Browsing all articles in Reviews.
Raw (2017): Disturbingly Brilliant Body Horror
Here on Fantasy-Faction, we’re committed to bringing you (yes, you!) the best original content we possibly can. To accomplish this, we’ve recently recruited a range of insanely talented new contributors, whose interests and areas of expertise cover various aspects of the genre. This means that while the usual brilliant fantasy reviews, interviews, cover reveals and articles […]
Books & Booze: The Lions of Al-Rassan
Warning: Contains Stage 9 Book Adoration Let’s just get this out of the way, and then maybe we can level with each other. I loved The Lions of Al-Rassan. Now, if you have a problem with that, you can meet me outside in three minutes and I’ll introduce you to my wrath via a broken […]
Urskuul’s Reading Circle (Second First Official Meeting)
Hello, and welcome to the first official Urskuul’s Reading Circle Newsletter! Read on for brand new details of the discussions that occurred at the latest meeting (wherein we reviewed the book of the month), and of the thoughts and insights that were raised during the meet. Now, as some of you may be aware, we […]
A Wizard Alone by Diane Duane
Whatever else may be your opinion of A Wizard Alone, you have to admit that you will likely never read any other book which opens with a boy arguing with a DVD player as the DVD player argues back. I’ve noticed in checking out the Young Wizards series from the library that they all come […]
The Hammer and the Goat; The Vagrant and the City by Peter Newman
Covers count; every author knows this. Covers can make you buy books, they pose questions, raise mysteries – draw in the eye and the imagination. It is rare, however, for the cover of one book to make you buy a different book, but so it was with me this weekend. Later this month, the final […]
Sins of Empire by Brian McClellan
Brian McClellan earned scores of new fantasy fans with the Powder Mage Trilogy. With Sins of Empire, the first book in his new Gods of Blood and Powder series, McClellan may have found an entirely new level. As he demonstrated in the Powder Mage Trilogy, characters continue to be McClellan’s greatest strength, as his latest […]
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
As a reviewer, Red Sister set me a challenge I have not had since The Girl with All the Gifts: the conundrum of capturing how it made me feel and why, but without spoiling the experience for anyone who comes after me. (By the way – as far as The Girl With all the Gifts […]
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
It isn’t often that you bring home a game that is a legitimate contender for the title of Greatest Game Ever Made. Games, like books, are so personal and subjective that one player’s favorite feature could be the bane of another’s gaming existence. The reasons I abhor a game may very well be the reasons […]
The Heart of Stone by Ben Galley
‘There will always be wars. And I will always fight them.’ Task is a soldier like no other. For one thing, he’s not human. For another, ‘following orders’ is not a choice, nor has disobedience ever been an option during his four long centuries of existence. The reason for this is that Task is a […]
A Conjuring of Light by V. E. Schwab
Spoiler Warning: To the extent possible, I have done my best to minimize spoilers for the entire Shades of Magic trilogy. However, this is a review of the third book in a trilogy, so some details might have been inadvertently revealed. If so, I apologize in advance. When V. E. Schwab recently visited the Washington, […]
In the Labyrinth of Drakes by Marie Brennan
The fourth book of an ongoing series is a troublesome prospect. Stagnation and repetition are potential pitfalls, and there is no doubt that Marie Brennan totters on a precarious ledge at times during In the Labyrinth of Drakes. Isabella, not-quite-yet Lady Trent, certainly has to deal with many of the recurring themes from the first […]
The Black Guard by A. J. Smith
The Black Guard has been described as “Martin meets Lovecraft,” and doesn’t disappoint on either count. With bleak personal stories of loss and hardship, wars between rival nations and a plot to resurrect a dead god, the novel is packed with action and intrigue. The book is not without its flaws, there are moments where […]
