Fantasy Book News

We’ve found so many reviews this week you won’t know where to begin. From Warriors to Furies to Empires you can check out reviews of some of fantasy’s hottest authors and recent works here.

Last on our list this week is an interview at The Dragon Page with Charlaine Harris, and I have to say I was disappointed. Not in the interview, the interview is in fact great, but I was really hoping to find a mastermind behind the wild success of Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels. Rather than sounding like the Sookie novels were planned, well organized and well thought out prior to being written, Harris comes off as aloof, making it sound like all the novels in the series were just written on a whim, and that the success really has nothing to do with any semblance of a structured plan. To me, this lends even more credibility to the notion that the whole vampire romance/urban fantasy genre is a fluke, a fad that will pass as quickly as pogo balls and hot pink Hammer pants. The guys at The Dragon Page seem to hint that they feel the same way, but they dance around it a bit, as is only natural when you’re interviewing one of the genre’s heavyweights. They even go so far as to mention an impending collapse, stating that Harris, Jim Butcher and Laurell K. Hamilton would be the only authors in the genre able to survive such an implosion. I’ve been covering the Amazon top 5 fantasy bestsellers for over a year now, and I won’t say I’d welcome such an implosion, but it would freshen up the list a bit. Just sayin’.

• Review: Warriors edited by George R.R. Martin @ BC Books
• Review: Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher @ Hub Pages
• Review: First Lord’s Fury by Jim Butcher @ Book Geeks
• Review: The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett @ Walker of Worlds
• Review: Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky @ Grasping for the Wind
• Review: Stealing Fire by Jo Graham @ Fantasy Book Critic
• Review: Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris @ The LA Times
• Interview: Charlaine Harris speaks @ The Dragon Page

Here’s my list of the books I’m most excited to read in 2010. The first three are not released yet, and are possibly the most highly anticipated fantasy novels slated for (potential) release in 2010. Picks 4-6 are historical fiction, or some twist on the sub-genre. Books 7-9 are continuations, if not necessarily in the same series, of authors I’ve already read at least once. And my final pick is a classic thrown in for good measure.

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

I know its been five years since A Feast for Crows. But Pat over at Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist has this book slated for release in 2010, and he knows George R.R. Martin personally. Coincidence? Hopefully, for legions of A Song of Ice and Fire Fans, its a bit more.

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

The first two books in Scott Lynch’s fantasy debut series have redefined the meaning of action fantasy. Saying the third book in this seven book series is highly anticipated is like saying Tiger Woods made a boo-boo. In other words, its going to be huge.

The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

Patrick Rothfuss delivered a home run with his first novel, The Name of the Wind, and rightfully earned himself a seat among the top dogs in the fantasy novel industry. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that we’ll see this one drop in 2010.

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

With a degree in anthropology, Steven Erikson’s ability with characterization should be fantastic. Gardens of the Moon is the first book in the ten book Malazan Book of the Fallen series. With historical fiction gaining traction in the industry and the popularity of the later novels in this series recently, I’m interested to get Erikson’s take on fantasy novels.

Acacia by David Anthony Durham

Durham has traveled the world, and lived in Scotland for a number of years, before landing in California as a Creative Writing professor at California State University. He’s made a name for himself writing novels involving The American Civil War, Carthage and the war with the Roman Republic. Acacia is his first attempt in the epic fantasy genre, and has made some noise in the industry.

Lamentation by Ken Scholes

Ken Scholes is a new name for me, and really a new name in the fantasy industry with his first novel Lamentation having been published in February 2009. The second novel in the series, Canticle, was released to even higher acclaim, which prompted me to jump on board and catch up with the series.

Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher

I read the first book in Jim Butcher’s urban fantasy series, Storm Front, in 2009. While I’m definitely continuing that series, I’m really interested to see Butcher’s take on epic fantasy, which thankfully he has provided in the form of The Codex Alera series. This six book series has received some great reviews, and if anything like his urban fantasy series, you can be sure you’ll be in for a treat.

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson has been the talk of the industry in 2009, with his co-authoring of the most recent book in Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy series. I read the amazing Mistborn in 2009, and I’m hoping that with The Well of Ascension the trend continues.

Shaman’s Crossing by Robin Hobb

I read Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb in 2009, and while Shaman’s Crossing is not set in the same world, I’m hoping for some more great writing from Hobb. This one has received somewhat of a mixed batch of reviews, but with the grace that Hobb pulled off Ship of Magic, I decided to be the judge myself.

The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams

What’s a year of fantasy book reading without a classic thrown into the mix? I’ve decided to add to my blend of classic fantasy literature by adding The Dragonbone Chair, seasoning appropriately, and simmering for a few weeks.

Wow, away for one week and you miss a ton!  Here’s a rundown of the happenings in the fantasy blogosphere over the past two weeks.

• Review: Furies of Calderon @ Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review
• Review: Warbreaker @ Fantasy Book Critic
• Review: Warbreaker @ Blood of the Muse
• Review: The Well of Ascension @ The Wertzone
• Review: The Hero of Ages @ The Wertzone
• Review: The Light of Burning Shadows @ Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin’ News & Reviews
• Review: A Darkness Forged in Fire @ Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin’ News & Reviews
• News: Guy Gavriel Kay’s new book @ Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist
• Spoiler: Bran excerpt from A Dance with Dragons @ Westeros.org
• Interview: Karen Miller @ The Mad Hatter’s

Whew! Seems like there’s a lot of people reading Brandon Sanderson and reviewing his work these days.  I wonder if taking over the Wheel of Time series for Robert Jordan has anything to do with this popularity.