Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review

This week we look at the work of Gene Wolfe.  His series the Book of the New Sun is widely admired by authors of the fantasy genre.  Each volume is carefully crafted with not a word out of place. But it is not for the faint hearted....----more---- And while you are here, have a look at A Jade Treasury. One of my own books about the legends and myths surrounding Jade, the Stone of Heaven. To ancien...

A writer who has faded into the background somewhat in recent years is Michael Moorcock. He was a prolific author in the 1960s, 70's and 80s and his influence on the modern fantasy genre should not be underestimated. One of his greatest creations was the crimson eyed albino, Elric, who wielded the sentient and malevolent sword, Stormbringer, the drinker of souls.----more---- You can buy the book b...

One of my favourite series is The Black Company by Glen Cook. First published in the 1990s, the books became best sellers a second time twenty years later when they were reissued. This is in part I think due to the fact that truly high quality Grimdark novels are rare as hen's teeth. And lets be fair. When Glen Cook first published these books the term Grimdark hadn't yet been invented.  You can b...

This week we take a look at The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson. A must for any fan of Grimdark fantasy and Norse saga. ----more---- You can buy the book by clicking on the link below. I make a tiny commission if you do so. It does not affect the price you pay and all proceeds go towards the making of these podcasts. BUY THE BOOK HERE    

LEGEND BY DAVID GEMMELL.   One of the best authors of epic fantasy has to be David Gemmell. His debut novel, Legend, is one of the best debut novels ever written in the genre and launched the career of a writer who, was a master of plotting and storytelling.   Click on the link below or the cover to order your copy. If you order through this podcast I make a tiny commission which does not affect t...

American Gods by Neil Gaiman Neil Gaiman has quite rightly been lavished with awards and praise for his work, His comic series, The Sandman, has been made into a very stylish television series. As has the novel American Gods, which many consider to be his best work so far. ----more---- You can purchase a copy of American Gods by clicking the link below.  I receive a tiny commission if you buy the...

While tales about swords and sorcery have been around for hundreds if not thousands of years, the genre as we know it, only began to take shape about a century ago with Rober E Howard’s Conan the Barbarian. There were a few others writing in a similar style all those years ago and most of those have been forgotten. But not Fritz Leiber. His tales about two morally ambiguous thieves who lived in th...

There are few writers in the fantasy genre who come anywhere close to Stephen Donaldson when it comes to world building. He creates a world with unforgettable characters and utterly distinctive creatures. While most writers stick to elves, dwarves, wizards and the like, he goes that extra mile to allow the reader to suspend disbelief and lose themselves in the stories he writes. The Chronicles of...

The latest episode in my fantasy book review. A podcast aimed at those who love fantasy and science fiction but have run out of things to read. A place to discover hidden gems that seem to have been lost in time, as well as the best that is on offer from modern writers. It's not a review so much as my desire to share the books that I have enjoyed in more than half a century of reading SFF.

One of the best writers of fantasy to emerge in the twenty first century has to be Anthony Ryan. He is a prolific author who, like many others who became best-selling authors, struggled to get published. He forced his way onto the scene by publishing his first novel, Blood Song, himself. It sold enough copies to grab the attention of a major publisher, and he hasn't looked back since.  BUY THE BOO...

Ann Rice is not always a writer associated with the fantasy genre. She is better know for horror. Her Vampire Chronicles are well known. But she produced a wonderful book that perhaps no one else would even attempt, yet alone succeed in writing. ----more---- AND WHILE YOU ARE HERE......... YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER....... Diving into the legends and myths surrounding jade, the Stone of Heaven.  T...

Andre Norton may be best known for her Witchworld series of fantasy novels but an earlier work, the Beastmaster, is just as good if not better. 

An overview of one of the best fantasy trilogies to be published in recent years. The three books of the First Law series are a must for any lover of fantasy who like their fantasy grimdark alleviated by wry humour.