Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Underrated Series or Books in the Fantasy Genre

From the Broke and Bookish

This week's theme: Top Ten Underrated Authors or Books in x genre. I decided to go with fantasy series from mostly well-known authors that don't get as much hype as they deserve.


Top Ten Underrated Series or Books in the Fantasy Genre

 

 

Daniel Abraham’s Long Price Quartet

Not much buzz around this one when it came out and rarely mentioned on blogs or discussions, this is a fantastic epic fantasy with intriguing characters and wonderful world building.

Robin Hobb’s Soldier Son Quartet

Often forgotten next to Hobb’s more well known Farseer series, this is just as well written, with a main character whose angst and voice is almost on par with Fitz, and a very different world reminiscent of turn of the century America.

Raymond E Feist’s Riftwar Saga
 
Although Feist’s Riftwar Saga definitely has its ups and downs in terms of quality, it is hard to argue with the fact that it is a vast epic with a clear ending, written as historical fiction in a secondary world. A huge achievement and one that is not recognized enough in my opinion.

Steve Cash’s The Meq trilogy

Not a very well known trilogy, this is historical fantasy done well, with a race of child-like immortals and their internecine battles across the ages.

S.L. Farrell’s The Nessantico Cycle

I came across this one over at Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist and was delighted to pick them up. I’ll point you to the Hotlist for reviews, but these are well worth picking up.

Saladin Ahmed’s Throne of the Crescent Moon

Here’s my review of the novel – secondary world fiction in an Arabian Nights type world, with an unexpected hero and some great magic.

Kate Elliot’s Crossroads Series

Again, one of those authors who does not get enough recognition. The Crossroads series is one of her best (and it has giant eagles flying into battle!)

Anne Lyle’s Night’s Masque Trilogy

Another historical fantasy, this one set in Elizabethan times. A great story with a clear ending that is a globe-trotting adventure that also manages to play with politics, magic and reincarnation.

M.L.N Hanover’s The Black Sun's Daughter Series

Another of Daniel Abraham’s series’ to be included on the list – this one under his Hanover pseudonym. A great urban fantasy adventure that starts with a bang.

Katherine Addison’s The Goblin Emperor

I loved this when I read it at the beginning of the summer but it doesn’t seem to be getting all the hype it deserves. A fantastic fantasy epic with a main character it is easy to become attached to.

 

What about you? What books, authors or series in any genre do you feel are underrated?

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

Amazon
Goodreads

What if you were called upon to investigate the perfect crime? What if you realized that the person who had committed that crime had used a book you wrote to achieve it? That is the situation facing Pilgrim, codename for a man who does not exist. Pilgrim used to be a spy. Now he’s retired. But his retirement is about to end… When a terrifying weapon threatens America, Pilgrim will have to begin a race against time that will take him from Mecca to Turkey to Alsace to the Hindu Kush in order to find a faceless man. A man who may be closer to him than he could possibly expect…

I Am Pilgrim has received a lot of hype over the past few months – even here in France, every time I go into a bookshop I find it on the shelves, showered in praise from readers and critics alike. I am glad to say that it more than lives up to the hype – in fact I would imagine that this book will be up there in my top-ten list by the end of the year. Opening in a hotel room in the US, the book starts out as a murder mystery before delving into the history of the main character, the man who introduces himself as Pilgrim. From there, we are taken on a whirlwind tour of espionage, terrorism and murder, a globe-trotting thrill ride that also manages to delve into such themes as growing old, family, love and the cost of freedom. I loved the fact that while the entire story is told in first person, Terry Hayes manages to use that to segue into an omniscient third person at times, giving us a glimpse into the lives of various other characters along the way. I was hooked from the first page and it did not let up until the end. If you haven’t already, pick it up, read it and enjoy!

I gave I Am Pilgrim 5 stars (because I couldn't give it any more)!

New On The Library Shelves 07 09 14

AKA Showcase Sunday

A new segment here, participating in the Showcase Sunday meme over at Books, Biscuits & Tea.

 

Got a couple of Doctor Who books via Netgalley this week, which I'm excited about. Also bought the last VanderMeer book in the Southern Reach trilogy - wasn't hugely convinced by the second but am interested to see how he's going to wrap it up.

For review:
We Will All Go Down Together by Gemma Files
No One Gets Out Alive by Adam Nevill
Doctor Who: Silhouette by Justin Richards
Doctor Who: The Blood Cell by James Goss
The Barefoot Queen by Ildefonso Falcones
The Distance by Helen Gitrox
The Lost Empress by Steve Robinson
Written in the Blood by Stephen Lloyd-Jones
Cosby: His Life and Times by Mark Whitaker

Bought:

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan
Maplecroft by Cherie Priest
Acceptance by Jeff Vandermeer
 

So, what's new on your shelves this week?

La Reine Etranglee (The Strangled Queen) by Maurice Druon

Amazon
Goodreads

After the events of The Iron King, The Strangled Queen picks up immediately after King Phillip’s death, with his weakling son, Louis X, coming to the throne. As Louis struggles to assert himself and navigate the tangled strands of family and politics that surround him, the chief worry of the court is his wife – Marguerite of Bourgogne, the adulteress locked in prison and waiting to know her fate. As the church attempts to choose a new Pope and the country falls into famine, the complex rivalries at court will tear the country apart, leading to a crime that will haunt the country for years to come…

The Strangled Queen was a great continuation of The Iron King, picking up almost immediately after the last book and continuing the storylines introduced in the first book. We once again follow as courtiers, bankers and kings struggle within the tangled web of rivalries, family fueds and class wars, and it is definitely a good idea to pick this one up not too long after the first. The title gives away a major plotpoint later in the book, obviously, but for anyone with a knowledge of history the eventual fate of Marguerite of Bourgogne is not a major surprise. That fate, though, is really secondary to the complex plotting, scheming and intrigue that goes on between Charles of Valois and Enguerrand de Marigny, plotting that takes many twists and turns before the end of the book. In the centre of this is Louis, a weak man who has responsibility and power foisted on him and who deals with it as best he can… which unfortunately is not very well at all. Louis’ character is not appealing but it is interesting, giving us a glimpse into the fractured psyche of a man whose fears and insecurities look set to drag his country down with him. Thanks to this character, and the constant comparison with his younger brother, Maurice Druon does a good job of shining a light on the utterly illogical means of choosing a leader under any kind of political system where the first bon son follows his father, thus putting aside other siblings who might be much more suited to the job.

I gave The Strangled Queen 4 stars.

The Shadow Throne by Django Wexler

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Goodreads

Returning from their victorious – but costly – campaign in Khandar, Janus bet Vhalnich and his loyal deputies Marcus d’Ivoire and Winter Ihernglass find that the kingdom of Vordan is in turmoil. The king is on his deathbed, leaving no one but his daughter to take his place. Princess Raesinia, though, is a woman with a secret, one that may have placed herself – and the kingdom – into the hands of the dangerous Duke Orlanko. When she turns to Janus, newly named Minister of Justice, the kingdom finds itself on a collision course with events that may throw the entire nation into chaos…

The Thousand Names was a highlight of the fantasy world last year, a well-written, exciting debut that introduced an intriguing world and some fantastic characters. The book wrapped up its own story but introduced a large amount of new possibilities, many of which are explored in The Shadow Throne. Django Wexler does a great job of expanding on those, creating a society at boiling point and a city that is about to explode. Thanks to a couple of new point of view characters, including the Crown Princess, we are introduced to the capital city of Vordan, a place reminiscent of 19th century Paris in the stresses and tensions lying just below the surface. Wexler brings all of this to boil and allows it to overflow, creating a tense, exciting second half to the novel after a more leisurely build up. Everything builds to a fantastic climax that bodes well for the future of the series, introducing some major new antagonists for our characters to deal with. A fantastic follow up to what is shaping up to be a major fantasy.

I gave The Shadow Throne 5 stars.

The Sixth Extinction by James Rollins

Amazon
Goodreads

After a military research station broadcasts a distress call ending with the order “Kill us… kill us all,” Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma are called upon to investigate. When they arrive at the lab, they discover a blight has destroyed everything within fifty square miles and that the blight is now spreading. An apocalypse is on its way, an event that might lead to the infamous Sixth Extinction. Forced to decipher an ancient threat rising from the distant past, the Sigma team will follow an ancient map rescued from the Library of Alexandria, one that points to Antartica and a prehistoric continent where a new form of life may spell death for an entire world. A true race against time begins, one that could spell the end of humankind if they were to fail…

As usual, James Rollins combines historical mysteries and cutting-edge science and technology to deliver a fast-paced thriller that starts with a bang and never let’s up! I’m a huge fan of Rollins’ work and have devoured every novel in the Sigma Force series and in the Sixth Extinction Rollins’ not disappoint. Once again, the team is forced to race against the clock to fight off the end of the world, taking the reader on a whirlwind adventure full of science and history. As usual, all of these elements are discussed in the end of the book, providing a glimpse into what is real, what is not and what may just be… Despite the fact that this is the 10th novel, it is easy to follow along with the storyline and the characters, though I would definitely suggest that anyone interested in the series start at the beginning with Sandstorm or at least Map of Bones.  While one of my favorite characters was absent from this one, all the other Sigmas are present and Rollins also manages to include a number of winks to some of his non-Sigma novels through some secondary characters. The Sixth Extinction works both as a thriller on its own terms and also as a continuation and evolution of the overall Sigma force series. Definitely a must-read!

I gave The Sixth Extinction 5 stars.

August in the Library

So August was a mixed month – usually hugely busy at work, this year was pretty calm, allowing me more time than expected to read and review quite a few books. That allowed me to get into a good rhythm of posting here (also helped along by a change to the length of reviews) which petered out at the end of the month as the expected rush at work began! Halfway through the month I had a week’s holiday with the family down in the South of France, and we had both my parents and my in-laws staying for a few weeks to watch the Munchkin. Everything is slowly getting back to normal now, though work is still quite busy.

On the blog… Like I said, there was a period of almost twenty days when I managed to have a new post every day, which was nice, and I was able to get quite a few reviews posted. In August I reviewed sixteen books, most of which I had read the month before. I’m probably going to skip some of the books I read this month to get back to reviewing more recent titles, keeping some of the backlog for when I need an extra review here or there. What exactly did I review in August?

Recap

Reviews:

Collecting Shakespeare by Stephen H Grant
Lovers at the Chameleon Club by Francine Prose
Unwrapped Sky by Rjurik Davidson
Teeth of the Tiger by Tom Clancy
Hell Before Breakfast by Robert H Patton
Dragonsblood by Todd McCaffrey
Mr Mercedes by Stephen King
The Rise and Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman
All That is Solid Melts into Air by Darragh McKeon
The Mantle of Command by Nigel Hamilton
The Seal of the Worm by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The Heist by Daniel Silva
The Iron King by Maurice Druon
Demain j’arrete by Gilles Legardinier
Completement Cramé by Gilles Legardinier
Darth Vader and the Cry of Shadows by Tim Siedell

I participated in three Top Ten Tuesdays:

Top Ten Books I’d Give to Readers Who Have Never Read Narrative History
Top Ten Book I’m Not Sure I Want To Read
Top Ten Books I Really Want To Read But Don’t Own Yet

And posted three New on the Library Shelves posts:

10 08 14
17 08 14
24 08 14