Cover art illustrated by: Chris McGrath
Kingdom of Bones by Philip C. Quaintrell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Series: The Echoes Saga (Book #5 of 9)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy
Pages: 592 pages (Kindle Edition)
Published: 6th May 2019 by Quaintrell Publishing (Self-Published)
With Kingdom of Bones, I am halfway through the super underhyped series: The Echoes Saga. …
Cover art illustrated by: Chris McGrath
Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Mistborn: Wax and Wayne (Book #2 of 4), Mistborn Saga (Book #5 of 7)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Steampunk
Pages: 383 pages (International Paperback Edition)
Published: 6th October 2015 by Tor Books (US) & 8th October 2015 by Gollancz (UK) …
Hi everyone! The month of August had been incredible, and not only from the perspective of the great reads that I had as you will see from the ratings of the books below.
What made this month phenomenal for me was The Sandman TV adaptation on Netflix, which is now one of my all favourite adaptations of all-time. It’s been almost a full month since its release on 5th August, and I’m still obsessed with the show ( and especially with Morpheus, Dream of the Endless, King of Dreams and Nightmares, etc etc). I loved the audiobook which came out a couple of years ago, but I’ve to say TV show was better. It was as faithful an adaptation as it could be to fit the medium, and I personally found that the changes that were made served the story better in current times. I also couldn’t believe that I would ever say I found a better Morpheus than James McAvoy, but Tom Sturridge was simply sublime and beyond perfect for this role. I’ve rewatched the entire show at least once, and Morpheus’ scenes countless times.
I could keep rambling on and on about The Sandman, and perhaps I might write a post about it later this year. For now, let’s get back to my bookish monthly wrap-up shall we?
NB. Books are rated within its genre. For avoidance of doubt, rereads are not considered for Book of the Month.
Cover art illustrated by: Tony Mauro
Speaking Bones by Ken Liu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Dandelion Dynasty (Book #4 of 4)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Silkpunk
Pages: 1047 pages (Hardcover Edition)
Published: 21st June 2022 by Saga Press (US) & Head of Zeus (UK)
I am labeling Ken Liu as a genius. Speaking Bones has launched The Dandelion Dynasty to become the best series of 2022.
“What did that goddess-like lady say? If you do not like the stories you’ve been told, fill your heart with new stories. If you do not like the script you’ve been given, design for yourself new roles.”
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, Orbit Books, in exchange for an honest review.
I was drawn to The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by a two-pronged attack of adorable cover art and interesting comparisons. I was told that this book had Howl’s Moving Castle vibes, and I can only see that if I squint, and only as regards that personalities of the main characters. I was also informed that it was basically You’ve Got Mail but in a fantasy world, and I get this comparison even though I’ve never actually watched that movie. (Yes, yes. I know. I promise to rectify that eventually.) While romance hasn’t been my genre of choice this year because I read so much of it last year, I decided to give this a go anyway simply because I thought the premise sounded fun. And I’m so glad that I did, because The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy was a snarky delight of a rom-com housed in a fascinating fantasy world. …
ARC was provided by the publisher—Leadstart—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover art illustrated by: Micaela Alcaino
Sons of Darkness by Gourav Mohanty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: The Raag of Rta (Book #1)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, Historical Fantasy
Pages: 668 pages (Paperback)
Published: 3rd June 2022 by Leadstart
Mahabharata imbued with A Song of Ice and Fire, The First Law, & Malazan Book of the Fallen, Sons of Darkness is the best fantasy debut of 2022.
‘Whenever men found it hard to justify success, they inevitably fell back on luck as the reason. And if the success was completely unimaginable to their feeble minds, they called it magic.’
ARC was provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.
Cover illustration by: Tomas Almeida
Until the Last by Mike Shackle
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Last War (Book #3 of 3)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy
Pages: 784 pages
Published: 21st July 2022 by Gollancz
The Last War is over. Another favorite ongoing series concluded.
The Last War trilogy by Mike Shackle has been one of my favorite ongoing series since I read both We Are the Dead and A Fool’s Hope in 2020. Now that it’s finished, I can safely say this has become one of my favorite fantasy trilogies. And it is undoubtedly one of the most underrated fantasy series out there. Despite talking and shouting about this series so many times for the past two years, it seems like I still need to shout about it more because it seriously deserves so much more recognition. It is shocking how relatively few fantasy readers talk about this trilogy. I don’t think you can go wrong with reading The Last War trilogy if you love reading a war story or military fantasy series. Especially if you love reading a fantasy series that revolves around ordinary people rising up to do everything they can to survive and fight back. At all costs. …
Cover art illustrated by: Sam Weber
The Veiled Throne by Ken Liu
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: The Dandelion Dynasty (Book #3 of 4)
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Silkpunk
Pages: 1008 pages (Hardcover Edition)
Published: 7th December 2021 by Saga Press (US) & 11th November 2021 by Head of Zeus (UK)
The Veiled Throne is a marvelous story. It is a unique and superbly-written first half to the concluding installment of The Dandelion Dynasty.
“Though each individual mortal experiences life for but a score of years, they can draw upon a store of stories left by all their forbearers. The race of humankind grows toward infinity, even as the nature of each individual is limited. Nature may describe tendencies and circumscribe potentialities, but it is within the power of each soul to nurture itself for another life, to imagine a course not taken, to strive for a different view. Through that yearning by the finite for the infinite, the portraits painted by all the mortal eyes may yet piece together a grander truth than our divine understanding.”
Hi everyone, can’t believe that I’m back for another monthly wrap-up so soon. I’ve been getting back in the groove with some high/epic fantasy books in July, although I did feel a need to switch gears a bit after reading a pretty darn big one, which was none other than the massive sixth book in the Wheel of Time series.
NB. Books are rated within its genre. For avoidance of doubt, rereads are not considered for Book of the Month.
Cover art illustrated by: Chris McGrath
The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Series: Mistborn: Wax and Wayne (Book #1 of 4), Mistborn Saga (Book #4 of 7)
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Steampunk
Pages: 392 pages (Mass Market Paperback Edition)
Published: 8th November 2011 by Tor Books (US) & 10th November 2011 by Gollancz (UK)
The Alloy of Law is an immensely enjoyable start to the second era of Mistborn Saga by Brandon Sanderson.
“The measure of a person is not how much they have lived. It’s in how they make use of what life has shown them.”