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Tag: epic fantasy

Book review: Northern Wrath (The Hanged God Trilogy #1) by Thilde Kold Holdt

Book review: Northern Wrath (The Hanged God Trilogy #1) by Thilde Kold Holdt

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I received an ARC of Northern Wrath from the publisher (Rebellion) in exchange for an honest review.

Northern Wrath

Cover illustration by: Larry Rostant

Northern Wrath by Thilde Kold Holdt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Series: The Hanged God trilogy (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Norse Fantasy, Historical Fantasy

Published: 29th October 2020 by Rebellion (UK) & 27th Solaris 2020 by Orbit (US)

A promising and ambitious debut.

This book grabbed my attention completely when I saw the gorgeous cover art by Larry Rostant and I immediately added it to my tbr. For all I knew though it could have been about A lost tribe of Norse gummi bears coming back to claim The Lost City of Marshmallow as it was just one of those covers where you don’t really need to ask questions. Stunning in its simplicity and allure.I confess though, I was no less eager upon reading the blurb about vikings, gods and battles and could not resist requesting an ARC of this epic norse fantasy.
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Book Review: The Crippled God (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #10) by Steven Erikson

Book Review: The Crippled God (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #10) by Steven Erikson

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The Crippled God by Steven Erikson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars.

Series: Malazan Book of the Fallen (Book 10 of 10)

Genre: Epic fantasy, grimdark fantasy, fantasy

First published:  March 2011 by Bantam (UK) and Tor (US)

The Crippled God is a breathtaking conclusion to an outstanding series; Malazan Book of the Fallen is a masterpiece of its genre and has affirmed its place as my favourite epic grimdark fantasy series. …

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Book review: A Time of Courage (Of Blood and Bone #3) by John Gwynne

Book review: A Time of Courage (Of Blood and Bone #3) by John Gwynne

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A Time of Courage by John Gwynne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Of Blood and Bone (Book #3 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Published: 2nd April 2020 by Pan Macmillan (UK) & 7th April 2020 by Orbit (US)

ARC provided by the publisher, Pan Macmillan, in exchange for an honest opinion. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and the quotes included may have changed in the released copy.

A Time of Courage is the glorious and bittersweet conclusion of 140 hundred years (or I should probably say 2000 years) worth of bloody history in the Banished Lands!

I have to admit that I went into this final book with a lot of trepidation, in addition to the positive excitement and anticipation. Could this book really be on the same level as Wrath, the masterpiece that was the conclusion of the previous quartet? Will I love it as much? Would I feel as much joy, and sorrow and satisfaction? Will I stare at the book, blinking away tears and trying to calm my frantic heart as a beloved character met their end? Will my eyes fly through the pages, during a tension-filled battle or duel, to seek the outcome and make sure my heroes survived? The answers were yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. John Gwynne truly outdid himself in this outstanding finale.

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Book Review: The Trouble With Peace (The Age of Madness, #2) by Joe Abercrombie

Book Review: The Trouble With Peace (The Age of Madness, #2) by Joe Abercrombie

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I received an ARC of The Trouble with Peace (Gollancz) in exchange for an honest review.

Cover illustration by: Tomás Almeida

The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Age of Madness (Book #2 of 3), First Law World (Book, #9 of 10)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Grimdark fantasy

Published: 15th September 2020 by Gollancz (UK) & 15th September 2020 by Orbit (US)

A savagely stunning sequel. 

The Trouble With Peace takes place shortly after the events of A Little Hatred and its ominous conclusion. Whilst peace has been hard-won, it is a peace built on shaky foundations and the title for this second book in The Age of Madness trilogy is not coy about the direction of this story.
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Book Review: A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness, #1) by Joe Abercrombie

Book Review: A Little Hatred (The Age of Madness, #1) by Joe Abercrombie

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A Little Hatred


Cover illustration by: Tomás Almeida

A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Age of Madness (Book #1 of 3), First Law World (Book, #8 of 10)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Grimdark fantasy

Published: 17th September 2019 by Gollancz (UK) & 17th September 2019 by Orbit (US)

As ferocious and fun as ever.

It’s been a while since I read a Joe Abercrombie novel, and the truth is that it has been too long. This dawned on me when I recently read one of his short stories in an anthology and was instantly reminded that he is one of the greatest fantasy writers of our era, with a writing style and tone of his own, and a gift for bringing words, thoughts and emotions to life like no other. A Little Hatred moved up on my TBR and when I saw that his latest book, The Trouble with Peace, was releasing soon I decided that there was no time like the present for catching up.
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Book Review: The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, #3) by J.R.R. Tolkien

Book Review: The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, #3) by J.R.R. Tolkien

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The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Lord of the Rings (Book #3 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Classic Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Published: 20th October 1955 by George Allen and Unwin

“For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”

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Book Review: The Black Song (Raven’s Blade, #2) by Anthony Ryan

Book Review: The Black Song (Raven’s Blade, #2) by Anthony Ryan

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Cover illustration by: Cliff Nielsen

The Black Song by Anthony Ryan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Raven’s Blade (Book #2 of 2)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy

Pages: 442 pages (US Kindle edition)

Published: 28th July 2020 by Orbit (UK) & 4th August 2020 by Ace (US)

Anthony Ryan has delivered a satisfying action-packed conclusion to Raven’s Blade while leaving room for one or two more books in the world.

“He lies. They all do, these servants of things unseen. Long ago I learned that prophecy is always built on shifting sands and destiny an illusion used to banish fear of the chaos that is life. I trust what I know. I’ve seen what waits on the other side of death so I know it’s always better to cling to life.”

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Book Review: The Trouble With Peace (The Age of Madness, #2) by Joe Abercrombie

Book Review: The Trouble With Peace (The Age of Madness, #2) by Joe Abercrombie

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ARC provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.

Cover illustration by: Tomas Almeida

The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Age of Madness (Book #2 of 3), First Law World (Book, #9 of 10)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Grimdark fantasy

Pages: 512 pages (UK Hardback)

Published: 15th September 2020 by Gollancz (UK) & 15th September 2020 by Orbit (US)

Incredibly mesmeric and brilliant. The trouble with reading Abercrombie’s newest book is that there’s no more new Abercrombie book to read. …

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Book Review: The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2) by J.R.R. Tolkien

Book Review: The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2) by J.R.R. Tolkien

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The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Lord of the Rings (Book #2 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Classic Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Published: 11th November 1954 by George Allen and Unwin

“It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end… because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing… this shadow. Even darkness must pass.”

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Book Review: Rebirth (Divinity’s Twilight, #1) by Christopher Russell

Book Review: Rebirth (Divinity’s Twilight, #1) by Christopher Russell

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ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cover illustration by: Chris McGrath

Divinity’s Twilight: Rebirth by Christopher Russell

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Divinity’s Twilight (Book #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Sci-fi, Steampunk

Pages: 498 pages (US Paperback edition)

Published: 2nd June 2020 by Morgan James Fiction (Indie)

This was good, an ambitious SFF debut to what I foresee will be a large series.

Due to my TBR pile that continues to exponentially grow uncontrollably, I have to say that I rarely accept an ARC/review copy from an unknown author these days. My gut, however, told me to accept the request to review Christopher Russell’s debut, Divinity’s Twilight: Rebirth, and I’m glad I gave this one a go. I mean, how could I say no when Russell himself said that he’s a huge fan of The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson; the inspirations from that epic series was evident in his debut. …

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