I’ve adored fantasy adventures for as long as I could read. A good story is a mirror of life, and sometimes life can feel hard, cold, and impersonal. Yet life can also be an adventure, and like fictional heroes, the way in which we overcome our challenges is what makes us truly human. And sometimes it’s the actions of fantastical or inhuman creatures that show us true humanity.
When a hero overcomes their challenges in a way that shows humanity, I stand up and cheer. When they do it in a way that’s creative or funny, I laugh. When an author can do both, I treasure it.
Skeeve, the main character, just feels so darned human. He’s a nobody with no real talent thrown into a deadly magical conspiracy and reluctantly taken on as an apprentice by a grumpy demon sorcerer who’s lost his magic powers. And while the pairing seems so unlikely, the friendship that develops between them warms my heart every time.
Plus, it’s such a great blend of fast-paced adventures, and slower cozy moments to reflect and build friendships. It also contains my favorite scene in all of fantasy, when our demon talks would-be assassins not only out of killing the pair, but also out of their entire bankroll!
Skeeve is a magician’s apprentice (and a wanna-be thief) until an assassin’s bolt kills his master, Garkin. Along with Aahz, the green-scaled, purple-tongued demon and master magician summoned by Garkin, he sets out on a quest to get even. The road to vengeance is bound to prove rocky, however, because Skeeve can barely light a candle with his beginning magic, and Aahz has lost his own considerable magical abilities as a consequence of Garkin’s summoning spell. Before they can confront the power-mad wizard who ordered Garkin’s assassination, they must survive a trip to a weird alternate dimension, encounters with Impish…
While it’s hard to pick a single favorite among the Discworld series, Mort stands out for me as a mix of a bizarre concept, quirky characters you can cheer for, and unexpected plot twists.
It’s hard to imagine a book about death being so funny, but the outlandish premise sets a stage rife with opportunities for humor. And yet, it’s the characters that really carry the story. Characters of this world have a wide spectrum of moralities, and yet despite their flaws and mistakes, you find yourself cheering for them.
'Cracking dialogue, compelling illogic and unchained whimsy' Sunday 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 . . .
Death comes to us all. When he came to Mort, he offered him a job.
Death is the Grim Reaper of the Discworld, a black-robed skeleton carrying a scythe who must collect a minimum number of souls in order to keep the momentum of dying, well . . . alive.
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…
Starting at zero may be typical for a litRPG, but Broccoli Bunch, heroine of the story, sets herself apart by humanizing all the creatures of her new world rather than devaluing them as objects to be slaughtered in the quest for power, glory, and loot. While fighting monsters in pursuit of some grand quest is commonplace in fantasy, within the litRPG subgenre, it’s practically the sole focus.
Which is why to me, our compassionate heroine Broccoli Bunch trying to make friends with all the monsters in the world is such a satisfying breath of fresh air.
With its combination of mature, flawed characters, slow-burn romance, and just the right amount of magic and wonder in the world, Swordheart is one of my favorite fantasy romances.
It’s an odd couple: a quirky widow for whom life on the road, and certainly pursuit by all manner of bandits is unfamiliar territory, together with a grumpy warrior imprisoned in an enchanted sword. Yet the two draw closer as they overcome countless obstacles together.
Halla is a housekeeper who has suddenly inherited her great-uncle's estate… and, unfortunately, his relatives. Sarkis is an immortal swordsman trapped in a prison of enchanted steel. When Halla draws the sword that imprisons him, Sarkis finds himself attempting to defend his new wielder against everything from bandits and roving inquisitors to her own in-laws… and the sword itself may prove to be the greatest threat of all.
Vanderough University prepares its graduates for life on Mars. Herbert Hoover Palminteri enrolls at VU with the hope of joining the Martian colony in 2044 as a member of its esteemed engineer corps. But then Herbert is tapped to join a notorious secret society: the Order of the Scepter and…
Another odd couple adventure story, the travels and adventures of Sigurt and the Bard in a historical setting were fun, authentic, and a reminder that grand adventures don’t always need magic.
With a bard as a pov character, there was a lot of song in the book, and the modest aspirations of our heroes (a decent meal and sleeping by the fire) are a welcome change from the powerful and ambitious protagonists you often see in the genre.
Unassuming human Darin yearns with every fiber of his being to be the grand hero from countless books and games. Yet when given the chance for a one-way trip to the fantastical world of Arvia, he quickly realizes he’s terrible at it. Yet it’s qualities he’s always undervalued—quick-wittedness and empathy—that save his life when he encounters the ferocious harpy Rinloh. Harpyness is Only Skin Deep is about friendships that defy all odds, laughing at the absurdities of life, and seeing the good in the worst monsters in the realm.
Enter a captivating world where science fiction and thrilling suspense converge. After plummeting from the roof of Helix Unbound, Amanda awakens to a life devoid of memories. Desperately longing to fit in, yet sensing she harbors an extraordinary secret beneath her seemingly ordinary facade, she explores the unfamiliar world in…
Americans love their Constitution. In seventeen-year-old Liberty Bell’s era it has become a myth. Centuries after the Great Blackout obliterates the world's digitized information, America's history is forgotten. Only confused legends remain, written in "The Americana," a book depicting a golden age where famous Americans from different eras existed together.…
