I have loved escaping into different worlds for most of my life and all of these authors have inspired me to delve into worlds that don’t exist. They have taught me how to craft and expand my own made-up fantasy worlds. Not only inspiring my writing, but also giving me moments where I can escape from the world for a time and let my imagination run riot. I wanted to give readers the same chance to do just that in my latest book Realm of Dragons, Fight for the Crown, and I have these tales to thank for that. Truly great fantasy writers give us the chance to escape.
The Realm of Dragons is in peril from hidden plots and conspirators, which threaten not only the crown but the dragons at the very heart of it. Teagan Loinsigh, banished from her magical home of dragons now lives on Earth. Her dreams and memories of dragons are put down to fantasies. Until one day she comes across an anomaly in the land she lives in. A baby dragon. Muniath Magaoidh, a fallen Dragon Warden, must be brought back from his despair to retrieve what is lost. Scetis Mordha, alone in the world since he was a child, finds himself in the middle of intrigue and conspiracy. Tying them all together is The King of Dragons.
This is the first of a trilogy, which involves the struggle of a woman who finds herself as sole heir and Ruling Lady of her family, facing against rival houses, and the Assembly of Magicians, who see her as a threat to their ancient power. Mara is a brilliant female main character and is a splendid example of how to write one. I still take inspiration from her when writing my own female leads. Both Wurts and Feist have melded the magical story of her struggles into a backdrop of stunning descriptions of the landscape and class system, transporting you into the story to be fully immersed and invested in Mara’s fate. It is very much unlike any other series I have read.
From the imagination of two of fantasy's greatest names comes a magnificent epic of heroic and dynastic struggle.
At age 17, Mara's ceremonial pledge of servantship to the goddess Lashima is interrupted by the news that her father and brother have been killed in battle on Trigia, the world through the rift.
Now Ruling Lady of the Acoma, Mara finds that not only are her family's ancient enemies, the Minwanabi, responsible for the deaths of her loved ones, but her military forces have been decimated by the betrayal and House Acoma is now vulnerable to complete destruction.
Magician takes place at the same time as my first pick. It shows the world of Midkemia and the almost Arthurian tale that is woven into it. The rift between the two worlds is open and the invading armies must be kept at bay. It has epic battles and heartbreaking moments. It follows the character of Pug, who is growing up in a keep a long way from the court. But life is not meant to be commonplace for this boy. He is plunged into matters he cannot hope to understand, just yet, and we follow his story as he comes into his own. I highly recommend it as a must-read if you are thinking of writing fantasy, or just want to get lost for hours on end.
In the westernmost province of the Kingdom of the Isles, upon the world of Midkemia, an orphan kitchen boy named Pug was made apprentice to the magician Kulgan.
Here starts an adventure that will span lifetimes and worlds. Discover where the story begins.
The world had changed even before I discovered the foreign ship wrecked on the shore below Crydee Castle, but it was the harbinger of the chaos and death that was coming to our door.
War had come to the Kingdom of the Isles, and in the years that followed it would scatter my friends across the world.…
This series follows Simon, a lowly kitchen boy who has the habit of daydreaming while he should be working. Little knowing that some of those daydreams would become waking nightmares that sees him travelling the world searching for the lost swords of power. It is set in the world of Osten Ard and the king is dead. A long-dormant evil is unleashed into the world which seeks dominion overall. Tad Williams is a brilliant storyteller and I have learned a lot from his writing. The series is well worth diving into and immersing yourself in this amazing tale. I have read it quite a few times now, and each time I do I find something I had forgotten. I can’t recommend it enough!
The first book of the trilogy "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" tells the story of Simon, a kitchen boy and sorceror's apprentice, who must find the solution to the riddle of the long-lost swords of power, in order to combat the evil of the undead Sithi Ruler, the Storm King.
If you have never read this series or all the others that are based in this world then you are missing out. The main character of Fitz is one we follow from childhood and as he grows up as the bastard of the court. His life is not his own to follow and must bow down to the will of his uncle, the king. He is taken from the stables where he has grown up to become the royal assassin’s apprentice and all the perils that come with it, both physical and ethical. Hobb’s writing is one that keeps inspiring me in my own. She crafts each scene so well, you can smell the sea that batters the cliff the castle sits on and gives her characters such wonderful flaws.
Voyager Classics - timeless masterworks of science fiction and fantasy.
A beautiful clothbound edition of Assassin's Apprentice, the first book in the critically acclaimed Farseer Trilogy.
In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma.
Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals - the old art known as the Wit - gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if…
A simple explanation of this book is Althalas is a thief and lives his life looking for the next heist he can pull off, until the Goddess Dweia hires him to save the world from the desolations of her evil brother Daeva and his henchman Ghend. The telling of this tale is anything but simple. The authors have drawn on past civilisations that can be easily recognised to the reader, such as the Roman and Viking, adding their own lore and history to it. It is richly described and draws the reader to become invested in Althalas’s troubles and successes, along with all of his personable and flawed companions. It is an enjoyable read, and I dare you not to fall in love with Emmy.
A fabulous brand new Eddings standalone fantasy, set in an entirely new magical world.
Burglar, armed robber and sometime murderer, our hero Althalus is commissioned to steal a book from the House at the End of the World by a mysterious cloaked stranger named Ghend. At the House at the End of the World, he finds a talking cat... in the same room as the book Ghend described. What he can't find once he's in the house is the door by which he entered. Only 2467 years and an ice age later does Althalus re-emerge with the cat, Emmy. He's…
Benghazi: A New History is a look back at the enigmatic 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, its long-tail causes, and devastating (and largely unexamined) consequences for US domestic politics and foreign policy. It contains information not found elsewhere, and is backed up by 40 pages of citations and interviews with more than 250 key protagonists, experts, and witnesses.
So far, the book is the main -- and only -- antidote to a slew of early partisan “Benghazi” polemics, and the first to put the attack in its longer term historical, political, and social context. If you want to understand some of the events that have shaped present-day America, from political polarization and the election of Donald Trump, to January 6, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russian expansionism, and the current Israel-Hamas war, I argue, you need to understand some of the twists and turns of America's most infamous "non-scandal, scandal.”
I was in Benghazi well before, during, and after the attack as a US diplomat and co-director of a medical NGO. I have written three books, and have been a contributor to The NYT, Foreign Affairs, Forbes, Salon, The Financial Times, Newsweek, and others.
On September 11, 2012, Al Qaeda proxies attacked and set fire to the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, killing a US Ambassador and three other Americans. The attack launched one of the longest and most consequential 'scandals' in US history, only to disappear from public view once its political value was spent.
Written in a highly engaging narrative style by one of a few Western experts on Libya, and decidely non-partisan, Benghazi!: A New History is the first to provide the full context for an event that divided, incited, and baffled most of America for more than three years, while silently reshaping…
