As 2017 comes to a close, there are so many exciting, depressing, and head-scratching things to reflect on.  On this last day of the year, I want to point out a few fantasy authors who hit the scene this year with tantalizing debut books and caught my imagination, making me very excited to follow their careers going forward.

Kings of the Wyld – Nicholas Eames

A group of over-the-hill mercenaries decide to get the “band” back together again in order to help one of their own.  The story which ensues is funny and tongue-in-cheek stuff which injected much needed fun into fantasy.  And with Nicholas Eames’s follow-up to this jewel coming out in 2018, I can’t wait to see what is in store for Saga going forward.  Amazing debut which everyone out there should give a try, because it certainly is different than the other novels sitting on the shelves.

Purchase Kings of the Wyld at Amazon

The Court of Broken Knives – Anna Smith Spark

This stunning adult fantasy debut continued my luck with finding grimdark series to fall in love with.  The Court of Broken Knives (book one of Empires of Dust) following a crew of mercenaries as they head toward Sorlost, the empire’s richest and most important city; their mission one which could very well change the course of the world!  This was a pulse-pounding, gritty, and bloody affair from first page to last and promises great things to come with this series and from Anna Smith Spark in the future.

Purchase The Court of Broken Knives at Amazon 

The Nine – Tracy Townsend

This genre blending work from Tracy Townsend isn’t afraid to blaze its own trail in fantasy, mixing and matching the most exciting elements from other genres into something new, something all its own. And while 2017 has been a year filled with great debut fantasy releases, this opening installment of the Thieves of Fate series is among my favorites.  And the good news is this novel sets up so many great possibilities going forward that  I know this series is going to be an amazing one to follow in the years to come.

Purchase The Nine at Amazon

Heartstone – Elle Katharine White

I want to admit up front that I have never, ever read any Jane Austen. How I was able to navigate through four years at a liberal arts university without ever reading this author still amazes me, but I did, without any grand plan by myself to do so. All of which means that when I picked up Heartstone by Elle Katharine White I was experiencing this fantasy retelling of Pride and Prejudice without any real knowledge of the original, which I actually believe helped make the experience more exciting.  Plus this story had dragons!

Purchase Heartstone at Amazon

Age of Assassins – R. J. Barker

This is a book/series which I picked up and began reading since Christmas, and I have to say that so far I’m really impressed with it.  Of course, fantasy assassins are a personal favorite of mine, but R.J. Barker has take the idea of  “to catch an assassin, use an assassin” to to new heights and in different directions than what I was anticipating.   Hopefully, I’ll find some time to finish this up a few days so I can be ready when the next installment of the series, Blood of Assassins, hits shelves on February 27th 2018.

Purchase Age of Assassins at Amazon

Those are my picks.  Agree?  Disagree?  Have some things to add about each book?  Have a few books you’d like to bring to our attention?  Let us hear from you!