by Barbara the Bibliophage | Jan 8, 2023 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Arca is the second book in G.R. Macallister’s Five Queendoms series. It follows the main characters of her first book in the series, Scorpica, which was one of my 2022 favorites. These women are grappling with the changes happening in the queendoms. As rulers and...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Apr 26, 2022 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
The Dragon Republic is R. F. Kuang’s second book in her Poppy War trilogy. We follow the young shaman and soldier named Rin, along with her various friends and enemies. As expected, this book deals with the military and political fallout of book one (The Poppy War)....
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Apr 3, 2022 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
R. F. Kuang deftly combines history and fantasy in her epic The Poppy War, set in an alternative Asia. Based primarily in the China-inspired country of Nikan, it follows the ascendance of young military student Fang Runin, known as Rin. She’s an orphan living in a...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Feb 21, 2022 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Scorpica is everything I want in epic fantasy—world-building that still makes characters the focus of the story. G.R. Macallister creates entrancing characters in places I’ll never forget. She’s billed this as book one of a new series—The Five Queendoms—and I’m...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Jul 15, 2021 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
The Library at Mount Char, a spectacular debut novel from Scott Hawkins, combines epic and urban fantasy. It’s confusing for a long while, but thankfully the focus ultimately tightens. Better still, Hawkins creates memorable characters whose true nature hovers just...
by Barbara the Bibliophage | Feb 15, 2020 | RELAX: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Samantha Shannon creates an alternate London in the not-too-distant future in her debut fantasy novel, The Bone Season. In this London, the ruling organization is called Scion, in fact London itself is referred to as SciLo. And there are many types of clairvoyant...
Recent Comments