Fantasy Books > W Fantasy Books > Terry Brooks

Advantages: Easy to read, fairly enjoyable if you switch your brain off - one for younger readers
Disadvantages: Repetitive - if you read one Shannara novel, you've read this too

...I totally didn't enjoy reading Wishsong – at the time, it was easy enough to switch off my brain and get caught up in the whole ‘what happens next?’ that comes from Brooks’ writing style, full of cliff-hangers at the end of chapters. However, after finishing the novel and sitting down to gather my thoughts for a review, I don’t seem to be able to find much to recommend it – especially as it’s a writing style that seems to confuse yoda-style syntax ...
...being repetitive. Wishsong introduces perhaps just enough new elements to be labelling 'cyclical' instead, so I'll bring it back up to three - but you have been warned! Price: £6.39 at Amazon Alternatively, the Sword of Shannara Trilogy is available in one volume for just £10.49 ... Read review

Advantages: All the Landover stories are excellent for both lovers of fantasy books and comedy books
Disadvantages: May need to read rest in series to fully appreciate the book

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, was ages ago that I read it but can still remember it, as with all the Landover series. This is the sixth book in the Landover series, and by the look of it the last. The hero is Ben Holiday, a man from our world who saw an advert in a christmas catalogue that had been to interesting to pass up, the chance to be King of a land where childhood stories are real. Being unhappy with his mundane life he went for it and ...
...cope various hardships and of course disbelief that he was actually there. He has an adviser called Abanathy, who was accidently turned into a dog by another adviser, a wizard called Questor Thews. These two are constantly bickering which makes for funny reading. By the time this story happens Ben thinks that he has finally found peace in Landover as all conflicts are over and he is happy to sit back and watch his daughter, Mistaya, grow from a seedling. ... Read review

Advantages: Well written, based on legends and myths but also plausible.
Disadvantages: A bit slow-paced.

...is not in it - the novel ends with his conception. Stewart holds the focus squarely on Merlin and gives us a character that is more than just magical myth. Of course Stewart's character is based on conjecture and legend but it definitely gives a more grounded version of Merlin and also of him as more than King Arthur's magician. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel but it was a bit slow-paced and didn't always command attention. It did however hold my ... Read review

Advantages: Definitely one to keep a weekend free for!
Disadvantages: Might appeal more to female readers

A wonderful story about a spy-courtesan called Phedrem, set in an fantasy world called Terre d'Ange (based around France in the 15-16th Century). She becomes enbroilled in various adventures regarding the succession of the royal family and is assisted by her trainer and mentor (Delauney) and a beautiful but chaste bodygaurd. I think it's the characters in this book which make it truely magical but the plot and the attention to detail in creating ...
...read. As with the best fantasy, there is a strong connection to fact and a great deal of research has obviously been done on Europe at that time. They sequels to this trilogy don't disappoint, in fact i thing the second 'Kushiel's Justice' is my favourite. There is a second trilogy following on from this starting with 'Kushiel's Scion' and whilst it's also very good, i don't think it can really compare to the first. I would recommend this book to ... Read review

Advantages: Excellent debut fantasy - highly original.
Disadvantages: Perhaps too dark for some...?

...own... And what is Scar Night? Why are people confined to their homes after dark, unable to leave? There are rumours of an ancient, wild creature. An Angel they call Carnival... ** From the offset, 'Scar Night' is gripping. Its general premise - a city suspended by chains - is original enough to be immediately interesting. Campbell puts a whole new spin on the fantasy horror genre, using an underlying gothic tone that fits as a back-drop to the ...
...becoming more oppressive as the story continues. Frankly, with the author's adept handling of his narration, it's astonishing to think it's his debut novel. Interest lies with the mystery of Deepgate - Campbell effectively creates a complex world in the 500 pages he has to work with. On ending, you'll be surprised as to the extent of the knowledge you'll have picked up about the history of its world. Unlike many other fantasy novels, 'Scar Night' ... Read review