First things first: I’m going to be that person. I first read A Game of Thrones in 1998, and I was primed for the experience. I cut my teeth on Tolkien before devouring all the epic fantasy I could get my teenage hands on. David Eddings, Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan, Tad Williams, Terry Goodkind…..I thought that these series represented what the fantasy genre was. I’d never even heard of Gene Wolfe. I’d never imagined that something like A Game of Thrones could exist. Which seems […]
Dammit, Brandon Sanderson, write a bad book once in a while!
Holy shitsticks, this was fun. I’m sure Brandon Sanderson won’t be the last person to play around with evolving his/her fantasy world into some imagined future, but he was the first to do it, and that’s really something. This book actually happened sort of by accident. He was always planning on taking the world of the Mistborn trilogy (called Scadrial) and moving it forward to do two more trilogies, one set in a 1980s equivalent world, and a space opera where Allomancy (magic) exists side […]
Science vs. Magic: Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Charlie Jane Anders’ new novel is about science, magic, and the need to work together for the sake of the world. Our two main characters are the embodiment of science and magic. Laurence is a gifted geek who, in 8th grade, figured out how to make a wristwatch time machine. It could only take you 2 seconds into the future, but still…. Patricia is a magic and nature geek who occasionally can talk to animals and once spoke with a tree. In adulthood, Laurence and […]
A YA fantasy centering on a strong female friendship.
So on reflection this is probably one of those books that is a four star Ashley book, but maybe not a four star Everybody Else book. I’m just super susceptible to this kind of shit–shit the author described on her Reddit AMA as “Avatar: The Last Airbender meets Sabriel.” I mean, could you dangle that bone in front of a more willing target? I don’t think so. While I’m not sure I quite get the connection to Sabriel, the A:TLA inspiration is clear. Truthwitch is […]
A Delightful Regency Fantasy Novel
Sorcerer to the Crown is a Best Book of 2015 from NPR. I found it on their Book Concierge, and the description of the book, set in Regency England with magic, sounded delightful. The book tells the story of Zacharias Wythe, the Royal Sorcerer of England, who came to the post when his adoptive father, Sir Stephen, died. He was a slave as a child, and his adoptive father rescued him and trained him to use magic. Zacharias faces opposition to his position from magic […]
Genre Mix and Match
This is one of those books that defies categorization. It’s the messed-up, weirdo love child of sci-fi, fantasy, romance, and dystopian fiction. There’s no way around it; This book is weird. But in a good way. Mostly. And you should know in advance that there’s no way I can summarize it that will do it justice. The story follows two people, Patricia Delfine and Laurence Armstead, from childhood to adulthood. Their lives intertwine in interesting and important ways even though they’re the yang to each […]