The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time #1) For the most part this first book in Robert Jordan’s massive Wheel of Time saga feels like a paint-by-numbers retelling of the Star Wars / Lord of the Rings monomyth. There’s some occasional flashes of originality, but it’s mostly just the same …
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Book #14 of 2017: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns #1) I loved the atmosphere in this book, which is set on a secluded magical island slowly gearing up for its sacrificial rites – a tradition that no one really questions, which is delightfully eerie in a Shirley Jackson kind of way. …
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Book #11 of 2017: The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia A. McKillip (Riddle-Master #1) Like the best of fantasy, The Riddle-Master of Hed reads like a beautiful dream. And the reluctant warrior at its center, fated to be a powerful figure of prophecy despite all his wishes for a quiet life back home, makes for …
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Book #9 of 2017: Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #8) This early Discworld novel introduces the character Sam Vimes and the rest of the City Watch, although it’s clear that author Terry Pratchett was still figuring out who they would be at this point. Here the Watch investigates the sudden appearance of a dragon …
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Book #8 of 2017: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (Inkworld #1) Inkheart is that rare book that feels like coming home to an old favorite the very first time you read it. This story of a father and daughter who can bring to life characters from the books they read shares more than a little DNA …
Book #4 of 2017: The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller (Kingmaker, Kingbreaker #1) This was a pretty adequate fantasy novel. It wasn’t awful, but it was definitely bogged down by the slow reveal of its relevant worldbuilding and a perpetually surly protagonist whose only friends spend the whole novel lying to him. Things pick up …
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Book #2 of 2017: The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit I tried to keep an open mind while reading this novel, because I knew it was published in a very different era. And it is interesting as a historical artifact, offering a glimpse not only of 1907 Britain, but also of the state of children’s …
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Book #1 of 2017: Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson (Alcatraz #4) Like Harry Potter, this series gets darker and more mature as the books progress. Even though the protagonist in this case is still a thirteen-year-old boy, he’s grown up a lot just by going through the events of these novels. Author …
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Book #151 of 2016: Goldenhand by Garth Nix (The Old Kingdom #5) A triumphant return to the Old Kingdom, finally resolving the fate of the lost Abhorsen, Clariel (whose early life is described in the prequel which bears her name, and which should definitely be read prior to this book). So many old favorites are …
Book #134 of 2016: The Magician King by Lev Grossman (The Magicians #2) Like the previous novel in this series, The Magician King is about wizards with depression, and it’s a good illustration of how that condition can strip away all sense of joy or satisfaction and leave a person completely listless in every situation. …
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