I came of age in the early 80s, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, not very far from where Gary Gygax and others invented Dungeons and Dragons. I grew up playing role-playing games. When other kids were running around, we were gathered around huge tables, rolling dice, and having fun. But that wasn’t enough. I went on to invent my own games, and build my own worlds. Over the decades, we wove rich tapestries of adventures together into intricate stories that beg to be told. So, seeing no other option, I became an author.
I normally love fast reads. I prefer to write with limited details on most aspects, focusing in only on the things I want readers to pay attention to. Every now and then, I encounter a writer who brings completely immersive, vivid detail, without losing my attention.
Rothfuss does an amazing job with the language in this novel. It is simply a work of art.
The lyrical fantasy masterpiece about stories, legends and how they change the world. The Name of the Wind is an absolute must-read for any fan of fantasy fiction.
'This is a magnificent book' Anne McCaffrey
'I was reminded of Ursula K. Le Guin, George R. R. Martin, and J. R. R. Tolkein, but never felt that Rothfuss was imitating anyone' THE TIMES
'I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University…
This was the first fantasy series I read, and it changed my life. Elric of Melniboné is a glorious blend of Grimdark and Sword and Sorcery, that starts a satisfying series, which, in and of itself, is the cornerstone of a larger collection of fantasy works.
So many works have borrowed from Elric, you really owe it to yourself to read the original. The books are short, and read quite quickly. There is incredible pathos within the story arc, and a deep, dark creativity to the worldbuilding.
From World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award winner Michael Moorcock comes the first book in his famous Elric of Melniboné series, brought to vivid new life with stunning illustrations.
In one of the most well-known and well-loved fantasy epics of the 20th century, Elric is the brooding, albino emperor of the dying Kingdom of Melnibone. With Melnibone’s years of grandeur and decadence long since passed, Elric’s amoral cousin Yrkoon sets his eyes on the throne. Elric, realizing he is his country’s best hope, must face his nefarious cousin in an epic battle for the right to rule.
The Crystal Shard is the first book where Drizzt Do'urden appears. It is the starting point for an absolute treasure trove of novels, all set within the Dungeons and Dragons, Forgotten Realms Universe.
Salvatore writes with a quick, carefree style. The books are action-forward, with somewhat of a swashbuckling feel to them. I think the best word to describe them is… fun. And I think that is what I recommend them. Even when writing in dark worlds, filled with deadly enemies, and bloody battles, it’s important to always keep fun front and center. Salvatore has truly mastered pacing and drama with respect to combat scenes. There is a lot to learn here.
Drizzt Do’Urden finds new friends and foes in the windswept towns of Icewind Dale, also the setting of the Dungeons & Dragons adventure book Rime of the Frostmaiden.
With his days in the Underdark far behind him, drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden sets down roots in the windswept Ten-Towns of Icewind Dale. A cold and unforgiving place, Ten-Towns sits on the brink of a catastrophic war, threatened by the barbarian tribes of the north.
It’s in the midst of battle that a young barbarian named Wulfgar is captured and made the ward of Bruenor, a grizzled dwarf leader and a companion…
The Dresden Files aren’t technically fantasy. They are Urban Fantasy, but so what. The Dresden Files are fantastic, and everyone should read them.
For fantasy lovers, Butcher does a wonderful job building a rich world beyond his world, where Fae, Angels, Demons, and otherworldly beings struggle for dominance of the world. In the center, or perhaps a touch off-center from it all, is our lovable protagonist, Harry Dresden… An immensely powerful wizard, and a marginally reliable narrator.
In the first novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files series, Harry Dresden’s investigation of a grisly double murder pulls him into the darkest depths of magical Chicago…
As a professional wizard, Harry Dresden knows firsthand that the “everyday” world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most of them don’t play well with humans. And those that do enjoy playing with humans far too much. He also knows he’s the best at what he does. Technically, he’s the only at what he does. But even though Harry is the only game in town, business—to put…
I’m recommending A Game of Thrones, but for a specific set of reasons. No other series toys with readers’ emotions like this one. In most books, character deaths are either avoided, or predictable. A Game of Thrones completely shatters that mold.
This series taught me what it feels like to have characters I loved torn from me. It taught me how frustrating it is to get invested in a story line only to see it fizzle off into nothingness. In short, it taught me about an author’s responsibility.
There is a lot to love in this series. As an author, there is also a lot to learn here.
HBO's hit series A GAME OF THRONES is based on George R R Martin's internationally bestselling series A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age. A GAME OF THRONES is the first volume in the series.
'Completely immersive' Guardian
'When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground'
Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.
From the fertile south, where heat breeds conspiracy, to the vast and savage eastern lands, all the way to the frozen…
Deep within the rainforest, a group of teenage students barely survive an encounter with an ancient boar. In doing so, they stumble upon a series of events that threaten to destroy their entire civilization. The Black Tide, the annual rampage of millions of giant ants through the rainforest, has been coerced by the Demon Queen to take a path that will send it tearing through the farmlands that support the Citadel, their home.
Citadel of the Fallen is the exciting start of the much larger story told across the Rebirth of the Fallen series. Vivid and terrifying, but with an emotional depth that will keep readers yearning for more, JR Konkol weaves a complex tale, with a delicate balance of cinematic action, and political intrigue.
I’ve read crime fiction since I was a kid, starting with Nancy Drew and the mystery magazines—Alfred Hitchcock, Mike Shayne, and Ellery Queen. While in elementary school, I wrote mystery short stories, which my sister illustrated, and we sold them on the street corner for 25 cents apiece. In the nineties, I devoured novels by Patricia Highsmith, Ruth Rendell, and P.D. James. The 2000s introduced another generation of favorite authors, including Belinda Bauer, Chris Whitaker, and Tana French. I love too many to name! My current passion is for novels that I can really sink my teeth into, with complex characters hiding dark secrets.
Willem and Jurriaan have a miserable childhood thanks to their cruel, controlling mother—Louisa Veldkamp, a world-renowned pianist. Dad turns a blind eye. One day, Louisa vanishes without a trace during a family vacation.
Adoptee Anneliese Bakker survives a toxic childhood and leaves home, vowing never to return. While searching for her biological mother, she meets the adult Willem, and they fall in love. Pregnant and engaged, she moves into the family mansion, wanting nothing more than to create a loving family for her child. But the Veldkamps are cold and distant. And why is Louisa a taboo subject?
An expectant mother gets more than she bargained for when she marries into a seemingly perfect family in this gripping debut novel–a must read for fans of A. J. Finn and B. A. Paris.
After surviving a nightmarish childhood, Anneliese Bakker is on the mend and searching for her birth mother. But when she meets Willem, she falls madly in love and finally finds a safe place to land. Engaged and expecting her first child, she moves into the Veldkamp mansion on a stately, tree-lined avenue in Amsterdam. And yet, nothing about Willem’s family is as it seems. Instead of…
