Review: The Ocean at the End of The Lane – Neil Gaiman

The digest: some of the best magical realism awaits you in Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane - a novel which follows a grieving man's exploration of a childhood he had forgotten.With simply amazing worldbuilding and storytelling, this novel is one that I think everyone should read.

BC: October 2019 TBR

Here's a rather optimistic (if loosely-planned) TBR for OCtober 2019. Please point me toward your own TBRs for this month - I've been slacking a bit on the blogging

Review: Space Opera (Space Opera #1) – Catherynne M. Valente

352 pages | Corsair | Read by Heath Miller for HighBridge Company| Science Fiction, Space Opera, Humour, SFF I read this as part of 2019's Space Opera September Readathon (TBR here). The digest: Space Opera is a rather perplexing novel which sometimes reads more like an encyclopaedia than a fiction story. This is sometimes good, sometimes bad, but overall…

Review: The Forgotten Beasts of Eld – Patricia A. McKillip

208 pages | Gollancz | Fantasy, SFF The digest: a true modern classic. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld should be every fantasy fan's next novel. It's emotive, enthralling, and massively enjoyable. This book is what I would call 'pure' fantasy - it tells a story quite unlike anything else I have read and reminds me of how I used to romanticise the genre - but this time I think the hype is justified. In the same breath, it is both innovative and familiar and I cannot overstate how much I enjoyed this novel.

Review: Blackwood Marauders – K.S. Villoso

The digest: an accessible low-fantasy novel which many will enjoy. Blackwood Marauders doesn't hesitate to throw the reader right into the thick of it, and an entertaining story matched with precise prose means that you will probably speed through this.

Review: Radioactive Evolution – Richard Hummel

The digest: a great introduction to the litRPG genre. Give this one a look if you're a fan of RPG, dragons, and defined methods of characters growing stronger. Radioactive Evolution is a solid, entertaining read suitable for most fantasy fans.

Review: To Be Taught, If Fortunate – Becky Chambers

The digest: Chambers has once again knocked it out of the park. To Be Taught, If Fortunate is a highly political exploration of the human condition, following a four-person crew on their mission to visit distant planets around the turn of the 22nd Century. In just over 130 pages the author forces us to address our own views on grief, sexuality, justice, and the pursuit of knowledge. The writing is of Chambers' usual excellent quality, and her story is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. Highly recommended!

BC: August 2019 TBR

After a long period of slow reading, in August I'm planning on cracking on with eight books. Check them out!

Review: Fallen Empire – Keith McArdle

The digest: a  heavily simplified fantasy novel with interesting ideas that just about misses the mark. If you don't mind extraordinarily fast character progression and a simplified plot, then you might enjoy this one.

Review: Uncanny Collateral (Valkyrie Collections #1) – Brian McClellan

The digest: a fast-paced easy-to-read urban fantasy with a heavy focus on magically-inspired bounty hunting. Recommended to urban fantasy fans or those seeking a break from long, dense, traditional fantasy novels.