Official Website of Allan Walsh
Hello Readers,
I’m just letting you know that I’m currently running a promo on Kobo.
From 23/7/18 until 13/8/18, you can grab a copy of
for just $2.99 AUD.
Why not grab yourself copy today.
Happy reading!
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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Before They Are Hanged
by Joe Abercrombie
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Before They Are Hanged is the continuation of The First Law series and follows the stories of the First of the Magi, Logen Ninefingers, Ferro, and many more of the host of characters within the book.
The Cover: Not a terrible cover, quite simple and plain, but nothing special. It does fit well with the others in this series and conveys the genre.
The good stuff: This book has a full cast of characters and Mr Abercrombie moves easily from one to another allowing the story to flow. I love the relationship between Logen Nine fingers and Ferro, The sudden shifts in temperament of Bayaz, the character arc Jezal Dan Luthar moves through as his character grows and there is so much more to love within the pages of this book. The story and the characters paths come together like a peacocks feather: Beautiful, colourful, and consisting of numerous barbs that all seem to converge on a pointed spine. Joe has created a dangerous, intriguing world and I absolutely love it. I have come to expect great things from Joe Abercrombie and he did not disappoint me with this novel.
The Bad Stuff: As with most other novels I’ve read by Joe, the only bad thing is that the book comes to an end and you want more.
In my opinion, this is a superbly written fantasy novel with a well established society, governments, clans, etc… The action, twists and political scheming keeps coming and holds the readers interest until the end. There are some richly described places, well defined characters and interesting fantasy elements. I have come to expect great things from Joe Abercrombie and he has not let me down with this fantastic novel. Call me biased if you will, but JA is without doubt my favourite author and I’m giving this one a blood thirsty 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks with a huge, deranged grin.
Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:
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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Hello Readers,
I submitted my latest story to my writer’s group and got some feedback yesterday. It is always interesting when you receive differing opinions, but it makes it hard to work out which way to go with your writing sometimes. The submission was a fantasy/horror piece that started as a short story. I finished it some time ago and had been letting it sit after some previous feedback. The general consensus at that time was, they loved the concept, but it was more than a short story and I should continue writing it.
I picked it back up about a month or two ago and started to add to it. I have some new characters and I’ve built a bit more of a plot. I’ve also added more details around the concept and had to alter some of the previous content to align it with the changes. Anyway, after my latest submission there were a couple of people that really loved it and gave me glowing feedback. And then there were others who felt confused, said it needed to be clearer, and had questions on how the concept works. I’m not big on the details, as a writer I don’t think everything needs to be explained. I like to throw things out there and let my readers read between the lines, drawing their own conclusions. After all, I write fantasy and some things can’t be explained, they just are. But my dilemma is that some people thought I should leave it as a short story and others thought it could be a longer work. Now I’m wondering what to do. Do I leave it as a short story, publish now and move on to my next project, or do I carry on and turn it into a novella or a novel? I may just keep writing, send both versions to my Beta readers to see which they prefer, hoping there is a clear winner.
Happy Reading.
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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The Eye of Divinity by Robert E. Keller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Knights: The Eye of Divinity by Robert E. Keller is a fantasy novel that follows the story of Lannon Sunshield, a young boy from a poor home, who is taken on as a squire by the knights of Dremlock in a time of trouble.
The Cover: This book comes with a typical fantasy cover that is well suited to the genre. It is not a spectacular cover, but the artwork is professional and conveys the type of story between the pages. It would sit comfortably on the shelves of any bookstore alongside other fantasy novels.
The Good Stuff: I enjoyed this book. The characters are likeable and have their own individual personalities. The dialogue is done well, it seems natural and lends towards building the characters individuality. The world is believable for a fantasy world. And there’s magic, fantasy creatures, magical weapons and an array of character classes you would expect to see in a fantasy novel. The story runs smoothly enough and Mr Keller has provided a fun, creative read.
The Bad Stuff: I had some issues with the authors writing. Firstly, there are comments in parenthesis sporadically throughout the book, which pulled me out of the story. I feel there was no need for the parenthesis and in some cases, the comments. The majority of the story is told to us, I would much have preferred to have been absorbed in the story through more showing. There are big information dumps. I like it when the description is fed seamlessly into the story so that you don’t even notice it, but in this book you have to pause the story each time a new character or location is introduced while you read through lines of description. There is also a problem with the Goblin Lords in my opinion. Maybe I just didn’t get it, but the reasoning for their ‘invincibility’ doesn’t make sense to me at all. If they are what we learn them to be, they would not be a harm to anyone and the knights would not waste any time on them. Another thing that disappointed me was the lack of female characters. There are squire trials and mention of female dorms, yet we hardly see any female students at all. There are a couple of female characters, but they always seem to lurk in the shadow of their male counterparts and are never really given the opportunity to shine.
Overall, despite the issues I had with the writing, this is an enjoyable fantasy novel with a solid story that the author has put a lot of thought into. On that basis, I’m giving it a goblin crushing 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks.
Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:
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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The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Heroes is a story of war and the men fighting on both sides of the battlefield.
The Cover: In my opinion, this cover isn’t too bad, but it is by no means great. I get more of a fantasy feeling than I got from the cover of Red Country, but either could be a book on Roman History. It does suggest there will be violence.
The Good Stuff: It didn’t take me long to adapt to Joe’s style, and I love it. This tale is gritty and dark, but it feels so real. There are numerous characters, all with their own problems and flaws. I expected dragons and magic, I got blood and gore, and I was not disappointed. Joe has a way with words that makes everything seem real. His characters are genuine and crass. His action scenes will make you squirm, and his storytelling will keep you reading to the end. I loved this book so much so that I would say it is the best book I have read… ever! I have found my favourite author at last and I hope to have many more hours of enjoyment from the other stories in his collection of titles. Good work Mr Abercrombie.
The Bad Stuff: This was the first of Joe Abercrombie’s books I read (I know, I started out of sync… Why? It just happened that way.) The style threw me at first, sentences with words missing, written as they might be spoken colloquially. Coming in under the fantasy genre, I also expected a little more magic, strange creatures, other races, etc… But I got over the lack of these very quickly.
This is a great book and I was left entirely satisfied. I’m giving this read an amazing 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks, just as soon as I can wipe the blood splatters off my face.
Want to know if you agree with my review? Grab your own copy from these links:
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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Hello Readers (and movie fans),
I’ve been waiting for this to come out ever since I heard Peter Jackson was involved in the project. Here is the trailer for your viewing pleasure. If you haven’t read the book, it is an old one, but a good one.
Enjoy!
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.
If you liked this post, why not share it with your friends?
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.
If you liked this post, why not share it with your friends?
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.
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.
Oh, so awesome.
3 – Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercombie.
Oh, so twisted.
4 – The Heros by Joe Abercombie.
Oh, so gory!
5 – Best Served Cold by Joe Abercombie.
Oh, so good!
6 – Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson.
This book was a pleasure to read. It is witty and quirky, well paced and fun.
7 – The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson.
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.
Because I enjoyed the first book so much and this continues the story.
9 – The Lascars Dagger by Glenda Larke.
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.
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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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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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:
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 on social media.