Nicholas Bruner

Are you tired of generic fantasy? Well, here’s a book that feels personal, a true expression of the author’s individual vision. The Guardian Forest, by Sandra Hunter, is a bit rough around the edges. To be honest, it could have used a pass by a good editor (or a writer’s group!). But despite that, the book’s language is so rich, and the characters and plot so heartfelt, even spiritual, that it’s hard not to forgive it a few typos or a bit of questionable comma usage. In fact, after finishing it, I checked Amazon to order the sequel promised in the backmatter, only to discover it’s not out yet. According to Sandra’s website, it’s “coming soon.” I definitely hope so!

If you like my Last Days of Atlantis series, I think it’s a good bet you’ll like Inker and Crown, by Megan O’Russell. They’re both multi-character-arc epic fantasies with a flawed scribe as a main character. And they both have multiple related organizations that dominate the political structure of their worlds–the twelve temples of Atlantis, in the case of my books, and the seven guilds of Ilbrea, in the case of O’Russell’s.

The Giants’ Spear is the final book in Jamie Edmundson’s Weapon Takers Saga, and all the various story arcs come to their final conclusion here. (I also reviewed the first book in the series, Toric’s Dagger; the second book, Bolivar’s Sword; and, the third book, The Jalakh Bow.) This series has multiple storylines, so let’s see if it manages to wrap them all up in a satisfying way.

The Scar, by China Mieville, is a sequel of sorts to the dark steampunk fantasy Perdido Street Station, which I have reviewed previously. It’s set in Bas-Lag, the same world as PSS, and we learn at one point that one of the main characters once had a romantic relationship with one of the characters from PSS. But The Scar could be read as a stand-alone novel quite easily. If anything, it’s even darker than the first novel, and takes us on a grand adventure involving a hidden pirate city, an island inhabited by ravenous mosquito-people, giant sea creatures, weird magicks, and almost more riddles and conspiracies than you can shake a Possible Sword at.

This time around I read the The Jalakh Bow, by Jamie Edmundson. This is the third book in the four-part Weapon Takers saga–I’ve also reviewed the first book in the series, Toric’s Dagger, and the second book, Bolivar’s Sword. I think it’s a good sign for the series that I’ve chosen to come back to it–it’s been gnawing at my mind a bit, which isn’t the case for some of the other fantasy series where I’ve recently reviewed the first book and never felt the need to return. At this point, I’ll almost definitely come back in a month or two for the final book.

Sworn to the Gods is a fantasy romance by Lexi Caine. I came across it as it was listed on Amazon as an “other books you may like” for one of my own fantasy books. This struck me as odd, as fantasy romance and epic fantasy don’t often mix. When I investigated, I discovered the Amazon recommendation is likely because Caine’s book has a mythological setting, like the Atlantis setting of my “Last Days of Atlantis” series. In the case of SttG this setting is ancient Greece. I was intrigued and decided to go ahead and purchase it.