TL;DR Review: Grueling, gritty, and grimdark as hell. A main character who takes badass and resilient to a whole new level. Synopsis: A gender-flipped Die Hard set in a mysterious castle, Cameron Johnston’s The Last Shield is an engaging fantasy read, perfect for fans of John Gwynne and Mark Lawrence. The ancient forest realm of […]
Military Fantasy
Review: House of Chains (Malazan Book of the Fallen #4)
Synopsis In Northern Genabackis, a raiding party of savage tribal warriors descends from the mountains into the southern flatlands. Their intention is to wreak havoc amongst the despised lowlanders, but for the one named Karsa Orlong it marks the beginning of what will prove to be an extraordinary destiny.Some years later, it is the aftermath […]
Review: Memories of Ice (Malazan Book of the Fallen #3)
Synopsis The ravaged continent of Genabackis has given birth to a terrifying new empire: the Pannion Domin. Like a fanatical tide of corrupted blood, it seethes across the land, devouring all who fail to heed the Word of its elusive prophet, the Pannion Seer. In its path stands an uneasy alliance: Dujek Onearm’s Host and the Bridgeburners – each now outlawed by the […]
Review: Deadhouse Gates (Malazan Book of The Fallen #2) by Steven Erikson
Synopsis In the vast dominion of Seven Cities, in the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha’ik and her followers prepare for the long-prophesied uprising known as the Whirlwind. Unprecedented in size and savagery, this maelstrom of fanaticism and bloodlust will embroil the Malazan Empire in one of the bloodiest conflicts it has ever known, shaping […]
Review: The King & Kishar by Timothy S. Currey
Synopsis: Every word King Adzi Akkatha writes on sacred stones is binding, and lasts for all eternity. But how can he rule when he has been cursed to forget everything? His city is in chaos. Hinatsi rebels clash with his soldiers, and their mysterious leaders try to capture the King. With the help of High […]
Review: Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen #1)
Synopsis Read less Acclaimed by writers, critics and readers alike, here is the opening chapter in what has been hailed a landmark of epic fantasy. A novel in which grand design, a dark and complex mythology, wild and wayward magic and a host of enduring characters combine with thrilling, powerful storytelling to resounding effect. Bled […]
Review: A Heart Full of Malice (The Fractured Kingdom #2) by Tony Debajo
Synopsis: There are no true victors in war. Even those that prevail cannot escape the burden of guilt for those who have fallen, and all those who witness the ugliness in the hearts of men are forever tainted. Ile-Ife has fallen and with it, the greatest ruler to have ever sat on the throne. Now, […]
Review: Carnival Row: Tangle in the Dark by Stephanie K. Smith
Synopsis Tourmaline Larou lives an idyllic life of learning by day and partying by night. An aspiring poet, her future promises nothing less than brilliance. Then, Vignette Stonemoss walks through the door, and Tourmaline’s world is upended. As she struggles to understand the effect this stranger has on her, Tourmaline and her fellow fae face […]
Review: Mist Gallows (The Prophecies of Ragnarok #3) by Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan
Synopsis Are you ready for the battle of a lifetime? The end has begun. Ragnarok has arrived as prophesied. The Great Winter has brought Midgard to its knees, and it’s only a matter of time before the gods and their armies clash on Vigrid one last time. Desperate to save the realms, Victor leads his […]
Review: Serpentus (A Relics of War Novel) by A.J. Calvin
Synopsis Dispatched to Stone Hill to oversee the city’s defenses among nebulous rumors of the Shadow Council’s threat, Owen Greenwaters must rely on the city’s guard and its natural defenses to protect the citizens. But when an army of mythical hooded ones bolstered by a sea serpent and the Soulless arrive in the wake of […]
Review: Throne Born (Tempest Rising Prequel) by Max Moyer
Synopsis It is the age of Kings. In the grand city of K’andoria, King Trimidian rules with a fair hand. The great evil sleeps. The Midlands are in a state of tranquility, yet beneath the surface, trouble roils. Fissures have appeared across the kingdom. The savage Crow rebels terrorize villages across Rislaan. The haughty Far-Seer […]
Review: The Sword of Kaigen (A Theonite War Story) by M.L. Wang
Synopsis: On a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire’s enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name […]