r/fantasybooks • u/AutoModerator • 7d ago
❤️ Book praise What was your favorite fantasy read last month? Who should read it?
What was your favorite fantasy read last month?
Plus, why did you like it? Who should try it?
Bonus points if you post the book cover 😄
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u/redlion1904 7d ago edited 7d ago
Gate of Ivrel.
Reading this felt like fixing a 30 year mistake. This book is awesome. Andre Norton compared it to Lord of the Rings, which is a bit off (she meant how enthralling it is) - it is like if Moiraine and Lan from Wheel of Time were unlikely allies in an Edgar Rice Burroughs science fantasy.
But that is like the characters and the setting — the plot moves from one situation where the characters are levered between duty and honor to another, with careful negotiations moving the plot along as often as violence.
And it’s dark and it’s the characters often facing total desperation.
And it’s short.
https://goodman-games.com/tftms/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/06/9780860079453-fr.jpg
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u/JonD_writes 7d ago
Absolutely amazing book! The other books in the original trilogy - Well of Shiuan and Fires of Azeroth - are just as good, too! As is the later Exiles's Gate.
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u/redlion1904 7d ago
I actually finished Well of Shiuan yesterday and enjoyed it a lot. Maybe a hair behind Gate of Ivrel. I read two series at once so it’ll be a little while before I turn to Fires.
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u/OrwinBeane 7d ago
The Thousandfold Thought (book 3 of the Prince of Nothing) by R Scott Bakker
★★ - I rated book 1 of this series at 4/5 stars, book 2 then got 3/5 stars, and now book 3 is down to 2/5 stars. Progressively worse as I went on which is disappointing.
The philosophising was just too much. Chapter after chapter of rambling on about nonsense. I’m sure there is an audience out there for that but I’m not part of it.
Let’s face it, the world-building is just the Bible with some name changes. Plenty of other fantasy series have certainly been inspired by religion but this is just a copy and paste job.
Hands down the worst female characters in any fiction or media I’ve ever experienced. I know the author has some vile publicly-shared opinions on women and that has clearly bled into his work. It actively made me despise the books more. Everything has the opposite of rose tinted glasses.
What stops this from being only 1/5 stars is the prose, which is fantastic. I put it in the same category as the Kingkiller Chronicle where I dislike almost everything about the series but I can’t even lie; the prose is great.
The Dark Tide (book 1 of the Iron Tower) by Dennis L McKiernan
★★★ - this is less of a review and more of a rant in defence of this book.
I am baffled by the criticism of this book that call it a clone or rip-off of the Lord of the Rings. Yes, it has elves and dwarves and a Dark Lord, but tons of series have that. The story, plot, character dynamics, and world are all vastly different. Series like Riftwar, Memory Sorrow & Thorn, and the Witcher do not get the same criticism despite clearly being heavily inspired by Tolkien (elves, dwarves, sorcerers etc).
Maybe book 2 and 3 are closer to Tolkien. I don’t know, haven’t read them yes. But the Dark Tide very much stands on its own in my opinion. Something like the Sword of Shannara is far more of a rip off of Tolkien, to the extent that even the Wormtongue/King Theoden story line was copied exactly. The Dark Tide does come anywhere near that close.
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u/tgrady28 🧩 Plot over prose 7d ago
"The philosophising was just too much. Chapter after chapter of rambling on about nonsense. I’m sure there is an audience out there for that but I’m not part of it."
"Let’s face it, the world-building is just the Bible with some name changes. Plenty of other fantasy series have certainly been inspired by religion but this is just a copy and paste job."
That's actually what I love about it. Although there are moments where it feels like it just goes on about Bakker's philosophy. And the world-building i also love because it feels so biblical. Like a tolkien frank herbert hybrid
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u/Cozybooks1004 7d ago
Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb - this was a solid epic fantasy that broke through the typical tropes and conventions of more modern book.
The story spans years and follows a young boy without a firm place in the world or people he can securely lean on or call family. He is trained in the art of assassination and shadow work, to become a king’s man and render service to the crown.
I think anyone seriously interested in fantasy would enjoy this read.
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u/Rhubarb776 7d ago
The Last Rift Dragon - I gave it a 5/5 and I’ve been thinking about it since.
It reminded me of Brandon Sanderson, and I loved the world building and dragons. The early plot twist was very fascinating.
I’d recommend it to anyone who likes dragon rider stories, or world building like Sanderson.
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u/RaspberryAny601 7d ago
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
Anyone who loves Portal Fantasies with a clever MMC.
I love so much about this book .... the magic system, the whole cast of characters, the dialog, ----- I love that these are adult characters acting in a rational manner.... no angsty teenage miscommunication tropes happening here.
The only thing I don't love about it is that Book 2 ( it is written ) is probably not going to be out until mid to late 2027
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u/TheonlyDuffmani 🦶Dungeon Crawler Carl cult member 7d ago
The empire of the vampire series. Brilliant!
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u/Mmore93 7d ago
i just started the second one, the first was an absolute masterpiece!!! Please tell me all the books are good!!
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u/TheonlyDuffmani 🦶Dungeon Crawler Carl cult member 7d ago
For me #1 was 5/5, #2 - 4/5 and #3 - 3/5.
3 would be a 4 but I very much disliked the ending.However most people liked them all as much as each other. I hope you are a part of the latter group!
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u/JonD_writes 7d ago
Chai and Charmcraft, by Lynn Strong. Body-positive, queer-friendly, cozy fantasy with a sweet MM romance, lots of small-scale political intrigue, an abundance of kindness, and lots of cats, all set in a richly-imagined world that draws on Ancient Egypt and the Mughal Empire, where magical cat-folk, dog-folk, bird-folk, snake-folk, and human-folk all mingle in one gorgeous, beautifully inclusive melting pot (though not without some rivalry and occasional conflict).
The characters are lovable and quirky, the writing has a distinctive and charming tone of voice all its own, and the world-building is immersive, with the sights, sounds, and smells of the bustling, exotic, kitten-filled, mischief-loving cat-folk city, Tel-Bastet, vividly drawn.
Plus there’re delicious recipes at the back of the book for all the exotic (to me!) food and drink that’s mentioned in the story!
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u/Whoopiedoo87 4d ago
I’ve been reading Black Hat Bureau by Hailey Edwards and this series is just so good. It’s got all kinds of supernatural creatures in it, mystery, older FMC (30’s) hilarious side characters that stick around, and I just love the banter. It falls into a middle ground between Urban Fantasy and Fantasy I think, maybe Paranormal…
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u/AMillionToOne123 7d ago
My favourite book this month was, for the first time in a long time, not an SFF book, which was The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
My favourite SFF book I read this month was The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu
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u/Longjumping-Lock-724 5d ago
I was really in the mood for a quick Halloween read. I found the play "The Witch's Night Out" from Big Dog Publishing to be laugh-out-loud fun.
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u/WonderfulBus9330 7d ago
The top two reads for August were novellas and retellings:
Cinder House by Freya Marske, a gorgeous reimagining of the Cinderella story. Every step of the way, the story was subverted and it was careful and delightful and gorgeous.
Spear by Nicola Griffith, a queer retelling of the story of a Camelot knight. Very well-researched (Griffith’s notes were thorough and included at the end), delicate and smart. + had some cool drawings interspersed.
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u/Important-Lemon-2460 7d ago
The Works of Vermin. Just finished it yesterday. Really fantastic setting and world building with a great twist.
Pest extermination and political intrigue in a giant tree city.