Hello as always dear reader or listener,
If you’ve been around me and my writing/tweeting even a tad throughout this past year, odds are you’ve seen me happily ramble about any one of the books or series on this list. I could talk about what I loved from each of these for dayyyys, that is a known fact, but for this post I thought I’d keep it to cover extravaganza and one or two quotes from each. Needless to say that I rec every one of these with eyes closed but if you’re feeling like you need more convincing, I’ll link my reviews (if I’ve written one) with each title, otherwise if you just want a quick chat about them, you know where to find me!
Gollancz
Ashley’s Top 10 Reads in 2021
Reflecting on my favorite books of the year is one of my favorite December activities. Here are my top 10 reads in 2021.
Author/Narrator Chat – Jeremy Szal & Colin Mace
Join David as he chats with author Jeremy Szal and narrator aficionado Colin Mace about Szal’s series ‘The Common’. This is a fantastic conversation between author and narrator to get the inside scoop on artistic choices, character influences and inflections, and tons more! The Broken Binding – use code FANFI for 5% off – https://www.thebrokenbinding.co.uk/se… […]
Lord TBR’s Top Reads of 2021
People seem to love lists, and while I am not always a huge fan of making them (I believe reviews speak for themselves), it is always fun to revisit the amazing novels I have had a chance to read over the last year. Below, you will find the covers for my Top 25 Reads of […]
Review: Artifact Space by Miles Cameron
Fun space adventure!
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: Sharp Ends (First Law #7) by Joe Abercrombie
Joe Abercrombie opens up his bag of tricks once again to remind us why we fell in love with this series in the first place. The characterisation, the exquisite narrative, and the worldbuilding are what you would come to expect from Abercrombie. More insight, more joy, and of course a large helping of depravity and mischievousness.
Review: Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn
Before I tell you why I cherished this book (without spoilers), I simply want to say WOW. Among Thieves is a first-novel triumph for M.J. Kuhn and in my top ten list for 2021! M.J. demonstrated she had a marvelous writing ability and just carved herself a seat at the table with the brilliant authors of our time, and can’t wait to read what she comes up with next. Bravo!
Author Chat – M. J. Kuhn
Join David as he chats with fantasy author M. J. Kuhn about her debut heist novel, Among Thieves, which was just released from Gallery/Saga in the US and Gollancz in the UK. There may also be talk of how they were both the coolest of the uncool kids in school, video games, and just how […]
Review: Artifact Space (Arcana Imperii #1) by Miles Cameron
The protagonist, Marca Nbaro, practically hits the ground running right from the get go and along with her, the reader is propelled into a plot full of character interactions you live for, a long list of mysteries waiting to be solved, and a brand new fascinating world whose main undercurrent is hope, learning to trust others, and the beauties of trading cultures.
Review: The Wood Bee Queen by Edward Cox
The Wood Bee Queen by Edward Cox is a standalone fantasy reminiscent of old folktales sprinkled with classic fantasy tropes and some Ancient Greek/Roman mythology homages (or Easter eggs if you like). It is also a portal fantasy, which I haven’t read in quite some time, and that definitely catered to some of the nostalgia from my early teens. Through it, Cox tackles timeless themes of good vs evil, blind religious faith, petty/whimsical gods, and the importance of stories, as well as making one’s own decisions without letting others sway you for their gain.