This was a pretty great anthology. I was probably destined to like it because it’s pretty hard for me to dislike most kinds of fantasy. This is also different than some anthologies because the editor didn’t commission pieces for this book, but collected them from other already published sources. I sampled a lot of authors I’ve been meaning to try for some time, although I’m annoyed that some of the stories occur halfway through a series or something like that. If you like Epic fantasy […]
Not at all what I expected. Sadface forever :(
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. Like, there should be a GIF of Will Ferrell as Mugatu making that face with his big hair right here in this review, only I’m too upset to actually find and put it here. And I feel like the ridiculousness of that image would sort of undercut how, I don’t know . . . upset? I was while reading this book. I even read all of Pat’s warnings: on his website, in the forward to the book, on […]
On Sequilitis, Nymphomaniacal Faeries, and Leveling Up
I’m not exactly reporting breaking news when I say that sequels are tricky. Finding the balance between giving people what they liked from the first book and adding enough to justify a second book is one of the more difficult challenges an author faces. Which brings me to The Wise Man’s Fear, the 1100-page brick of a middle chapter in Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicles trilogy. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some 1100-page bricks. There are few things in this world that I love […]
On Fantasy Giants, Magic Systems, and Cool Metatextual Stuff
Fantasy, like few other genres of popular culture, is the land of giants. Metaphorical ones, of course, but I can’t think of many more artistic endeavors where the playing field is dominated by a mere few authors. One only has to pick up any Terry Brooks novel, for instance, to see the long shadows cast by JRR Tolkien (Classic Fantasy Hero’s Journey) and CS Lewis (People Magically Transported to a Strange Place). More recently, JK Rowling (Manichaean Battle with Scholastic Backdrop) and George RR Martin […]