Official Website of Allan Walsh
Hello Readers,
It is an exciting time for me as the release date for Shades of Hades draws nearer. With that in mind, and as promised, I’m delighted to share the cover with you. And here it is…
I’ll keep you posted on any further developments and will let you all know when the book is released.
Happy Reading
Allan
Brisbane, Australia.
Hello Readers,
I’ve got more exciting news for you. I’m happy to let you know that I’m very close to releasing my next short story. This one is called Shades of Hades and it’s scheduled to be released soon. I’m still planning to release a collection of my short stories in an anthology over coming months and the anthology will include this story, plus many more.
To whet your appetite for Shades of Hades, I’ll be doing a cover reveal in coming weeks. So keep an eye out for that post the near future.
Happy Reading
Allan,
Brisbane, Australia.
Legends by Various Authors is an anthology containing 5 novellas by well-known authors, set in the worlds they are famous for creating.
The Cover: I like this cover, it represents one of the stories in the book written by Terry Pratchett and captures the humour perfectly. The cover does tell me I’m going to get fantasy inside, but it also says this book is for a younger audience and I don’t think it hits the mark here. Terry Pratchett’s story certainly is, but not all of them are in my opinion. The font works for the genre and there are big hitting names on the cover that are known for their fantasy.
The Good Stuff: For fans of the authors whose work is contained within the pages, this title will take you back into the worlds you love with a story you may not have read. There should be at least one story in here for every fantasy buff to enjoy. Personally, I really enjoyed the story by George R.R. Martin. Overall it is well edited and has some interesting characters. As I said before the authors are all well-known and are as follows:
Terry Pratchett
Anne McCaffrey
George R.R. Martin
Tad Williams
Robert Jordan
The Bad Stuff: I don’t know if it is just the author’s style or if the story by Robert Jordan was not edited that well. It’s as if words were missing here and there, but again, it could just be the style of writing. I was disappointed with two of the stories and ended up skipping to the next author. Out of the other three stories, I only really enjoyed one. I really wanted to enjoy Robert Jordan’s story, the world building was great, holding my interest until the end. I liked the characters too, but the story and the writing style didn’t grip me and have me excited to keep turning the pages.
Overall, this book was a bit of a let-down for me. I wanted so much to enjoy every story, but it just wasn’t to be, the writing wasn’t bad, the stories just didn’t draw me in. I’m only giving this one an average 3 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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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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Rogue Ragtime by K.Alexis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
In the interests of being transparent, I’d like to note that I know the author personally. To the best of my intention, my review of his work has not been influenced by this and is based on my honest opinion.
Rogue Ragtime by K. Alexis follows a small band of thieves, cursed to steal unimportant items, while trying to complete a collection of a set of novels in a world where books are banned.
The Cover: I really like this cover, it is colourful and has a kind of comic book/Manga feel to it. The image fits well with the story for me and it has a good title font with colours that stand out well against the background.
The Good Stuff: I love the fight scenes within this story, they are done well, there are some formidable foes, and they move smoothly through the action. In fact, as a whole, the story moves smoothly and is well written. The author shows a strong voice throughout this novel and has created a diverse and multi-cultured world with some great characters – Characters with their own distinctive personalities and abilities.
The Bad Stuff: There are some info dumps on the character descriptions which I feel could have been fed into the story more subtly. There is also an ‘instant message conversation’ snippet at the beginning of each chapter. While it is a nice quirky idea, I found it distracting and it didn’t really add anything to the story for me. I also got a little confused with everything that was going on in the story at times. There is also a lot of opinion within the text, which while I do not disagree with it, it is not subtle and I found it quite imposing at times.
Overall, I enjoyed the characters and the fight scenes, but the story is a bit “out there” and not something I would normally read. Having said that, I would love to watch this as a movie, I think I would thoroughly enjoy it. I’m giving this a mind boggling 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks with the added comment that I do not feel I am the target audience for this book.
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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Path of a Novice by R.K. Lander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Path of a Novice by R.K. Lander is a debut novel and the first book in ‘The Silvan Trilogy’ series. The story follows an elf named Fel’annár trying to prove his worth by chasing his dream to become a captain in the kings army. But things are complicated by the struggle he has with his mixed heritage and a secret that has been kept from him all his life.
The Cover: There are a couple of versions of this cover, the one I have depicts a cloaked elf standing in the forest. He wears a leather jerkin, bow knocked in hand, with sword and quiver slung across his back. I like this cover and feel it is a good match with the genre and certainly fits the story. The font is also a good match and the colour choices contrast well. The other cover I have seen shows the upper torso of a bare chested elf and looks more like a fantasy-romance novel to me. I doubt I would have picked the book up if I had come across this cover first, and that would have been a real shame.
The Good Stuff: R.K. has built a clearly defined world with cultural and political issues that bring it to life. The enemy are many, with a variety of deviants and Sand Lords that I want to learn more about. It has all the elements of a great fantasy with its magic, swordplay, bowmanship, and creatures. I like the characters and their interactions, the prose runs smoothly enough and provokes emotion well in places. There are also passages from elven chronicles at the beginning of each chapter that added that little bit of extra flavour to the book for me. A job well done by the author in my opinion.
The Bad Stuff: This novel is not without its problems for me. I felt that there were some unnecessary words that slowed the prose and made the sentences longer than needed. These could have been stripped back, especially in the action scenes. There are some strange names too, which some readers won’t mind and may even expect, but I find that they pull me out of the story at times as I try to wrap my head around the pronunciation. The author also uses some uncommon words, which is fine when only used once or twice, but used more often, they stand out like a lit beacon.
Overall, despite the points listed in the bad stuff above, I found this to be a great epic fantasy and I really enjoyed it. When a tale is as good as this one, any minor issues roll over you like fire on a dragon’s scales. This is a solid debut novel and I can only see R.K.’s work getting better from here. I’m giving this one a tree loving, sword dancing 4 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 of Heirs by Alicia Wanstall-Burke is a debut fantasy novel that follows the separate paths of two protagonists in a dark and perilous world. For the purpose of full disclosure, Alicia is a part of my writers group. Due to circumstance however, I have only met her twice and this is the first time I have had the pleasure of reading her work.
The Cover: This is a good cover for the genre. The image shouts fantasy, the colour hints at the underlying tone of the book, and the font is well contrasted and clear.
The Good Stuff: This is a solid debut fantasy novel. The world is clearly defined and well-built with some nice touches that distinguish between the different cultures within the world. There are some formidable enemies, and as with any good fantasy there is a sound magic system. The characters are individual, well developed, and have their own distinct stories. The prose runs smoothly and I found there are some great quote-worthy passages within the pages. One I particularly liked was “His plan had to work. If it didn’t, he’d have the blood of thousands on his hands; such a stain would never wash clean.”
The Bad Stuff: This is nit-picking, but there are a couple of minor inconsistencies that drew me out of the story. In chapter five they’ve been waiting for the snow, but it hasn’t come. Then we move to chapter seven and Ran’s mother queries if the snows have come early? There is also a mention in one sentence that Lidan has been studying her parents, but then a little further on we hear that she has been avoiding them. This had me thinking how she could study them if she was avoiding them? I also question a couple of the words choices, such as sofa – this seems too modern for the setting to me.
Overall, having not read any of Alicia’s work prior to this book, I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this story or not, but after chapter four I was hooked. The minor issues noted above did little to detract from my enjoyment of this book. It is a great fantasy novel, and while Lidan has a solid storyline, I really found myself drawn into Ran’s story. I’m giving this one a magic pulsing, steel slashing 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks with a deep guttural growl for good measure.
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 know I harp on about Joe Abercrombie (JA) being my favourite author, and that’s because he is, but I have been trying to find some new favourite authors to add to the list. So I put a call out through some of my groups on social media to find similar authors to JA, and this is what my contacts came back with:-
I haven’t read all these authors yet, but I have added them to my list of authors to try. Of those I have checked out, I offer my opinions below:
Anthony Ryan – I love this author and have added him to my favourites. I read his novel Blood Song, and while I don’t get a JA vibe from his work, I really enjoyed the book. Anthony has his own style and tells a great story. I highly recommend checking him out.
Luke Scull – This is another great author that I have added to my list of favourites. I read his Grim Company novel and I found his world and characters to be very similar to JA. In fact I constantly found myself thinking this guy is so like 9 fingers, or I love these Northmen. Luke does have a style of his own and tells a unique story that is interesting and pulled me through the book. I highly recommend giving him a go.
Daniel Polansky – I read the novel She Who Waits by this author. I can’t say that I see any resemblance to JA other than the world is really gritty. I didn’t love this author, I enjoyed the book enough to finish it, but I doubt I will read anymore of his work. The world was not quite what I expected or wanted and it threw me off a little right from the start. If you like Grimdark that isn’t your typical medieval world, don’t discount this author. His style is sound, his characters are well rounded, and his writing is solid, his world just wasn’t what I was looking for and I don’t particularly like 1st person POV. If however you are chasing an author similar to JA, I’d give this one a miss.
Brian McClellan – I read Wrath of Empire from this author, and I loved it so much that I have also added Brian to my list of favourite authors. I didn’t draw any similarities between his work and JA’s. Brian has his own style, a great world, great characters, and a good storyline. I thoroughly enjoyed his work and would definitely recommend him, just don’t expect his work to remind you of JA.
Richard Kadrey – I didn’t actually read this authors work, I picked up one of his books and read the first few pages. It didn’t grab me because it seemed to be more of a western world and I was after good old medieval fantasy. So, I can’t really make any comparisons to JA for this author, nor recommend/criticise his work.
Peter Newman – I tried to read The Vagrant by this author and it’s the one book on my DNF list. I didn’t like the authors style or the world the story was set in. I certainly wouldn’t compare this author to JA. I do not recommend reading this authors work if you’re looking for something similar to JA. I’m not saying don’t give him a try, I’m just saying this author isn’t for me and I can’t see any similarity to JA’s work. I do know people who have read and enjoyed this author, so make your own mind up on this one.
Well, I’m still working through the list myself and this is as far as I’ve gotten. I’m keen to give Mark Lawrence, Scott Lynch, Steve Erikson, Brian Staveley and Ed McDonald a go. So I’ll probably prioritise these above the others, but hopefully I will find a few more gems on this list that will be added to my favourite authors list.
Happy Reading!
This post was updated Sept 29, 2024. Check out the updated version here.
Art & Craft of Writing: Secret Advice for Writers by Victoria Mixon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As you can guess from the title, Art & Craft of Writing: Secret Advice for Writers by Victoria Mixon is a non-fiction title providing insights into the craft of writing.
The Cover: This cover has a warm feel to it and it works for the non-fiction genre. I’m not a huge fan of the font used, but the black band with white writing makes the text clearly visible.
The Good Stuff: I have been writing for some time now and I’m always looking for new information. There were one or two nuggets in this book for me, but mainly it was that Victoria looks at things from a slightly different angle and explains them in a slightly different way. This resonated with me and I will keep this book on hand for reference in the future.
The Bad Stuff: It’s a pretty short book and a lot of the information has been covered before.
Overall this book is put together from the authors most popular blog posts. In my opinion it is worth a read, you may not get new information from it, but you may look at things with a new found appreciation and understanding. This one gets an ink splattered 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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My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Grim Company by Luke Scull is a grimdark fantasy set in a world where the gods have been slain by wizards. We follow the stories of several characters who’s fates seem intertwined. Characters such as Davarus Cole, an orphan who wants to be a hero; Brodar Kayne and his companion Jerek, a pair Northmen on the run; Eremul, a paraplegic mage seeking revenge; Sasha a rebel with troubles of her own; and Yllandris a sorceress with ambitions.
The Cover: This is a simple cover showing a helm sitting on a white background that fades to a golden brown. The image itself represents the fantasy genre well, the fonts are clear and I like the title. All up a suitable cover for the genre.
The Good Stuff: This is a solid fantasy world that is dark, dangerous, and full of magic. The characters are well developed with their own goals and desires. The plot is sound and brings everything together at the end, yet still leaves enough story questions to make you want to read the next book in the series. Some of the characters reminded me of Joe Abercrombie’s First Law Trilogy, but hey, who doesn’t love Joe and his characters.
The Bad Stuff: There are some over-packed sentences at the beginning of the book as the author tries to build the world. I found some characters focused on in the beginning of the book disappeared quite quickly, leaving me to wonder why they were highlighted in the first place. The character descriptions are also dropped in through small info dumps, which I think could have been written in more seamlessly. There was a point where soldiers in chainmail climb down a rope ladder while each holds a longsword in one hand leaving me wondering how that is even possible.
Overall, initially I had my doubts about this story, but the more I read, the more I got into it, and by the end I found I thoroughly enjoyed the book, even with the few points I mentioned in the bad stuff. I think this is because I am a little cautious when reading a new author and I tend to notice things in their writing, at least until I get drawn into the story. I would recommend this book to fans of dark fantasy/grimdark. It is getting a blood staining, bone breaking 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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