Latest Book Reviews and Comments

Anansi Boys was a interesting suprise. It was more like magical realism than traditional high fantasy. Starting from reality the story deepens with elements of unreal. It's like suddenly noticing normal things that were not so normal after all. And how separate old African stories become essential part of the story. To improve the quality of reading, please do not read the back cover. It tells too much about the story.

The book started with an action scene, grabbed me along and didn't let go till I had finished the last page, wanting to get my hands on the next part immediately. The Blade Itself is one of the best fantasy novels I've read in a long time. Although it probably would lose the contests of fine style and epic scope to some other great books, I think it's undeniable that Abercrombie is a great storyteller. Although the characters are almost cartoonish caricatures and humor blossoms even in the most grim scenes, under all the lightness runs a darker undercurrent, a hint of what the future might bring to the heroes and heroines of the story.

[this review is based on the audio book version, read by Bernadette Dunne. Blackstone Audio Inc.] Legacy continues exactly where the first part, Beguilement ended and is not really a stand alone novel so I would recommend reading (or listening) the first part before taking up this one. I listened both parts while doing household work, jogging, working etc. and didn't have any problems following the story. The language is clear, crisp and flowing, plot well paced and not too twisting for a relaxing read. I would label these novels as romantic fantasy. Most of the time the reader/listener follows conflicts between people and they ways of life instead of battles against fantastic monsters. Enjoyable, if not extraordinary.

I liked The Plague Dogs very much. The story was touching and interesting. In my opinion The Plague Dogs is an excellent animal fantasy book for adults. It isn't a children's book, because there are many things which can only be understood by adult readers. The Plagues Dogs isn't an easy book and the reader must think about things to fully understand what's going on. The Plague Dogs is different kind of animal fantasy than Watership Down. That's why I must say that if you're expecting to read a similar book, you'll be disappointed. If you have an open mind and you enjoy reading good stories, The Plague Dogs will impress you. The story is fascinating and the reader comes to care about the dogs and wants to know what happens to them. I can highly recommend this book to everybody, who wants to read different kind of animal fantasy.

Watership Down is one of my favourite fantasy books. I like it very much. Watership Down is a story about rabbits. In other words, it's animal fantasy. That's why many people think that it's a children's book, but they're wrong. In my opinion Watership Down is a book for adults. Richard Adams writes amazingly well about the rabbits and their lives. The reader comes to care about the rabbits and wants to know what happens to them. If you haven't read this classic book yet, you should read it. It's one of the best animal fantasy books ever written.

The Art of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire is a "must have" book for everybody who loves George R.R. Martin's fantasy series. This nonfiction book contains many illustrations from several fantasy artists and quotes from the books. Some of the illustrations are stunningly beautiful. I enjoyed looking at the illustrations and I'm sure that if you're a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire, you'll probably enjoy them too.

The Darkness That Comes Before impressed me very much. I have to say that this book is definitely one of the best fantasy books I've read during the last couple of years. The story was fascinating, the characters were interesting and the writing was fantastic. When I read this book, I knew that I was reading something special, because everything was almost perfect. If you like epic fantasy (e.g. George R.R. Martin and Steven Erikson), you should read The Darkness That Comes Before. You won't be disappointed with the quality of this book.

The story flows, mostly smoothly, seen through several different eyes. At times I felt overwhelmed by the flood of information about the world's background and descriptions of the peoples, places, cultures and social structures etc.. All that reminded me of Steven Erikson. The glossary in the end of the book sure came handy.. Bakker's characters are fleshy and realistically flawed although they might have inhuman abilities. He has a gift of language but goes over the top sometimes and comes across a bit pretentious. This was really a problem in the first part of the book but after the rough start it got a lot better. First I wasn't a huge fan of those quotes in the beginning of each chapter, but when I got used to the authors style and dry sense of humor, I actually went back and re-read them several times. The novel is the first part of Prince of Nothing trilogy, almost like an overlong prologue. I might sound critical, but really, it was a great reading experience and built up a lot of expectations for the next two installments.

[this review is based on the audio book version, read by Bernadette Dunne. Blackstone Audio Inc.] This book could be easily placed on the romance shelf instead of fantasy. Anyway, it's a pleasant story. Easy to read (or listen to), perfect for little light read between heavy epics. This was my first experience of Bujold's writings and I 'll be checking out her other novels too.

The Brothers Lionheart is one of the best children's fantasy books I've ever read. Although this book is a children's book, adults can enjoy it too - I've read this book a couple of times and I'll probably read it again in the near future, because it's a good book. In my opinion difficult things are handled exceptionally well in this book. It's a fascinating and moving book about brotherly love and death. The story is scary, but it's also comforting. This book makes its reader think about these things and that's a good thing, because there can never be too many challenging books. If you haven't read The Brothers Lionheart, you should read it, because it's a beautifully written book. I can highly recommend this book to all fantasy fans.

When I started reading Tracing the Shadow, I was hoping to read a good book, because I liked Ash's previous books very much. I must say that I wasn't disappointed with the quality of this book. To be honest, I liked this book even more than the previous books. Tracing the Shadow was a fascinating and entertaining book with enough depth to keep the reader interested in it. The characters were interesting and the story was good. This kind of epic fantasy interests me very much. I can give this book four stars, because it contains all the elements which are needed to make a good fantasy book. I like Sarah Ash's fantasy books very much and I especially like her writing style. Her books are exciting and well written. Her writing has become more fluent with each new book and this new book demonstrates that she sure knows how to write excellent fantasy. She's without a doubt one of the best fantasy authors at this moment. If you've read The Tears of Artamon trilogy and liked it, this book is a "must have" book. I'm sure that you won't be disappointed with this book. If you've never read Sarah Ash, you should read her earlier books before this book.

I enjoyed reading The Wrath of Zar (Book I of The Demons of Destiny). It was an interesting debut fantasy novel, because Shayne Easson has a unique writing style. He writes his own kind of fantasy. It's great that there still are fantasy authors, who have their own voices. Different kind of fantasy novels are interesting and they bring a breath of fresh air to fantasy literature. I won't write much about the story, because I don't want to write any spoilers, so I'll mention only this thing: The events take place in a fantasy world called Yannina, which is about be launched into turmoil and chaos. The Wrath of Zar is a bit difficult to categorize, but if I had to categorize it, I'd say that it's epic action and adventure fantasy. The events move fast forward and the reader doesn't have to wait long for something to happen. This was very nice and it made me want to read the novel as quickly as I could, because I was hooked from the first chapter. I read this novel during the last couple of days, and I'm glad that I read it. Some fantasy authors tend to describe everything about the environment and other things in full details, which can be a bit boring, if the author doesn't have a talent for storytelling. Fortunately Shayne Easson doesn't spend too much time describing the environment and other things. He concentrates on the plot, the characters and the action. This novel shows that a fantasy novel doesn't have to be thick and full of descriptions about every little thing to be good, exciting and interesting. The writing is amazingly fluent for a debut fantasy novel, which is a good thing. I've always appreciated fantasy authors, who can write fluent fantasy. In my opinion Shayne Easson has a talent for storytelling and it's easy to see that he loves writing. I think that he's about to become one of the best new fantasy authors. The Wrath of Zar is an excellent and entertaining debut fantasy novel, which is worth reading. If you like action, adventure and good stories, you should read The Wrath of Zar, because it has plenty of action and adventure, not to mention a good plot. I'm already looking forward to reading The Resurgence of Granaz (Book II of The Demons of Destiny). It'll be interesting to see how the story continues and what happens next.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel. I like both Pratchett and Gaiman very much, but their styles are so different that I was tiny bit biased despite of all praising reviews.. But the mix turned out to be extremely funny and piercingly clever, making a joke of heaven and hell (and pretty much everything in between.) It sounds more like Pratchett but I can see how Gaiman added some depth and darkness into this blend. I wouldn't recommend this for religious fanatics or (too) serious Neil fans. Ineffably good! ;)

Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows is a real classic of English literature. I first read this book, when I was approximately 9-10 years old. I remember how much I liked it then. Although I'm older now, I still like it. I've read it a couple of times and I'll probably read it again soon. Kenneth Grahame's writing is fluent and charming. He describes the life of the animals in an excellent way - it feels like they're alive. When you read the book, you come to care about the animals. The Wind in the Willows is often categorized as children's literature, but in my opinion the true beauty and symbolism of this book opens only to adult readers. Even if you don't normally read this kind of books, you should read The Wind in the Willows. Give it a chance and it will charm you.

The Lies of Locke Lamora was a pleasant surprise. It's clearly one of the best new fantasy books I've read during the last months. It's a different kind of fantasy book and it's very entertaining. Scott Lynch writes fluently, the story flows nicely and the plot is good. The characterization is great and the characters are interesting. What I like most about this book is that Lynch writes original fantasy. If you want to read something different, Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora is a good choice.

I must say that I was very surprised that Greg Keyes managed to write such a good sequel to The Waterborn. The Blackgod offers a nice conclusion to the story. I enjoyed reading The Blackgod. I think that this book is entertaining adult fantasy at its best just like The Waterborn is. If you've read The Waterborn, The Blackgod is a "must have" book. If you liked The Waterborn, you probably won't be disappointed with this book. It will charm you.

The Waterborn is a great fantasy book for adults. When I read The Waterborn, I was surprised how well it was created and written. It felt like a breath of fresh air, which was very nice. The plot was good, the characters were interesting and there was enough depth. I think that Greg Keyes knows how to write about certain things (culture etc.) and he has a talent for charming his readers with his writing. I think that The Waterborn is adult fantasy at its best. If you're interested in a not so typical fantasy book, you must read The Waterborn.

The Lies of Locke Lamora is entertainment in a same sense as big Hollywood blockbusters. You go see one without expecting a larger-than-life classic movie experience. That's the way this novel should be read, without too much seriousness. It's hip, it's fun and has has more "fucks" than a mafia flick. Witty heroes and maniac villains, goofy sidekicks and dumb extras, this one has it all. Recommended, especially for those who are looking for something else than epic war dramas.

Great novel, but didn't quite earn the fifth star from me. Reading it took unusually long, the complex world (and especially it's vastly explained history) takes some concentration to comprehend. Erikson creates poetic descriptions even of the most gorey scenes which almost makes you forget you're not reading about pretty things. He also kicks it up a notch in the humor and romance departments, giving some needed relief in the midst of non-stopping battles, guts and severed body parts. Highly recommended, although I personally need some "lighter" read for a change before picking up the next entry of this series.

Rise of the Blood Royal is the third book of The Destinies of Blood and Stone trilogy. I enjoyed reading Rise of the Blood Royal. It was a fascinating and well written fantasy book. I liked this book very much. I know that Robert Newcomb isn't George R.R. Martin, Robin Hobb or Steven Erikson, but his books are entertaining and they've been written for adults. It's very nice to read entertaining fantasy. If you've read the previous books, I'm sure that you'll like this book.

Winterbirth is an interesting and fascinating debut fantasy book. It's not a perfect fantasy book, but it's much better than certain new books. In my opinion Winterbirth has potential, so it's interesting to see how Brian Ruckley manages to develop as a writer. I'm looking forward to reading his next book. If you like good adult fantasy stories, Winterbirth will probably be of interest to you. Brian Ruckley can't be compared to George R.R. Martin, but fans of A Song of Ice and Fire might like this book.

I had read several reviews of this novel saying that it's a little bit hard to get into at first BUT definitely worth reading. I have to agree. Struggling through the first chapters took a while. Not that the plot wasn't interesting but Erikson's style was new to me and that combined with the overwhelming pace, amount of characters and the whole new and detailed world took some time to get used to. Soon I was reading through the night and walking the book in other hand during the day. If the rest of the novels in this series (which went straight to the top of my reading list) are the same quality, I will suffer from serious sleep deprivation in the near future..

I found Once a Hero by accident from a small bookshop. I had no idea what kind of a book it was, because I hadn't read any reviews about it. Fortunately it turned out to be a good and entertaining book. Once a Hero is an interesting stand-alone fantasy book. I'm not saying that this book is perfect, but it's good entertainment and it offers great escapism. Once a Hero is probably the best book that Michael A. Stackpole has written.

Exile's Return is the third book of The Conclave of Shadows trilogy. In my opinion Exile's Return is average fantasy, but it's a readable book. I expected it to be better, so I was a bit disappointed with it. I can recommend this book to Feist fans. If you've read Feist's books, you'll probably like this book.

King of Foxes is the second book of The Conclave of Shadows trilogy. King of Foxes is a nice fantasy book, but unfortunately it isn't classic Feist. Don't get me wrong - it's a good book, but it's just not as enjoyable as Feist's earlier Midkemia books. If you're a fan of Feist, you'll probably like this book.