An immersion into the realms of fantasy
341326
This is one of those books I regret not picking up years earlier. Reading the entire series back to back is a study in well developed characters, places as well as interweaving plot lines. The violence is brutal, the politics are cutthroat, the magic is understated but no less potent. For those who like the genre, A song of Fire and Ice is an immersion into the realms of fantasy.
3645659
Sabriel, by Garth Nix, is a unique entry in the fantasy genre, or so it seems to me. I will admit, I'm not as well-read as I could be, but I have never read anything else like Sabriel or its sequels. Nix has created a world with some really clever, original rules.

A quick breakdown of those rules: Sabriel takes place in two countries. One of these, Ancelstierre, is quite like our own early 20th-century Europe. The other, the Old Kingdom, is more reminiscent of medieval Europe and unlike Ancelstierre, is rife with magic. The two meet at a border demarcated by the Wall, where magic begins to grow weaker the farther one travels toward Ancelstierre until eventually it ceases to exist at all.

Magic is divided into two types: Charter Magic, governed by "The Charter," and Free Magic, which exists outside the Charter. Generally, those who use Free Magic are unscrupulous people or creatures. Free Magic is used by necromancers, who can travel between Life and Death and control the spirits of the Dead. Only one person has the abilities of a necromancer while also abiding by the Charter - the Abhorsen, whose duty it is to protect Life and the Living from the Dead and their vassals.

Sabriel takes a little while to really pick up the pace. The downside of having created such robust rules for his world is that Nix must take a lot of time explaining how they work for the audience's benefit. The protagonist, the titular Sabriel, acts as a convenient audience stand-in, as she lived most of her life in Magic-less Ancelstierre and so is only cursorily familiar with how things work in the Old Kingdom.

Once a good deal of the exposition is out of the way, however, Sabriel really takes off. The plot is engaging and well-paced, with moments of high action punctuated by creepy tension. The characters are well-developed with their own distinct personalities. They fit into some archetypes while breaking free of others. The result is that they mesh with fantasy genre enough for the reader to be comfortable but aren't the same tired faces that have been seen so many times before. The world in which they exist is similar; it feels like a perversion of a typical fantasy world, but not so twisted that I wanted to reject it outright. Rather, I was drawn in, disarmed by the differences enough that much of the book was able to take me by surprise.

That isn't to say the book completely surprised me. I gave it four stars out of five for a reason. Some of the major secrets of the book, people's identities and such, were pretty easy for me to pick up. So easy that when the reveal rolled around, there wasn't even a feeling of smugness that I solved the puzzle early.

Overall, Sabriel presents a unique and engaging world, a generally exciting plot, and lovely, well-developed characters, though it suffers from slow pacing early on and can be predictable at times.

One last note: the cover art for the U.S. edition (I don't know if it's different in other places) is lovely. I worked in a children's library in high school, and I remember being quite struck by it on those occasions when I had to shelve the book.
1775119
I am going to begin this review by stating up front that the fantasy genre is not my cup of tea. I am game for dystopian worlds and alternate universes where the world is built from the author's imagination, but people are still just people - no witches, no mystical powers, no oracle bones that can talk and no time travel. Now that that is out of the way, I will state that Ginn Hale's The Shattered Gates does not have me captivated, but it does have me intrigued.

Well written, spectacularly imagined and despite a particularly convoluted plot with multiple, coinciding story arcs - clearly conveyed. There seems to be a lot of foreshadowing in this first book, but there has been one nice surprise so far. What I have inferred readers can expect in The Rifter series, from The Shattered Gates, is a story of two men whose paths coincide and cross at different points in a non-linear time and space continuum between two worlds. Each on the fringe of society in their own way, one harboring a fantastical secret and one clueless to the fact he is the secret. I am also inferring the reader is being set up to contemplate what is being presented as good and evil from each of the MC's perceptions and all the "gray space" in between. Possibly a romance springing from a "who should you trust?" theme. Again, just inferences - this is a review of book one for goodness sake. :)

Book one is heavy on the fantasy world building and introduction of key characters, but quite lacking in any semblance of a romance. Not only is there no chemistry developed between the leading men, there is little interaction between them. Another possible reason why I am intrigued, but not captivated at this point. To introduce a world immersed in such sensational fantasy, I imagine an "introduction" book, such as The Shattered Gates is needed and the m/m relationship will take center stage as the series progresses.

For those of you who adore both the fantasy genre and m/m genre, The Rifter seems to be one that will impress, but I recommend giving it a go to those of you who enjoy a well written piece, despite not being particularly keen on fantasy. I roll my eyes at a lot of the fantasy aspects of the story, but as I read on I find myself rolling them less. I have determined that the first book in The Rifter series has engaged me enough that I will be reading on.
300413
a spectualar novel! Satre, ironic, Fantasy and a lot more.
3484143
One of the nice things about reviewing books is that Im confident of one thing: The people who read book reviews are also avid readers. Readers in general are also quite likely to have found their love of books in childhood, and were encouraged to read by the adults in their lives. Im all for encouraging children to read, especially if its a book that gives them a leg up into both genre and literary works of fiction. If you have a young reader in your life, check out this book.

The Greying is a fantasy tale rooted in folklore. Theres adventure, mystery, and a struggle to find a stolen object that may hold the key to pushing back the greying that creeps through the world and steals away all color. Its a classic heros journey, not unlike most other fantasy stories, until it takes a metafictional twist: When Meah recovers her memory and her real name, she discovers that the world of Landland is a story written by her father -- and being re-written by her aunt. Fantasy and reality are overlapping, and Meah may be the key to setting the fantasy world to rights.

As I read The Greying, I wished I had a niece or nephew at the proper age to appreciate this book. Alas, mine are all well into YA and adult novel territory. Its appropriate for middle-grade and tween-aged readers, and I would also recommend this as a parent-read book for younger children. American readers will notice right away that this is written in British English, with a few spelling and grammatical differences that aren't difficult to navigate. (The author is Australian.)

At first, I was a bit put off by the half-assed placenames. The introductory map showed me places called, Landland, Bigriverland, Dead Forest, Big Lake and Big City. Really? Cmon. But when we finally meet the mysterious Biggo, the naming convention makes much more sense and the reveal made me chuckle. The writing can be simplistic, more tell than show and is often expository. The style is similar to the storytelling of early fairy tales, and I believe it's intentional.

The Greying suffers from a lack of illustrations. There are many fanciful creatures, scary things, and magical places described within the book. Its my opinion that chapter illustrations would help bring more life to the story and add another layer of richness overall. Another problem that jarred me was the sudden appearance of named characters without introduction or explanation. Young readers are smarter than we give them credit for, and they may wonder, as I did, "Where did these people come from?"

Overall, its a good book for young readers. Yes, people die in the story and the heroine deals with the grief of losing her mother, but these are issues that children face in real life and they are handled with compassion.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. [...]
430766
"The Followers" begs one to ask two questions:  Is it so bad to want to immerse oneself in fantasy?  What, if anything, is real?
 Evan Bollinger carries the reader along on a journey with an attuned child, and into his mind's farthest reaches.  He transports the reader into a world that only he, the child, sees.  It's a monotonous and mundane world that the child can't escape, but not from a lack of trying.  Bollinger relates every nuance of this world so effortlessly and almost flawlessly.  It's a somewhat warped world, indeed.  It's a world that so many of us might know.  It's a real world, only the observant child sees some very unreal things in it.
 Bollinger's use of simile is, in my opinion, superb, as he describes to the reader every nuance of the perceptive child's experiences throughout a day in his life.
 I hesitate to explain what happens in the story any further.  I fear ruining its ending.
 Inside all fiction lies at least one grain of truth.  It's true to me that "The Followers" is well worth reading.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Perhaps others will, too.
194355
Whether or not you should read this book is going to depend on how much you appreciate creative worldbuilding. When most people think of fantasy, they think of dragons, princesses, knights, goblins, elves, and such, in a land populated entirely by straight white medieval-ish English-ish people. This book isn't like that. Its setting is unique, and the book does not rely on traditional fantasy tropes. The pleasure (and narrative focus) of this novel is in unraveling the mysteries of its world.

Those looking for tales of a heroic quest or a lighthearted adventure full of action and romance should look elsewhere. The Fifth Season is a well-written exploration of a bleak and depressing world full of devastating oppression, violence, suffering, and exploitation, but plot-wise, not a lot happens.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I prefer a little more action, a bit more fun.
4757413
I wasn't sure what I would make of Steve Finnegan's Into the Mist as I started reading. I enjoy fantasy though I'm getting a little jaded by books trying to hook me into series. I'm fascinated by how the mind works, but I'm not sure how well sympathy and illness lead to plausible characters. And I love ancient mythology but sometimes feel dismayed at how modern stories tend to use it instead of reinterpreting it.

That said, I actually enjoyed this book a lot and was sorry to read the final page. Please, please... I want some more. The story doesn't finish, which ought to annoy me. But it does have a reasonable sense of completeness and doesn't cheat the reader. Gabe's Temporal Lobe Epilepsy really does become integral to the story. And the mythology delights, with just enough hints of the familiar to heighten a powerful sense of mystery.

The real-world parts of this story bring Gabe to a new home, school and town. The background to his illness is left to be discovered as the story continues rather than forced down the reader's throat, and his parents' and brother's different responses to his TLE are pleasingly plausible, with just enough space for change. School is a challenge, especially when the bullies attack Gabe's difference, and there are some truly scary, sadly believable scenes. I really admire the author's ability to create realistic atmosphere and threat without using offensive words, though very occasional minor slips frustrated me.

Meanwhile another world lies just beyond the edge of mystery. There's a nice interplay between duty and trust, following your calling and doing as you must. The modern world ignores the past and nature at its peril, and Into the Mist feeds that peril very nicely into a closely tied fantasy world. Witches, sacrifice, swords and sorcery combine with nice humor, great dialog, wonderful characters and real-world problems to create a novel that, despite its length, comes too quickly to its end.

Uneven in places, but quickly absorbing, well-imagined and well-told, I really enjoyed this tale.

Disclosure: I received a free ecopy of this novel from the author in exchange for my honest review.
1674416
I purchased this paperback originally to take to the beach with me over spring break. As I started the tale, I was immersed in the high-quality writing detailing a world similar in many respects to our own, yet slightly fantastical. In this setting, magic exists, as does steam technology, and so it is a blend of fantasy and steampunk, though the novel seems more familiar than overdone in either of these genres.

This type of story is not new. Think, The Name of the Wind, Harry Potter, and the Assassin's Apprentice, each of which involves a dejected, and orphaned boy about to come into power (of some type) The central character is a displaced, unwanted, unloved, and rejected "half-breed" heir to the empire, and the story is largely centered on him taking the throne and learning the ways of the court. However, the many interactions, and events that take place work together to create and wonderful and enjoyable read. The character development, the immersion in the setting, and the ability of the author to make you truly connect with, and care about, her characters makes this a book that I am happy to have read. I would love to see a sequel, but the novel is complete and done, on its own accord. The ending provides a resolution, and there are no dangling threads. However, one is left to wonder what will happen next in the world, and how the populace will adapt to their new ruler and the changes he is bringing forth.
413661
This book is a fantasy set in an Arabian-flavored world, unlike the European-flavored fantasies like Lord of the Rings, and this is a welcome change.

The book is disorienting at first.  It weaves in and out of a timeline and across a fairly diverse set of characters who each have their own agendas, and find themselves on different sides of the intrigues that await at different times.  The plot is complex, even convoluted, and it takes a while before you can really feel comfortable knowing the characters and what they are doing.

The overall book is well written, suspenseful, puzzling, and thought provoking.  Ciris Sarn is more an antihero (and an underdeveloped one at that) than a hero, and the real heroism is saved for secondary characters.  It isn't clear whether this is due to Sarn's curse or whether it is due to his character, or even if there is a difference.  Presumably further books will develop his character more.

On the whole this is not like any fantasy novel I have ever read. It has caused me to rethink what the genre is capable of doing in terms of blending a fantasy atmosphere with sci-fi like material, and the ways in which characters of different types can be woven into a rich tapestry.  I would look forward to a sequel.....

On the whole five stars (highly recommended).  Even the modest things in the story that don't work are overshadowed by what is a substantial literary accomplishment.  Well done.
2434692
Slipping into the world of London first and then into the idea of the world of London Below came only a little easier to me than it did to the main character.  Once I did though, it was something magical about the world Gaiman had created.  Beyond the words Gaiman wrote, as if around a corner, there was a huge world just waiting to be explored.  It is this feeling of wanderlust... this slight dissatisfaction with the day-to-day... this longing for a life more epic that Gaiman has captured in Neverwhere.
Anyone who loves fantasy as escapism or who can appreciate a good adventure novel while imagining a world which exists beside our own bug with very different rules will enjoy this book.
3309497
Dean Wilson creates a lavish landscape of fantasy, which has deep roots in a universe not unlike the Greek mythologies, the Biblical record, and even the works of Tolkien and Lewis. This very well could be the beginning of something epic, as I found it to feature some incredibly thematic moments. The characterization and complexities of relationships presented here are very much in the same family of epic tales from the past, only this is a whole new page in many ways.

Mixing mortals with gods, and present legacy, honor, battles, and isolation all within the narrative is done well here. Wilson treats the characters very nicely, and you truly feel the fantasy world come alive. A journey begins, and friends are made along the way, creating a cast of characters that will rival even Final Fantasy in my view. From the onset you can relate to Ifferon as hes written well, and while it is fantasy, there are aspects of human compassion found here, which makes you root for the cause towards the journeys onset and as the bigger picture gets illustrated, you continue to cheer on the moments.

There is tension, conversation, and intimacy in friendship, honor and a passion for legacy sewn into the pages. I found Wilsons narrative to be captivating, and intrepid. Taking on the classics in a whole new manner, without leading you down a boredom movement is a testament to the writers talent. I found it fun, easy to pick up, and hard to put down. Theres something for everyone where, thats for sure. Check it out as this is definitely the start of something so much bigger.
2910790
This is an incredible debut from an Australian author.

I cannot recommend this work highly enough to lovers of fantasy. Queendom of the Seven Lakes will delight readers with intricate worldbuilding that cleverly interweaves contemporary questions of gender, politics and power throughout a narrative that is otherwise set in an old fantasy world. Sophisticated character development, witty repartee and fast pacing characterise Endactorr's first work, and the author is to be commended for achieving a balance between fantasy and realism to ultimately create a thought-provoking yet easily followed story that is different enough to be interesting, yet familiar enough to appeal to a wide audience.

Following the journey of Elen-ai, an assassin, and Prince Gidyon, a precocious prince whose naivety sometimes gets the better of him, we are shown the seven families and the various lands under their command. I was kept guessing as to the true nature and identity of the assailant who threatened Queen Latana and Prince Gidyon, and the secrets of each of the powerful families give any of them sufficient political motive to plot his downfall.

All in all, I am eager for the sequel.
1436045
In a surprisingly few pages, Thom Sandberg has created a richly-layered fantasy world that exists just beyond our modern-day perception of reality. Written in a stye that might be described as "Harry Potter meets Robert Ludlum on the road to Middle Earth," the tale has something for everyone: a plucky young heroine; a mysterious lost island realm; fierce little people who ride cats; and an evil villain plotting their destruction. What more could you ask? OK, then: you also get pirates, submarines, treachery, adventure on the high seas and much, much more. Written to be enjoyed by both kids and adults, Lylian is (I hope) the first of many visits we'll be invited to take to this mysterious and intriguing land of imagination.
1341971
The core conceit is great, and the setting/tone is escapist fantasy (for working artists, anyway) mixed with rising dread.  The fairytale retellings were a beautiful choice, the author rendering plot movements symbolically via each tale as a way of accessing the reserved protagonist's conflicted inner state.  A very lovely debut.
2401936
An epic, incredibly visual romp into worlds of magic and fantasy that I could never have conjured on my own, and yet that (for the most part) I could completely immerse myself in.  This book was so enjoyable and yet also dealt with some very heavy topics in a responsible way (death, rape, coming of age): it is not a piece of fluff simply because it invokes worlds that we've neither seen nor heard of.  I wish I could read it all over again, but for now, I'm glad I have the third book in the trilogy to console myself with.
4817074
M.R. Mathias once again proves that hes a major player in the fantasy world with The Sword and the Dragon. In this book, you gain parallels between the real world and the fantasy world. Not only do you get a sense of a deeper political meaning, but you also get a great deal of action amidst a fantasy world that is very much like you would expect from Tolkein or other literary greats.

The things that you would expect from a fantasy novel are here, from Wizards to Dragons to action sequences that don't hold back. Just when you start to think that this is another similar narrative, Mathias throws multiple layers to create an interesting mix of characters and dialogue that carries you through to each stage. Heroes and villains are placed in a very unique landscape, that all readers will find intrepid, compelling, and classic.