80 reviews matched your criteria:

Archangel, by Sharon Shinn

A beautifully told tale about a fiery woman and an arrogant angel who must form a relationship for the good of their world, against their own inclinations. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Surprising plot twists abound in the emotional rollercoaster that is Assassin's Quest, the final volume in the Farseer series. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Fitz, the illegitimate son of a prince, is trained as an assassin from childhood and must help keep his kingdom safe from dangers without and treachery within. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Readers of Guy Gavriel Kay should find much to like in this richly detailed historical fantasy, a sequel to Grundy's earlier work Rhinegold. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The time of the mages is nearly over; only one mage still lives, the elusive Lord Eldrich. There's one man who has first-hand knowledge of the mages -- Erasmus Flattery, a young empiricist who studied in Lord Eldrich's house as a child. Flattery has been trying to avoid his past, but is nevertheless drawn into a web of intrigue and mystery as he joins a diverse cast of characters in a race to discover the secrets of an ancient temple. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Black Sun Rising could have been a much more affecting book had it been a couple of hundred pages shorter. But the sheer weight of philosophical speculation was more than enough to get me to take a second look. I don't predict that anybody will actually enjoy this novel, but then, the works of C.S. Friedman are for those who prefer to be disturbed. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

Blackmantle, Patricia Kennealy-Morrison's seventh book, is an autobiographical fantasy whose subject is the great love of her life, Jim Morrison of The Doors. Though Blackmantle has its merits, in trying to be both a fantasy and an autobiography it fails to completely satisfy either form. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The Blue Sword is a vivid fairy tale that immediately draws the reader in and doesn't let go until the tumultuous happy ending. I have just re-read it, probably for the first time since middle school, and I find myself as enchanted by it now as I was then. I don't know if it's been around long enough to be called a classic yet, but it's definitely a classic in waiting. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The Book of Paradox has everything: philosophy, mystery, fantasy, romance, horror, occult, interesting and believable characters, beautiful places, and emotionally charged scenes. Read the full review by Suzanne Patten.

A schoolgirl's life is turned upside down when she has to rouse the occult powers that are her birthright to save her brother from a supernatural threat. Intense and subtle, The Changeover is as sleek as a stretching cat. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Against a backdrop of real-life incidents, Child of the Light focuses on the unusual friendships among three children during the rise of Nazi Germany. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

I love a man who can speak forsoothly. Edghill's characters are witty, smart, and stay in parlance. The action continues at the same breakneck pace as the second book, and a lot of the romantic conflict reaches fever-pitch and/or resolution. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

This trilogy takes place on Erna, a planet colonized as a last resort due to the natural magic force called the fae. Erna is doomed to be taken over by a demon unless Damien, the goody-two-shoes priest, and Gerald Tarrant, the planet's biggest bad guy, can figure out how to stop the enslavement of the human race. Read the full review by Michaela Gauthier.

Competitions talks so much about how its characters think and feel that they never get a chance to think and feel much of anything. It talks so much about what they're doing that they never do much. And it talks so much about the motives of its villains that they are rendered totally devoid of interest. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Convergence, a story about five people with magical elemental powers who must prove that they're the best or die, is not particularly remarkable. Just call it Mercedes Lackey Lite^TM. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

A Crown of Swords, while tighter and better-written than Lord of Chaos, reads much like a wrapping-up volume to that previous story. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Elfland, as they say, is always duller than Poughkeepsie. Not this place. Rosemary Edghill keeps the cynical edge that made the previous book in this series successful. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

It hurts to watch icons topple. Death of an Adept lacks the grace and charm of its predecessors in this series. I am terribly disappointed with this novel, especially as I had anxiously awaited its arrival (Warning--this review is very long, as I plan to discuss its problems in depth.) Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

The fantasy genre has traditionally been devoted to sagas of ancient royal families, whose members possess an innate nobility that allows them to overcome evil. Princess Lissla Lissar, however, must find the courage to flee the evil within her own family and build a meaningful life for herself. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Author A.A. Attanasio has been described as "using the dictionary as a launching pad." Fitting, since I found it necessary to launch The Dragon and the Unicorn across the room shortly after starting it. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

A perfect beginning to a great series, Dragon Prince never seems to sit long enough on my shelf to gather much dust. It keeps me coming back with its passionate portrayal of romantic love and hate, political intrigue, unique system of magic, well-drawn characters, and gorgeous descriptions.

Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Building on a solid first book in this series, Stephen King starts to hit his stride with this one. The gunslinger, who is now seriously injured by an encounter with a "lobstrosity," missing fingers from his right hand, and lethally infected, begins his poisoned and feverish way along the beach he has reached toward the dark tower. Along the way he collects a band of interesting companions to accompany him on his quest. Read the full review by Greg Ferrar.

For an author whose books are usually categorized as Sci-Fi, most of Sheri S. Tepper's works make a pretty good fantasy read. The Family Tree is her best book yet, beginning with a formulaic quest plot and breaking the bounds with some very surprising plot twists. Read the full review by Catherine George.

Two assassins find that even the closest relationship can become difficult when they are sharing the same body. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

A really funny fantasy, that while following the most clichéd of story ideas, still manages to have great characters and a lot of fun action. Read the full review by Cate George.

Firelord is probably the most historically accurate of all the King Arthur fantasies I've read, yet it's no less a compelling fantasy for its air of realism. It's a bold, gritty, unforgettable tale. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The heart of The Fledgling is the author’s love of nature, embodied in the main character, Georgie Dorian, a little girl who is taught to fly by a Canada goose. Besides being a well-written coming-of-age story, The Fledgling is also a paean to the transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Fool on the Hill is some of the best fun you can have while lounging in your favorite easy chair, at least with your clothes on. Full of quirky language and good humor, it's a roller-coaster of a story that lurches along merrily from beginning to end, offering laughs and thrills along the way. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Martin's otherwise excellent writing is overshadowed by boring characters and unappealing subplots. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

A Game of Thrones is intricate, gripping and original, featuring memorable characters and a rich, assured writing style. Read the full review by Tane Aikman.

The Golden Compass is suspenseful, action-packed, and full of both beauty and horror. It's stunning. It's magnificent. I'm running out of superlatives, so if you're still with me and not running as fast as you can to the bookstore to get your own copy of The Golden Compass, read the review. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The Golden Key is an intriguing story about a magical but corrupt painter who seeks power through his art. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The Grey Horse is a sweet, funny story about the romantic travails of an Irish púca, set at the end of the nineteenth century. A perennial favorite of mine, I return to it again and again because I love to spend time in the world that MacAvoy has portrayed and with the characters that she has created. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Stephen King's The Gunslinger weaves traditional fantasy elements (wizards, magic, strange creatures, doors between worlds) into a story that is perfectly at home on the fantasy shelf. All in all, it is a fine beginning to a promising series. Read the full review by Greg Ferrar.

Imajica is a huge fantasy novel that does not bow down to any cliches. It is mysterious, beautiful and distressing by turns. But it has the ability to make you see things differently when you are finished with it. Read the full review by Cory L. Williams.

This is the sequel to Sharon Shinn's wonderful Archangel, and it explains all the things that were left out in the original, such as who (what?) the god Jovah truly is. Read the full review by Catherine George.

I keep thinking that I should like Pamela Dean's books. But I don't, and despite its good qualities, Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary is no exception. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Despite some captivating plotlines and imaginative situations, the author hasn't lavished enough time or care on most of her characters to make the reader care about them. It's still a worthwhile read, and most of the problems with the book can be blamed on the fact that this is the author's first fantasy story. Read the full review by Catherine George.

Unlike many heroes, Kian, a former slave, is not impressed to learn he is magically gifted and could also be the long-lost heir to a royal throne. His reluctance to accept his destiny raises this story above the mundane level of much sword-and-sorcery. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Despite dealing with heavy mythological and social themes, the overall tone of this novel remains light and humorous, as the characters deal with their situations with intelligence and wit. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

Not many books can live up to the massive (and deserved) reputation of The Mists of Avalon. Lady of Avalon isn't one of them. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

It's your usual "woman making her way in a man's world" type of story, only with graphic, brutal sex and a swiss cheese plot. Come to think of it, for some people that's a recommendation. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

This is actually a collection of short stories that are all somehow linked to a poem called "Lammas Night" by Mercedes Lackey. It starts to get a bit repetitive after the first few stories, but a few quirks and twists make some of the stories gems among the stones. Read the full review by Catherine George.

This hilariously disturbing novel about gender, childhood, and the banality of home life balances a cruelly realistic look at modern life against a colorful, romantic vision. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

Densely written and packed with literary allusions and subtle themes, this book isn't for everyone, but for those who can appreciate it, it's a book to treasure. If I had to pick my all-time favorite book, this would be it. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Luck in the Shadows is a standard bit of skullduggery (wow, I've always wanted to use that word in a sentence!) that should appeal to fans of Robert Jordan and David Eddings. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The Mageborn Traitor is the average middle-of-a-trilogy book: it marks some time between the first and last books while advancing the story a bit. I'm left with mixed feelings: personal detachment from its characters, annoyance at the societal setup, and a certain amount of interest in what happens next. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The Tale of Dorrin, the young blacksmith from order-bound Recluce, cast away because of his desire to build machines. I give him a rose for effort. Read the full review by A.G..

Nye's Magic Touch is a classic urban fantasy: the good guys are good, the bad guys dress in black, and the resolution depends on an awfully good magic gimmick. Without making light of her character's difficulties, Nye has written a cheerful fantasy with a happy ending for all concerned. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

Even if you're a rough, tough, ass-kicking mercenary from another dimension, there are hazards a sword-bearing soldier never dreamed of. Welcome to the Planet of the Paper Pushers. Other than my usual gripes with books of this sort, the story is funny and reads fairly quickly, though little enough of it stuck in my mind. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

The Moon and the Sun deftly mixes fantasy and history to form a compelling story that carries some subtle messages about the definition of true humanity. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Both funny and unexpectedly touching, this warm-hearted story about a prince who is half a man is likely to carve itself a small but hallowed place in fantasy literature. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The Path of Daggers, the next installment in the Wheel of Time series, isn't bad. It furthers the series, keeps the fluff to a minimum, and has occasional flashes of what made the series so good in the first place. If this is the kind of work Jordan can produce when he takes an extra year to do it in, he should take two next time. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

The Beatles sang, "All you need is love." But in this story, a bit of well-placed magic helps, too. An excellently written, touching book. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Prince of Dogs is much better than the first book in the series, King's Dragon. I took my time reading the first novel, but I chose to stay up one night to read this one all at once. Unfortunately, it still has some of the same problems that the first novel did. Read the full review by Catherine George.

I like a heroine who doesn’t pull her punches. Pity the hero, for neither Dexter nor the valiant Kessalia ever let up.On the surface, this is entertaining farce. but under the humor lies pain and loneliness and courage. I loved this book. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

The second book in the Dance of the Rings trilogy, Ring of Intrigue doesn't live up to its name. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Ring of Lightning is the opening book in the Dance of the Rings trilogy, which introduces a standard medieval-type fantasy world with a small twist. Power in this world is generated in an unusual way and controlled by an unusual (but dysfunctional) family, the Rhomandis. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

FitzChivalry Farseer is the well-worn string holding the kingdom together in this sequel to Assassin's Apprentice. You want page-turning action, spiced with political maneuvering? This one's for you. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Not one of Rawn's better efforts. I'm waiting for the sequel, but I'm not getting my hopes up too much either. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Intrigues and schemes abound in this early work by Caroline Stevermer, set at a pseudo-Elizabethan court. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

Ship of Magic, the first installment of a new series called The Liveship Traders, is set in the same world as Hobb's Farseer books, but in a different country and featuring a new, wider range of characters. It also is more ambitious in scope than the Farseer books and is told from many more points of view. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Every day is new for Latro, and his surroundings are as alien to him as they are to us, thanks to a head injury. Wolfe handles the subject of amnesia more competently than any other author I've read. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

Passion, power, love, greed, music, friendship ... they all have a place in one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. Read the full review by Cate George.

Edghill takes us inside the New York neopagan scene, peopled with characters both ordinary and wildly eccentric in a realistically paced mystery with a gritty attention to detail. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

Another adventure romp from Lynn Flewelling, author of the well-received Luck in the Shadows. Lots of blood and guts in this one. And hey, Alec gets laid! Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Other than the sheer unbridled viciousness of the villain, this book is a light, engaging, romantic romp through a comedy of manners. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

This sequel to The Golden Compass is better than the first book, which was pretty much perfect. The Subtle Knife is probably worth more than five roses; it's that good. This book goes into details that the other book hadn't advanced yet, like the nature of Dust and what exactly Lyra's role in everything is. Read the full review by Catherine George.

Throughout this book, Edghill retains her grasp over her characters and settings. We view her people and places through a tight focus that lends a depth of realism to a story which might otherwise be mistaken for light fantasy. Light this book is not. Read the full review by Rebecca Parkhurst.

The diehard Watership Down fan might find something to like in Tales of Watership Down, but these short stories don't hold a candle to the original epic about a band of rabbits who brave dangers and hardships to find a new home. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Too Many Magicians is a fantasy/mystery in the best tradition of both those genres. It features the crime-solving team of Lord Darcy, a sleuth to rival Sherlock Holmes, and Sean O'Lochlainn, a forensic sorcerer, who together unravel the most tangled webs woven by those who practice to deceive. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Max Trader, a instrument maker, wakes up one morning to find that he's a different person. Completely different, as in having an entirely unfamiliar body. From the plot to the conclusions drawn, there's not a lot that's new or startling here. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

Heroes of legend. Mighty thews and mirror-sheened armor and six outriders to carry the baggage. And up rides ... Titch. The third book of the Warhorse of Esdragon series marks a return to the humor of the first, without succumbing to slapstick. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

The Unicorn Sonata is a pleasant, though not exceptional, story about a girl named Joey who stumbles from modern Los Angeles into a far wilder world: the land of Shei'rah. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

This book is so damn boring that I caught myself skimming the dust-jacket blurb in a desperate attempt to encounter something of interest. I can't give this book a recommendation on any grounds. Read the full review by Rebecca Parkhurst.

Stephen King continues to outdo himself in this series. From an intriguing but somewhat uninspired start, he has built an epic story worthy of a master. With a gripping plot line and excellent character development, The Waste Lands is the best so far in an excellent series. Read the full review by Greg Ferrar.

It's unfair to pigeonhole this magnificent work as a mere classic of children's literature; few books in mainstream literature have ever matched it in beauty, warmth, and just plain goodness. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.

What good is life spent at another's call? Druyan, the lead character of Susan Dexter's The Wind-Witch, is willing to do anything rather than endure this fate again. This book is rooted more deeply than its fellows The Prince of Ill Luck and The True Knight. Read the full review by Becky Parkhurst.

Those who believe that great literature is in the past have not read King at his best-- this is a novel to be compared with Wuthering Heights and A Tale of Two Cities.

Read the full review by Greg Ferrar.

Replete with hidden jungle cities, mysterious runic languages, court factions, blood magic, beauty and sensuality, World Without End unfolds at a measured pace and keeps the reader guessing. Read the full review by Sara Lipowitz.