Archive for Best Fantasy Books
Best Fantasy Books: The Mongoliad
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The Mongoliad is a fantasy book that could only have been written in the last few years, as the social network of writers on the web began to spawn new ways to collaborate with readers to create stories. What began as a social experiment in storytelling has turned into a three-part series, of which this is the first book.
This group of some of the best and brightest writers in the fantasy book field decided to see what would happen when you wrote a story collaboratively amongst both writers and readers, on the web. This story is the end result of the first collaboration, after much editing and rewriting of course. Personally, I think the concept is brilliant and the end result is a wonderful pay off.
The Mongoliad is basically a fantasy book story within a story. It takes place in a 13th century world where wizards ride with warriors and the Mongol horde is about to descend on Europe. Leading them is an elder who is one of the elite from a band of warrior monks. Together with his mystic brothers they ride on a dangerous journey that will take them into new and perilous places. They will uncover secrets long hidden and learn of ancient languages amongst secret societies that have held the power to shape dynasties and empires for centuries untold.
Their tale is told through the efforts of Sir Richard F. Burton, who in the late 19th century was given a collection of long forgotten manuscripts to translate for a mysterious group. Although he dies before completing the task his work is not totally lost for a recent rediscovery of his translations thrill the world of archeology and the story is soon revealed.
It is a long journey to follow this route of tales, but one well worth the effort. This collection of writers makes this an amazing journey complete with magic, adventure and the kind of storytelling we all long for. It was beyond an enjoyable tale for me, it was a mystic journey to a magical place through time. You are so going to enjoy this amazing fantasy book The Mongoliad!
Classic Best Fantasy Books: Black Sun Rising
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Title: Black Sun Rising
Author: C.S. Freidman
Pages: 496
Release: September 2005
Genre: Epic Fantasy/Science Fiction
I am in a fantasy book club and I often find myself being introduced to authors that I may have heard of but never got around to reading. C.S. Friedman is one of those, and I am really glad I got a chance to try out his Coldfire Trilogy starting with Black Sun Rising. The book is an interesting combination of fantasy and science fiction elements brought together in a really fascinating way.
The story takes place on Erna, a planet that was colonized by humans about a thousand years before the start of the story. On Erna there is a natural force, called the fae by the colonists, where your ideas can be manifested into reality. For Erna this is a force akin to gravity, it is just a flowing energy source that is a part of the planet. This may sound pretty nice, but when your ideas include your nightmares and darkest thoughts, monsters can be born.
In this world, the ability to manipulate this energy is what makes a man powerful. How he chooses to manipulate it can make him a hero or a villain. We follow two who have chosen very different paths, as those paths merge into one. The one is a Knight-Priest who is a symbol to many of the Church that is the defender from the manifestations that wait in the dark. The other is a Sorcerer, the supreme one for the planet. Once he too was a priest, and at one time he was the Prophet and salvation of them all. Now he is merely The Hunter, the one who hunts humans.
I don’t want to give the story away, there is a typical journey as all heroes must make in these kinds of stories. There is a woman, and she is definitely no shrinking maiden to be rescued, though her salvation is a motivator in the story. But she too is a force to be reckoned with. And we have an apprentice, old in years but still yearning to learn more. Together they form a band that hopes to go beyond the edge of their known world and discover secrets that have been hidden since the first colonists landed. Secrets where the Black Sun in the title is simply the manifestation of the power that remains hidden.
If you love epic adventure in fantasy format or science fiction that is more humanistic then gadget-friendly, this is the series for you. Black Sun Rising is just the first of the three book series, and I am already looking forward to moving on to the second book. Friedman’s language is dense, but always capable of taking you out of your daily life to another plane. The characters and setting make such a real and believable place that you will find yourself envisioning it in your dreams. Just be thankful that here on earth, those dreams never manifest themselves as they do on Erna.
Best Fantasy Books: Gabriel Thorn: A Faery Tale
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Title: Gabriel Thorn: A Faery Tale
Author: Anthony Paolucci
Release: January 19 2012
Genre: Epic Fantasy
It is the tale of a people, the mystery of a curse and the thrill of a romance that is forbidden, all in one story that will draw you in from the first page. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the title, but the language set the scene for lush settings, beautiful beings and a story that truly belongs to the genre of faery tales but is much more than a simple story.
We begin in the darkened room of a small boy, terrified by monsters in the night and tales of goblins told at bedtime by his mother. We smile to ourselves, secure in our knowledge that goblins and faeries aren’t real, until we see that here they indeed are, and come in all types and with all kinds of intentions.
But the story truly takes off when we move from here to the forest outside, where we see the birth of an elf that will be the salvation of the race. As we learn the tale and watch the child grow up, we taste the fear and trepidation of a race who can only hope that the prophecies are true, and yet regret the pain that truth will cause. This is a story that has many layers, heroes that don’t always feel heroic and dangerous men who fight to keep the life they know.
If you are looking for a tale filled with magic and adventure, romance and valor this is the one for you. I had never heard of Anthony Paolucci, wasn’t sure if this was a book worth reading, but I am glad I pulled the sample into my Kindle to check it out (don’t you love that little trick Amazon does to pull you into a book!). It really is like very few things I have read out there, a true and very moving tale of faeries, elves and everything in between, and their fight for survival. In Gabriel Thorn: A Faery Tale we are treated to the kind of story most of us wish for and seldom find.
Fantasy Author Spotlight: Michael Thomas Ford
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Michael Thomas Ford has written books that have gone all over the map and books that have put him on the literary map. In fact, he has written well over fifty books and many have been nominated for a host of awards. These range from nominations for a Lamda Literary Award and The Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker Award to The National Science Teachers Association Children’s Book Council Outstanding Trade Book for Children and being named Editor’s Choice by Booklist. His book My Queer Life is almost a staple for anyone coming out or wanting to learn about the gay scene in America. Wow! So what does this have to do with fantasy and vampires, you may ask?
Well, Michael started writing vampire tales a few years back as short stories in anthologies and that seemed to get the ball rolling, so to speak. Since that time he has come up with a very fun series that centers on one of my favorite writers, Jane Austen. Although I must admit Michael’s take on it is very different. That is because in his latest set of novels, Jane Bites Back and Jane Goes Batty our very own Jane Austen has been turned, as in turned into a vampire. Who turned her, and why she is now living in a small New England town running a bookstore is only half the story, but it’s a good start.
Of course, there is so much more to this author than just award winning books for teenagers or fun tales of vampire romance authors. For one thing, I have discovered he is a not very secret Dr. Who fan. Well, at least I have to assume that anyone who can talk at such great length about the ins and outs of various clown episodes of Dr. Who has to have more than a passing knowledge of the show. And then there is Lillie, the sweetest little inspiration for a three-legged doggie from hell you could ever hope to have. You can check into all of this and more on his Facebook page.
So, Michael is a dog lover, Sci-Fi fan and all around writer of some of the wittiest dialogue you will ever read coming out of anyone’s mouth, let alone a several hundred year-old vampire. I know you are all going to enjoy Michael Thomas Ford’s fine Jane Austen series that we will be featuring here this month. And next week, I will introduce you to the first two in the series, so stay tuned!
Best Fantasy Books: Masquerade
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Title: Masquerade
Author: Cambria Herbert
Release: December 7, 2011
Pages: 360
Genre: YA Fantasy
Heven should have been the happiest girl in school. She was smart, popular and had scads of friends. Of course, that was her life before. Her life before whatever had happened that left her with a hideous scar across her face and her life in ruins. That was the life she had before that dreadful and somehow unremembered night, when everything changed. Now all she wants to do is somehow get through the day with her hoodie pulled up to hide her face, her golden hair that she once proudly showed off now a curtain pulled around her face to hide behind.
Masquerade is a wonderful first novel, pulled from an amazing little story called Before that seems to be quite well known around the web. I saw several people mention it and there are quite a few book review members on Amazon who have read it. In fact, although you might want to check out Before (it is free on Amazon as a kindle download) prior to reading Masquerade, you don’t need it to understand and appreciate the story. It is a gently fable, of love and hate, good and evil and has an ending you won’t quite be expecting.
The story begins with Heven’s presentation of life now – after the event that was to change her life. We follow her day, get introduced to her friends, and see her torment about the scars. But the story takes an abrupt turn when we begin to be introduced to different points of view. That begins after she meets Sam, the new guy in town. Not only is Sam the new guy that is unbelievably hot, but he seems to only have eyes for her. He perseveres in becoming her new friend, and she begins to wonder if he could be more.
From there the story introduces us to some shadowy characters, beings of evil that seem intent on returning to finish what they began when they left her scarred. As the plot unfolds, Sam is there to protect her and give her the strength he knows she holds inside. But who he really is, and what that means for Heven is the real story here. And one that you will need to read and find out for yourself. As with so many YA books, there is a moral here, but it doesn’t overwhelm the story. It just makes Masquerade a more meaningful book, and one well worth the journey.
New Fantasy Books: Between Seasons
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Title: Between Season
Author: Aida Brassington
Release: October 30, 2011
Pages: 244
Genre: Urban Fantasy
This is a ghost story like nothing I have ever read before. It begins within a few paragraphs of the first page with Patrick’s death. We watch him watch it, and we almost immediately feel how likable and absolutely ordinary this kid was. And really, that simple ingredient is the key to the whole story. Because this is not some scary ghost story of things that go bump in the night, though I guess to an outsider that is exactly what Patrick is. But to the reader he is a real honest-to-goodness 19 year old kid who has the bad misfortune to die by accident at that young an age.
But the real story, of course, is what happens after. Because that is what we witness as time unfolds in fits and starts and we watch Patrick watch the world go by. Here it becomes an almost bitter sweet tale as we see him go through discoveries about what it means to be a ghost, to have your life end and everyone else’s goes on. It goes on without you. There is sadness in this one scene, where his parents leave because his mother can’t stand to be in the house where he died any longer. So they pack up the house and move out, leaving him behind. And he is heart-broken, as is the reader as you watch him collapse in the pain of being left behind.
Did I mention that Between Season is no ordinary ghost story? So what happens when after all that waiting and longing to belong, someone moves into “your house” that is just goofy and maybe by some definitions “broken” enough for you to fall in love with her? How do you ever reach out to someone, when you are dead? Because just to make this a bit more tragic, and yet lovely, this ghost story is a tender love story too. I am not going to go into details. So much of what happens to Patrick, our 19 year old ghost with the tender heart and Sara who needed to love again should be discovered slowly and savored. But trust me, this is one that will do the same to you as it did to me. I closed the book at the end going, “Oh wow!” and sat and savored the wonderful feeling it gave me. Enjoy.
Fantasy Book Author of the Month: Diana Rowland
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Diana Rowland is a gal that, from the sounds of her website/blog/Facebook Page is a very busy author. She just completed her sixth book in five years; it is the fourth in her Demon Series, and if the others are any indication, it will be another fun read. Southern by geography as well as by nature, her books use her settings of Louisiana so well that you can feel that Cajun sauce burning your tongue as you read them.
Her second series, about a white trash zombie named Angel is also set in the deep south and in fact has a bit of fun with the stereotype of the white trash kid as only someone from the south could do. The first book, My Life As A White Trash Zombie came out in July and she has several more planned in the series. Since Angel is a bit of a loser who pretty much finds out that life as a zombie sure beats her former life, it has more than a bit of dark humor in it as well. If you like your zombies a bit on the unconventional side, a departure from the George Romero zombie, then you need to be sure to check her out!
But my favorite is still the Demon series, a cop procedural series with a kick; because Homicide Detective Kara Gillian isn’t just your ordinary cop, she can summon demons, and can even control them. Well, most of the time. And that can come in handy when your beat is a town in Louisiana where demons suddenly seem to come out of the woodwork. Diana Rowland’s background as a former cop and her old job at a morgue seem to stand her in good stead with this series. It will be interesting to see where she goes in the latest of the series, when Kara’s pact with a demon lord leave her few options as she fights on to save those she loves, and her own skin. Hmmm – just another day at the office I see.
Since Diana is our author of the month we’ll be taking a closer look at the Demon Series and highlighting it for you right here. The books in the series: Mark of the Demon, Blood of the Demon, Secrets of the Demon and the latest one Sins of the Demon will all be reviewed and available this month for you our readers to enjoy. And as an added bonus, I will be taking a look at her new series, White Trash Zombie to showcase its first book and hopefully get a preview of the second book, which Diana should be finishing up just about the same time we are hoping to be previewing it!
Check in again soon as I sit down with our favorite southern demon writer to see where she plans to go with both Kara and Angel and get a little peek at her latest trip to the San Diego ComiCon this past summer (one of my favorite old stamping grounds) to talk about writing, demons and things that go bump in the night, way down south . . .
