Santa Womble Goes On A Quest!
Hellooo!
For today’s stocking filler I have a selection of fantasy books you could gift to your loved ones or you know I won’t judge you having one or ten for yourselves. It is Christmas after all
Titanchild by Jen Williams — Runalong The Shelves - A fine finish to a very interesting duology which has a reimagined aversion of the British Isles where all out myths are real.
An Instruction in Shadow by Benedict Jacka — Runalong The Shelves - A impressive and very interesting second entry into a contemporary fantasy series that mixes working class characters with magical elites and I’m really interested in where this series is going.
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong — Runalong The Shelves - I don’t read a lot of cosy fiction but I really enjoyed this low stakes tale with a set of interesting but kind characters going on a journey and finding their own place in the world
The Outcast Mage by Annabel Campbell — Runalong The Shelves - I was very impressed by this story with two disaster mages meeting each other. One with no magic and one with too much and indeed trouble finds them. A fascinating world with a smart message on political populism too
The Crimson Road by AG Slatter — Runalong The Shelves - Slatter’s Sourdough stories are a regular treat for me and while all set in the strange world there has been little obvious continuity until this book where we revisit many of the major characters from the previous books. I also finally met a Leech Lord and yes they’re creepy!
Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill — Runalong The Shelves - I really liked this story all told by a version of Jenny Greenteeth which is funny, warm, kind and also throws in some other legends too that are worth staying for. A very impressive debut this year!
Once Was Willem by MR Carey — Runalong The Shelves - An absolute belter of a story all told by one of the most unqiue charcacters you’ll ever meet in fantasy. The small matter of his life after death is just one of many mysteries to uncover and its a treat. How this creates a world based on history that reminds us long ago we saw fantasy as just part of reality really works here.
A Song of Legends Lost by M H Ayinde — Runalong The Shelves - One of the most confident and intricate fantasy debuts I’ve read in years and the fascinating world and characters we meet are explored at all layers of society. I’m very excited finding out where this series goes next!
A Palace Near the Wind by Ai Jiang — Runalong The Shelves - A story clashing two very different groups of people appears to be a story we’ve read before and then Jiang pulls the rug out from under our feet several times. A delight to read and that is all I will say
The Land of the Living and the Dead by Shauna Lawless — Runalong The Shelves - Another excellent ending to this first cycle of stories mixing Irish history and myth with one of the finest anti-heroines you can’t help admiring how far she will go to win her family (and herself) power.
Days of Shattered Faith by Adrian Tchaikovsky — Runalong The Shelves - The Tyrant Philosophers series is a facsinating and timely exploration of power and control about how Empires that see themselves as the Good Guys work. This story is almost Le Carre like in its use of realpolitik and diplomacy as weapons of controlling allies, enemies and those who live within it.
Damned by Genevieve Cogman — Runalong The Shelves - A very interesting trilogy that explores revolutions, the british love of the upper classes and making your own future all cleverly come together.
The Lady, The Tiger And the Girl Who Loved Death by Helen Marshall — Runalong The Shelves - Marshall delivers a tale of a strange city, magical entities, totalitarian control and all combined with some gorgeous storytelling. A wonderfully strange delight.
Vianne by Joanne Harris — Runalong The Shelves - An unexpected prequel to Chocolat and a young pregnant woman finding her role in life with a little touch of magic. A modern style story using its 1990s French background to powerful effect.
Heart of the Wyrdwood by RJ Barker — Runalong The Shelves - The Forsaken trilogy ends and this very ambitious series takes risks and continues to in this story with a humdinger of an ending explaining a lot of the story’s mysteries. I’d love to see your faces when all is revealed!
The House on Utopia Way by Stefan Mohamed — Runalong The Shelves - from the epic to the surreal with a noir fantasy set in a world where nothing stays the same for long. It is very fresh and has some interesting thoughts on our own world of many communities uneasily aside one another
The Executioner's Blade by Andrew Knighton — Runalong The Shelves - A hugely refreshing and inventive story as we follow an executioner fid out she has been used. A great main character and a fascinating city awaits the reader
The Incandescent by Emily Tesh — Runalong The Shelves - Stay for a magical school story that actually unpicks how such schools work in reality but stay for the middle aged main character who is both amazing and hugely flawed and just a delight to read about. Tesh continues to be an author to watch
Tideborn by Eliza Chan — Runalong The Shelves - fathomfolk was a delight to read last year and this story ends the duology and continues the use of smart exploration of serious themes such as migration and populism. Chan is an author I can’t wait to see what has in store for us next!
A Sword of Gold and Ruin by Anna Smith Spark — Runalong The Shelves - A second entry into a series that in a few hundred pages still deliver more myth and spectacle than many a 600 page epic does. A gorgeous poetical read
Writing The Magic - Essays On Crafting Fantasy Fiction edited by Dan Coxon and Richard V Hirst — Runalong The Shelves - Now this is non-fiction but its about how fantasy gets written and there is a feast of joy for you in this entry into the Writing series and its smart!
The Green Man’s Holiday by Juliet E McKenna — Runalong The Shelves - Ok this story has one of the best titles I’ve seen used to fool a reader. What appears initially a fun low-key adventure becomes one of the tensest reads I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. The green man series is a constant delight
Daughters of Nicnevin by Shona Kinsella — Runalong The Shelves - I read a lot so when a book really surprises me with where it goes I pay attention and this story stands out for making me think its going to be a big conflict but instead its a very personal human conflict that becomes the final act and I was floored by how good it was handled. Kinsella continues to be an author I enjoy reading and watching develop as a storyteller.
Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anson — Runalong The Shelves - I like stories to take some risks and here a fairly innocent character who does know very much of her own world is able to showcase the many complexities and factions creating the world that she is a part of.
