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TOUGH TRAVELING — THE BIG CITY

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Bookwraiths

Every Thursday, Nathan over at Fantasy Review Barn hosts a weekly party where blogs set out with Diana Wynne Jones’ hilarious book The Tough Guide to Fantasyland: The Essential Guide to Fantasy Travel in hand to explore all the tropes from their favorite stories. So sit back and enjoy the fun.

30th April, 2015 – THE BIG CITY

There has to be somewhere in Fantasyland where everyone comes together. All roads lead to Rome after all. A place where traders prosper, politicians scheme, and criminals thrive.

There are too many of these to list, so I’m going to narrow it down to those cities which played host to significant events in the story line.

MINAS TIRITH (LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. TOLKIEN)

Does this city even need any introduction?

Well, it shouldn’t to any fantasy fan, because the white city is at the center of events in the Return of the King. It could even be said that the fate of Middle-Earth hinged on what happened before its mighty walls. Sure, Frodo’s quest to destroy the ring is the ultimate objective in the war, but if Sauron’s forces had captured this fortress-city, killed Aragorn, and routed the remaining armies of the free people of Middle-Earth, I doubt very seriously Frodo would have reached Mount Doom, and if he did, there wouldn’t have been much left to save back home.

Buy The Lord of the Rings: One Volume at Amazon.

REVELSTONE (CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT by STEPHEN R. DONALDSON)

This city of the Lords of the Land was carved by the Giants of old from the very cliffs of the mountains. It has stood unconquered by its enemies for a millennium, safe behind inside its sheer mountain fastness with a fertile plateau behind it capable of feeding the city during any siege. Even Thomas Covenant is rendered speechless when he first beholds this great city, which is pretty amazing since Covenant generally bitches and whines about everything.

During the three series, more important events happen in Revelstone than I can even begin to list. It might not be the heart of the Land, but it definitely the head of the Land.

Buy Lord Foul’s Bane (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Book 1) at Amazon.

AMBER (CHRONICLES OF AMBER by ROGER ZELAZNY)

Amber: the one true world from which infinite, parallel worlds have sprung. From this amazing city rules a superhuman royal family, who can travel freely through the “shadows” (alternate worlds) of the universe. Standing opposite in the multiverse of is The Courts of Chaos, which is situated in Shadow at the very edge of the pit of Chaos itself.

Now, I realize Amber is considered a “world,” but in the chronicles, Amber is also synonymous with the city of Amber, where lots of important events take place, so I’m putting it on this list whether it strictly fits or not.

Buy The Great Book of Amber: The Complete Amber Chronicles, 1-10 (Chronicles of Amber) at Amazon.

KRONDOR (MIDKEMIA STORIES by RAYMOND E. FEIST)

While Rillanon is the capital of the Kingdom, Krondor seems to be where everything important always happens — at least in the Feist series that I’ve read. Situated in the western part of the Empire on the Bitter Sea, it is usually the residence of the heir to the Kingdom and is the seat of power for the governance of the Western Realm of the Kingdom. Plus, it is where Jimmy the Hand was a thief, so that means it is really the most important place anywhere on Midkemia. 🙂

That beautiful image of Krondor is by Miguel Coimbra found here.

Buy Magician Apprentice – Volume 1 (Magician Apprentice (Numbered)) (v. 1) at Amazon.

KEEP OF DARE (DARWATH SERIES by BARBARA HAMBLY)

In this world, the legendary Dark have risen from the bowels of the world and begun to eat all the humans they can find. Civilization has collapsed. Cities have crumbled under the onslaught. Kingdoms annihilated. Humanity itself on the verge of extinction. But there remains one place where the refugees of humanity huddle together and hope for salvation: The Keep of Dare.

This ancient edifice rises like a multi-storied obsidian cube from the side of a mountain, nestled in a forested vale far from the major cities. Legend says it was built with magic and technology from the old world before the first rising of the Dark, and that seems surely true because the smooth, dark surface is unlike anything built by human hands.

No matter its origin, however, this is basically the last city in the northern part of the world, and most of the stories in the series take place (at least in apart) within its walls. So it has to be on the Big City list.

Buy The Darwath Series: The Time of the Dark, The Walls of Air, and The Armies of Daylight at Amazon.

RHEMUTH (CHRONICLES OF THE DERYNI by KATHERINE KURTZ)

This city is the capital of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Within these hallowed walls all the political intrigue of a nation seem to seethe. Royal plots against royal. The church plots against the crown. And a young king tries to find a way to remain true to his believes yet rule a nation at war with a whole group of its own people.

As I’ve mentioned before, the Chronicles of the Deryni remind me of an old school Song of Ice and Fire. Others might not agree with me, but I’ll always compare the two. And just like King’s Landing in Westeros, Rhemuth is the hub of all the great struggles in Gwynedd.

Buy Deryni Rising (Chronicles of the Deryni) at Amazon.

VIDESSOS (THE VIDESSOS SERIES by HARRY TURTLEDOVE)

Mr. Turtledove might be more well known for his alternate history novels, but he also has published several series set in a fantasy world centered around the great city of Videssos and its empire. Now, for any history buff, it is obvious that Videssos is basically a fantasy version of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire, but be that as it may, these series are entertaining fantasy romps with more than their share of magical twists and turns.

Yeah, I guess you could categorize these novels as alternate history fantasy, but they are still fairly entertaining reads where the city of Videssos is usually the center of the action.

Buy Videssos Cycle: Volume One: Misplaced Legion and Emperor for the Legion (The Videssos Cycle Book 1) at Amazon.

KING’S LANDING (A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE by GEORGE R.R. MARTIN)

Well, I began this list with a city that really needed no introduction, and I’m going to end this part of the list with another: King’s Landing. This capital city of Westeros is so well known by this point I really don’t see any need to belabor the point.

Buy A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) at Amazon.

IRONFORGE and DALARAN (WORLD OF WARCRAFT)

Most of my real life friends know that at one time I was a World of Warcraft addict. I played the game every spare minute of every day, was a dedicated officer in a raiding guild and was even a raid leader for a short time. And during those years spent in this great MMO, my favorite big cities were Ironforge in Vanilla WOW and Dalaran during Wrath of the Lich King. Those were the places to go to rub elbows with your fellow players, check out their uber gear, and (in vanilla anyway) form some raid groups. Yeap, those were some good times, but eventually, my time in WOW ended about the same time as the pandas invaded.

Buy World of Warcraft – PC/Mac at Amazon.

Posted in Fantasy, Lists, Tough Traveling | Tagged A Song of Ice and Fire, Barbara Hambly, Chronicles of Amber, Chronicles of the Deryni, Dalaran, Darwath, george r.r. martin, Harry Turtledove, Ironforge, J.R.R. Tolkien, Katherine Kurtz, Lord of the Rings, Midkemia, Minas Tirith, raymond e. feist, Revelstone, Roger Zelazny, STEPHEN R. DONALDSON, thomas covenant, Tough Traveling, Videssos, World of Warcraft | 18 Comments

ARDNEH’S SWORD (EMPIRE OF THE EAST #4) by FRED SABERHAGEN

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Bookwraiths

Ardneh’s Sword by Fred Saberhagen

Genre: Fantasy/SciFi

Series: Empire of the East

Publisher: Tor Science Fiction(May 1, 2007)

Author Information:Website

My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.

Ardneh’s Sword is a “bridge” story linking Fred Saberhagen’s Empire of the East series with his later Swords series. And while avid fans have always recognized the world of Swords as being a future iteration of the Empire lands, this novel cements that fact as an absolute truth, providing a rather seamless transition from one series to the next.

The story opens with a thousand years having passed since Ardneh saved humanity from the arch-demon Orcus. That long ago time seems lost in the shadowy past however. Few people believing the legends of an epic clash between magic and technology. But Chance Rolfson is not one of those doubters; he has always believed the legends, as did his ancestors back to the illustrious warrior Rolf – a man who fought evil in Ardneh’s name.

Even though his faith remains undisturbed, Chance finds himself beset by troubling nightmares. Terrifying images of death and destruction that refuse to leave his mind even when he awakes. In a vain attempt to put these dreams behind him, he joins a wilderness expedition searching for Ardneh’s Vault: A legendary place said to hold the savior’s secrets of wisdom and power that can save humanity!

Naturally, things do not go smoothly on the journey; bandits, demon worshipers, demons and even a mysterious djinni with his own schemes causing untold complications and misery for the band. Soon, legendary entities come to life before Chance’s eyes, and he begins to suspect that his nightmares are, in fact, visions of the destruction of the world and that he might be the only one who can unlock Ardneh’s Sword (The ancient savior’s most powerful weapon!) and save everyone!

If that description sounds like a fairly typical Fred Saberhagen fantasy story, I won’t attempt to disagree with you. I thought exactly that as I pounded my way through this sword and sorcery genre blender. Not that Ardneh’s Sword is a clone of the Swords series (The only Saberhagen novels I’ve ever read), but it definitely has the broken landscape and post-apocalyptic vibes, grey heroes and villains, and moody and gloomy atmosphere of the Book of Swords – at least to me. A similarity that is obviously expected to a certain extent (It is a bridge novel after all) and isn’t necessarily bad, but it certainly suggests that if you didn’t love the Empire or Swords series, then you probably won’t have your opinion of the author’s writing changed by this book.

Even with that cautionary warning, there are certainly things to like about this novel. Naturally, the pure adrenaline rush of a sword and sorcery tale is fun, at times. Plus, Saberhagen adds such a cool post-apocalyptic history to the setting that it will undoubtedly stir your curiosity to learn more about the past and the future of this world and its shadowy denizens. And, lastly, there are a couple really interesting characters like the djinni, who are real scene stealers, instantly turning a casual reader into a concerned follower – at least of your favorite character.

Unfortunately, the positives in Ardneh’s Sword didn’t outweigh the negatives for me, because this novel did a few flaws which really jarred my enjoyment of it. Specifically, the story was a bit too formulaic for my tastes and the ending was far too deus ex machina for me to rate it anything other than “okay.” But I can definitely see others adoring it – if for no other reason than they were able to revisit the world of Empire and Swords, gather up yet another morsel of lore about this post-apocalyptic world, and finally know for certain how these two Saberhagen fantasy series fit together.

Recommended for diehard Saberhagen followers, devoted fanboys (and fangirls) of Empire of the East and the Swords series, or for old school sword and sorcery lovers. All others need not apply.

Buy the books at Amazon.

Posted in 2 Stars, Cross-Genre, Fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, Science Fiction | Tagged Ardneh's Sword, Empire of the East, Fred Saberhagen, Swords series | 4 Comments

FUN DAY MONDAY, OR THE BOOKS THAT WILL HELP ME SURVIVE THE WEEK AHEAD (APRIL 27, 2015)

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Bookwraiths

The work week begins. I quickly slip into my business suit and head back into the office to save a few innocent people from wrongful incarceration. But while I try to fool myself into being excited about the grind, deep down I’m not, so I’m going to escape dreary reality by reading some great books. Without any further ado, here are the novels I will be giving a try this week.

WAR OF SHADOWS (ASCENDANT KINGDOMS #3) by GAIL Z. MARTIN

I started this one last week but haven’t found the time to finish it yet, so it is my top reading priority.

“The lines are drawn. The war has begun.

Blaine “Mick” McFadden has scored a victory and restored the magic, but new threats rise from the wreckage of the kingdom of Donderath. While the magic remains brittle and undependable, warlords both mortal and undead vie for power, fighting for control of the ruined Continent. McFadden and his unlikely band of convict heroes must choose their allies wisely as renegade talishte take long-awaited vengeance and powerful mages seek to control Donderath’s next king. Blaine McFadden must protect those loyal to him against the coming storm, and find a way to bind magic to the will of mortals before it destroys him, because time is running out…” — Goodreads Description.

Buy Your Copy at Amazon.

THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD by PETER V. BRETT

“From the dangerous world of the Demon Cycle comes the early adventures of Arlen, Peter V. Brett’s quintessential fantasy hero. These exciting origin tales follow Arlen as he learns to navigate a world where the elemental forces of evil conjure themselves from the earth each night.

Humanity has barely survived a demonic onslaught by using magical wards that protect their cities and homes. Only a handful of mercenaries and explorers risk traveling after the sun sets. Arlen, seeking adventure and fortune, is barely protected by the warded armor upon which he has inscribed intricate defensive runes. From a journey ferrying a wagonload of dynamite to a mountain stronghold, to a dangerous mission to recover desert treasures, Arlen faces friends and enemies with a strong arm and a cunning wit.” — Goodreads Description.

Buy Your Copy at Amazon.

Posted in Fantasy, Funday Monday | Tagged Ascendant Kingdoms, Demon Cycle, Gail Z. Martin, Peter V. Brett, War of Shadows | 1 Comment

TOUGH TRAVELING — THE ACE

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Bookwraiths

23rd April, 2015 – THE ACE

Some people are just ridiculously good at everything. Be it magic, swordplay, or all of the above. THE ACE has no equal.

Well, I’m going to interpret this topic as being about Mary Sue or Marty Stu characters. I might be wrong about that, but my “Aces” are going to focus on those types of characters.

JORG ANCRATH (THE BROKEN EMPIRE by MARK LAWRENCE)

While I was awestruck by Prince of Thorns, I began to feel that Jorg was turning into a bit of an Ace, or Gary Stu, characters by the time I finished reading King of Thorns. While I know lots of people don’t agree with my dislike of this ever more powerful direction with Jorg, I think we can all, at least, agree that this guy is definitely an “Ace.”

In Prince, our favorite Ancrath is fourteen years old, but already a great swordsman, amazing tactician, and ruthless leader of a group of bandits. Later in the story, he shows an mindnumbing grasp of ancient history and ancient language (which he uses to decipher maps and texts that no one else ever has) as well as basically being better, smarter, and craftier than anyone he meets.

By the end of book two, Jorg has added to his amazing skills the power of necromancy. A skill that he appears to be stunningly proficient with little or no training in its use. Plus, Jorg is still more clever than anyone else alive in the world — as far as I could tell anyway.

Like I said, I’m not trying to hate one of my all-time favorite bad guys (Jorg is a bad guy in my eyes.), but he is definitely an “Ace” who seems to just be blessed with greater ability in everything than all his contemporaries.

Buy Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire) at Amazon.
HORACE (THE BOOK OF THE BLACK EARTH by JON SPRUNK)

Now, I really hate to pick on this next guy, but even though his character morphs into less of an “Ace” or “Gary Stu” in the second book of the series, Horace was WAY good at everything at the start of this series.

It all starts off innocent enough in Blood and Iron. Horace beginning the story as a peasant nobody on the way to a Great Crusade before a storm shipwrecks him in enemy lands. This twist of fate results in him being captured and enslaved by his enemies. But before you know it, our dear Horace is discovered to be the most powerful sorcerer seen in the Akeshian Empire in generations! Not only that, he also turns out to be such a sexy man that every woman (including the ruling queen) can’t wait to get their hands on him!

Yeah, it was good to be Horace in book one. Well, at least, after the whole slavery thing, anyway. So for these reasons, Horace has got to be one of my top Aces.

Buy Blood and Iron (The Book of the Black Earth 1) at Amazon.

AMARANTHE LOKDON (THE EMPEROR’S EDGE by LINDSAY BUROKER)

Not wanting to only hate on male Aces, I thought it was about time to list my first female Ace, and I couldn’t think of a better one than Amaranthe.

Now, before I say any more, I want to go ahead and acknowledge that some reviewers believe Buroker deliberately made Amaranthe a “Mary Sue” character to imbue the series with a “campy” feel, and since I haven’t spoken to the author, I don’t know if that interpretation is true or not. What I can say is that Amaranthe fits our “The Ace” topic extremely well.

In The Emperor’s Edge, Amaranthe begins as a police woman who is stuck in a dead end job with no hope of advancement. Soon, however, she turns into a woman who steals the heart of an emperor with a glance, wins the devotion of the most vicious assassin in the empire, outwits master politicians, outthinks foreign spies, and even outlasts a biological weapon unloaded on her. (No, I’m not exaggerating with that last statement.) Added to all this, our dear Amaranthe is the purest of hearts who wins the vilest of people over to her due to her nature. It is good to be Amaranthe in The Emperor’s Edge.

For these and many more reasons (Sorry, I’ve forgotten everything else Amaranthe is great at.) this lady has to be on my Aces list.

Buy The Emperor’s Edge Collection (Books 1, 2, and 3) at Amazon.

ERAGON (THE INHERITANCE CYCLE by CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI)

Honestly, I hate to even put Eragon on the list, because I know Paolini was a teenager when he wrote this and that is probably why the title character is such an absolute Ace. I mean, the whole book reads very much like a teen’s wish fulfillment fantasy, after all. No matter my misgivings, however, Eragon has to be here.

As the story begins, Eragon isn’t anything special; he is just a simple farm boy. Soon, though, his transformation into a total Ace begins. First, he turns into a master swordsman seemingly overnight. (I know he practices for a few weeks, but he is a master in that short a time?) Second, he goes from illiterate to literate in record time then begins to learn the ancient language of magic, which he is brilliant at. Magic? Not a big problem. Everything seems to come easy for this youth once he leaves home. I’m sure he wished he had fled sooner.

You really can’t be much more of an Ace than Eragon.

Buy Eragon (Inheritance, Book 1) at Amazon.

DRIZZT DO’URDEN (THE LEGEND OF DRIZZT by R.A. SALVATORE)

I’m not what you would label a Drizzt fanboy. Sure, I really enjoyed the Icewind Dale trilogy when it was initially released years ago, and, yes, I’ve found the Companions Codex a fun, entertaining read, but I’m not so attached that I can’t see the inherent flaws in this famous drow. The main one being he is an Ace — especially when it comes to his battle prowess.

As anyone who has read Drizzt knows, the guy is the best swordsman ever. At least, it seems so. Over the years (and his many books) he has also accumulated an assortment of magical items that have given him numerous skills; skills that have made him nearly a one man army. Well, maybe, he isn’t a one man army, but you get my point, the guy is a bit overpowered at times.

Like I said, I really enjoy Drizzt’s adventures, but at times, I wish he was not such an Ace. A little frailty would make him an even better character, in my opinion.

Buy The Crystal Shard: The Legend of Drizzt, Book IV at Amazon.

KELSIER (MISTBORN by BRANDON SANDERSON)

Some people might find this Ace pick a bit perplexing, since Kelsier isn’t the most powerful person in the book. I mean, the Steel Inquisitors and the Lord Ruler are way overpowered compared to Kelsier. But I’m putting him on this list not for his overpowered allomancy skills but because of his other skills: his cleverness and cunning.

Without going into the ending of the novel, I will just say that something happens which takes an enormous amount of deviousness, planning and manipulation of not just a few people but multitudes. The scope of it is nearly mind boggling. In my opinion, the ability of one person to accomplish it is beyond belief. And for Kelsier to be able to pull this event off was a bit deus ex machine, turning him into an overpowered character in my opinion.

But that is just my opinion.

Buy Mistborn: The Final Empire at Amazon.

EVERY ASSASSIN IN FANTASY

I know this one is very broad, but I’m just very tired of every assassin in fantasy literature being an Ace. Whether it’s Royce in The Riyrian Revelations or Kylar Stern of Night Angel or whomever, these never ending parade of assassins seem very overpowered to the point of being more superheroes with super powers than true flesh and blood people trained to kill.

Posted in Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Lists, Tough Traveling | Tagged Gary Stu, The Ace, Tough Traveling, Tough Traveling Thursday | 15 Comments

SENSATION COMICS FEATURING WONDER WOMAN

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Bookwraiths

Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman by Gail Simone

Genre: Comic Collection

Series: Sensation Comics

Publisher: DC Comics (April 14, 2015)

Length:168 pages

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

I have a confession to make: I really like Gail Simone stories. Whether it be Birds of Prey, Red Sonja, Batgirl, or Wonder Woman doesn’t seem to matter, because, somehow, Simone always seems to put together a narrative that entertains me and, many times, captivates me. So I’m not ashamed to admit that I read this collection of Sensation Comics mainly for the Simone WW story – everything else was just extra fun.

Well, after finishing Sensation Comics, I want to say that Simone didn’t disappoint with her contribution to this volume. The tale was classic Wonder Woman kick ass fun with more than its share of thought provoking moments. Worth a read by any WW fan or entertainment seeker.

But what about those “non-Simone” tales of our favorite Amazonian?

Well, I have to say there were some really cool things about all of them. One, they were basically one shots with no continuity demands or entanglements with ongoing storylines, which meant you enjoyed a self-contained story. (How often does that take place anymore?) Two, since the creators weren’t chained to one location, WW skipped around from one great local to another, which really livened things up. Three, the pages were overflowing with guest stars – characters like Darkseid, Joker, and Oracle. Fourth, the tone and artwork of the tales changed story to story with some modern in tone, others old school, and a few going back to the original series decades ago. Fifth ( and last), there were different artists on each story, giving a reader some very different styles to sink their teeth into.

What does all that mean really?

For me, it meant I got to sample some really different version of Wonder Woman. Some I loved. (WW’s interaction with Darkseid was my favorite non-Simone story.) Some I liked. Some I thought were okay. And a couple I personally hated. (Not big on the cartoony WW story.) But even with the negatives included, I’m glad I read this collection, because I was constantly surprised by the next story I sampled.

So for readers looking to sample what Wonder Woman is all about or for those fans of the Amazon Princess, I’d recommend you give this one a try. It definitely is an interesting introduction to this DC icon.

DC Comics provided this book to me for free in return for an honest review. The review above was not paid for or influenced in any way by any person, entity or organization, but is my own personal opinions.

Buy this one at Amazon.

Posted in 3 Stars, DC, Graphic Novels, Wonder Woman | Tagged Amanda Deibert, Cat Staggs, DC Comics, Ethan Van Sciver, Gail Simone, Gilbert Hernandez, Sensation Comics, Wonder Woman | 2 Comments

FLASHBACK FRIDAY — THE LORDS OF DUS by LAWRENCE WATT-EVANS

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Bookwraiths

Flashback Friday is something I’ve been doing here at Bookwraiths for a while now; a time when I can post my thoughts about books and graphic novels that I’ve read in the past and never gotten around to reviewing. With the hectic schedule of day to day life and trying to review new books, I never seem to find the time to give these old favorites the spotlight that they deserve. But with a day all to themselves, there is no reason I can’t revisit them, so let’s take a look at The Lords of Dus!

There are always a few excellent fantasy series that slip through the cracks. Novels that are loved by their fans but ignored by everyone else. Unfortunately, Lawrence Watt-Evans has been the writer of more than a few of those type of books: The Lords of Dus being one of his finest stories and one of the most overlooked.

In this classic fantasy series, the protagonist is a prince of the Overmen of the Northern Waste. (The Overmen being a race of cat-like creatures magically bred by wizards in the past, but who now live on the fringes of civilization.) Naturally, Garth (the name of our hero) is on his way to consult an oracle: the Wise Women of Ordunin. The knowledge Garth seeks: A way “to be remembered until the end of time.” And, as oracles always seem to do, she forthwith dispatches her suppliant into the world, specifically to the city of Skelleth, where he is to complete a quest for the Forgotten King: a mysterious Sorcerer-Lord in exile.

Like sophisticated fantasy readers have, no doubt, already guessed (but something that Garth doesn’t seem to grasp) getting what one asks for sometimes leads to unexpected consequences and unenviable outcomes. And so, the simple quest our hero undertakes for eternal renown immediately turns into a nightmare of treachery, ancient secrets, and forbidden knowledge. Each triumph by Garth having unlooked-for ramifications that lead him down ever darker paths toward even more dangerous circumstances, which he is decidedly not prepared, or equipped, to handle, but which make for quite an adventure.

As fans of Watt-Evans already know, he writes some well-thought out, deftly crafted, and entertaining stories. In Dus, he is on top of his game, handling a sword-and-sorcery tale reminiscent of Moorcock’s Tales of the Eternal Champion, but adding to the action three-dimensional characters who act realistically in their circumstances, making them easy to identify with and have empathy for. Garth, for instance, struggles to be viewed as a “good guy” by humans (He is a chivalrous Overman!) but constantly does things that his human counterparts view as “bad,” because his races idea of “good” and “bad” is different than humans. Added to that, his adventures change Garth’s attitude about most things, causing him to be a different person by series end. These narrative strengths coupled with the nicely fashioned and fully realized world really sets this series apart as one of the authors best works.

Simply put, The Lords of Dus is an excellent fantasy novel that more people should appreciate. I adored it as a teenager and have re-read it on one occasion since becoming an adult. While my mature brain didn’t “love” it as much as my immature one did, it was still a very good series. So pick it up and be the first person in your book club to discover this classic fantasy gem.

Buy the series at Amazon.

Posted in 3 Stars, Fantasy, Flashback Friday, High | Tagged best overlooked fantasy series, fantasy series, Flashback Friday, Lawrence Watt-Evans, overlooked fantasy books, The Book of Silence, The Lords of Dus, The Lure of the Basilisk, The Seven Altars of Dusarra, The Sword of Bheleu, underappreciated fantasy books, underappreciated fantasy series | 3 Comments

TOUGH TRAVELING — AWESOME DISPLAYS OF MAGIC

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Bookwraiths

16th April, 2015 – AWESOME DISPLAY OF MAGIC

Sometimes magic can be subtle. Who wants that? Big explosions or acts of creation, death and destruction or acts of awe inspiring wonder. If your world has magic then why not show it off?

Wow, this is an easy one. I shouldn’t have any trouble this week, because I’ve read so many fantasy books that there has to be literally hundreds of really cool displays of magic. Right?

STORM AND STEEL by JON SPRUNK
This is a no-brainer for inclusion on this week’s list. Not only have I just finished reading the ARC, but the last half of the book is filled with some amazing displays of magic.

For those that haven’t read Blood and Iron (The Book of the Black Earth #1), it introduces readers to a western sailor who is shipwrecked on his way to the Great Crusade against his heathen neighbors. Quickly, Horace (for that is this unlucky sailors name) is enslaved by the very people he came to fight and finds an iron collar clamped around his neck. Fate intervenes, however, when Horace’s latent magical power is discovered. This unexpected gift propels this simple man into the court of the heathen queen. Thereafter, Horace attempts to master a new culture, sidestep courtly intrigues, and learn to control his wild magic while not getting killed!

Book two takes off from where Blood and Iron stopped, and one thing Mr. Sprunk does the second time around is provide some serious displays of magic. After a rather uneventful (magically speaking) first half, Storm and Steel ratchets up the sorcery toward the end, showing everyone that Horace is one badass magician. And if his awesome magical displays aren’t enough, the vile villain, who we’ve all been waiting to be fully revealed, does a great job topping it!

Purchase Blood and Iron (The Book of the Black Earth 1) at Amazon.

DARKWAR by GLEN COOK

This under appreciated series by Glen Cook has one of the most awesome displays of magic in any book I’ve ever read. In this world, the Silth witches are the ultimate power. Not only are they the rulers of the entire world, but they also have some pretty impressive sorcery under their control. But the magical display that really impressed me were those that happen in the last third of the book. Now, I’m not saying these battles are all lights, explosions, and massive displays of arcane arts. Rather what was awesome about Darkwar‘s magic battles are where they take place and how they occur. I’d love to tell you more than that, but it would ruin the surprise Glen Cook has in store for you.

If you’d like to know more about this series, you can read my review.

Purchase Darkwar at Amazon.

MISTBORN by BRANDON SANDERSON

Is there a more awesome display of magic than Kelsier’s allomancy powers at work against the Steel Inquisitors?

If so, it is really difficult to remember it, because seeing this master use his metal powered skills against almost impervious agents of the Lord Ruler was awe inspiring.

Now, I’m sure there are other great displays of mistborn strutting their stuff in this series, but I haven’t finished it yet. But I gotta tell you it is going to be hard to top Kelsier in my eyes.

Buy Mistborn: The Final Empire at Amazon.

THE POWER THAT PRESERVES by STEPHEN R. DONALDSON

I know some people really hate Thomas Covenant or view the First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever, as nothing more than a Tolkien clone. That is your right to feel that way. I too thought Covenant was a whiny ass for most of the series, but he eventually developed into a more enlightened, whiny ass by the end. Be that as it may, this book has two of the most awesome displays of magic that I can remember in fantasy. The first is Lord Mhoram fighting outside Revelstone even as despair fills his heart. The other is the inevitable confrontation between Thomas Covenant and Lord Foul. Each magical display amazing in its own way. Well worth putting up with Covenant.

Buy Lord Foul’s Bane (THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT THE UNBELIEVER Book 1) at Amazon and start your trip into whiny leper wonderland.

THE BLACK COMPANY by GLEN COOK

Now, this story doesn’t have the stunning visual display of magic like, say, Mistborn, but what it does have is two memorable magical scenes. The first is the creepy scene where Lady captures one of the rebel generals and performs the ritual of “Taking” upon her. Even without immense details, Cook is able to make that a scene that I still vividly recall. The other is the Battle of Charm where we have the Taken flying around fighting until Lady eventually shows herself. Yet again, Cook is able to charge the scene with power with very crisp, blunt language.

Buy Lord Foul’s Bane (THE CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT THE UNBELIEVER Book 1) at Amazon.

THE MASTER by LOUISE COOPER

This fantasy series follows Tarod, a mysterious youth, who has immense magical power but finds himself branded a traitor by his fellow acolytes of Order. To prove his innocence of the charges leveled against him, Tarod travels far to the south where the Lords of Order themselves can be summoned and judge him. The magical battle that results is an awesome event, which dazzles both in its mystical elements and its emotional ones as well. One that I find myself wanting to revisit every few years to see if it still lives up to my memories of it. Naturally, it isn’t as awe-inspiring as when I was fourteen, but it is still quite good.

Buy The Initiate: Time Master Trilogy at Amazon.

DERYNI RISING by KATHERINE KURTZ

I have to end this list with one of the first magical battles that made me go “Wow!” when I began my fantasy journey. Here Prince Kelson is forced to learn magic as quickly as he can before meeting a rival claimant to the throne of Gwynedd. This magical duel might seem a bit ho-hum by today’s standards, but, at the time, it was pure magical awesomeness.

Buy Deryni Rising (The Chronicles of the Deryni series Book 1) at Amazon.

Posted in Fantasy, Lists, Tough Traveling | Tagged best magical battles, Brandon Sanderson, Chronicles of the Deryni, Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Darkwar, Deryni Rising, Glen Cook, Jon Sprunk, Katherine Kurtz, Louise Cooper, MISTBORN, most awesome magical displays, Storm and Steel, The Black Company, thomas covenant, Time Master, Tough Traveling | 15 Comments

INDIE WEDNESDAY — THE DELPHI TRILOGY by CHRIS EVERHEART

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Bookwraiths

Along my reading journey, I’ve made a conscious decision to not only read the books on the shelves at my local Barnes and Nobles store, but to also try self-published, or indie, works as often as I can.

Now, I know several of you are snickering in the background or rolling your eyes at my idiot crusade to bring a few good indie works to light. And believe me, I understand why you’d do that. Several years into this, I have to admit that I’ve probably stopped reading more indie faire than I’ve finished. But those that did keep my attention were novels which I feel were — or had the potential to be — above average novels, and I’d like to occasionally share those few with you in the hope that other people might also discover them.

So without any Stephen King disclaimers (Read my review of The Dark Tower Book VII to get the joke), here is The Delphi Trilogy!

This is a young adult page-turner drenched in ancient Greek legends, but not the Percy Jackson variety. Nope, Mr. Everheart has crafted something entirely fresh and original here. A new concoction in the YA genre that is full of both suspense and mysterious conspiracies!

As the story begins, Zachary White is a 16 year old boy searching for something. He doesn’t know what, just that he has to uncover the why.

Why did his perfect childhood come to an end one dark night?

Why did he and his mother flee from the idyllic town of Arcanville, never to return?

Why did he spend the rest of his childhood in French boarding schools under assumed names?

Why did his mother hardly ever visit him before her untimely death?

And why has he always been warned never to return to Arcanville, no matter what?

Soon, Zach’s grief at his mother death gels into a deep resolve. A determination to uncover all the whys, to finally understand the truths hidden by a mother who abandoned him for most of his life.

Not long thereafter, the teenagers in Arcanville notice that a strange kid is working in the local coffee shop. None of them recall ever seeing this guy before. He stays to himself, never talks to very many people, but he always seems to be watching, observing those customers who are sipping their steaming cups of java as they casually talk to one another. His eyes and ears capturing every detail of their small town life, as if his very existence depended on it!

And then it happens — a teenager from a rich, influential family commits suicide. Or does he?

From this moody, suspenseful beginning, Chris Everheart takes his readers on a ride among dark mysteries, global conspiracies, ancient Greek prophecies, and (of course) teen love that will leave them wanting more. At least, it did me, and young adult isn’t usually my favorite genre.

See my reviews of the trilogy.
The League of Delphi Book #1
The Delphi Deception Book #2
The Delphi Revelation Book #3

Buy the novels at Amazon.

Posted in Indie Wednesday, Young Adult | Tagged best self published YA, Chris Everheart, indie wednesday, indie YA books, indie YA series, self-published young adult novels, self-published young adult series, The Delphi Deception, The Delphi Revelation, The Delphi Trilogy, The League of Delphi | Leave a comment

THE DAVID GEMMELL AWARDS FOR FANTASY — VOTE NOW!

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Bookwraiths

More than likely most of you guys are already familiar with the David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy: Legend, Morningstar and Ravenheart respectively. But if not, this is an opportunity for fantasy fans to vote for the year’s best fantasy book (Legend), best debut fantasy novel (Morningstar), and artist responsible for the best fantasy cover (Ravenheart).

In 2014, Brian McLellan bagged the Morningstar for Promise of Blood , while Jason Chan won the Ravenheart for his cover artwork of Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence and Mr. Lawrence won the Legend Award for Emperor of Thorns itself, resulting in the first double winner in awards history.

Now, this is a people’s choice type arrangement, so go VOTE for your favorite! All winners getting some appropriate trophies!

Posted in Fantasy | Tagged awards for best fantasy books, David Gemmell, David Gemmell Awards, fantasy awards, fantasy book awards, fantasy book awards 2015, The David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy, vote for best fantasy | Leave a comment

Take the 3-Question Ad Results Survey

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Bookwraiths

Nicholas C. Rossis

Figuring out where to advertise your book is worse than standing in a betting shop, five minutes before a race. You have money in your pocket, but a limited amount of time in which to select a guaranteed winner, and the odds are not in your favor.

I have already posted my ad results online. But I need more information. So, please send me your precious data. Where did you advertise, how much did it cost you and how many books did you sell as a result?

I will use this data to inform you of the best ways to invest your precious, limited advertising budgets. Also, I promise to share my own sales and ad results with you. With your help, we can reach thousands more – just share, reblog and share some more. Let’s help each other navigate these treacherous waters and make sure we don’t spend another dime in…

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