Tag Archives: Magic

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

American Literature August 27, 2011 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Synopsis: Plucked from Brooklyn to attend an elite college for magicians, Quentin hopes that his life will be an adventure like those he read about as a kid, but the drama of real life and his own penchant for melancholia keep getting in the way. Review: The Magicians was almost crazy-making thanks to Lev Grossman’s unmatched talent for letting emotional suspense simmer behind the already awesome plot. I was so caught up in the drama of Quentin’s love life and friendships that I wanted as…

Enchanted, Inc by Shanna Swendson (Katie Chandler, Book 1)

American Literature August 6, 2011 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: An ordinary New York City girl gets recruited by a magical agency precisely because she is immune to magic. Review: Cute, light, and fun, Enchanted, Inc. was exactly the palate cleanser I needed after gorging on A Dance With Dragons. I especially loved that Shanna Swendson didn’t feel the need to make Katie klutzy or ditsy. She wasn’t afraid to have Katie be outspoken and assertive. She was my kind of girl and I really enjoyed spending time in her head.

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, Book 2)

American Literature July 14, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Mistborn Vin and her lover the scholar-king fight to carve out a new society in the wake of the end of the thousand year reign of the Lord Ruler, but enemy armies amass on their city, and Vin herself becomes haunted by an ancient prophecy. Review: I honestly don’t know why I like these books so much. Brandon Sanderson is a pretty terrible writer and his characterizations are pretty thin. But I really love what he has created in Vin, a street urchin with…

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

American Literature July 6, 2011 Superfast Reader

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…

The Prestige by Christopher Priest

British Literature June 13, 2011 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: A feud between two magicians at the turn of the 20th century escalates into madcap trickery and violence. Review: I was very disappointed by The Prestige, which promised so much and then just took the easy way out.

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb (The Liveship Traders, Book 1)

American Literature May 23, 2011 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: Althea Vestrit always thought she’d captain her family’s liveship, the Vivacia, newly quickened by the death of her father, but her sister’s husband’s machinations strip it from her hands, delivering the ship into a situation that threatens to break her mind, which puts her crew in mortal danger. Review: I loved returning to Bingtown and my beloved Althea Vestrit in this re-read (actually a listen) of Ship of Magic. Few things have captured my imagination as Hobbs liveships, sailing vessels with figureheads who can…

Golden Fool by Robin Hobb (The Tawny Man, Book 2)

American Literature May 23, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: FitzChivalry, the bastard, returns to Buckkeep to train Prince Dutiful in the Skill, even as tensions rise among the various factions of people who practice the despised Wit animal magic–including Prince Dutiful. Review: Golden Fool takes the story of Fitz and the Fool into a whole new direction, reminding me why I have always praised Hobb for her willingness to take risks. Not much more I can say without offering up too many spoilers for previous books, but if you’ve made it this far…

The Inheritance and Other Stories by Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm

American Literature May 12, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A set of stories by two authors sharing one body: edgy sci fi by Megan Lindholm and longer fantasy by Robin Hobb. Review: I really enjoyed almost all of the stories in The Inheritance. I liked returning to the Rain Wilds in Hobb’s stories, especially because these stories were longer. But the Lindholm stories have an edge to them that I miss in Hobb’s works, and I yearn to see more of that anger and complexity in the Six Duchies stories. This is definitely…

Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb (The Tawny Man)

American Literature May 8, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Bastard assassin Fitz is brought out of hiding by King Shrewd’s fool, now living as haughty Lord Golden, in order to find missing Prince Dutiful, believed to have been seduced by a group of outlaws practicing an extreme form of beast magic. Review: Fool’s Errand picks up about 15 years after the end of the Farseer Trilogy, with the events of the Liveship Traders books happening in between. I remember thinking that this series was much weirder than the relatively straightforward Farseer epic. I’m…

Kings of the North by Elizabeth Moon (The Deed of Paksenarrion)

American Literature April 19, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: A continuation of the story of Kieri Phelan, the newly crowned half-elven king at odds with his elven grandmother, and Dorrin, the female Duke of Verrakai, seeking to use her power to pursue vengeance against her family of evil mage lords. Review: I had trouble getting through Kings of the North. It felt like a lot of exposition and water-treading. I love these characters and have been enthralled by the series to date, but just didn’t really enjoy this installment. But will definitely give…

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