The Isles Of The Gods – Charted Trope Territory

Sailing on a ship sounds awesome until I think about being in the middle of the ocean when a storm hits. It’s fun until it isn’t, and that’s exactly how I would describe my time aboard The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman.  With a final sacrifice, the goddess Barrica ends the war by…

The Will Of The Many – The Strength Of The Few

Just as I was getting tired of magical school stories, I found myself presented with possibly the best one yet. Some years it is difficult to know which books will be in your top picks and other years you get standout paragons of excellence, like James Islington’s The Will of the Many. Islington already rates…

Your Star Chart to Science Fiction, No Not That Kind of Star Chart

Science Fiction can be as expansive as our galaxy and only aims to grow larger and more diverse as time marches inexorably forward. If you’re new to the genre, or even a veteran looking to expand your horizons, it can feel overwhelming to find the right break-in points. Do you think aliens are cool? Or…

The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook For Surviving Medieval England – Not Quite

April rolls along, and it brings with it nice weather for this winter-addled Chicagoan. And lo, an added bonus! Brandon Sanderson’s second Kickstarter book—The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook For Surviving Medieval England—dropped on April 1. It’s the only non-Cosmere book of the bunch, fitting in well with his other projects like Skyward. Mild setup spoilers follow. …

Nothing Makes Me Read Faster Than an Underwhelming Book

This post was originally published on Tor.com. Two questions for you today, lovely readers of Tor.com: How fast do you read? Why? I have a lot of friends who read. In some circles, I am the slowest reader, slotting 50-55 books per year while my comrades knock out 75-100. Insane! In other circles, I’m the…

The Sword of Kaigen – Clumsy Wonder

Today I am diving into the increasingly popular The Sword of Kaigen: A Theonite War Story by M.L. Wang. This self-published, Japanese culture-inspired novel has been making larger and larger waves in the fantasy genre over the past few years and is held in quite high regard. I finally managed to find a moment to…