is pulp adventure at its best. Think Zorro with vampires. Add to the mix the conflicting but equally Byzantine politics of multiple human and vampire nations, and a crew of mysterious mystics. Season with appealing protagonists, a full measure of steam-driven gears and rocket-powered pacing, and you’ve got the recipe for my favorite kind of mind candy… a story crafted to keep you compulsively turning pages until the wee hours. But like all satisfying adventures, The Greyfriar addresses bigger issues… This is a tale of imperialism, 'manifest destiny', global conflict and power plays seen from both vampire and human eyes.” -Buzzy Multimedia: Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books, November 3, 2010
“Twelve
is an intelligent, lucid and exciting novel—feel free to put that on the back cover—and is satisfying as a stand-alone story while holding promise for further adventure.” -Tor.com, November 1, 2010“Enge writes enjoyable adventures. With The Wolf Age
, he has taken a step up. One cares about the characters, and we see as much of the werewolves as we do of Morlock…Recommended.” -Kobold Quarterly, Issue 15, 2010
“[The Cardinal’s Blades
] is a promising start to a series... There’s plenty of enjoyable material, the narrative moves at a quick pace…Throw in the swordfights, the double- and triple-crosses, and above all, the looming presence of Cardinal Richelieu, and the end result is a more than acceptable piece of light reading…” -Bull Spec, Issue 3, 2010.jpg)
“Grimly characterized, and highly imaginative, if somewhat self-indulgent, Tome of the Undergates
is an intriguing, original take on the classic fantasy band-of-adventurers tale. Sykes takes gleeful aim at the tired tropes of fantasy and turns them on their head, warping them to suit his sense of humour and dark mind… I have no problem seeing Sykes becoming and enduring and successful voice in fantasy.”-Civilian Reader blog, November 1, 2010.jpg)
“The Dervish House
is simultaneously a love letter to a city that just might be someday, and a paean to things ancient and honorable. Never heavy-handed, always light on its feet as it skips from narrative to narrative and voice to voice, it manages to weave in impressive amounts of exposition and a double handful of major characters without slowing down or moralizing. Its characters remain distinct, their ultimate fates certain and true, and the book itself is a marvelous, enthralling read.”-Bull Spec, Issue 3, October 2010“[Empire in Black and Gold
] ought not to work. The book should fall of its own weight. But somehow, everything comes together in one great big comfortable mess and captures the reader. The real key, I think, is that the characters are so vividly drawn that the reader falls in love with them.”-Reading the Leaves blog, October 26, 2010.jpg)
Swords & Science. Fans of hack and slash Fantasy just may have found the steampunky read they've been looking for. The Horns of Ruin is an energetic rollercoaster ride in a well-accentuated world that needs to be further explored. I give The Horns of Ruin 7.5 out 10 hats.” -The Mad Hatter’s Bookshelf and Book Review, October 26, 2010
“LOTR fans take note! James Barclay's newest addition [Elfsorrow]…has all you could possibly want in a tantalizing epic adventure…Mr. Barclay's characterization is above the norm, with countless different peoples and races, heroes and bad guys that will all remain in the reader's mind for a long time after. And his creative, technical magic is part fantasy, part Sci-Fi mix, bringing his world-rules to vivid life. If you're looking for a unique, hard action, deeply plotted Sci-Fi/Fantasy epic then you owe it to yourself to read the first in this new series. You will cheer right along with the Raven heroes, find yourself caught up in the battles, and not want to put the book down until you're finished!” -Night Owl Reviews, October 28, 2010
“Mike Resnick has written a highly entertaining Steampunk Western… I loved how characters that we know were placed in an alternate version of the American West and how the author incorporated paranormal elements into the story giving it additional depth and some humor…The author did a fantastic job with character development and did a good job of keeping a large number of characters involved, moving the plot at a brisk pace, and at the same time giving depth to the different threads in the storyline. The dialogue is witty and sharp and the sections dealing with "Doc" and "Johnny Ringo"…were simply inspired. The end of the story is well done and very interesting. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Resnick's work. For a tale of the Wild West like you've never seen before, give The Buntline Special
a ride. 5.00 / 5 - Reviewer Top Pick.” -Night Owl Reviews, December 1, 2010"Lloyd's Twilight Reign contains all the things we feel are lacking in the Wheel of Time. Danger. Death. Consequences. This series even touches on some similar themes--the long dead king that was living in Isak's head for example. Sound familiar? Only the handling of it in Lloyd's series is so much better, and the purposes behind it feel much more immediate. Where the WoT gets bloated, repetitive and passive, The Twilight Reign is focused, dark, aggressive and active. THE RAGGED MAN
really hammered home this sense of fulfilled literary promises that have been withheld by WoT and many other stagnant, epic fantasy series. Another comparison? OK. A few years ago we were at a convention where Lloyd was said to be in a similar vein as Steven Erikson. This is 100% accurate. That's all you need to know."
