The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney -
by
Paul Stotts
Paul Kearney's latest novel "The Ten Thousand" is what epic fantasy should be, epic in scope, epic in its gruesome and harrowing battles, and most important, epic in its execution. Kearney has created a gem of a standalone novel here, a fantastic military tour-de-force that...
This Is Not A Game by Walter Jon Williams -
by
Paul Stotts
A woman sits in a hotel room, alone and scared; outside, the city burns, white hot. Black roiling clouds pollute the horizon, flames flicker in the distance, the smell of burning flesh—of death—penetrates the room. She looks out her window, perched high on the fourteenth...
The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett -
by
Paul Stotts
Sometimes it's easier to be a coward. Easier to not fight back. To not stare in the eye of the bully harassing you. To slink around the corner, avoiding confrontation. Maybe the odds aren't in you favor. Maybe fighting back could mean serious injury. Maybe...
The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks -
by
Paul Stotts
If a just universe won't tolerate the existence of Cenaria's best wetboy Durzo Blint (who sounds more like a pastry than an assassin), then we should all be thankful that author Brent Weeks created the morally challenged world of Midcyru to house him. Clearly, the...
Truancy Origins by Isamu Fukui -
by
Paul Stotts
Roger Waters wrote in the classic Pink Floyd song Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 the now famous lyrics: We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control. Isamu Fukui seemingly agrees with these sentiments in his latest novel Truancy Origins, a...
The Warrior-Prophet by R. Scott Bakker -
by
Paul Stotts
There weren't enough superlatives to describe the brilliance of R. Scott Bakker's first volume in "The Prince of Nothing" trilogy, "The Darkness That Comes Before". After such an astounding debut, I wondered if the second volume could match the intellectual depth and overall intensity of...
Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi -
by
Paul Stotts
Often, reading science fiction can be like studying a technical manual, filled with obfuscated, abstract concepts and obtuse, cutting-edge technologies, but lacking a real good story underneath it all. Furthermore, the prose is heavy and dense and littered with infodumps. In point, it is everything...
Thunderer by Felix Gilman -
by
Paul Stotts
Gods roaming the earth, interacting with humanity and generally being a nuisance has been a fantasy staple since Greek mythology. Annoying humans became their favorite sporting pastime. Giving the gods a physical form gave us something relatable, something to blame. Gods suddenly become responsible for...
