fantasy

Fantasy Book Review – Serpent Mage – The Death Gate Cycle #4

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Synopsis (from Goodreads): In the fourth volume of this epic fantasy, Haplo must outwit lethal and magical serpents in the last of the Four Realms.

Well, that’s not much of a synopsis. Thanks Goodreads.

This review may contain spoilers for the previous three books

At the end of Fire Sea, Haplo allowed Alfred to escape before reporting back to his Lord. A fact which the Lord of the Nexus was aware of and couldn’t allow to go unpunished. Haplo is, of course, punished for allowing a Sartan to go free, and the dog disappears.

Alfred and Haplo are now on the 4th world, the world of water, Chelestra. They did not go there together, but separately. Haplo comes upon the “mensch” races, as they are known and Alfred finds his own people, newly awakened from a long sleep.

At first, Serpent Mage doesn’t seem all that different from the first three books of the series. Haplo is continuing his mission for his lord. He ingratiates himself with the Elves, Dwarves and Humans on this world, trying to incite them to war against the Sartans. Haplo knows what he should do, but his adventures across the three other worlds and his interactions with people other than his own have changed him (even if he doesn’t want to admit it).

I generally try not to do this but ***SPOILER ALERT – SPOILERS AHEAD***

Back in my review of Elven Star, you may recall that I noted that a character made several reference to the modern world. Well, much to my annoyance, it is revealed that the world the Sartans sundered was, in fact, Earth. Why? Why? The whole point of fantasy novels is that they are FANTASY! The world and all the things in it are supposed to come from the author’s imagination. Linking it back to the real world is so unnecessary, and frankly, annoying. It just feels like a cop out. Like, oh, by the way, this was actually our world all along. hahaha tricked you! No! It’s stupid and unnecessary. Stop it!

***END SPOILER**

I’m very interested to see where things are going for Haplo and Alfred. Not to mention the mystery of the dog. That is still driving me crazy.

My rating for Serpent Mage is 3 out of 5 stars. The series continues to be good but it’s not like “wow, amazing!”

As always, thanks for reading!

Fantasy Book Review – Fire Sea – The Death Gate Cycle #3

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Synopsis (from Goodreads) : Abarrach, the Realm of stone. Here, on a barren world of underground caverns built around a core of molten lava, the lesser races — humans, elves, and dwarves — seem to have all died off. Here, too, what may well be the last remnants of the once powerful Sartan still struggle to survive. For Haplo and Alfred — enemies by heritage, traveling companions by necessity — Abarrach may reveal more than either dares to discover about the history of Sartan… and the future of all their descendants.”

This is probably going to be a fairly short review. I don’t have a lot to say about this novel. I don’t mean that in a bad way.

The story continues with Haplo and his dog moving on to the 3rd world to continue his mission for the Lord of the Nexus. Alfred has returned from the first book to play a fairly large role in this one.

We get to learn a little more about the pasts of both Haplo and Alfred, giving more depth to their characters. The dog continues to remain a mystery. One I hope will be revealed in the next novel.

I continue to enjoy this series. The pace has picked up since the first novel, giving more urgency to the events of the story. I had found the first book to be lacking that a bit.

Though I continue to enjoy these books, I would not say they are amazing. I will finish the series and likely enjoy those as well.

My rating for Fire Sea is 3 out of 5 stars.

Fantasy Book Review Dragon Wing – The Death Gate Cycle # 1

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Synopsis: from Goodreads

Ages ago, sorcerers of unmatched power sundered a world into four realms–sky, stone, fire, and water–then vanished. Over time, magicians learned to work spells only in their own realms and forgot the others. Now only the few who have survived the Labyrinth and crossed the Death Gate know of the presence of all four realms–and even they have yet to unravel the mysteries of their severed world…

In Arianus, Realm of Sky, humans, elves, and dwarves battle for control of precious water–traversing a world of airborne islands on currents of elven magic and the backs of mammoth dragons. But soon great magical forces will begin to rend the fabric of this delicate land. An assassin will be hired to kill a royal prince–by the king himself. A dwarf will challenge the beliefs of his people–and lead them in rebellion. And a sinister wizard will enact his plan to rule Arianus–a plan that may be felt far beyond the Realm of Sky and into the Death Gate itself.

Well, this is a fairly old book, having been published in 1990 (wow that makes me feel old). This book has been sitting on my shelf for a long time and thanks to my roommate’s help, it was decided it would be the next thing I read.

This novel starts out in a very mysterious and dark sort of way. A prisoner is being lead to his execution for a murder he swears he didn’t commit. An assassin is hired to kill a 10 year old child. And then…

Dwarves? But they’re not called dwarves, they’re called Gegs and the tone of the entire narrative completely shifts. I suddenly felt like I was reading a Robert Rankin or Tom Holt book. Both are authors I like, but it didn’t really jive with the first few chapters.

At first, I was a little put off by this, wondering what the heck it had to do with the beginning, but knew that I just had to keep reading to find out. Of course, I was not disappointed. As often happens in novels, these two seemingly unrelated things come together later.

This novel has a bit of a feel of “checking boxes” on the fantasy troupe list. It has elves, dwarves, dragons and of course magic. There’s nothing wrong with this of course, it just feel a bit reminiscent of it’s time, when many fantasy novels included those races, before it all became over done. Funny enough, as I’ve been reading more recent fantasy novels of late, the troupes here don’t feel over done because I haven’t really experienced them for awhile.

While I wouldn’t say that this book was amazing, I still really enjoyed it and would rate it 3 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of the Dragon Lance series and anyone who enjoys a good ole fantasy mash up!

Thanks for reading!

Whispers of Stone (The Last Gift #2) by Allegra Pescatore – Book Review

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Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

A God is Dead. A Queen is Missing. Secrets are Unraveling.

On trial for the murder of the King, Elenor and Gabriel must become allies if they want to survive. His magic is spiraling out of control, awakening a mystery hidden in the very walls of the palace. She has one month to pass her Water Rite and find a way out of the marriage her parents set up. But things are about to get much more complicated.

Between sadistic family members intent on taking Elenor’s throne, Tirit Mindel breathing down Gabriel’s neck, and a Golden Dragon appearing in the sky above the Mondaer Desert with an ominous warning, more than the Kingdom of Lirin is at stake.

If that weren’t bad enough, time is ticking down for Fedrik and Fay as well. With the desert turning against them and Daemon as a questionable new ally, figuring out how to control Fedrik’s Gift has become a matter of life and death.

Picking up in the fallout of Where Shadows Lie, In Silence Abiding is the long-awaited and non-stop second instalment of The Last Gift. Dive back into the world of Dracona and hold onto your hats. Things are about to get… salty.

What? This book is over? No! It can’t be over! When does the next one come out?

Seriously, though. This book came to an end far too soon for my liking and I now have a major book hang over. I wasn’t ready for it to end just yet and now I have to wait for the next one to be published. *sigh* the life of a book worm can be so difficult.

ok, now, in all seriousness, I would like to thank the author for providing me a free ARC copy of her book and allowing me to be one of the first people to read this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end and I will impatiently await the release of the next volume.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Where Shadows Lie (read my review here) but I think Whispers of Stone has taken the plot to a whole new level. As this is book two, most of the world building is established, as well as the main cast of characters. A few new ones are introduced, of course, but for the most part, we’re sticking with those we already know and love. My biggest dislikes of Where Shadows Lie was Fay – I don’t like her as a character and I really don’t get what Gabriel and Fedrick see in here – and not enough of Gabriel.

Well, Fay is still there, of course, and although I still don’t particularly like her, she has grown on me a bit and I believe she has a part to play in the over all larger plot of the series so I’ll continue to tolerate her. The best part? More Gabriel! I definitely think he is my favorite character overall. He’s the kind of person I would want to be with. I love how he understands the importance of a hug.

There’s so much going on in this novel, I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll just say that if you love a good fantasy series with interesting characters and political intrigue then you need to read this! If you haven’t read Where Shadows Lie, go pick that up first.

I would like to add that this novel does contain a few things that could be triggers, such as drug use, sexual assault and violence.

My rating for this novel is 4 out of 5 stars.

Thanks for reading!

Crossroads of Twilight – Wheel of Time #10 Review

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Crossroads of TwilightSynopsis: In the tenth book of The Wheel of Time from the New York Times #1 bestselling author Robert Jordan, the world and the characters stand at a crossroads, and the world approaches twilight, when the power of the Shadow grows stronger.

Fleeing from Ebou Dar with the kidnapped Daughter of the Nine Moons, whom he is fated to marry, Mat Cauthon learns that he can neither keep her nor let her go, not in safety for either of them, for both the Shadow and the might of the Seanchan Empire are in deadly pursuit.

Perrin Aybara seeks to free his wife, Faile, a captive of the Shaido, but his only hope may be an alliance with the enemy. Can he remain true to his friend Rand and to himself? For his love of Faile, Perrin is willing to sell his soul.

At Tar Valon, Egwene al’Vere, the young Amyrlin of the rebel Aes Sedai, lays siege to the heart of Aes Sedai power, but she must win quickly, with as little bloodshed as possible, for unless the Aes Sedai are reunited, only the male Asha’man will remain to defend the world against the Dark One, and nothing can hold the Asha’man themselves back from total power except the Aes Sedai and a unified White Tower.
In Andor, Elayne Trakland fights for the Lion Throne that is hers by right, but enemies and Darkfriends surround her, plotting her destruction. If she fails, Andor may fall to the Shadow, and the Dragon Reborn with it.

Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn himself, has cleansed the Dark One’s taint from the male half of the True Source, and everything has changed. Yet nothing has, for only men who can channel believe that saidin is clean again, and a man who can channel is still hated and feared-even one prophesied to save the world. Now, Rand must gamble again, with himself at stake, and he cannot be sure which of his allies are really enemies.

****THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE PREVIOUS BOOKS****

Winter’s Heart ended with Rand and Nynaeve cleansing the male half of the True Source of the Dark One’s taint. I’m sure everyone who has read the series was eager to start Crossroads of Twilight to see the repercussions of such a thing. Such a momentous occasion must change everything!

But first, let’s see what every other character in series is up to in the days leading up to the event and those just after.

Faile and a few other women were captured by the Shaido Aiel and have been made gai’shain. Perrin is, of course, out of his mind with worry and rage. Many readers might feel for this couple, being separated by unforeseeable circumstances, but not me. I have dislike Faile from her very first appearance in the series. Honestly, I want her to die, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I don’t know what Perrin sees in her or why he loves her so much. His willingness to do just about anything for her is irritating. He was once one of my favorite characters in the series, but now, not so much.

Mat has finally found the Daughter of the Nine Moons, whom he supposed to marry. Hiding out in a travelling show, he has his hands full with the women he rescued from Ebou Dar, as well as the ones he kidnapped during the escape. Mat is a character I have wavered back and forth between liking and disliking. In the very beginning, he was Rand’s best friend, mischievous and easy going. However, the moment he discovers that Rand can channel, he gives in to all the superstition and fear surrounding men who channel. Earlier in the series, all Mat wanted was to get away from Rand as soon as possible. Now that he’s away from everyone he knew from the Two Rivers, he’s finally had a chance to grow from a boy to a man, even if he is still mischievous.

Elayne is trying to secure her place on the Lion Throne, while Egwene sits outside Tar Valon with her army and rebel Aes Sedai.

There is a lot going on in this series, but not much is actually happening. Time moves slowly as the narration goes between one set of characters to another, usually showing what happens to them in the same time frame. In over 800 pages, only about 2 weeks of time pass in the story. Only those that were with Rand and those who can channel saidin are even aware that it’s been cleansed. Everyone else who could sense what happened believes it was the Forsaken preparing some kind of weapon or something else equally as terrible.

So, the repercussions of cleansing saidin are still not known. Everyone seems to be sitting around waiting for things to happen. Only Perrin has any sense of urgency and only because he wants his wife back. Everything is supposed to lead up to the Last Battle. With four more books to go, I hope the pacing increases. As Brandon Sanderson finished the last 3 books after Robert Jordan passed away, I’m eager to see how his writing style differs.

Overall, I give this book 3 stars. It’s not amazing, but it’s not terrible either. It’s a good addition to the series overall and I look forward to starting the next book, especially as it will be the first in the series I haven’t previously read.

The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

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My reading life this year has mostly been dominated by the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson. Honestly, I should have finished this series by now. I blame Netflix. Anyway, 14 books with around 700+ pages in each, it’s a long haul. I considered reviewing each book individually but there so much that happens in each book that I just couldn’t. My brain couldn’t handle it.

I first started reading this series about 10 or so years ago. I finished book ten long long before book eleven (Knife of Dreams) was published. As many of you may or may not know, not long after Knife of Dreams was published, Robert Jordan became very ill. Sadly, he passed away without finishing the series. However, Brandon Sanderson stepped in and, using the notes Jordan had left behind, wrote the last 4 books in the series. When I discovered all this and what it would mean for publishing time, I set the series aside and moved on to other books. I certainly didn’t lack for anything to read.

At the beginning of this year, I decided that I would finally go back to the Wheel of Time and finish it off. All of the books had been published and were sitting on my shelf gathering dust, waiting for me to read them.  Since it had been so long since I first read the books, and the series is so detailed, I went right back to the beginning and started again with the Eye of the World. It was almost like reading it all for the very first time all over again. There were only a few little things that I could remember, and those things were spread out across 10 books.

I was interested to see how my opinion of the books might have changed from the first reading. As has happened before, when I’ve reread a series years after initially reading it, I find my opinion and enjoyment have it has usually changed. (This was certainly the case with the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind). I remember thinking the Eye of the World was slowed paced, but not much else about the other books. As I’ve matured as a reader and a person, I see things I’m sure I didn’t notice before. For one, the female characters are nearly all the same. They’re haughty, snobbish, arrogant and usually have bad tempers. At one point, the female characters were getting very irritating, which may be a factor in why it has taken me so long to get through the series.

Today, I will be starting on book 10, Crossroads of Twilight, which was the last book I read before the earlier publishing hiatus.  I hope to finish the entire series by the end of this year, but with the way things are going, that my not happen.

Have you read the Wheel of Time? Please post any comments on the series you may have, but please keep in mind that as of the time of this writing, I have only read to the end of book 9, Winter’s Heart, so I would appreciate if there were no spoilers about the last five books posted. Thanks!

Ships From The West – Monarchies of God #5

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Ships from the WestSynopsis (from Goodreads): In the five Ramusian kingdoms, an entire generation has lived in peace. But when old enemies clash, the fate of Normannia will be sealed-once and for all.

Buy Now:Amazon Barnes & Noble

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ BOOKS 1 -4***

“The Thrilling Conclusion!” Or so says the cover of the book. Was it thrilling? Maybe a little. Was it conclusive? No, not at all.

My initial impression of the book was that it was unnecessary. It starts off 15 years after the events of the first four books. The main plot of books 1 – 4, being the war with the Merduks, was concluded in The Second Empire. the whole time i was reading this book it felt more like the start of a new part of the series rather than a conclusion. the ending certainly wasn’t conclusive at all and left a lot of loose ends.

A lot of this book was spent introducing the next generation, the children of the characters from the previous books, and filling in what’s happened during the past 15 years. But, as is typical of most of the characters introduced in this series, the new people we are introduced to fall flat. They get so little of the spotlight that the reader never really gets to know them and what we do see of them is not essential to the overall plot of this book.

There is, however, a lot of action in this book. There’s a lot of slaughter and death, so if you like any of the characters, don’t get attached. they’re probably going to die.

What saved this book and made it worth reading, for me, was the character of Corfe. He is my favorite of all the characters and really get the spotlight. His journey in the book is probably the only reason I kept reading.

I give Ships from the West 2/5 stars.

The series overall, I give 3/5 stars. It had a good amount of action to the keep the reader interested, and the battle scenes were amazingly described. I enjoyed the character of Corfe Cear-Inaf and the sort of sub plot of the tragic love between him and his wife, Heria. They both suffer a great deal and never truly let go of the pain of losing one another.

As for what I didn’t like, I think this far outweighs the things I did like. There is a definite lack of strong female characters in this series. The female character I did like, gets very little page time, but at least what time she did get wasn’t disappointing.

The third person omniscient pov that this series is told in is, for me, very irritating. I don’t know which character is currently the focus from time to time and I find that confusing. I much prefer pov’s that focus on one person at a time.

There were a lot of loose ends that were left over at the end of book five, (the conclusion) and little things that took place that just seemed unnecessary.

I’m happy to be finished this series, and while I don’t regret reading it, this isn’t a series that I will keep to reread in the future.

Have you read this series? What did you think? Please leave any thoughts in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

Fantasy Book Review – The Second Empire – Monarchies of God #4

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Summary (from Goodreads): Religious wars, shapeshifter invasions, and political intrigue drive the fourth novel of this epic fantasy series.

*** May Contain Spoilers if You Have Not read Books 1 – 3 ***

I don’t have a lot to say about this edition to the Monarchies of God. The war with the Merduks continue and come to a head. Richard Hawkwood returns from the Western Continent with Lord Murad, Bardolin and a mere fraction of the number of people they set out with. We get a brief look at what they endured during their time on the other continent and their journey home.

As I was reading this volume, I felt that the subplot of Richard Hawkwood’s journey is mostly unimportant. It doesn’t really add to the overall plot. The main focus of this volume and the one before (The Iron Wars) has been the war happening with the Merduks. Everything else seems like a side note.

Other than Corfe, not many of the characters are relatable. Most of them get so little really told about them for the reader to form much of an attachment.

The descriptions of the battles are rather engrossing. The author is very good as describing all the sounds and sights of a battle. The boom of the guns, the jar of being hit with a sword, the horror of men being torn to shreds.

I give the Second Empire 3/5 stars and am curious how this will all come to an end.

Fantasy Book Review – The Iron Wars – Monarchies of God #3

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Synopsis (from Goodreads): The Kingdom of Hebrion has been thrown into turmoil, following its release from the clutches of the Church. Its capital in ruins, its king in a coma, Isolla, Abeleyn’s bride-to-be, and Jemilla, his scheming mistress, step into the power vacuum. Both are intent on taking control of Hebrion for themselves and a fierce power struggle ensues. To further complicate things, the explorer Richard Hawkwood returns to Hebrion with news of a new continent in the west and something terrible lurking in his ship’s hold. This third book in the series continues the acclaimed saga of politics and religion in a world rife with magic, terror and war.

Buy Now:Amazon

***May Contain Spoiler If You Have Not Read Books #1 & 2***

The Iron Wars begins with a breathe of fresh air as we are introduced to Isolla, Princess of Astarac and betrothed of Abeleyn, King of Hebrion. She is the first strong female character in this series who does not use sex to get what she wants or gain power. Described as a plain woman with a large nose, she may not be a beauty but she does have brains. She allies herself with Golophin to care for Abeleyn after a terrible accident leaves him in a coma and commits herself to the good of her new kingdom. The Lady Jemilla is unfortunately still around, trying to gain herself a throne by claiming the baby she is carrying is the King’s heir.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the continent, Corfe is battling the Merduk hordes as well as his own country men. His King, Lofantyr, has no faith in him or his abilities to command, even though all of his campaigns have been successful. Corfe is probably the most interesting and enjoyable character to read about. His personality has depth, he earns the loyalty of his men instead of simply demanding it based on his rank.

Richard Hawkwood is mostly absent from the volume of the series, though his expedition is mentioned from time to time. Mostly, people assuming that he and all those who traveled with him are dead somewhere. Though Hawkwood was absent, I think throwing him into the midst of everything else that was happening would have detracted from the action already taking place.

Overall, I give the Iron Wars 3/5 stars.

Fantasy Book Review – The Heretic Kings – Monarchies of God #2

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***May Contain Spoilers if you have not read Hawkwood’s Voyage***

Synopsis (from Goodreads): When a power-hungry fanatic wins himself a highly influential religious position, three resistant kings must fight a brutal war merely to maintain their thrones.

Buy Now:Amazon

Kings Abeleyn, Lofantyr and Mark have been excommunicated and labeled heretics by the new High Pontiff, Himerius. While the Merduk hordes have settled into a winter camp to wait for spring, Abeleyn must fight his way back to his kingdom in hopes of regaining his throne.

The Heretic Kings begins about where Hawkwood’s voyage ended. However, it doesn’t start with the characters I most wanted to know about, mainly Hawkwood and his expedition. A council has laid claim to Hebrion while its king is still away and soon nobles are maneuvering to take the crown. Abeleyn’s journey home is not an easy one. The other, “legitimate” kings are trying to rid the continent of the heretics, forcing Abeleyn to fight nearly every step of the way home.

In the monastery city of Charibon, two young monks come across an ancient text that will shake the very foundations of their faith. While Richard Hawkwood and his companions have reached the western continent and must now face new dangers on land.

If you read my review of Hawkwood’s Voyage (here) you’ll know that i found some of the authors descriptions long and tedious. While this book does have long descriptions, things have become much less tedious. There are battles being fought all over, from on the sea on ships to the middle of a humid jungle. This book has much more action to keep the reader interested.

The characters are beginning to show more substance, though only a few seem to get a spotlight. Abelelyn, Corfe and Hawkwood are the major players and we’re finally getting some growth out of them. Abeleyn especially, as he deals with being labeled a heretic and the fight to regain his kingdom. There are, however, even fewer female characters in this book than there were in the first and none of them are particularly likable or have much substance. This series has a mostly male cast and I don’t expect that will change in the next three volumes.

Overall, I give The Heretic Kings 3/5 stars and am looking forward to starting book 3.