I read the entire 6 book science fiction series in two months, gripped by each plot twist and the relationships that build between characters over each book. It is heartbreaking and heartwarming, brutal and beautifully human, and masterfully crafted to maintain emotional engagement.
Set on Mars in a future where humans have colonised the galaxy and the society is separated into a ranking system defined by colours, the world-building is original, immersive, and blends elements of science, space opera, philosophy, political musing, ancient Roman history, and Viking Lore.
What starts out as a teenage rebellion when Darrow, a Red, learns been lied to about his place in the world, develops into a study of war and its consequences on the individual and a society.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, BUZZFEED, GOODREADS AND SHELF AWARENESS
Pierce Brown's heart-pounding debut is the first book in a spectacular series that combines the drama of Game of Thrones with the epic scope of Star Wars.
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'Pierce Brown's empire-crushing debut is a sprawling vision . . . Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow' - Scott Sigler, New York Times bestselling author of Pandemic
'[A] top-notch debut novel . . . Red Rising ascends above a crowded dystopian field' - USA Today
One of my favourite books of all-time, Vita Nostra, is a smartly-crafted work of dark Ukrainian fantasy that explores a young woman's awakening of consciousness through a combination of philosophy, science, and magic—which is based on language and transcends certain metaphorical language structures. It is absurd and strange, but the story's originality and punchy prose made it profoundly impactful to me.
The sequel is equally mysterious and captivating. While very abstract, I found the unrelatability to the Protagonist’s journey surprisingly relatable. Her sense of distance from society while walking a path that ordinary people rarely follow aligned with elements of my experience walking a path of ‘truth’ and transcending ego-centric existence. Challenging, but the reward is astronomical.
The eagerly anticipated sequel to the highly acclaimed Vita Nostra takes readers to the next stage in Sasha Samokhina's journey in a richly imagined world of dark academia in which grammar is magic-and not all magic is good.
In Vita Nostra, Sasha Samokhina, a third-year student at the Institute of Special Technologies, was in the middle of taking the final exam that would transform her into a part of the Great Speech. After defying her teachers' expectations, Sasha emerges from the exam as Password, a unique and powerful part of speech. Accomplished and ready to embrace her new role, she…
I read this book when I was in Iceland during its winter on a 3-month writing retreat. I was staying in the Westfjord’s in a town called Pingeri - population 200, which influenced my connection to the novel which is set in one of Iceland’s small, isolated towns and follows the lives of several residents.
It is both mundane and fantastical and philosophical. Written by an Icelandic author and translated into English, the story felt unique and highly distinctive of Icelandic culture. It’s a poetic, witty, slow-paced read, with some black humor that made me laugh out loud.
AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER AND WINNER OF THE ICELANDIC LITERATURE PRIZE
"The Icelandic Dickens" Irish Examiner
"Stefansson shares the elemental grandeur of Cormac McCarthy" EILEEN BATTERSBY, T.L.S. Supplement
"A wonderful, exceptional writer . . . A timeless storyteller" CARSTEN JENSEN
"Sometimes, in small places, life becomes bigger"
Sometimes a distance from the world's tumult opens our hearts and our dreams. In a village of four hundred souls, the infinite light of an Icelandic summer makes its inhabitants want to explore, and the eternal night of winter lights up the magic of the stars.
A cluster of mystics with ancient powers and an impossible quest. A story of unbreakable bonds and found family.| A metaphysical Fantasy adventure. And a slow-burn love story that ignites amidst the chaos of destiny and darkness.
