Wrat-Up 2014 - Top Ten Fantasy Books

 

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

An excellent continuation of Sanderson's extremely ambitious series, putting the spotlight on the main female character Shallan. The other characters also get a lot of screen time and the book - while huge in term of number of pages - sped by thanks to the impressive pace Sanderson manages to maintain.

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

A touching, haunting and heart-breaking historical fantasy, The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is part family history, part coming-of-age tale, part historical thriller. Dealing with faith, family and death, and told with the beauty and complexity of a fairy tale, Walton's novel is deserving of lots of praise.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

The novel that proved stand alone fantasy can work and work extremely well, The Goblin Emperor is a wonderful change from the grimdark trend that a lot of modern fantasy has embraced. A classic fantasy novel of an underdog character finding the strength to overcome major obstacles, the wonderful story is accompanied by fantastic prose.

Unwrapped Sky by Rjurik Davidson

From my review:

"Every so often, I read a fantasy novel that reminds me why I love this genre. Unwrapped Sky is one of those! Full of imaginative concepts, flawed and multidimensional characters and some fantastic prose, Rjurik Davidson’s debut is a fantastic opening to a new series, reminiscent of China Mieville’s Perdido Street Station, while not quite reaching the heights of that masterpiece."

Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb

From my review:

"A slow-moving, glorious exploration of a truly amazing character, Fool's Assassin is a triumphant return to the world of Fitz and the Fool, to the world of Buckkeep and the Mountain Kingdom, to the world of assassins, Skillmasters and dragons."

Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

From my review:

"Once every so often, a book comes along so awesome, so perfectly tailored for your reading tastes of the time that it can leave a reader giddy. Sparrow Hill Road was that for me. A tale of ghost stories, hitch hikers, crossroads and Americana, Sparrow Hill Road is epic in the best sense of the word: a story that crosses time and space, descending down through multiple levels of reality and oozing with haunts and ghouls." 

The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley

The debut of the year for me, The Emperor's Blades combines great characters with fantastic world building, all of it tied up with crisp, fast-paced writing that keeps the pages turning.

The High Druid's Blade by Terry Brooks

A stand-alone adventure set in Brooks' Shannara universe, The High Druid's Blade follows a new character, descended from the Leah family, as he tries to save his sister from a dark magician. A breath of fresh air in the Shannara series, epic and intimate at the same time, all with Brooks' characteristic elaborate prose.

Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood

A fantastic collection of short stories here from Atwood, ranging from a murder mystery to the exploration of the effect three people had on one another's lives. I thoroughly enjoyed the first three, connected stories, but all of them had something to bring to the table.

The Buried Life by Carrie Patel

From my review:

"A fantasy murder mystery to start with, The Buried Life could be termed science fantasy - while not made obvious, there are clear indications that the underground world of the book is our future. While the murder mystery is tied up nicely, providing a pleasant sense of closure to that part of the book, there are larger events that take over towards the end and set up the stage nicely for the follow-up (due out in February)."

Waistcoats and Weaponry by Gail Carriger

Class is back in session...
 
Sophronia continues her second year at finishing school in style--with a steel-bladed fan secreted in the folds of her ball gown, of course. Such a fashionable choice of weapon comes in handy when Sophronia, her best friend Dimity, sweet sootie Soap, and the charming Lord Felix Mersey stowaway on a train to return their classmate Sidheag to her werewolf pack in Scotland. No one suspected what--or who--they would find aboard that suspiciously empty train. Sophronia uncovers a plot that threatens to throw all of London into chaos and she must decide where her loyalties lie, once and for all.

Gather your poison, steel tipped quill, and the rest of your school supplies and join Mademoiselle Geraldine's proper young killing machines in the third rousing installment in the New York Times bestselling Finishing School Series by steampunk author, Gail Carriger

Gail Carriger burst onto the fantasy scene a few years ago with her Parasol Protectorate series, a fantastic historical urban fantasy, full of great characters, humourous dialogue and exciting action scenes. A kind-of-prequel - set earlier than the first series though initially seemingly without any of the same characters -  the Finishing School Series continues in the steampunk vein of the first series, adding the setting of a floating espionage school masquerading as a finishing school. While the first book did not blow me away, I enjoyed it enough to carry on. The series has got steadily better and this, the third book, is fantastic.

Following Sophronia and her friends once again, Waistcoats and Weaponry sees major changes in the status quo, as werewolves plot rebellion and vampires strike at mechanicals. Forced to take possession of a runaway train, Sophronia and her friends go up once again against the Picklemen. There are major changes in store before the book reaches its end, all of which Carriger handles with her usual humour. Her writing continues to be a delight, full of wit and funny turns of phrase, and Sophronia really grows as a character, willing to go once more against the prevailing societal pressures of her time. Her relationship with Soap is especially well handled here 

Setting up the final book in the series nicely, Waistcoats and Weaponry finally begins to bring the Finishing School Series up to the same level as the Parasol Protectorate. 

I gave Waistcoats and Weaponry 4 stars.

Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

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Goodreads

She has many names. The Phantom Prom Date. The Girl in the Diner. The Spirit of Sparrow Hill Road. But when she was alive, she was called Rose. Rose Marshall. Victim of the man called Bobby Cross, she now lives in the midnight America, amongst the routewitches and ambulomancers, the crossroads ghosts and the poltergeists. Sixty years after her death, though, Bobby Cross still haunts her. The man who sold his soul to live forever has only ever let one soul slip through his fingers and he has no intention of giving up until Rose is added to his collection. Welcome to the ghostroads.

Once every so often, a book comes along so awesome, so perfectly tailored for your reading tastes of the time that it can leave a reader giddy. Sparrow Hill Road was that for me. A tale of ghost stories, hitch hikers, crossroads and Americana, Sparrow Hill Road is epic in the best sense of the word: a story that crosses time and space, descending down through multiple levels of reality and oozing with haunts and ghouls. More importantly, though, Sparrow Hill Road is the story of a girl and the life she enjoys after her death. Rose is more than the main character here – she is our guide, our friend and our protector against the things that go bump in the night. I fell in love with Rose Marshall and I desperately hope that Seanan McGuire will come back to her – her story seems far from over as you turn the last page. McGuire is a fantastic writer and her other books have been firmly placed on the top of my To Read List after this. Highly, highly, highly recommended!

I gave Sparrow Hill Road 5 stars

Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron

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Goodreads

When Julius Heartstriker – youngest and smallest dragon of his clan – is banished to the Detroit Free Zone and trapped in human form by his mother, he is given a month to prove that he can live up to the ruthless ambitious predators that form his family. If he doesn’t, at best he will be trapped in human form forever. At worst… In a city of modern magicians and run by a vengeful spirit who has no patience for dragons, though, Julius soon discovers that he needs a lot of help if he is to survive. But putting his trust in humans may be more complicated than he at first thought…

I don’t know if it is fair to call Rachel Aaron a rising star in the SFF genre anymore – after a fantasy series (completed), a space opera trilogy (completed) and now the beginning of an urban fantasy series starring dragons, she is definitely an established member of the firmament. Although I am ashamed to say I have not read her fantasy series, I devoured the space opera trilogy she released earlier in the year and this new urban fantasy went straight to the top of the TBR list. It was definitely worth it. Starring a young dragon trapped in human form by his mother, Nice Dragons Finish Last is an almost perfect urban fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic type future where magic has returned on the wings of an asteroid impact, unleashing fairy creatures of all description on the Earth. Amongst those are the dragons, ancient beings who have lain in wait for this return and are now returning to their place at the top of the food chain. Julius, unfortunately, is not a particularly well considered specimen of dragonkind, but through the book he learns to embrace his flaws as strengths, proving himself to his family and the human allies he has surrounded himself with. Nice Dragons Finish Last works as a fantastic coming of age tale as well as an urban fantasy, employing a number of exciting set pieces and unfolding a vast array of worldbuilding to fantastic effect. Aaron knows how to tell a fantastic story and she proves that once again here. Highly recommended! 

I gave Nice Dragons Finish Last 5 stars

Peacemaker by Marianne de Pierres

 

 

Gold faded to purple and then a dying red. Sunset from the butte.

In the last open natural space in the world, Virgin 'Ginny' Jackson works as a park ranger, charged with protecting the natural habitat from anyone who might wish to encroach on its borders. When she stumbles upon a murder, though, Ginny finds herself on the wrong end of official police interest. Her situation is made even more complex by the presence of a United States Marshall apparently seconded to the Rangers, a Marshall who seems to be able to see the invisible eagle that Ginny has always believed was only a delusion...

I had heard a lot about Marianne de Pierres in connection with her Parrish Plessis series and the space opera quadrology Sentients of Orion. Although I never got around to reading either of these series, the blurbs and covers had definitely put de Pierres on my radar and so when I saw that she had a new book in a new series coming out this year I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to have a read. When the book was made available on Netgalley - without needing approval to get it - I jumped at the chance and added it to this month's To Read List so that I could get through it before the release date. The setting sounded interesting, as did the mixture of future cyberpunk elements with what sounded like an urban fantasy type main character and plot.

Peacemaker takes place in an undisclosed future year, one where huge arc-like cities cover the Earth and a single open park area remains in modern-day Australia, policed and protected by a group of Park Rangers. Our main character, Ginny, is one of these, and she has a personal stake in the job - her father was one of the founders of the Park and he lost his life soon after it opened. When Ginny stumbles upon a murder within the park, then, it is in her direct interest to see that the murder does not escalate and harm the place she is charged with protecting. Things are made more complicated, though, when she is assigned to work with a US Marshall and she begins to see an invisible eagle that she has not seen since she was a girl, an eagle she has spent her adulthood convincing herself that she imagined. When the Marshall reveals that he can see it too, and that he has one of these Mythos himself, Ginny is drawn into a worldwide conspiracy.

I really wanted to like Peacemaker more than I did. The mixture of urban fantasy with a post-cyberpunk type world sounded intriguing and it is certainly a nice twist on both. However, this very setting is where the book was really let down for me. I never got the feeling of a clear-cut world around Ginny. The Park does not appear as much as would seem expected given its prominence in the blurb, while the city around it is a dull array of names of districts, none of which have a clearly defined sense of place. The level of technology was another disappointment - while we are dealing with a future far enough away from our own to have allowed for the construction and development of these huge cities that have extended so far as to leave hardly any free open spaces left, there was little other obvious technological development. Every time one of the characters uses a cellphone or a tablet, it created a dissonance for me that yanked me right out of the book. Surely, at the rate at which technology changes in the real world, by the time we reach these huge megalopolises, we would have moved beyond the same hardware we all use today. This of course may be my own personal peeve and your own mileage may vary.

On the other hand, de Pierres has created a nice cast of characters. All of them are multidimensional, affording for some strong, snappy dialogue between the main characters. Ginny herself is a good, strong female character, but there was nothing in her personality that drew me to her or allowed me to create an emotional attachment. I did not feel for her as she struggled against the various difficulties she encountered and because of that it was easy for me to disconnect from the plot and put the book down.

In terms of the plot, there were some very well done twists throughout and the way the book concluded affords a glimpse of some interesting ideas planned for future volumes. The romantic subplots were well done, believable and not in any way diverting attention from what was happening around them. However the mystery that Ginny is investigating never engaged and I found myself skimming through certain parts, waiting for the story to take off. Unfortunately, for this reader at least, it never did.

An interesting twist on the urban fantasy model that combines two genres, Peacemaker lacked a distinct setting and a captivating plot. Although the well-rounded, interesting characters made up for both of those slightly, I found it difficult to get to the end, skimming through and looking for something to catch my attention. I had high hopes for the book from everything I had heard about de Pierres up until now, but I was left disappointed. I would definitely try another book by the author in a different world, but I very much doubt I would pick up the sequel to Peacemaker. I gave Peacemaker 2.5 pistols out of 5.

Goodreads
Buy It For Amazon
Author's Website

From the Blogosphere:
Tor.com
MandyWrangles
Tsana's Reads and Reviews

From the Author's Mouth:
Interview by fellow author Jason Fischer