History and legend: The actual past and all the myths and stories that ride along with it. I have an M.A. in history and have always been interested in old folklore and myth. So I write fantasy novels set in the 19th century. The flair is steampunk-ish, the setting strictly historical – except for the fact that magic and mythical creatures exist. Magic is taught in Arcane Lodges, mythical beings can be pretty much anything: vampire, body-snatcher, werewolf, dryad, nymph, etc. My first novel Obsidian Secrets (Das Obsidianherz) won the Deutscher Phantastik Preis. Wings of Stone of the same series won the SERAPH as the "Best Fantasy Novel" at Leipzig Book Fair.
1865: Munich, capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria under King Ludwig II (who built all those famous castles).
A magical manuscript has been stolen. Assisted by two Royal Bavarian officers and a wizard-scientist, British secret agent Delacroix is sent to find it. However, the promise of destructive power contained in the manuscript draws murderous creatures that, with its help, plan to change reality into their gory vision. Corrisande, a young English lady caught in the cross-current of disasters, must face the worst dangers while being somewhat clumsily courted by members of the team, coveted by abysmal monsters, and hunted by a secret cultist order that has its foundations in the Inquisition. Her survival is at stake. But then, so is that of the entire world.
I love Tanya Huff’s style of writing as much as I like her wonderful ideas.
The heroes and heroines in her novels are so well crafted you almost feel you know them personally, which to my mind is the key to a good read.
The Silvered has Steampunk elements. It is, however, set in an invented world that shows some resemblance to our 19th century. The book is a thrilling fantasy novel combining Steampunk with magic: I love the combination.
The Empire has declared war on the were-ruled kingdom of Aydori, capturing five women of the Mage-Pack, including the wife of the Pack- leader.
With the Pack off defending the border, it falls to Mirian Maylin and Tomas Hagen-she a low-level mage, he younger brother to the Pack- leader-to save them. But with every step into enemy territory, the odds against their survival grow steeper...
I love all Georgette Heyer’s historical novels (set in the British Regency Period).
They are elegant, stylish, and witty. They are also extremely well-researched as to both manners and language used during that period. They convey a sense of historical reality – a feeling for the era - that historical novels whose authors have been less diligent about their research often lack.
As a historian I admire the precision. As an avid reader I adore the charming stories. Black Sheep is one of my favorites, but I love them all. Heyer’s books very much inspired my own writing, even though both the country and period they are set in are different.
He had nothing to recommend him but his smile. Miss Wendover's efforts to detach her niece from a fortune-hunter are complicated by the arrival in Bath of Miss Caverleigh.
The heroine is soulless – the book certainly is not.
An admirably determined and courageous young lady holds her own in a steampunk version of 19th century London where werewolves and vampires play an important part in society – and everyone knows they exist.
They simply belong to the Victorian upper class and try to fit their species typical lifestyles into a world somewhere between Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Werewolves and vampires: what’s not to like?
Alexia Tarabotti is labouring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.
Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire - and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.
With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high…
Set in an alternate history environment in England, the Lord Darcy stories superbly combine the flair of an – albeit non-historical – “dark romantic” age with the classic whodunnit framework in a parallel world where magic is possible and can be used to solve crimes.
The archetypal characters of the highly intelligent detective and his brainy sidekick here give the reader a ‘prince-detective’ with a ‘mage-assistant’. The book is not new, but good reads do not go stale.
As a lover of both D. Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey detective novels and magic wielded in bygone ages, I fell in love with these stories right away.
Welcome to a world where the Plantagenet kings survived, the laws of magic were discovered and the physical sciences never pursued. In the resulting Anglo-French Empire, a detective like Lord Darcy needs more than a keen mind and an observant eye. Luckily, Darcy can call on the aid of Master Sean O'Lochlainn, forensic sorcerer.
This omnibus contains all of the Lord Darcy stories as well as the only Lord Darcy novel, TOO MANY MAGICIANS, and has a new introduction by Michael Dirda.
A friend of mine once said to Terry Pratchett “I worship the ground you write upon”.
Well, so do I. The “Discworld” is an entirely invented world which still bears a resemblance to some of our own historical eras without precisely specifying which one.
Sir Terry Pratchett manages the almost impossible by being profound and witty at the same time. His books are never ever boring. They are charming, full of wonderful ideas, great characters, and clever and insightful comments.
And of course, there’s magic, there are vampires and werewolves and great villains being pursued by rather ordinary people. Just what I like.
First book of the original and best CITY WATCH series, now reinterpreted in BBC's The Watch
'This is one of Pratchett's best books. Hilarious and highly recommended' The Times
The Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . . _________________
'It was the usual Ankh-Morpork mob in times of crisis; half of them were here to complain, a quarter of them were here to watch the other half, and the…
I’m an old guy. I say this with a bit of cheek and a certain amount of incongruity. All the books on my list are old. That’s one area of continuity. Another, and I’ll probably stop at two, is that they all deal with ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances—those curveballs of life we flail at with an unfamiliar bat; the getting stuck on the Interstate behind a semi and some geezer in a golf cap hogging the passing lane in a Buick Le Sabre. No one makes it through this life unscathed. How we cope does more to define us than a thousand smiles when things are rosy. Thus endeth the lesson.
Nine Stories Told Completely in Dialogue is a unique collection of narratives, each unfolding entirely through conversations between its characters. The book opens with "God on a Budget," a tale of a man's surreal nighttime visitation that offers a blend of the mundane and the mystical. In "Doctor in the House," readers are plunged into the emotionally charged moment when an oncologist delivers a life-altering diagnosis to a patient. The collection then shifts to "Prisoner 8086," a story about the unlikely friendship that blossoms between a prison volunteer and a habitual offender, exploring themes of redemption and human connection.
The heart of the book continues with "The Reunion," a touching narrative about high school sweethearts reuniting, stirring up poignant memories and unspoken feelings. "The Therapy Session" adds a lighter touch, presenting a serio-comic exchange between a therapist and a challenging patient. In "The Fishing Trip," a father imparts crucial life lessons to his daughter during an eventful outing, leading to unexpected consequences. "Mortality" offers a deeply personal moment as a mother shares a cherished, secret story from her past with her son.
The collection then takes a romantic turn in "The Singles Cruise," where two individuals find connection amidst shared stories on a cruise for singles. Finally, "Jesus and Buddha in the Garden of Eden" provides a satirical, thought-provoking encounter in the afterlife between two spiritual figures. The book concludes with "The Breakup," a nuanced portrayal of a young couple's separation, told from both perspectives, encapsulating the complexities of relationships and the human experience.
Nine Stories Told Completely in Dialogue is a unique collection of narratives, each unfolding entirely through conversations between its characters. The book opens with "God on a Budget," a tale of a man's surreal nighttime visitation that offers a blend of the mundane and the mystical. In "Doctor in the House," readers are plunged into the emotionally charged moment when an oncologist delivers a life-altering diagnosis to a patient. The collection then shifts to "Prisoner 8086," a story about the unlikely friendship that blossoms between a prison volunteer and a habitual offender, exploring themes of redemption and human connection.
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