For Dedicated Swords and Sorcery Fantasy Fans
938216
This is the second book in the series I have read from the author.  The first was Salvations Dawn.

I think I realize, upon the second time around, just how intense the dungeons and dragons mindset is.  Once again, there is a very heavy dose of world-building, where characters speak of battles fought, and of very particular powers of each species, wondering how such powers adapt and change when in combination with other powers or against certain species. This second time around, Im afraid Ill have to confess I am probably not among the target readers for this book.  I love epic fantasy, but this series by this author certainly notches dungeons and dragons folklore up to a stratospheric level.

How is the story? I liked the premise better than Salvations Dawn, which seemed to make the case for preventative warfare and had a reluctant villain who didn't emerge until he was hunted down. Here, at the outset was a murder mystery, a whodunnit, if you will. However, two things seemed to get in the way of the story-telling; one, the volume of discussion and strategizing by the heroes of the story, trying to think three steps ahead and with more world-building thrown in; and two, some bizarre hair-splitting obsessions by the heroes that are surprisingly vital to the resolution of the story (i.e. Are two villains with similar names one and the same being, are they possessed by a spirit? Is a extraordinarily skilled busybody warrior, who is always drawn to popping up along with the mystery, a friend or foe? Is the heroine in fact the key to a powerful myth, or does the key lie somewhere else?)

For dungeons and dragons dedicated fans who would love to debate the distinction between a serilis-rir and a serilian-rir, I am certain this story would delight them.
4280300
I really liked this book!!  Mild spoilers ahead

The Bad:  The magic system is new and fresh but not explained very well.  There are no clear lines on what certain people can do or can't do.
The basic storyline is also nothing new.  Boy who is poor and life is tragic goes on to learn to become a hero.
The Good:  Simon (the main character) is not really the hero or at least not thought that way by everyone else in the book.  He is also not instantly the best which is kind of refreshing.  I found his training highly interesting which is a part I would normally start skimming pages.  The side characters all have their own interesting quirks that make them unique.
I highly recommend this book as long as you like sword and sorcery books and don't mind bearing with the author and giving him time to explain his vision because some explanations come near the end of the book.  Enjoy!!
100911
Seven Forges by James A. Moore is one of those epic fantasies with a mean looking hooded guy on the front cover. Don't let that fool you, because this is not a story about crooks, thieves or assassins skulking through the night. Seven Forges is a straight up epic fantasy full of intricate world building and populated with very competent warriors leaping around the place and cleaving monsters in half with very large swords. And that makes me happy.

There are some issues - a steep learning curve, a lot of shifting back and forth between view point characters, and an ending more focused on setting up the rest of the series rather than wrapping up the events from the book. But these are minor gripes compared to the intricate plotting, the solid world building, the depth of characterization, and how immersed I felt reading this story.

Seven Forges is one of the better epic fantasies I've read in the last couple of years.
2264797
Back From Chaos is an excellent sword and sorcery fantasy novel most remarkable for its wonderful characters. My favorite character is probably Klast but the novel is rich in interesting and complex characters. There are two essential love stories contained within the larger epic which are both endearing. One is the classic prince and princess fairy tale that retains its charm in spite of the obvious happily every after clich. But the other, more interesting one is between a spy and a lady of the court. It is most surprising and engaging. For fans of the sword and sorcery genres, as well as romantics of every stripe, this is a wonderfully entertaining read. It is filled with betrayal, conspiracy, intrigue, and romance. An enjoyable start to what promises to be a very rich and entertaining series.
3487452
An excellent first effort for an up and coming young writer.  Although I am not ordinarily a fan of sword and sorcery fantasy fiction, I found this book exceptional and would recommend it to everyone especially fantasy fans.  I look forward to her next book with great anticipation.
2261862
great fantasy series with a unique heroine struggling in a world where magic is real
1219110
A well written franchise fantasy tale of a land of forgotten treachery.  A reader well versed in ADnD lore will enjoy this more than a newbie, who at least should read the first book.  Lowder does a marvelous job creating suspense and character motivation that brings the reader into engagement with the story.  The ending resolves a bit too quickly, there could have been a third book as the primary conflict between Soth and Isolde gets fewer pages than chainmail ogres and tavern brawling.  The Vistani gypsy characters were a really interesting medium between the supernatural and mortal characters.
4753406
If you are a fan of sword and sorcery adventure tales, then you are going to love this book. Lori MacLaughlin has created a wonderful set of characters that really drew me in to the story. I found myself caring deeply about what happened to them. The moments of dialogue were especially well done, with some fantastic humorous moments mixed in with the more serious events.

Female fantasy protagonists are often stereotypically drawn as tough kick-butt women fighting their way through a man's world. MacLaughlin has instead created Tara, a swordswoman whose fighting prowess (along with her sister's) is taken for granted by all the characters. I believe this is the first time I've read a book where the female fighter is better than the men and no one comments on it. Tara has wonderful depth, and the romance subplot that is woven into the story is both believable and satisfying.

I was particularly impressed with MacLaughlin's skill at describing the setting of the story. She provided just the right amount of detail to make me feel like I was actually there, without going overboard. It's clear that she has taken care with the physical details of her world and the various creatures that live in it.

MacLaughlin's writing style is clear and the plot resolves well, while leaving room for further adventures in a sequel. I look forward to getting my hands on Book 2!

Note: My review is based on an advance review copy of this book, which was provided to me in return for an honest review.
98314
Resolution by John Blackport is a battle fantasy involving magic, ogres, and the un-dead. The story is told in deep third person, a style I personally like very much. This allows the reader to experience much of the visceral reactions that occur on the battlefield but also lets the author delve deep into the beliefs and insecurities of the main character.

As this is the second book in a series (three completed to date) I would recommend reading them in sequence. It took me a little while to get on track not having read the first book. It didn't take long though and readers who commonly seek out the fantasy genre might very well find it easy to slip into the world of Rick and his fellow combatants lives.

The main character, Rick, show admirable growth and development through the story and learns some difficult life lessons. It is easy to identify with him. The Baron and other figures are likewise cleverly developed with Black areas and also Grey areas that let the reader glimpse a more humane or benevolent side.
4237424
The 1970s was a golden age for sword and sorcery fiction in the small press. Young writers such as Charles Saunders, David C. Smith, Lew Cabos, David Madison, Charles de Lint, Richard L. Tierney breathed new exciting life into the genre in crude, saddlestapled magazines such as Space & Time, Fantasy Crossroads, Dark Fantasy, and Fantasy Tales to name a few. One of these young Turks was Adrian Cole. Cole hails from Devon in Britain, Solomon Kane country. He represents the fantastic edge of sword and sorcery fiction. Oblivion Hand (Wildside Press) is a collection of stories culled from those magazines 30 or more years ago. All feature the Voidal. The Voidal is a sort of destroying angel used by the Dark Gods to work their will and vengeance. Stripped of memory, in each story, he attempts to gain knowledge of who or what he is and regain his memory. To describe the stories, think of H. P. Lovecraft writing sword and sorcery, returning to the Dreamlands but written in his later, darker style. There is some Michael Moorcock influence present with the idea of the "omniverse" and the Voidal being sent to different dimensions. Cole uses words to create names in the manner of Tolkien. Names such as Tallyman, Nighteye, Windwrack appear. Cole combines simple Anglo-Saxon words to create new ones. He has a very unique style and good command of language. Fans of Clark Ashton Smith take note though I would not call Adrian Cole's writing style Smithish. Generally with collections anymore, I like to space the stories out one a week or even one a month to prevent repetition. I ended up reading one per day. Years ago, I had read "Astral Stray" in the anthology Heroic Fantasy which I mentioned yesterday. The story failed to make much impression with me twenty-five years ago. Turns out "Astral Stray" is a sort of bridging story on how the imp Elfloq came to serve the Voidal. Reading the stories sequentially was the way to go. Reading these early stories by Cole gave me a greater appreciation for his greatest work, the Omaran series. This is Cole's big four volume fantasy series that includes A Place Among the Fallen, Throne of Fools, The King of Light and Shadows, and The Gods in Anger. I once described the series as reading as if Tolkien had written for Weird Tales. I consider it to be one of the most important fantasy series of the 1980s. I have a fever and the only prescription is more sword and sorcery. Oblivion Hand helps feed that hunger.
3738791
Rollicking two-fisted fantasy with solid world-building and plenty of adventure.
501909
They may be a Drow and an assassin, but they played a critical role in the defeat of a magical construct--an entire castle that held the soul of a dragon. King Gareth decides that great rewards have been earned and he names the assassin, Artemis Entreri an apprentice-knight. Entreri's companion, dark elf Jarlaxle, has his own plans, though--plans that are deeper than Entreri, or even the other Drows dare imagine. He announces that Entreri is king of the construct--and the lands around it. Gareth has his own plans for the land around the castle and another King is not part of his scheme--the path seems to lead nowhere but to war. Still, Jarlaxle's plans go far beyond a simple battle for control of a dark and frozen land.

If Jarlaxle is unusual for a Drow, Entreri is stranger for an ex-assassin. He holds a burning distrust for authority figures and fears to connect to another person, yet he desperately craves that connection as well. Rounding out the strange group, dwarf Athrogate has his own secrets, his own past, and his own nightmares.

Author R. A. Salvatore continues his Sellswords series with a book that steps away from the 'quest' cliche to delve more deeply into character and motivation. Salvatore's always strong writing brings a complex world to life--as the multitude of races and societies of this fantasy world try to coexist or carve out a place for themselves.

Although the story was that of Entreri's growth, the active character through most of the book is Jarlaxle. Jarlaxle has decided to open Entreri's heart, after Entreri worked so hard to close it. Jarlaxle is the one who decides to create a new kingdom, with Entreri as king. Jarlaxle organizes the (pathetic) defense of that kingdom, then deals with the assassin guild to help Entreri escape from the consequences of that rebellion. Only at the end does Entreri really take a leadership role--and that is limited largely to learning the truth about his parents.

ROAD OF THE PARIARCH has everything needed to be a really powerful addition to fantasy fiction. But it was hard to identify with the characters, understand why they were making the choices they made, and hard to really care about the outcome since the characters, especially Entreri, didn't seem to care. It's a tough challenge for any writer to make us care about a character who really doesn't care whether he lives or dies. Unfortunately, Salvatore doesn't quite pull it off.

Fans of this series will definitely want to see how Entreri deals with his past. Salvatore is a capable writer and ROAD OF THE PATRIARCH is certainly worth the read--but it falls a bit short of what it almost was.
4955740
In my review of A Crucible of Souls, I compared it favorably with 90s fantasy.  It seems like we get less and less straight-up fantasy these days.  Which isn't necessarily a bad thing; Ive suffered a bit of traditional fantasy fatigue.  But Miles Camerons The Plague of Swords was so good I didn't just enjoy the bookit left an itch for fantasy that needed scratching.  So naturally I reached for my review copy of Blood of Innocents.  It as an enjoyable read, but it suffers from no small amount of second-book-ism, leaving me somewhat disappointed but still hopeful things will pick back up in book 3.

Blood of Innocents jumps right back in where A Crucible of Souls left off, with no handrails.  Nor does it have any pretensions of being a standalone as well as a sequel.  The dramatis personae is a godsend (it is also spoiler-free, so look freely).  The city of Anasoma has fallen to the Indryallans.  Caldan has fled, accompanied by Miranda, his love interest, rendered near-catatonic at the end of the first book; Amerdan, the sort of vampiric shopkeeper; Elpidia, a physicker; and Bells, an Indryallan sorcerer captured at the end of book 1.  There are two other primary storylines.  One follows Lady Felices attempts to fight the Indryallans from within Anasoma.  The other follows Vasileformer magistrate, former drunk, and human polygraphand the remnants of Lady Caitlyns bandleader Aiden, tribal sorcerer Chalayan, and steppe swordsman Cel Rau.  The Five Oceans Mercantile Concern figures prominently in the latter two storylines.

Blood of Innocents is most successful in remedying some of my complaints about A Crucible of Souls.  Minor POVs that suffered relative to Caldan in the first book now have the necessary foundation to be interesting in their own right.  The mysteries hinted at in the first book begin to be uncovered.  There is a lot of worldbuilding in generalits the books strongest point.  It unfortunately suffers from second-act-ism.  By that I mean it primarily seems to exist as a bridge to get the characters from where they are at the end of the first book to where they need to be at the end of the third book.  It doesnt help that much of that consists of characters physically traveling.  Much of the book is eaten up by Caldan traveling less from Anasoma to Riversedge.  Less than an inch on the map in the front of the book.  The book makes clear its actually a fair distance, but there is a certain psychological hurdle thrown up there.  And of the three main plot threads, arguably only one gets an effective climax.

All that being said, Blood of Innocents remains a light, fun, old-fashioned read, and I look forward to reading A Shattered Empire (and not waiting nearly so long to do so).

Disclosure: The publisher sent me a(n unsolicited) copy of Blood of Innocents.
2216168
Villains' Lorebook presents a cornucopia of characters, magic, and monsters collected from Forgotten Realms novels, short stories, articles, and accessories (several out of print). Dungeon masters will find a generous spread of ideas for possible encounters and long-term adventures.
A companion volume to Heroes' Lorebook, this accessory acts as a sampler of rogues (unlike the Heroes' volume, which tried to present ALL the heroes of the Realms). Twenty-nine juicy villains have been converted from the Realms' huge selection of fiction, ranging from Drizzt Do'Urden's foe Artemis Entreri to the 29th necromancer lich Szass Tam. Extended charts for THAC0s and spell progression from levels 1 to 40 are provided conveniently in the front of the book.
Supplementary materials include large sections of evil organizations, magic items, priest and wizard spells, and monsters (five of them unique individuals such as the balor Errtu and the venerable red dragon Mist), making this collection a delightful resource for any DM.
--Sharon Daugherty for Skirmisher Online Gaming Magazine
1654313
**Reviews courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy**

What more could you want in a main character? A skilled female blacksmith, a member of the Society for Creative Anachronisms, and she wears Doc Martens. Along with a great main character there is a great story in BLACK BLADE BLUES filled with Norse mythology, dragons, and ancient swords reforged.

I love the characters in BLACK BLADE BLUES. I already mentioned a lot of the awesome things about Sarah, but what I love the most about her is how flawed she is. Its always fun to see a character start out kicking butt and taking names, but its even better to see a character struggle and develop before she starts taking out the bad guys. All that being said, Sarah has a lot of issues to work through and a lot of this book is spent in developing her character. The action doesnt really pick up until the last quarter of the book.

Once the action does get going its almost non-stop. J.A. Pitts writes amazing, detailed battle scenes. I also found them to be refreshingly realistic. Most of the characters in BLACK BLADE BLUES are only just finding out about monsters, so even though they're part of the SCA they aren't battle hardened fighters. This means that quite a few people die in the final battle scene. Its always painful to see characters die, but at the same time Ive gotten tired of the super human monster hunters that rarely make fatal mistakes.

So this was my first time listening to this book, but Ive read the series before. One of the things I look for in a five bat book is a story that only gets better with each reread. BLACK BLADE BLUES definitely fits that criteria. Even though I knew just how it was going to turn out, I still cringed at Sarahs poor decisions, enjoyed the happy moments, while dreading the awful moments ahead. Black Blade Blues is an amazing start to one of my favorite series.

Notes on Audiobook: J.A. Pitts tells BLACK BLADE BLUES through the first person perspective of Sarah, but there are a handful of chapters that are told from the third person perspective of some of Sarahs friends. I didn't have a problem following the transitions in the print version, but it did throw me off a couple of times during the audiobook. I don't think thats the fault of the narrator just part of J.A. Pitts writing style. Erin Bennet did a great job of bringing the characters to life through her wide vocal range and narrated BLACK BLADE BLUES amazingly.
1453734
A while back, I read LICHGATES by SM Boyce. That debut was a real treat and left me excited for the next book in the saga: TREASON! Treason does a wonderful job of exploring more of the relationship between Kara and Braeden. Here, we get to see things between them development and their feelings deepen. I have to say, there are very few high fantasy novels that can keep my attention. Generally, they just aren't my thing! But Boyce has a way of writing beautiful descriptions and creating fabulous characters, and I think both of those things appeal to anyone who likes a book! This book is steeped in magic for a beautiful slow burn, the story unfolding before you and carrying you away like a leaf floating along a lazy river. One thing I liked a lot was that the action scenes in this novel felt a lot more earned than some other novels. I realize some people love action for actions sake, but me personally, I'm all about plot and character development, and Boyce did well there. I recommend this book for anyone who loves fantasy, fabulous characters, and beautiful descriptions. This book will especially appeal to those who like books that spare no details. This a full immersion experience. The chapters will pull you in and keep you there.
4710874
You will need the Dramatis Personnae section at the beginning of this book to keep track of the large cast of characters. It is especially difficult in the early part of the book because the main characters are coming from different places and they each have involved back stories. You start with one, then move to another so it is easy to forget who the characters are.

The world building in this book is really detailed and comprehensive.  And it is a world filled with different kinds of magic. There are mages, sorcerers, a priestess of a goddess named Spider, and Guardians who have a power called their Will.

All the main characters (Luker, Ebon, Romany, and Parolla) plus some of their encourages are looking for Mayor, a mage who has stolen the Book of Lost Souls.

I thought this book was really well written. On that basis alone, I would give it five stars. But I didn't particularly enjoy it because I thought it was quite dark. So much of the magic in the book seemed death oriented and I felt like I wanted some more lightness to balance it out. The four stars I gave this splits the difference between my appreciation for the wonderful writing and my lack of enjoyment.

If you enjoy reading epic fantasy with lots of magic and don't mind some darkness, you should enjoy this book.

Although I greatly admire the writing and world building, I probably will not read the next books in the series.