The Free Bastards is a final book that takes everything we hold dear, all the cool, badass, components we’ve loved from the first two and throws a dash more of court intrigue that’s a weird fit with mongrels around, more strange magic and ramps it all up to a hundred! It’s a book that knows itself and ain’t scared to flaunt it. It’s a tapestry of all that the Lot Lands had to offer in books 1 and 2, woven into a tight picture then set ablaze; let me tell you this, reader, when the fire that is Oats starts, it doesn’t stop.
Fantasy
Review: The Liar of Red Valley by Walter Goodwater
Wow. Just wow. I had heard good things about The Liar of Red Valley, but to actually read it for myself was something else. I sat down thinking I’d just start it and then it was many hours later and I’d read the vast majority of the book.
The front of the ARC reads:
Do not trust the liar.
Do not go in the river.
Do not cross the King.
Review: Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Elder Race begins as a classic fantasy story with a young princess out on a quest to prove herself by going to get the reclusive of a sorcerer to come fight the demon hurting her people. However, this is Tchaikovsky, so nothing is quite as it seems.
If a different kind of fantasy story mixed with science intrigues you, I highly recommend picking this up. Well written, good characters and filled with interesting ideas and developments, this is a great novella.
Review: The Bone Ships (The Tide Child #1) by RJ Barker
Synopsis TWO NATIONS AT WAR. A PRIZE BEYOND COMPARE. For generations, the Hundred Isles have built their ships from the bones of ancient dragons to fight an endless war.The dragons disappeared, but the battles for supremacy persisted.Now the first dragon in centuries has been spotted in far-off waters, and both sides see a chance to […]
Review: The Liar of Red Valley by Walter Goodwater
(The Liar of Red Valley) is a fantastic book full of magic creatures, cool magic and fast-paced plot. While I didn’t get behind some of the side characters, that in itself can play into a massive plot twist that I’m sure no one will see coming. However, it is a shorter book than I’d have liked so saves on going too in-depth. I believe it’s a stylistic choice that all of the magic creatures aren’t described because the human eye can’t behold, the human mind can’t decipher, what they are but it sometimes left a blank space in my imagination with it. However, it was a cool way to deal with beings we simply wouldn’t know how to describe and leaves an original twist on what their appearances might be in that everyone reading will see something different.
Review: Little White Hands by Mark Cushen
Synopsis Garlan the kitchen boy’s dream of becoming a knight may not be as impossible as he is often led to believe, when the immortal players in a war from centuries gone reignite their feud right on his very doorstep. Chased from his home and thrust headlong into an epic adventure that spans the entire […]
Review: The Liar of Red Valley by Walter Goodwater
The Liar of Red Valley by Walter Goodwater is Rebellion Publishing’s leading title for September, marking it the perfect addition to your fall lineup. Goodwater delivers on all ends by blending together American Gothic, horror, and fantasy genres. Red Valley is brimming with supernatural creatures and closely guarded secrets that are best left untold.
Review: The Headlock of Destiny (Titan Wars #1) by Samuel Gately
Synopsis Some say titans are descended from giants. Others say they are risen from men. But there’s never any debate about where to find them. They will be in the center of a roaring crowd, beating the hell out of each other. From contenders like the Savage and Scott Flawless to pretenders like Richard the […]
The Wisdom of Crowds (Age of Madness #3) by Joe Abercrombie
With a great story, a great cast of characters, and tragic character arcs throughout, this is a riveting finale to a fitting trilogy. I wish to return to this world once again and am sad it’s ending.
Chaos. Fury. Destruction.
The Great Change is upon us…
Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry, and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds.
With nothing left to lose, Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age, while Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption. Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down, no one is lower than a monarch. And in the bloody North, Rikke and her fragile Protectorate are running out of allies… while Black Calder gathers his forces and plots his vengeance.
The banks have fallen, the sun of the Union has been torn down, and in the darkness behind the scenes, the threads of the Weaver’s ruthless plan are slowly being drawn together…
The Well Of Ascenscion (Mistborn #2) by Brandon Sanderson
Synopsis The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler—the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years—has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, […]
Review & Interview – Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom
Slewfoot is an intriguing horror story that is both extremely unsettling and utterly satisfying. It is both a tale of finding oneself and pure, unadulterated vengeance. It is both exactly and not even close to what I was expecting upon completion, and I thoroughly enjoyed my gateway drug to Brom’s library.
Review: The Darkest Dusk (Onyxborn Chronicles #2) by D.W. Ross
The Darkest Dusk is the second installment in D.W. Ross’ Onyxborn Chronicles series and the follow up to Cold from the North (which I reviewed earlier this year: review link). In the first book, I noted liking the plot, characters, and setting, but wanting more climactic events along the way to the end. In book 2, I think Ross did a nice of job sticking with what worked in the first book and expanding on those things while doing a better job with the narrative ups and downs.