Tag: Reviews

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Book Review – The Sword of Shanara by Terry Brooks.

The Sword of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy, #1)The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The Sword of Shannara is an epic fantasy novel about a vale man torn from his normal life and thrown into a quest to retrieve the Sword of Shannara and destroy the Dark Lord to save the world as he knows it.

The Cover: This is a great fantasy cover with all the elements you would expect to see.

The Good Stuff: The storyline is good and would be enjoyable for those who have not read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, or those that will not be bothered by the similarities.

The Bad Stuff: This book has some stark similarities to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. There is a Dark Lord, black wraiths, small vale men, elves, a strange wizard that disappears on other errands and a crazy gnome who has a magical item. This really irked me. There is also some repetition, overuse of words and a writing style that tells rather than shows.

In my opinion, this is a good fantasy novel let down by the fact that it is so similar to another authors work and yet, not quite as good. For this reason I’m only giving it 2 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

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

Amazon.com.au
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com
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 Princess Bride by William Goldman.

The Princess BrideThe Princess Bride by William Goldman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Princess Bride by William Goldman is a story of love and adventure. It is the story of a farm boy who falls in love, goes away to make his fortune and gets captured by a pirate, and returns to save his true love from marrying a conniving prince.

The Cover: There are a few editions of this book, the cover on the edition I have depicts a man in black (think Zorro) holding a sword which cuts through the title, replacing the I’s in the words Princess and Bride. I would say it conveys an adventurous story in the fantasy genre. I have no issues with the font types, but some words are in red and do not show up clearly against the red background of the cover.

The Good Stuff: First let me say that I loved the movie and I watched it over and over with my daughters when they were younger. I was pleased to see the movie had been true to the book (mostly anyway). I loved the humour, the characters are just as they were depicted in the movie, the key lines in the movie are word for word from the book, and the Arch dean really was written with a speech impediment. The book generally moves along at a good pace and was mostly an enjoyable story.

The Bad Stuff: Okay, something that didn’t come through to me in the movie was the sexism. If it had, I certainly would not have watched the movie over and over with my daughters. This really irked me about the book. Buttercup is made out to be simple and is shut down, ignored and disregarded by the male characters throughout the pages. I understand this title was first published in the early 70’s, but that doesn’t make it any less disappointing. The other issue I had with the book is that I found it very dull and even a little confusing at the start. I almost gave up on it until I got to chapter 4 and that’s where it really turned around for me. However, the constant interjections are not done nearly as well in the book as they were in the movie.

Overall, aside from the very slow start, I enjoyed the story. But if you ask me, this is one instance where the movie is better than the book. I’m only giving this one a sword swishing 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks and that’s bolstered by my fond memories of the movie.

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

Amazon.com.au
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com
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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Having Déjà Vu? Don’t Worry, You’re Not Going Crazy.

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Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

Hello Readers,

If you’re feeling like you’ve seen some of my posts before, don’t worry. I am in the progress of re-posting book reviews from my old wordpress site (so they can all be found in the one place). As some of these reviews were written a long time ago, I have also been making some small changes to them to standardise the format and improve them a little. However, I’m not rewriting them completely and therefore they may seem a little less informative than usual. Sorry about that, but I feel I would need to re-read the books to write more comprehensive reviews… and that would take me forever. I guess what I’m trying to say is they are a little rough around the edges compared to my more recent reviews. Anyway, I hope there are one or two you haven’t already seen and that you get some enjoyment from them (even if it just highlights how much my reviews have improved).

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 libraries.

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Book Review – 5 Secrets Of Story Structure: How To Write A Novel That Stands Out by K.M.Weiland

5 Secrets of Story Structure: How to Write a Novel That Stands Out (Helping Writers Become Authors Book 6)

5 Secrets of Story Structure: How to Write a Novel That Stands Out by K.M. Weiland

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Review – 5 Secrets of Story Structure by KM Weiland
5 Secrets of Story Structure by KM Weiland covers off on the fundamentals of structuring a novel.

The Cover: This is a solid non-fiction cover that clearly conveys what the book is about.

The Good Stuff: This book is well presented and provides the formula for writing a good story in an easy to understand way. The content is very similar to Planning Your Novel by Janice Hardy, but presented in a slightly different format. From memory, I paid around $16.00 for the Janice Hardy book and I have no regrets, but (at time of writing this review) this one by KM Weiland is currently free on Amazon and Kobo and is just as insightful. Excellent value and a great book for anyone who needs to gain a better understanding of story structure.

The Bad Stuff: If there is any bad advice in this book I couldn’t find it. My only qualm would be with the term ‘plot points’. In my opinion this term is a little vague and did not fit, but this is only my opinion and it is a minor thing considering the value of the content in this book.

Overall, this book will be of great use to those starting out with their writing and anyone who struggles with story structure. It will teach you the fundamentals of the structure required to write a good story in an easy to understand, tried and tested way. I’m giving it 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

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

Amazon.com.au
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com
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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Dracula; Here’s What I Think So Far. What Are Your Thoughts?

Hello Readers,

***Spoiler Alert***

So, Dracula has started on Netflix. I’m 3 episodes in already and they run for around an hour each, so they cover a fair bit of ground. Episode 1 got off to a great start with me. It really came across like Bram Stokers Dracula. The make-up/effects are pretty good and it starts close to the original story, but as it got further into the episode it started to go a little down hill for me. Episode 2 again starts pretty well and then dwindles some. And don’t get me started on episode 3.

In my opinion the series tries to be both scary and funny, but doesn’t quite pull either off. I find Agatha Van Helsing really annoying (but to give full disclosure, my better half – AKA “My Amazing Woman” – really likes Van Helsing’s character). And that’s not all I don’t like… The vampire tropes are confused, the story jumps into the future, and apparently all a known deadly vampire needs to be released into the human-smorgasbord-of-a-world, is a good lawyer. No arguments. That’s it. Bon appetite!

I wanted this show to be truly dark and scary, I wanted to love it, I wanted it to be great, but in fact I find I have an ambivalent relationship with it. Sometimes I like it and sometimes I don’t. It isn’t awesome, but it isn’t that bad that I won’t watch it. There are some great scenes in it. It just isn’t what I wanted it to be.

So what do you think? Feel free to comment below.

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.

Or if you’d rather read Bram Stoker’s Dracula, you can purchase yourself a copy from the links below (P.S. There are so many versions out there I will leave it up to you to pick which one is for you):

Amazon.com.au
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com
Kobo

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Book Review – Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings.

Castle of Wizardry (The Belgariad, #4)Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Castle of Wizardry is an epic fantasy novel. It has a prophecy, a magical orb that only an innocent child can touch, sorcerers, magic and all that stuff that makes up a good fantasy.

The Cover: The cover feels a little dated, but you’ve got to expect that with a book that was published in 1984. Taking that into consideration, I think the cover has aged well and it has all the elements I would expect of a fantasy novel cover. I love the title font, it works really well for me and the image itself clearly resonates with me as a fantasy reader.

The Good Stuff: David Eddings writes a solid fantasy story with well developed characters in a well developed world. He tells a good story that will pull many readers in, even if they do not enjoy the style of writing. With so many fantasy novels to his name, if you do enjoy his books, Mr Eddings has the bibliographical ability to take you on an epic fantasy adventure.

The Bad Stuff: The writing style can have a tendency to tell rather than show. I have a personal dislike of strange spelling for names, eg. ‘Ctuchik’, I have to pause as I wonder at the pronunciation. This held me back from immersing myself into the book at the initial stages, but I got over it as I read on.

I enjoyed this book, David Eddings makes good use of his vocabulary in the novel and in my opinion, despite the tendency to tell, this book is still a thoroughly enjoyable read. This one gets 3 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

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

Amazon.com.au
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com
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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The Witcher. What Do You Think?

Hello Readers,

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:

Amazon.com.au
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon
Kobo

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 not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review – The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe

The Heir of Night (The Wall of Night, #1)

The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Heir Of Night is a tale of Malian, heir to the house of night, finding lost powers and protecting the people of Haarth against the Darkswarm.

The Cover: I have a different version of the cover displayed here. The copy I have has a young girl with a sword standing in a brick archway as flames rise up in the background behind her. I prefer the one I have to be honest, but both of these convey a fantasy novel and fit well with the genre.

The Good Stuff: I found this book to be a well written with a richly crafted world. The protagonist and other main characters are well defined, and there are some very dark creatures.

The Bad Stuff: You may get the urge to give up on this book as it is quite slow to get started.

There seems to be a lot of mixed reviews about this book. I sit in the camp of those that enjoyed it. In my opinion it was an interesting read with a good storyline. I’m giving it 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 Magicians’ Guild by Trudi Canavan.

The Magicians' Guild (Black Magician Trilogy, #1)
The Magicians’ Guild by Trudi Canavan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Magicians’ Guild is basically a story about Sonea, a girl with innate magical abilities that appear when she throws a stone at a magician of the guild in anger. On realising she has magical power the guild search to find her before her magic consumes her, but she thinks they want punish her for throwing the stone and so is in hiding.

The Cover: There is a great cover on this book. The Black image on the white background is clean and crisp. The font works really well and the image is a good fit. All together it clearly represents the genre and targets the audience it is aimed at.

The Good Stuff: I liked the different characters and cultures within this story. The character is likeable and well developed and crosses a clear arc within the story. The world is also well established.

The Bad Stuff: Trudi Canavan tends to use a lot of internal thought to convey what she wants the reader to know or think, this irritated me a little. Some of the story was also a little predictable.

Overall this was a very enjoyable book, Trudy Canavan has created a solid fantasy world with interesting characters that will carry you through the story and leave you wanting more. I give this one 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 Orc King by R.A. Salvatore.

The Orc King (Forgotten Realms: Transitions, #1; Legend of Drizzt, #17)

The Orc King by R.A. Salvatore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Orc King is a classic fantasy novel about the search for peace amid the struggle for power.

The Cover: I love this cover. The artwork is great and screams fantasy, but if it wasn’t clear enough the title cements it in the genre. The font also works with this title.

The good stuff: The characters are well rounded and interesting. I aslo liked the magical weapons, the creatures, and the locations. The story is set in a well established world and has all the elements of a good fantasy novel.

The Bad Stuff: There are some over technical explanations within the fight scenes that detract from the story. Some long and clunky sentences.

In my opinion, this is a great fantasy novel with Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, magic and magical weapons. What more could you ask for? This one gets 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

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.

If you liked this review please share it with your friends on social media.

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