Tag Archives: Adventure

Emperor and Clown by Dave Duncan

Canadian Literature July 25, 2007 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: Now married to the cursed Sultan Azak, Princess Inos finally heads to the capital city to plead her case in front of the wardens, as stable boy Rap rushes to meet her and embrace his destiny. Review: (Is that like the worst cover you have ever seen? Seriously.) Emperor and Clown is the final installment in Dave Duncan’s A Man of His Word series, and a most satisfying conclusion indeed. The overall story is a rich, satisfying adventure full of political machinations and romance,…

Perilous Seas by Dave Duncan

Canadian Literature July 23, 2007 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: Rap the stableboy joins a merchant crew still intent upon rescuing Queen Inosolan, who is crossing a haunted wasteland in order to appeal her case to the four wardens. Review: Perilous Seas is the third book in Dave Duncan’s A Man of His Word series, and again I’m impressed at the skill with which Duncan crafts his narrative. He continually places his characters in severe jeopardy, taking the kinds of risks that fantasy authors so often fear. It’s almost as if the work it…

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

British Literature July 22, 2007 Superfast Reader 7 Comments

Synopsis: Harry Potter braces for his final battle with evil Lord Voldemort, knowing that only one of them will survive. Review: My biggest criticism of Harry Potter has always been his passivity. In the first few books especially, he spends most of his time being rescued or protected, simply because he’s “The Boy Who Lived.” And for awhile, it seemed as though JK Rowling wasn’t paying attention–was creating a hero who didn’t deserve to bear that name.

To Green Angel Tower (Part 2) by Tad Williams

American Literature June 17, 2007 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: As the Storm King’s minions gain power, the forces opposed to his evil influence struggle to fulfill an ancient prophecy–that may, in fact, be their ultimate downfall.

Kiki Strike: The Empress’s Tomb by Kirsten Miller

American Literature June 9, 2007 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: The continuing adventures of the Irregulars, a band of disgraced ex-girl scouts protecting the Shadow City underneath the streets of Manhattan.

To Green Angel Tower (Part 1) by Tad Williams

American Literature June 4, 2007 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Synopsis: War looms ever closer as the dreaded Storm King’s forces grow in power. Review: To Green Angel Tower (Part 1) is the continuation of Tad Williams’s Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series. Parts 1 and 2 clock in at 800 pages apiece, but I don’t know why they’re one book split into two, unless it’s because trilogies are cool and four-book series aren’t.

Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams

American Literature May 15, 2007 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: Young Simon is in the middle of the biggest adventure his land has seen in years, but if he and is friends fail their mission, the wicked Storm King will prevail. Book Two of Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. Review: I know it sounds like Lord of the Rings, but it’s all in the details, people. (Though he does team up with a dwarf and spend some time with some Elf-like folk.) I found the first book in the series, The Dragonbone Chair, a bit…

The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams

American Literature April 17, 2007 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Synopsis: After the death of the beloved king, a land falls into chaos and war, and one young boy finds that his destiny is inextricably linked with that of his people. Review: The Dragonbone Chair is the first in an epic fantasy trilogy that borrows from Arthurian legend and the myth of Prester John, among others, in a vaguely medieval world where dragons are not yet a memory. I found book one to be a very slow start to a series that got rave after…

Luck of the Wheels by Megan Lindholm

American Literature March 18, 2007 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Gypsy teamster Ki agrees to ferry a most disagreeable boy to another town, and discovers a world of trouble when she and her companions find themselves in the middle of an uprising. Review: Luck of the Wheels, the fourth and final installment in the Ki and Vandien Quartet, is the best Lindholm I’ve read so far. Here, she pushes her protagonists as far as they can be pushed, taking the kinds of story risks that make her books so accomplished. She’s not afraid to…

The Windsingers by Megan Lindholm

American Literature March 14, 2007 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: The second in the adventures of gypsy teamster Ki, hired by a wizard to reunite his head with the rest of his body, which have been seized by the menacing Windsingers. Meanwhile, Vandien has contracted himself to a fool’s errand retrieving a treasure of the Windsingers, trapped in a sunken temple. Review: As I mentioned in my post on Harpy’s Flight, it doesn’t seem like Lindholm will be developing an overall mythology, though she is using some recurring characters, and might be continuing some…

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