Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Expanse (Book #1 of 9)
Genre: Science fiction, Space opera, mystery
Pages: 592 pages (UK paperback edition)
Published: 15th June 2011 by Orbit (UK) & 2nd June 2011 by Orbit (US)
Leviathan Wakes was so good; a character-driven space-opera that combines sci-fi, noir, mystery, and a slice of horror into one. …
ARC provided by the publisher—Bantam Press—in exchange for an honest review.
Camelot by Giles Kristian
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 450 pages
Published: 14th May 2020 by Bantam Press
It is not easy to re-lit the fire of hope when everything feels bleak.
I’m a HUGE fan of The Warlord Chronicles trilogy by Bernard Cornwell and Lancelot by Giles Kristian himself; I consider these four books the holy grails of Arthurian retelling novels. I won’t lie, these books are so incredible that I have pretty much settled with the thoughts that there won’t be a better Arthurian novel than them, even if that book is a new novel written by either Bernard Cornwell or Giles Kristian. And I am very confident in this bold claim. But please don’t let this statement steer you into thinking that I wasn’t excited for Camelot. This follow-up sequel to Lancelot is one of my most anticipated books of 2020, and Giles Kristian was able to deliver another beautifully melancholic Arthurian retelling that I’m sure will captivate fans of Lancelot.
“There is still a flame and that flame can become a fire which will wake the gods.”
ARC provided by the publisher—Del Rey—in exchange for an honest review.
Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Founders Trilogy (Book #2 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 512 pages (US hardcover edition)
Published: 21st April 2020 by Jo Fletcher Books (UK) & Del Rey Books (US)
Shorefall is mind-bending great; Robert Jackson Bennett once again proved himself that he is a precious gift for the SFF genre. …
Uncrowned by Will Wight
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Cradle (Book #7 of 12)
Genre: Fantasy, Progression Fantasy, Xianxia
Pages: 336 pages
Published: 26th September 2019 by Hidden Gnome Publishing (Indie)
Uncrowned is filled with emotional weight, and it showcases my favorite duels in the series so far. …
ARC provided by the publisher—Saga Press—in exchange for an honest review.
The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Series: Standalone
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Dystopia
Pages: 432 pages
Published: 25th February 2020 by Head of Zeus (UK) & 25th February 2020 by Saga Press (US)
Ken Liu is incredibly good at writing short stories.
I’ve been waiting for The Dandelion Dynasty to be completed for years now so I can binge read the epic fantasy series. During my waiting time, I have read The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories and also some books Liu has translated: The Three-Body Problem and Death’s End by Cixin Liu. I loved them all; The Paper Menagerie, in particular, is one of the two best short stories I’ve ever read so far. The Hidden Girl and Other Stories is the second collection of short stories published by Ken Liu, and as expected, it’s another wonderful collection of stories. I think of this as something wondrous because I’m not even a fan of short stories; I avoid this format more than I avoid novellas. However, this is Ken Liu, and this collection goes to show how good he is at writing short stories. Just try reading the beautifully written two-page long preface; I highly doubt you’ll be able to resist reading this collection after reading this.
“As the author, I construct an artifact out of words, but the words are meaningless until they’re animated by the consciousness of the reader. The story is co-told by the author and the reader, and every story is incomplete until a reader comes a long and interprets it.”
I read The Lightning Tree in Rogues anthology.
The Lightning Tree by Patrick Rothfuss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Kingkiller Chronicle (Book #0.5 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 58 pages (Available in Rogues anthology)
Published: 6th July 2015 by Titan Books (UK) & 1st July 2014 by Bantam (US)
Cozy, sweet, and memorable, The Lightning Tree is a must-read novella for every fans of Bast and enthusiast of The Kingkiller Chronicle.
…
ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.
The Ranger of Marzanna by Jon Skovron
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Goddess War (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 496 pages (UK paperback edition)
Published: 23rd April 2020 by Orbit (UK) & 21st April 2020 by Orbit (US)
Atmospheric, slow-paced, and well-written, but I have mixed feelings.
I haven’t read the series, but I’ve heard many great things about Jon Skovron’s Empire of Storms trilogy. When I saw that Skovron’s newest book, The Ranger of Marzanna, is a Russian inspired fantasy that has Magali Villleneuve as the cover artist—look at that cover art, it’s stunning—I immediately put this book on my radar. The result of the content, however, isn’t as likable as I hoped. I’ll keep this review briefer than usual; there were several factors that I enjoyed reading and parts that didn’t work for me in almost equal measure.
ARC provided by the publisher—Saga Press—in exchange for an honest review.
The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Legacy of the Mercenary King (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Mystery
Pages: 608 pages (US hardcover edition)
Published: 7th May 2020 by Gollancz (UK) & 5th May 2020 by Saga Press (US)
The Kingdom of Liars is a solid debut that’s quite challenging to get through at first, but the second half offers rewarding experience to those who read the novel to its completion.
Similar to many cases with debuts by an unknown author in the past, my interest to read The Kingdom of Liars, the first book in The Legacy of The Mercenary Kings series by Nick Martell, was sparked due to the gorgeous cover art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme (US edition) and Richard Anderson (UK edition). Additionally, both Brandon Sanderson and James Islington—two authors whose works I immensely loved—gave high praise to this debut. How could I even resist reading this book!?
“It’s the long con that wins in the end, Michael. The people who do things worth remembering are the ones willing to wait decades to achieve it.”
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Black Stone Heart by Michael R. Fletcher
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Obsidian Path (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, High fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy
Pages: 487 pages
Published: 1st April 2020 by Michael R. Fletcher
Insanely brilliant. Fletcher did it again. Black Stone Heart is one of his best works so far, and Fletcher has finally crafted something as good as his Manifest Delusion series with this one. …
Review copy provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.
We Are The Dead by Mike Shackle
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Last War (Book #1 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy
Pages: 496 pages
Published: 8th August 2019 by Gollancz
So much bloodshed and actions, Shackle’s debut is fast-paced, grim, and unputdownable.
I’m very eager to recommend this debut to readers of The First Law World series by Joe Abercrombie and War for the Rose Throne series by Peter McLean. We Are the Dead is the first book in The Last War series by Mike Shackle, and it leans towards the grimdark sub-genre rather than heroic fantasy. “No More Heroes” is put at the top of the cover art, after all. I honestly thought I was super late in joining the party for this great book because it has been six months since this debut was first published, but I must say that I’m surprised that not many readers have read this yet. I hope more readers will give this book a go. …