I have a confession to make; I don’t read as much as I should. I do love a good audiobook, but that doesn’t count according to my wife. As I make a concerted effort to read more, I’ll update this page as I get through my to be read pile.
At the moment I’m reading ‘Kings of the Wyld’ by Nicholas Eames. The novel won various awards a few years ago and it’s easy to see why. The story gets going very quickly and you’ll be amazed how much can happen is so few pages.
It’s energetic, pacy stuff, but has real substance and the world building is excellent. It has made me laugh out loud several times and there have been a few times – I’m ashamed to admit it – that I’ve thought ‘that’s really cool, wish I’d thought of that’. Overall, fun, gripping and a really enjoyable book.
My favourite book of 2019 was a debut fantasy novel called We Are The Dead by Mike Shackle. It’s Rogue One meets Game of Thrones. Grabbed me by the collar and didn’t let me go until the end. Gripping and engrossing stuff. So excited about books 2 and 3. All in all, really great work. Mike Shackle is an author to watch.
My favourite fantasy book ever? That’s a tough one. Joe Abercrombie can do no wrong in my eyes – he is the King. Any of the First Law books are more than worthy of your time, but my personal favourite is ‘Best Served Cold’. The complete fantasy novel – dark, gruesome, funny, deep and just brilliant.
I also have to mention David Eddings and his novel The Hidden City. His stories drew me into fantasy as a genre, and recent reports regarding him have somewhat sullied him. Also worth a mention for the fact the front cover by Geoff Taylor is still my favourite cover ever.
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