Meeting Elric
Lucy Hounsom
Unlike many people who’ll see this post, I am a total newbie to the character and world of Elric and indeed to author Michael Moorcock. Lest I be burned by…
Lucy Hounsom
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
A word of warning before we begin: As soon as I finished this book, it went straight into my top five all-time favourites, so be prepared for raving. I’ve reviewed…
The Soundtrack to Starborn
So this post is slightly embarrassing, as I’m about to reveal to you some of the music I enjoy listening to. There are lots of elements to cover in Starborn,…
Smiler’s Fair by Rebecca Levene
With Smiler’s Fair, Levene has done something very clever. No one can deny this is fantasy on an epic scale: we have five protagonists, each with a distinct voice, a…
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
The premise of The Invisible Library is brilliant. Clandestinely situated between dimensions – and yes, invisible – the Library is a vast repository of fiction ‘acquired’ from myriad parallel worlds.…
The Iron Ghost by Jen Williams
Although I’m in danger of echoing some of Joanne Hall’s excellent commentary published here earlier this month, I feel that The Iron Ghost absolutely deserves the attention of two reviews.…
Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier
I’ve long been a fan of New Zealand-born author Juliet Marillier. I read the first book in her Sevenwaters series, Daughter of the Forest, many years ago and have followed…
The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell
Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell: a partnership fated to succeed from the start. Gaiman’s modest, restless prose teamed with the trademark art of Riddell results in a frank and glorious…
Vowed by Liz de Jager
Vowed is the second book in The Blackhart Legacy and reunites us with kick-ass hero Kit Blackhart. I was impressed by Kit the first time around and I’m pleased to…
There and Back Again: A Novice Con-Goer’s Tale
Prologue No, I don’t live in a hole in the ground, but I do live in Devon, which bears a remarkable resemblance to the green and sheltered Shire. But even…
The Relic Guild by Edward Cox
There are many things to love about The Relic Guild. First and foremost, it neatly delivers the reader into a unique world – rare in the saturated fantasy genre –…
Fantasy and Studio Ghibli – Part Two: The Search for Identity
In the first part of this series, I took a look at the earlier Ghibli films – Nausicaä, Princess Mononoke and Laputa – and examined the ways in which they…