Book Review: The Book of Phoenix

The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor

Who Fears Death Prequel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Book of Phoenix is the prequel to Nnedi Okorafor's World Fantasy Award-winning novel,  Who Fears Death.


Rarely do I read a prequel that surpasses the novel, but that is exactly what Nnedi Okorafor has done with The Book of Phoenix. This book is magical, it is a story tellers story.






Details:
Series: Who Fears Death
Published May 5th 2015 by DAW


Links:
Nnedi Okorafor

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Book Review: Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Words of Radiance  by Brandon Sanderson is the second book in the Stormlight Archive series, where The Way of Kings built a great world, and a fantastic story, Words of Radiance (WoR) soared to new heights and depths in fantasy, and genre fiction.

Words of Radiance is NOT a stand alone, this is one where you do have to read the first book.

Read my review of the physical book and artwork: The Words of Radiance: A Work of Art.

Synopsis review of The Way of Kings Book one in The Stormlight Archive:

The Way of Kings (TWoK) is a brilliant start to a proposed ten book epic fantasy series. It has all the epic essentials and archtypes; a young boy, and a young girl, a Hero's Journey, and a Heroines Quest, A Fallen Hero, Good vs. Evil and the expected fantasy huge cast of characters.

But Sanderson doesn’t stop there like any fantasy there is detailed world-building. Sanderson's world is vibrant and teeming with; diverse flora and fauna, fantastical beasts, unique cultures, court intrigue and politics, history, mythology. Oh and he manages to expertly add in foreshadowing, red-herrings, Chekov's guns, plot twists (Well, more like twists, turns, twirls and flips).

What is missing from TWoK is much of the epic fantasy pitfalls. The story, characters and world have depth and are full, without tedious exposition. There is a lack of info-dumps, long descriptive 'journey' chapters, and no characters feel flat or there just for plot effect.

TWoK was full, it took all the tropes of epic fantasy and turned them upside down, pushed them to new levels, it was epic it was amazing.
Words of Radiance (WoR) is the second book in The Stormlight Archive where The Way of Kings (TWoK) built a great world, and a fantastic story, Words of Radiance soared to new heights and depths in fantasy, and genre fiction.

On to a No Spoilers Review of Words of Radiance:

WoR has everything mentioned above in the TWoK review synopsis, and then more times 10. WoR is an intense read. Sanderson has delivered with Words of Radiance. WoR goes above and beyond expectations, this is an action packed fast paced book(All 1088 pages of it!) with intensity and depth.

Where TWok was a book that hooks a reader to the story and the world, WoR is a character book. In the first book we are introduced too and learn to really like one, all or many of the characters. WoR immerses the reader in an emotional tension filled relationship with the main characters, and many of the non-POV characters. Sanderson takes the reader beyond the interest and standard fan-squeee for the story of his heroes and heroines, to the point where as the reader you are emotionally invested in their lives, struggles and successes.

I could write paragraphs on each of the different characters and how awesome and brilliantly they are written. It would probably take a research paper to describe all of the literary and fantasy tropes, that Sanderson has used brilliantly while completely changing them and making them new and exciting.

In addition to pushing epic fantasy into new and exciting directions,(including genre publishing) Sanderson has broken long held canon on fantasy character portrayals and world building. This is no orphan goes on a journey and saves the world fantasy, it is oh, so much more. The Stormlight Archive is an obvious must read for any epic fantasy fans, but I would recommend this book to anyone that likes an in-depth story with great characters.

Read Brandon's article,  Words of Radiance and the Art of Creating Epic Fantasy

"Whether you've been hyped for Words of Radiance or not, you are not prepared for how fantastic it is."  - Rob Bricken
Read more of this fantastic review over at io9.com: Words of Radiance puts the "epic" back in epic fantasy

Links:

Stormlight Archive on Tor.com 

Brandon Sanderson

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The Words of Radiance: A Work of Art

 Before I review the story I want to comment on the book itself. 

The Way of Kings 

Cover Art by Michael Whelan @Tor.com

Words of Radiance 

Cover by Michael Whelan @Tor.com

This is more than a book it is a work of art. Tor outdid itself when they published the first book in The Stormlight Archive and like The Way of Kings (TWoK), Words of Radiance (WoR) is an elaborate beautifully embellished massive tome. 

The Way of Kings stood out, with stunning cover art by Michael Whelan, and wonderful color endpapers it had the most extensive and best interior art I've ever seen in a fantasy or any novel. Whelan exceeded himself with the Cover Image for Words of Radiance. 

Words of Radiance goes one step further Tor has pushed the limits both on the size of the book, (apparently the largest book they can publish) and on the scope of the interior art and of course the amazing cover and front endpapers by Whelan. Sanderson and Tor have pushed fantasy books into a new territory where the art goes far beyond the typical fantasy, gotta have a map mentality. 

The interior art enhances the experience of reading both books in The Stormlight Archive. The images are not just pictures, they are in-world depictions adds a depth that flows with and is a part of the story. 

The in-world sketches from Shallan and Navani's Journals are an integral part of the story and help the reader to immerse themselves in the diverse and varied world that Sanderson has created. The phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words" rings true here. One image is able to replace chapters of worldbuilding descriptions, allowing Sanderson to move the story along without losing that depth of understanding and detail.

 An in-world Alethi script on some of the images in TWoK gave hardcore fans the chance to try their hand at deciphering and translating this script to find out additional information. In WoR an different version of the script was added for another language/ culture. We also see an expansion of the Glyphs, and their execution and possibilities. WoR even includes an Easter Egg Cosmere artist, (Now that is sneaky). This brilliance by Sanderson to include Easter Eggs, codes, scripts and challenges deserves its own evaluation and post! 

The detailed maps, symbols, and icons throughout both books play a far deeper role than just chapter illuminations, they are part foreshadowing, part worldbuilding, and part mystery. 

Well done Tor and thank you for pushing fantasy to the next level in book publishing.

For anyone that reads e-book versions, or wants to see details for the images Sanderson provides all of the interior art for the books on Sandersons website, see book art links below.

* Read Brandons words on Epic Fantasy and The Stormlight Archive books:
Words of Radiance and the Art of Creating Epic Fantasy.

Interior Artists: 

Ben McSweeney - Inkthinker. (TWoK, WoR)

Isaac Stewart (TWoK, WoR)

Greg Call (TWoK)

Dan dos Santos (WoR)

The Way of Kings Art Links

Interior Art for The Way of Kings

Read about the Cover Art for TWoK on Tor

Whelan's Cover Art for TWoK 

Words of Radiance Art Links

Interior Art for Words of Radiance

Read about Whelan’s Endpapers for Words of Radiance,Featuring Shallan on Tor.com

View and download WoR Cover Art and Endpapers on Tor.

Michael Whelan's WoR Cover Art 

Links:

Stormlight Archive on Tor.com 

Brandon Sanderson

 

The Epics of Epic Fantasy.

If there is one thing I love it is a long epic series of  books.  I have been an avid reader for decades and through the years I have fallen in love with multiple epic series, this of course has lead me to frustration, years of wondering and speculation, and an increasing pile of re-reads to do as each new book in a series is released.

I basically divide the series I read into a few different categories, but my top virtual series shelf may actually take up the most physical book space though probably contains the least number of series.

The Epics of Epic Fantasy. These are the series that I have invested in both mentally and emotionally. This is the group of books that require re-reading over and over again between new releases.  These books are my friends, I have known the characters  by name longer than most people I know. Some of them I have grown up with, Some I were with me while I raised my children, and there are others I will grow old with.

Earth's Children series by Jean M. Auel,  Another series that I started early on, I picked up the first book, The Clan of the Cave Bear in 1980 while I was in High School, I read the final book when it was published in 2011, So I spent 31 years with Ayla and Jondular, and an Epic journey through time and across the paleolithic European continent.

The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. I discovered this series while in High School and it is one of the series I picked up partway through the so I was able to start with an immersion reading in the early 1980's of the first 5 books, Story arc, and then waited patiently for each book in the remaining 5 book story arc finally finishing with the final book in 1991. As far as commitments this means I only spent a decade in Amber, though it was an enjoyable one.

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, and completed by Brandon Sanderson. I picked this book up in 1990 when it first came out, This book was with me through my divorce and struggles as a single mother, they were with me while I raised my kids and while I buried my father. I spent 23 years with Rand, Perrin, Mat, Egwene and Nynaeve, along with the thousands of other characters. This is one series where I re-read the entire series before each new release, I spent hours combing the books and forums speculating and looking for the masterful foreshadowing and red-herrings Robert Jordan loaded his books with.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin.  I started this series long before the H.B.O. series,   I picked this book up in early 1997 and have been hooked and anxiously awaiting each new book since. 17 years invested and still going. This is another series that requires re-reads between releases, and before new books are released. Martins world is just so involved and detailed that one reading will not catch it all!

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling.  My children introduced this book to me with the first book.  This is a series we as a family grew with, the first time I could share my book release anticipation, discussions and excitement with my kids.  We  got up early to get wristbands,  we stayed up late to attend midnight release parties.  We bought several copies so that we did not have to read over shoulders or wait, and so we could all sit around and read together.

The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss. Though only scheduled to be three books this series fits my feel of Epic.  I have already re-read the first 2 books, and will re-read the series again and again.

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. I am hooked already after only one book, that I have already re-read 4 times.  With the end of Wheel of Time,  The pending end of A song of Ice and Fire, Sandersons new 10 book series will fill that place in my life. This will be the series I grow old with, that I retire with. I look forward to the years ahead, and the unraveling of a new epic.  New "friends"  to turn to when I need  to escape.

Book Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Gentleman Bastard series Book 1

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A fresh perspective in a fantasy novel, with a pace that pulls you in and pushed you on. The characters are rich and well developed, and intriguing. A fantasy built on city world building combining the best of fantasy and urban fantasy for believable and fascinating worldbuilding.

Unfortunately I found it difficult at first to move past the language used in the book initially it was jarring and pulled me out of the story. Though I am very glad I was able to move beyond this as I feel this is one of the best fantasy series written

I received this book for free from the GoodReads First Reads Program in exchange for an honest review. After receiving the free copy I re-read the book. I think I enjoyed the book even more on a second read through.

With a second reading I was less distracted by the language and the sheer newness of the world and was able to really enjoy and appreciate the gritty and in depth world that Scott Lynch created.


Details:

Series: Gentleman Bastard Book 1
Published July 27th 2006 by Bantam Spectra

Awards:
World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel (2007) 

Compton Crook Award Nominee (2007)

British Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel (2007)

Tähtifantasia Award Nominee (2008)

Links:
Visit authors website: http://www.scottlynch.us/index.html
Authors Blog: http://www.scottlynch.us/blog/

Book Review: A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

A Memory of Light The Final Book in The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

Wheel of Time Series Book 14

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The end of an age, the end of an epic.
After 23 years,15 books, 11,916 Pages, 684 Chapters,4,416,130 Words, I do not think I have the words yet to say anything about "A Memory of Light" or The end of "The Wheel of Time".

Right now I can only say thank you Robert Jordan for your dream and your story. Thank you to Harriet and Team Jordan and Brandon Sanderson who worked to keep the wheel turning.

Links:
Dragonmount.com a Wheel of Time Community.
Theoryland.com hardcore fan freaks of the wheel of time.
Encyclopaedia WoT A premier resource among when it comes to the online Wheel of Time world. It is exactly what it sounds like.
Authors website: Brandon Sanderson

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Book Review: The Way of Kings- The Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have read The Way of Kings multiple times both the Hardcover and in ebook format, I decided in my re-read preparation for book 2 in the series that I would give the audiobook a try.

I tend to prefer reading to audio books, but some narrators are just so good that they add something to the books, and this is definitely the case with Kate Reading and Michael Kramer.

There is so much to The way of Kings by Sanderson, he has really taken the Epic Fantasy series to another level with this book, it feels epic, but it also feels new.
Sanderson manages to avoid much of what makes first books in a series slow and difficult to get into.
He manages to weave in the info dumps, backstory and worldbuilding in ways that make it part of the story, where you realize after you have read that it has been there but is less obvious. Where he can not do that, he has included interludes, short stories of side characters that give a look into different parts of the world without adding 100 major POV characters, or bogging down the main story.

My original review after the first read:

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Engaging and epic. For a first book in a proposed 10 book series, The Way of Kings delivers. Brandon Sanderson has created interesting characters that are real, that you grow to like over the span of this 1000+ page book.
Brandon has created a fantasy world without all of the fantasy standards. It was a pleasure to read the description of a world lacking medieval european rolling hills and castles.
This "non-orphan becomes the savior of the world" fantasy will appeal to non-fantasy readers as well. I have already placed this book on the shelf with my re-reads, I plan to enter this world again.


Links:
Brandon Sanderson
Read Sample Chapters
17th Shard: the official Brandon Sanderson fan site, and Wiki and Forums.
Art work and maps from The Way of Kings.

Amazing cover art by Michael Whelan:

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