Month: May 2018

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Here Are My Top 10 Reads, What Are Yours?

For this post I thought I would give you a rundown of my 10 favourite books as they stand right now. You may notice that the top 5 are all by the same author. I make no apologies for this. This is my favourite author and I’m yet to find another whose writing I enjoy so much. Then the next three are again from one author – but I note that one of these titles is clearly different from the other two. Anyway, here they are:

1 – The Blade Itself by Joe Abercombie.

The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)

Wow! I love this book so much. It has everything I want: fantasy, magic, blood, gore, great characters and more. If you haven’t read this, you’re missing out.

2 – Before they are hanged by Joe Abercombie.

Before They Are Hanged (The First Law, #2)

Oh, so awesome.

3 – Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercombie.

Last Argument of Kings (The First Law, #3)

Oh, so twisted.

4 – The Heros by Joe Abercombie.

The Heroes (First Law World, #5)

Oh, so gory!

5 – Best Served Cold by Joe Abercombie.

Best Served Cold

Oh, so good!

6 – Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson.

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (Alcatraz, #1)

This book was a pleasure to read. It is witty and quirky, well paced and fun.

7 – The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson.

The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)

I loved the magic system in this book, I found it to be very original and interesting.

8 – The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson.

The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, #3)

Because I enjoyed the first book so much and this continues the story.

9 – The Lascars Dagger by Glenda Larke.

The Lascar's Dagger (The Forsaken Lands, #1)

I liked this because the characters were interesting and the paganism that was included in the story really helped to build a magical world for me.

10 – Blood Faerie by India Drummond.

Blood Faerie (Caledonia Fae, #1)

This book surprised me and I found it a really enjoyable read.

And there you have it. So what’s your top ten?

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in some libraries.

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Hidden Gems and Book Surprises. What Are Yours?

Hello Readers,

I recently read a book that really surprised me. It is called Blood Faerie by India Drummond, if you’re wondering and you can find my review on my previous blog post. Anyway, I was browsing on amazon when I came across this freebie. I had not read anything by the author previously and it appeared to be in the fantasy Genre, which is my genre of choice, so I thought I’s grab a copy and give it a go. The book was not what I expected at all. While it had a large element of fantasy, it was set in the real world and was more of a crime/thriller. And do you know what? I really enjoyed it.

Here are a few others I picked up blindly that turned out to be really good:

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
The Lascar’s Dagger by Glenda Larke
A Keepers Tale by JA Andrews

So, it set me wondering, how many readers had stumbled across a book they really enjoyed? I don’t have any answers on that question, but you may be able to help out. I’m interested to know what books you have stumbled upon that turned out to be a hidden gem?

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in some libraries. 

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Book Review – Blood Faerie by India Drummond

Blood Faerie (Caledonia Fae, #1) Blood Faerie by India Drummond

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Review – Blood Faerie by India Drummond

Blood Faerie by India Drummond is a kind of fantasy crossed with a crime/thriller. It tells us the tale of Eilidh, an outcast Faerie living in a human world, trying to catch a killer roaming the streets of Scotland.

The Cover: This cover was quite simple and gave me the distinct impression of a fantasy novel. While it is a good fit with the story, I’m not entirely convinced it fits this genre mash-up.

The Good Stuff: I really enjoyed this book. The writing is good, I was drawn in by the likeable characters and I found this to be an original storyline (at least it was like nothing I have ever read before). It was an interesting read that kept my interest all the way through. No mean feat, given it was not what I was expecting.

The Bad Stuff: I was expecting a fantasy novel and I got a genre mash-up, this may put some readers off. There were one or two moments when I questioned the story content, for example, Eilidh has lived in the human world for 25 years, watching, and yet she does not know what a treadmill is? She’s never been in a house or a car. There is a loose reason for this and I grudgingly accepted it because I was enjoying the story so much I wanted to read on. I also felt that the climax fizzled, it was all over in the blink of an eye. It was like the author said, that’s it, I’m done. It’s all over. I feel this could have been handled so much better with just a little more effort and it would have turned a good story into a great one.

Overall, this book is well worth a read. If I had known it was a fantasy-come-thriller I doubt I would have picked it up. I am so glad I didn’t know! This was a pleasure to read and I really wanted to keep turning the pages. A little disappointing at the end and for that reason I’m giving this one a heart gripping, bone cracking, 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:

amazon.com
amazon.com.au
Kobo

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries. 

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Book Review – The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book Review – The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson is a story of hope. Vin is a Skaa. A slave girl who has learnt to trust nobody. Oppressed, beaten and betrayed, her life feels worthless, until she meets Kelsier, then everything begins to change.

The Cover: A solid fantasy cover that depicts the story well.

The Good Stuff: I loved this book. There is an ‘allomantic’ magic system like I have never seen before (maybe it’s been done before, but this is the first time I have seen it). Personally, I love martial arts and I love the Matrix. The Mistborn in The Final Empire remind of both, they’re like magical Ninja’s with Matrix type abilities. Who doesn’t love a magical Ninja! Kelsier and Vin are both strong characters you will love, both with their own tear jerking stories. The Inquisitors are an original and ominous foe and the Lord Ruler is as much a god as he is made out to be. The characters work well with their individual traits and the world is well constructed with class distinctions, and a believable economy built off the backs off the Skaa.

The Bad Stuff: Okay, I’m going to be quite critical here in a nit-picking way, because I am actively looking for something to say on the bad stuff. Honestly, for me, it came down to two things. Firstly, in the beginning, there was a lot of white boarding in meetings. This took me out of the fantasy world and dropped me into the reality of my day job. There was also some word repetition with sentences ending in the same word or the same word being used several times in a paragraph. On the whole, these things were not a big issue for me, like I said… I’m nit-picking here!

Overall, this is a great fantasy novel and I look forward to reading the rest of Brandon’s books. If they are all as good as this one, I’m in for a very enjoyable time. This one gets a mist swirling, steel burning 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:

amazon.com
amazon.com.au
Get it on Kobo

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries. 

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What Does This Writer Do When He’s Not Writing? A weekend of fun in Brisbane City.

Brisbane City
Hello Readers,

It is a long weekend here in sunny Queensland as we have a public holiday for Labour Day, a celebration of the 8 hour working day. And what a weekend it has been. It started off a bit lacklustre with some cleaning up around the house, washing down the deck out back, filling and sanding some small cracks in the walls and stuff like that as we prepare our house for sale – but then we moved onto the fun stuff; my amazing woman had organized an amazing weekend.
We began on Saturday night. Myself, my partner, and a small group of friends had dinner out at a local burger joint called Miss May’s, and it was packed! There was literally a queue out of the door from the time we arrived right through until we left about an hour later. The venue was nice, the food was good and the bar had quick service with numerous beers on tap. Something you don’t usually find around here.
The following day I forewent my monthly writer’s group session and spent the day at a festival called Cinco De Mayo (which translates to 5th of May). A Mexican festival celebrating the day that Mexico gained independence from Spain. It was a fantastic day out on the Brisbane riverside, and while it was colourful and vibrant, there was a very chilled and relaxing atmosphere. They had live music, dancing, Mexican street food, and of course, I had some great company. That night we stayed in the city at an apartment with a view that overlooked the Brisbane river.
The next morning we treated ourselves to a cooked breakfast and made our way down to the museum to check out the Egyptian mummy exhibit. Six mummies on loan from the British Museum that have been scanned and reveal what is inside the mummifications. It really was pretty interesting stuff. Then it was off to the arts museum to admire some true works of art (and a few I reckon they picked up from the local kinder-garden. Art really is very subjective). After walking around for a couple of hours our feet were starting to tire, so we made our way to the Munich Brau House at Southbank for a hearty meal, a well-earned beverage and some Bavarian entertainment with some family members.
And now the fun ends. It’s back to work tomorrow to earn back some of the cash we spent on an awesome weekend, but it was well worth it, after all – life is for living!
So how about you? What did you do over the weekend?

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in some libraries. 

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Book Review – Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

Best Served ColdBest Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie is ultimately a story of revenge. Monzcarro Murcatto is betrayed by the man she has spent years elevating to a position of power. Strangled, stabbed, beaten and thrown down a mountain side clinging to life by a thread. All those involved will come to wish they had done the job right.

The Cover: Though not what I would consider a traditional fantasy cover, it is appropriate for the story and its genre. There is also a hint at the blood and gore between the pages.

The Bad Stuff: Not for the faint hearted, there is blood, gore and treachery. A bad point if you don’t like these things.

The Good Stuff: There is blood, gore and treachery – and so much of it. Abercrombie’s style is so raw, so tough, so gritty, that for me it’s like a fine blue cheese – filled with everything rotten, but tastes so good and leaves you wanting more. The characters, as always, are so mean and so bad arse, yet so well developed that you can’t help but love them. If you’ve read Joe’s other books, there’s reference to characters like ‘The Bloody Nine’, ‘The Cripple’ and others, that make the memories come rushing back and have you thinking “Oh yeah, I remember that” or “Yep, that sounds like something they would say/do,”. I loved this book as much as his others and even though it follows the story of new and less explored characters, they became my new best friends.

Wow! How does Joe do it? How does he make you love such despicable characters? Set in the same world as the First Law Trilogy this book continues the story of some of the characters I have come to love, building on their characters and giving insights into how they became who they are.

This one gets a bone crunching, skull smashing 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks with a splash of blood for good measure.

Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:

amazon.com
amazon.com.au
Kobo

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries. 

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