Hall of Bones!
SPFBO 7 Finalist Review: Burn Red Skies by Kerstin Espinosa Rosero
From Jared Besse: I’ve loved getting to read through the different SPFBO books this year. It’s been a blast to see each book and their different styles over the course of the past year. This is one of my personal favorites, so I’m excited to talk about it a bit here. See below for a […]
Review: The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne
Hunger of the Gods is the second book in the epic Bloodsworn trilogy by John Gwynne and is another amazing entry in the series. When I first read Shadow of the Gods, I was blown away and the well written characters and breathtaking action. Hunger of the Gods delivers more of the same great cast (including a new highlight) but suffers from a few pacing issues and middle book syndrome. (some spoilers for the first book follow)
SPFBO 7 Finalist Review: Norylska Groans by Michael R. Fletcher & Clayton W. Snyder
From Jared Besse: I’ve had a blast reading through the 9 other finalists in this year’s SPFBO. Each one is enjoyable in thier own right and this one is no exception. Here’s a few of our thoughts about the book and an aggregate score for the blog! Hope you enjoy reading. Blurb Norylska Groans… with […]
Review: Jade Legacy (Green Bone Saga #3) by Fonda Lee
Endings are a tricky thing. A good ending can reframe an entire story or bring home the points that an author was making. A bad ending can sour the experience of a whole series or story. Thankfully, Jade Legacy, the third and final book in the Green Bone Saga, is a smashingly good ending.
Review: Jade War (The Green Bone Saga #2) by Fonda Lee
Jade War by Fonda Lee increased everything I loved about the first book and made for a truly breathless read. While the first book was enjoyable, something about it was lacking for me. This sequel expelled any doubts and was a fantastic continuation of the story. (minor spoilers for the first book follow)
Review: The Justice of Kings (Empire of the Wolf #1) by Richard Swan
The Justice of Kings is the debut fantasy novel by Richard Swan and is a riveting mystery and political powerhouse of a book. I was given a pre-release copy of this to review from Orbit and it immediately shot up my TBR. I’m not quite sure what brought it to the top of my list, but boy was I glad read it. Now I have three months to talk about how good it is before it comes out!
I went in knowing very little about the story, only vaguely remembering the synopsis. And I was genuinely surprised along the way about the story and its scope.
The book follows the story of Konrad Vonvalt, an enforcer of the Empire’s laws, and his dispensing of Justice across the unruly nation. His protégé, Helena, is our main POV and the story is written by her far into the future. The style of writing is very similar to Farseer, an absolute favorite of mine, so that was a treat. Because of this style, we get plenty of ominous foreshadowing about the future of this world and its’ Empire.