Tag Archives: Harper Voyager

The Lions of Al-Rassan is the Rare Single-Volume Epic

Posted on January 12, 2021 by H.P.

Guy Gavriel Kay has given us a true epic in a single volume in The Lions of Al-Rassan.  It is a thinly veiled retelling of El Cid and the Reconquista, albeit altered and compressed (the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula … Continue reading →

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The Shattered Sun is Marred by a Weak Conclusion

Posted on December 18, 2018 by H.P.

The Shattered Sun is a hard book to pin down.  The copy describes it as an “epic sword-and-sorcery . . . fantasy.”  It is, technically, an epic fantasy.  The trilogy concerns potentially world-ending matters.  The third book, after all, opens … Continue reading →

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Gunpowder Moon is a Fine Example of the Sort of Near-ish Future Hard Science Fction I’ve Been Digging Lately

Posted on February 13, 2018 by H.P.

I walked into Gunpowder Moon thinking of it as a mystery, but it is really more of a thriller.  It benefits the most from the strength of the lead—Caden Dechert—and the carefully drawn vision of a plausible future on the … Continue reading →

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Review of The Bones of the Earth by Rachel Dunne

Posted on June 27, 2017 by H.P.

The second in a planned trilogy, The Bones of the Earth is an able follow up to Dunne’s grimdark debut.  Dunne continues to build on her strengths.  But if you were frustrated by In the Shadow of the Gods, you … Continue reading →

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Review of In the Shadow of the Gods by Rachel Dunne

Posted on June 20, 2017 by H.P.

In the Shadow of the Gods is well written, remarkably so for a debut novel.  It is also extremely ambitious.  It sometimes fails in that ambition.  But it’s saved from the rather limited action and a somewhat threadbare plot by … Continue reading →

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Review of The Wrong Dead Guy by Richard Kadrey

Posted on February 28, 2017 by H.P.

I loved The Everything Box.  I even put it on my Hugo Awards ballot.  And The Wrong Dead Guy isn’t, by any means, bad.  But it is pretty pedestrian.

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Review of A Shattered Empire by Mitchell Hogan

Posted on January 31, 2017 by H.P.

In my review of book 1 of the Sorcery Ascendant sequence, I compared it favorably with 90s fantasy and noted its potential.  Book 2, Blood of Innocents, was by no means bad, but there was far too much wheel-spinning.  Book … Continue reading →

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Review of Blood of Innocents by Mitchell Hogan

Posted on December 21, 2016 by H.P.

In my review of A Crucible of Souls, I compared it favorably with 90s fantasy.  It seems like we get less and less “straight-up” fantasy these days.  Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing; I’ve suffered a bit of traditional fantasy … Continue reading →

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Standalone Sunday: Krampus: The Yule Lord by Brom

Posted on November 27, 2016 by H.P.

Standalone Sunday is a feature created by Megan at BookslayerReads (with a hat tip to Drew at The Tattooed Book Geek for turning me onto Standalone Sunday).  It features books that are standalones not part of any series.  With Thanksgiving in … Continue reading →

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Review of Breath of Earth by Beth Cato

Posted on August 23, 2016 by H.P.

Beth Cato’s debut The Clockwork Dagger showed promise.  Its sequel The Clockwork Crown showed improvement.  With Breath of Earth, a steampunk epic fantasy set in a Japanese-dominated alternate 1906 San Francisco, Cato shows she can tell a story with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternate History, Book Reviews, Fantasy | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments