Grey Sister by Mark Lawrence is the second book in The Ancestor Series.
The Cover: The version I have has a grey background of cloud with a lone female figure holding a sword, walking amongst a number of spears and blades. The title is in a silver font with slender curved edges that flow into points, resembling scimitars in my opinion. I like it and think it fits the genre well.
The Good Stuff: This is the first book I’ve read by Mark Lawrence and I was not disappointed. This author knows how to write a good fantasy. I only wish I had started with the first book in the series. Having said that, it wasn’t hard to pick up and read this book out of sequence. The writing style is good and the story pulled me in. There is also plenty of magic, plenty of action, and plenty of blood and gore.
The Bad Stuff: There were a couple of times when I felt things were over explained, mostly near the end of the book where the action really picks up. I didn’t like the prologue either and was relieved that the style it was written in did not carry across the whole book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, it has everything I like in my fantasy reads. I will definitely be reading more from this author. It gets a thread weaving, path blazing 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.
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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It is no surprise to my regular followers when I say that my favourite author is Joe Abercrombie. If you follow my blog you will hear me mention him frequently. So, I must say that I am super excited about, and eagerly awaiting to read, the new trilogy he is working on ‘The Devils’. Unfortunately, it is not scheduled for publication until 2025, so we have a bit of a wait. If you haven’t heard/read about it, here is the blurb:
The Devils begins a series which fuses the best of fantasy with the most gripping elements of heist, spy and thriller fiction. In a magic-riddled Europe under constant threat of elf invasion, the ten year old Pope occasionally needs services that cannot be performed by the righteous. And so, sealed deep beneath the catacombs, cathedrals and relic stalls of the Sacred City lies the secret Chapel of the Holy Expediency. For its highly disposable congregation—including a self-serving magician, a self-satisfied vampire, an oversexed werewolf, and a knight cursed with immortality—there is no mission that cannot be turned into a calamitous bloodbath…
A must-read, this is accessible fantasy fiction with the addictive Abercrombie twist which has seen his novels hit bestseller lists around the world, delight millions of readers, and cemented his position as one of the leading fantasy writers of his generation.
Let’s hope he finishes it a little sooner than expected. Happy Reading!
Half a War by Joe Abercrombie is the third book in the Shattered Sea Series.
The Cover: The cover version I have is mainly black and white with figures on the attack, fighting their way up a hill. It seems to me that defenders sit behind a shield wall with the prow beast of their ship at there backs; a scene from the story itself. The artwork is split across the middle by a mirror image in inverted tones. The title sits in the middle within a circle of scrolling waves and stands out in large red letters. I’m not a fan of font used for the title, but overall it is a nice cover in my opinion and fits the genre.
The Good Stuff: Once again, Abercrombie delivers some solid characters in a grim world. The plot has all the twists and betrayals I have come to expect from this author. My favourite character in this one would have to be Raith, followed by Koll, Rin, and Blue Jenner.
The Bad Stuff: I would like to have seen more of Rin in this story, and I actually expected to see a lot more of Thorn Bathu. In fact I was looking forwards to seeing more of Thorn, but I was left a little disappointed that she didn’t play a bigger part. I suppose her story had been told in the previous book. The elf ruins/relics/weapons also didn’t really work for me, it is clear what they represent and brings reality into the fantasy world, but I want my fantasy to be just that… fantasy.
Overall, I enjoyed this story, but not as much as the previous two in the series. This one gets a sword hammering, shield banging 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.
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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Half the World by Joe Abercrombie is the second book in the Shattered Sea series.
The Cover: The copy I read has a slightly different image from the one in this post. It has the same wave made of bladed weapons, but it is crashing down upon a vessel akin to a Viking longship. The title is a bold blue against a greyish sky, with white text against a green sea for the author name. The fonts are clear, but I’m not a huge fan of the title font, I feel there could have been a better choice. Having said that, it is a solid fantasy book cover and overall I like it.
The Good Stuff: Yes, yes, I know I say it all the time, but it’s true… Abercrombie is my favourite author, and I feel the Shattered Sea is my favourite series. It has a truly rugged fantasy feel and I love it. Combine this world, the great characters, and Abercrombie’s writing style, and you have everything you could want between the covers.
The Bad Stuff: If there is any, I couldn’t find it.
Overall, this is a great title from Joe Abercrombie. It has great characters, a strongly developed world, a good story, and great writing style. If you haven’t read it yet, treat yourself, it’s well worth it. This one gets an oar slapping, shield banging 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.
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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As it Seems by Eric Lewis is a collection of short stories by a single author. The collection comprises mostly grimdark/fantasy, and a few stories that probably fit better into sci-fi.
The Cover: There seems to be a couple of covers for this book, I have the one with a robed figure striding forwards, face hidden beneath a hood, sword rested on his right shoulder and an axe hanging from his left hand. Both the image and the font are presented well and fit with the genre.
The Good Stuff: I liked the writing style, the world building, and the tone. I enjoyed that most of the stories were set in the same world; a dark, gritty, grim world. I quite like a bit of grimdark and this didn’t disappoint. The author certainly doesn’t buy into happy endings. One of the most notable things for me is that when it comes to anthologies, I’m usually only taken by a few stories. But, I also enjoyed every story in this book, and that is a big achievement by the author in my opinion.
The Bad Stuff: Okay, so this title is not without its faults. There are a few more typo’s than I would normally see in a book of this length. There are also some things that didn’t really gel for me. Things like a slave ship allowed to dock in a place where slavery is illegal, plumbers in a fantasy world, and modern terms like apartment, startup, and coffee break, that for me just don’t seem to fit with the world the author has created. This encroached on my enjoyment and held me back from fully immersing myself in some of the stories.
Overall, I can easily forgive the few typos and words/terms that I felt were out of place, simply because I really enjoyed this book. If you’re into slightly darker short stories by a single author, you should give this one a go. This one gets a back-stabbing, alchemical blasting, 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.
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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Exciting news! After many months of talking about it, I have finally released the much awaited anthology. ‘Ripples Through Murky Water’ is now available. This collection contains eight of my horror/fantasy stories and you’ll find all the links you need to get your copy, below the blurb.
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Follow Corporal Jackson on a top-secret project where being kept in the dark might just kill him. See Macey as she gets a taste of the wild frontier while finding her place in the world. Check out Jordan and his collection of figures that would make anyone believe in monsters. Or how about watching Hades as he tries to shake off a headache and move out of the underworld.
Ripples Through Murky Water is a collection of eight short, dark and magical tales that will leave you hungry for more.
If you like chills down your spine, magical mayhem, or just a bit of a laugh, you’ll love Ripples Through Murky Water by Allan Walsh.
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I know you’ve been waiting a long time for it, but it is finally available and you can grab a copy of ‘Ripples Through Murky Water’ at the following retailers:
The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie is book 2 in the Age of Madness Trilogy and continues the saga within the First Law world.
The Cover: There is more than 1 version for this book. I have the colourful cover depicting a flaming battle scene in the background with the standard of the wolf at the fore. It is a good cover, it aligns with others in the series and is typical of an Abercrombie cover. Looking back after reading the story I feel it really fits well with the book itself. The image works with this Grimdark title, I like the fonts, and it stands out on a shelf.
The Good Stuff: Come on guys, you must know by now that I love Abercrombie’s work. He just has a way with words that sings to my mind. The characters, as always, are great. The story, as always, is gritty and gripping. The plot, dare I say it… as always, is full of politics and betrayals. What’s not to love about it. I love the character of Rikke, along with Stour and Vick. The Northmen really make these novels for me, that’s the raw fantasy side of things I love, but even the more refined characters can blow me away. Don’t wait, just grab yourself a copy and read it!
The Bad Stuff: Okay, I’ll be honest, this wasn’t my favourite Abercrombie title, but it is a great book. I love the dark, gritty, fantasy side of Joe’s work, and I find that as the world moves forward making ‘progress’, the fantasy is slowly draining away. Which is why I prefer the First Law Trilogy. But I will still continue to read his newer work in this world, because he is just so good.
Overall, this is another cracking title from (in my opinion) the Grandmaster of Grimdark, Joe Abercrombie. Actually, I think that might be my new nick name for him – Grandmaster Grim! Honestly, if you read within this genre and you haven’t read any of his titles, give him a go. He is a great author. This one gets a polearm piercing, battle raging 4.5 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.
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. If you liked this post please share it with your friends on social media.
Gardens of the moon by Steven Erikson is the first novel in The Malazan Book of the Fallen series. The Malazan Empire seeks to dominate the Free Cities of Genabakis. Pale has fallen and the Empress has moved her attentions to Darujhistan, the last of the Free Cities. But there are forces working against her lust for power, and even the gods have joined in to complicate matters further.
The Cover: The image on the cover I have is of a dark edifice, a single light glowing out from a room at the top of its tower, the moon rising behind. A motif of a steel, Celtic adornment with a helm at its centre, sits at the top of the page, a brand that is carried over across the series.
I love this cover, it is the reason I picked up this book. The cover speaks to me, it says – This book is set in a Grim-dark world and is filled with fantasy. The font is strong and clean, with good colour choices that contrast well against the image, and it is branded nicely to mark the series. My only issue with it is that I don’t like the placement of the text. I feel like they have tried to fit too much on the page and couldn’t quite make it work cohesively.
The Good Stuff: WOW – This book is outstanding! I absolutely loved it. It has a so many characters; original characters with their own personalities and goals, all introduced seamlessly and entwined into the plot. A plot full of twists and turns where enemies are allies and allies are enemies. It has magic, magical weapons, and an array of creatures that belong in a world of fantasy, but these creatures are not all born of the more commonly known orcs, goblins, and elves.
The Bad Stuff: Many a good novel has its problems, and this one is no different. There are some sentences that I would have constructed differently, sentences like “Trotts removed from his sleeve a torn piece of cloth” and “Trotts asked “Watch what?” Some of the descriptions are dumped on the page, which is quite common in this genre, but I prefer them to be fed in a little more softly. There are flash back/time overlaps where Mr Erikson changes character Point of View (POV). The novel is also broken into 7 books across 24 chapters, each of which starts with a poem. I didn’t like this structure, it didn’t need the breaks defining the books for me. Overall, this book was more than I expected it would be. I’ve seen it so many times and thought, I’ll have to read that book one day. And I’m so glad I did. I just wish I hadn’t waited so long. Being the first book of Steven Erikson’s I’ve read, he is a new author to me, and when you find a diamond that shines like this, it justifies the reason to try new authors you are not familiar with. Despite its bad points, this book is a fantastic epic novel, and I absolutely loved it. It will suck the time out of your day like Dragnipur sucks the souls of its adversaries. I’m giving this one an unquestionable, sword wielding, magic flaring, 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks.
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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Blood Song by Anthony Ryan follows the story of Vaelin Al Sorna as he is given to the Sixth Order by his family. The Order are protectors of both the realm and the faith, the Sixth is their martial arm where the brothers are trained from childhood for one purpose – to become deadly weapons.
The Cover: This is a solid fantasy cover. The image, the fonts, the title, and the colours all complement each other, yelling ‘I am dark fantasy’ from the bookstore rafters.
The Good Stuff: Wow! I absolutely loved this novel. There is fighting, magic, magical weapons, politics, scheming, love, betrayal, and so much more. There were actually 728 pages in this book, around 200 more than I thought I was getting. The more the merrier I say. In a way it reminded me of ‘The Name of the Wind’ with the scribe taking down the story as it unfolds, only this is done so much better, placing you firmly in the world among the action. The author, Anthony Ryan, effortlessly feeds so many little details into the prose that the world feels so authentic. So real. And what a dark, tough, and gritty world he has created. The characters are true to themselves, well developed, each with their own personality, but dare not to become attached to them, there will be sadness. In this world there is plenty of death.
The Bad Stuff: What can I say here? I got so involved in this book that nothing really bothered me. The things I remember are the author’s tendency to use a phrase like ‘it could have been a minute or an hour’ where the character gets so absorbed in a task. This stood out to me, but by no means detracted from the story. I also saw a character name spelt incorrectly once – but shit happens! You can’t catch every typo even if you send a book to 3 different editors.
Overall, this is an excellent book. I loved every page of it. For me, this is what fantasy is meant to be and I would highly recommend it to any fantasy fan. This one is getting a dark encompassing, knuckle cracking 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks.
Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why notcheck out his books here.You can also find his titles available in libraries.
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I must admit that I am a big fan of Grimdark/Dark Fiction and I am also bit of a movie lover. So it is no surprise that I have long awaited the release of the Witcher series on Netflix. The computer game was highly regarded and raved about by many back in the day. I have yet to read the book, but it has high reviews and a relatively small amount of disappointed readers. As for the series… That has been compared to Game Of Thrones. I’m not sure I would put them on the same level, but one thing is for sure, there seems to be a lot of mixed feelings about the TV adaptation.
In my opinion it is slow to get started, but the more I watch it the better it gets. I really didn’t start to enjoy it much until episode 3, and after finishing the 1st season, I certainly would not liken it to G.O.T. It is nowhere near on the same level for me. If I had to make a comparison, I would compare it to the TV series Hercules or Xena. To be honest, I find Geralt’s character quite boring, but I think this is because the series portrays him to be void of emotions (and I am not sure if this is how the book portrays him). I find some issues around this as he clearly displays feelings for other characters, such as Yennefer. What Geralt lacks is made up for in the character of the bard, Jaskier. He can be annoying, but he’s funny and brings that little extra something to the show. I also like Yennefer’s character, she is likeable, but she has her own personal issues and a darkside to her that makes her very interesting to me.
Watching this series has prompted me to add the book to my ‘To Read’ list, and if you are after a copy of your own, you can purchase it from the following links:
Anyway, overall I enjoy the show and will continue to watch through the next season when it comes out. If you have watched the show yourself, I’d love to know what you think of it. Just post your comments below.
Happy Reading!
Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why notcheck out his books here.You can also find his titles available in libraries.
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Blood Song by Anthony Ryan