Category: Fantasy
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Last Argument Of Kings – by Joe Abercrombie
Last Argument Of Kings is the third and final novel of the already famous (or notorious) First Law trilogy – and while there are several other books set in the same universe, I think I have seen enough of it, at least for a while. But, before I move on to something else, here I am sharing my thoughts on this final installment of the series.
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Tigana – by Guy Gavriel Kay
Tigana, in my experience, has always been surrounded by a significant amount of hype, since I kept on seeing it recommended as The Ultimate Example of high quality, well written fantasy. Which intrigued me, but also set some fairly high expectations, not so easy to live up to. After actually reading the book, here’s my take on it.
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A Master Of Djinn – by P. Djèlí Clark
If you follow this blog, the Dead Djinn Universe needs no introduction at this point. After talking about the shorter works set in its world, we now get to its longest and most famous piece, that is to say A Master Of Djinn. I was really excited to go back once again to P. Djèlí Clark’s enchanted Cairo, and even more so to see a more extensive exploration of its themes.
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Before They Are Hanged – by Joe Abercrombie
After surviving The Blade Itself, I was tempted to abandon the First Law series for good – but no, who am I kidding, I had to go back and see how it developed. So, does it get any better? Well, as I said the series wasn’t bad in the first place, just very frustrating for my tastes. The second book doesn’t depart too much from what we already know, but it does effectively build on its established foundation. To what end? Well, let’s see…
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The Haunting Of Tram 015 – by P. Djèlí Clark
Once again, let’s talk about to the Dead Djinn Universe. If you’ve read my previous posts, you’re already familiar with its setting and core concepts. The Haunting Of Tram 015 takes us back to the world of supernatural investigations, in the same spirit as A Dead Djinn In Cairo; this novella, indeed, shares some similarities with the first work of the series, and while it has a different main character and an entirely independent story, it does make open references to its events. Now, let’s see how the concept fares in a slightly longer format.
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Black Leopard, Red Wolf – by Marlon James
Black Leopard, Red Wolf has been commonly advertised as “an African Game Of Thrones“. Now, the African setting is indisputable. As for the comparison with A Game Of Thrones – technically, I admit I can see some similarities, after all they both belong to the fantasy genre, both feature sex and violence, and, well, both are novels that belong to a series. Also, they both exist, right? But seriously, it takes very few seconds of reading to figure out the two works are very different in style, scope, target audience. Let’s see what we’re actually talking about.
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The Angel Of Khan El-Khalili – by P. Djèlí Clark
Second entry dedicated to the Dead Djinn Universe! Today I’ll be talking about its shortes that is to say The Angel Of Khan El-Khalili, a story originally published as a part of the anthology Clockwork Cairo, and now available for free at Tor.com.
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The Blade Itself – by Joe Abercrombie
The Blade Itself – first book of the First Law series, mile- and cornerstone of the grimdark subgenre – has been in my reading list since time immemorial. Why hadn’t I read it yet? Perhaps because I have always seen it as something I had to read, something to get done, rather than something I’d particularly enjoy? Finally, I found myself in the mood for some gritty medieval fix and I decided to give it a go.
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Drowned Country – by Emily Tesh
As I mentioned in its dedicated review, my overall impression of Silver In The Wood was something along the lines of: nice, entertaining, but nothing memorable. So what did I expect from its sequel, Drowned Country? Well, basically more of the same? I just wanted to see how the story moved on.
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A Dead Djinn In Cairo – by P. Djèlí Clark
Ever heard about the Dead Djinn Universe? I’m talking about the fictional world created by P. Djèlí Clark, combining steampunk and Middle Easter folklore. Its longest and perhaps most famous work is A Master Of Djinn – but you know me, and even if you don’t, I know myself… What I am trying to say is that, once the concept got my attention, I had to start from the very beginning. So here we go.
