Tag Archives: Epic

A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire)

On Reading

Synopsis: When honorable Ned Stark goes to court to serve as the Hand of the King, he places his family into danger at the hands of the Lannisters, who will stop at nothing to stay on top, even as zombie-like White Walkers are killing people in the north, and across the Narrow Sea a deposed princess is amassing an army for an invasion. Review: What struck me most on this reread of Game of Thrones (I think this is #4 or #5, I can’t be…

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Cornerstone by Peter Diamantopoulos (Touchstone Series)

American Literature

Synopsis: Tasked with protecting a vulnerable heiress pursing arcane knowledge, an elite soldier finds himself following her to an ancient city in pursuit of a madman and an object that grants ultimate power. Review: Cornerstone is a solid debut, offering a world with strong possibilities for a developed storyline. I think Peter Diamantopoulos was smart in the choices he made regarding point of view and structure, because he did keep me guessing throughout. I really hope that in the second book he develops his ideas…

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The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive, Volume 1) by Brandon Sanderson

American Literature

Synopsis: The first installment in a planned 10-book series set in a world where the remnants of long-forgotten magic may prove to be the undoing of all mankind. Review: My brother has been begging me to read The Way of Kings for ages, and he finally went and bought it for me. I’m ever so glad he did because it was a highly enjoyable read and a cut above Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy, which I enjoyed but found a bit flat. I am going to have…

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Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb (Rain Wilds Chronicles)

American Literature

Synopsis: The fourth and final book in the story of the return of dragons to the world, and how they change humans for better and for worse. Review: Robin Hobb is one of my very favorite authors and I really wish I had done my due diligence and re-read the first 3 books in this series (as well as brushed up on the Liveship Traders series) before reading Blood of Dragons. I really love the world she created here but I didn’t connect with any…

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The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks (Lightbringer, Book 2)

American Literature

Synopsis: The Color War is ON–but Gavin Guile, the only man who can fight back the darkness is losing his powers and facing demons from his past. Review: The Blinding Knife is the second book in Brent Weeks’s stunningly awesome Lightbringer trilogy, which he began in The Black Prism. So far both books have gotten off to a slow start, but once they kick in they are just relentlessly awesome. I feel like Weeks could benefit from a more conscientious editor but his world-building, plotting,…

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Dragon City by Robin Hobb (Volume 3 of the Rain Wilds Chronicles)

American Literature

Synopsis: As the dragons and their keepers grow restless and hungry, only the promise of flight and the ancient secrets of a dead city can save them from enemies without and within. Review: I really should have reread Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven before reading Dragon City, because I forgot so much! How did Selden end up a slave? What makes Tarman different from other liveships? What’s Tintaglia doing? Hobb didn’t do much to catch me up, which I do always appreciate–the book is free…

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A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 5)

American Literature 4 Comments

Synopsis: You really need to read the first 4 books. Review: I have never anticipated a book the way I anticipated A Dance with Dragons, not even Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This will be a spoiler-free review. I plan to listen to the audio book next month and that review will be spoiler-filled. I was thoroughly entertained and satisfied by the book, and loved what happened in the new POV characters, especially Reek. I am impressed by Martin’s manipulative abilities–he is in such…

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Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb (The Tawny Man, Book 3)

American Literature

Synopsis: As Fitz accompanies Prince Dutiful on a quest to lay the head of an ice-encased dragon on the hearthstone of the Narcheska Elliania’s mothershouse, he betrays his dearest friend and brings his own bastard daughter into grave peril. Review: Fool’s Fate is a thoroughly satisfying conclusion not just to the Tawny Man trilogy but to the entire tale begun in the Farseer trilogy and developed in the Liveship Traders. Hobb is after full-bodied resolution and she sure delivers. Everything is wrapped up and no…

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Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb (The Liveship Traders, Book 3)

American Literature

Synopsis: The newly awakened dragon, the kidnapped satrap, the ships with living figureheads who are going insane, and the self-crowned King of the Pirate Isles come together in a rousing conclusion to the trilogy. Review: Ship of Destiny was just as much fun the second time around. I can forgive the crazy amounts of coincidence and deus ex machina because I just love the characters so much. I’d write more but I figure if you’ve gotten this far in the trilogy you already know how…

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Mad Ship by Robin Hobb (The Liveship Traders, Book 2)

American Literature

Synopsis: With the Vestrit family’s Liveship captured by the pirate Kennit and the family falling into poverty, headstrong Althea Vestrit plans a daring plot to regain her ship, even as her niece Malta becomes the family’s ransom to the shadowy, deformed Rain Wild Traders. Review: I know, I know, the plots of second books always sound so silly. You need to know who everybody is in order to appreciate Mad Ship, and if you’ve read the first book I’m sure i don’t need to convince…

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