Lion of Macedon by David Gemmell

… Parmenion is the best character I have come across in fantasy. He has more depth, is more interesting and more realistically flawed despite still being a great hero than any other creation I have had the pleasure of encountering. Read Lion of Macedon. It is an excellent, excellent book, generally well paced, with brilliant characters, a tremendous plot, love interests and friendships that should be a yard stick for the genre, wonderful battle scenes and a hero who stands, if not above, then at least level with any character one could meet in fantasy fiction. Not even my most critical appraisal could knock so much as half a star off its rating. David Gemmell, you are sorely missed — and this book proves why. Read the rest.

Wit’ch Storm by James Clemens

… Wit’ch Storm is a very, very good book that I enjoyed immensely. Clemens writes at astonishing pace and with a real verve and intensity that had me haring through to find out what happens next… while I may criticise certain things about his work, the simple fact is that he can do it in such a style that I can forgive its flaws and simply enjoy it… This is a terrific read, and a great continuation of a very good saga. James Clemens improves on his previous title, and I urge lovers of fantasy at its most escapist to read The Banned and the Banished whenever they can afford the late nights it inevitably induces! Read the rest.

Wit’ch Fire by James Clemens

Wit’ch Fire was a genuine impulse buy. I had read no reviews nor received recommendations — I was simply in the bookshop, liked the cover and plot synopsis on the reverse, and listened to my gut. Foolhardy, perhaps, but sometimes fortune favours the bold. This time, it did… The opening line of the book is “First of all, the author is a liar.” This I found an unusual and interesting way to introduce yourself to the world of fantasy literature, and while I have read better introductions to a novel, I have seldom been so grabbed by one…. Wit’ch Fire is a good book with some obvious clichés and few innovations that is saved by the style and pace of its author, rather than a genuine classic… Read the rest.

Lord of the Isles by David Drake

David Drake has a considerable reputation as a science-fiction writer, but Lord of the Isles was my first introduction to his work. To be frank, it is not a good introduction. Lord of the Isles begins in the tried-and-tested high fantasy tradition — ancient events outlined in the prologue, cut to the present on a bucolic location, unexceptional adolescent male character introduced, and on you go… it is not a truly poor book — just not a very good one, and it never managed to engage me enough to want to keep reading… Read the rest.