Low Fantasy
Just as there is high fantasy, there is also low fantasy which essentially deals with stories that downplay the fantastical elements and is not a mark of the quality of such fiction. These stories often take place within real world environments.
Books Reviewed
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![City of Last ChancesAdrian Tchaikovsky]()
FantasyI have read more than my fair share of fantasy novels and I love them. As a rule, they fall into a couple of camps on how they are narrated – from a single point of view, or through the eyes of several people, normally 3-7. Leaping from one character and back again works in the genre as it gives you...
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![Lives of Bitter RainAdrian Tchaikovsky]()
FantasyWe only have so many books in us, and an author may just not have the time to experiment with different formats or genres, unless they are very prolific. They do not come much more prolific than Adrian Tchaikovsky, a writer who dabbles in various types of genre fiction, always bringing high quality....
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![Pretenders to the Throne of GodAdrian Tchaikovsky]()
FantasyA lot can happen during a siege, enough so that you do not have to have a book full of battles, you could have just one about the siege itself. This is the setting of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s latest in the The Tyrant Philosophers series, Pretenders to the Throne of God . We will meet new friends and old...
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![Wrath of EmpireBrian McClellan]()
FantasyThere is a huge difference between a battle and a war. You can lose one, but still be victorious in the other. Or indeed win a battle, but overall be on the losing side. Brian McClellan’s latest trilogy set in the Powder Mage universe shows that even in a fantasy setting, war is hell. Whilst in Sins...
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![Blood of EmpireBrian McClellan]()
FantasyFantasy is known as an epic genre; stories can span generations and civilisations rise and fall. As a fan of the genre, you also notice some regula r tropes that occur, similar races and similar storylines. Within the pages of Brian Mc Clellan ’s Powder Mage trilogy and follow up threesome ...
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![The UnbrokenC L Clark]()
FantasyThe life of a fantasy hero is never easy. They are often thrust into an adventure not of their choosing, losing those that they love on the way towards an objective that seems impossible to meet. In C L Clark’s Unbroken , one of the protagonists is Touraine, a soldier who much overcome all the...
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![The Last ShieldCameron Johnston]()
FantasyWhat is Fantasy if it is not epic battles against elves and orcs? Fans of the genre know that it can be a lot of other things than just that. Some of the best modern fantasy that I have read have been smaller stories set in fantasy worlds. How about a Die Hard-like experience set in a castle where a...
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![First Mage on the MoonCameron Johnston]()
FantasyI like when a genre becomes so embedded that as a whole, we can play with it. This has happened for years in comic books, even the films are so prevalent now that you get plenty of leftfield superhero movies. One genre that has been around longer and has even deeper roots is Fantasy, but has it expl...
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![The Door on the SeaCaskey Russell]()
FantasyWhat modern fantasy has shown is that you do not need to set your fantasy world in alternative medieval Europe. Our planet is full of varied and rich cultures that can be married with fantasy concepts to make alternative takes on the genre. The Door on the Sea by Caskey Russell is the latest unique...
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![Sword CatcherCassandra Clare]()
FantasyYou are probably a fantasy fan if you are reading a review of this fantasy book. As fans we love the genre, but even we can admit that plenty of the tropes are well trodden and to standout a new fantasy series is going to have to be something different. Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare opens with a...
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![The Burning LandDavid Hair]()
FantasyEpic fantasy novels are filled with fellowships from the OG to the 700-page opuses of today. What differs across all these books is how close the fellows are. Multiple character perspectives do not a fellowship make if they never meet each other, you want a close group of people all setting out on t...
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![Cry, VoidbringerElaine Ho]()
FantasyI enjoy a dose of Low Fantasy; a bit of grimdark and violence feels like a good counterpart to High Fantasy with its heroism and magic. A fantasy tale that is told from the muck and the trenches just feels more real, even if it is fantastic, a fantasy for our modern troubled world. But there is Low...
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![Anji Kills a KingEvan Leikam]()
FantasyIn the fantasy that I usually read Regicide is usually the goal for the end of the book. In fact, I have read entire trilogies in which the protagonist is trying to kill a royal. You get the sense that Evan Leikam is going to tackle things a little differently in Anji Kills a King when the first sce...
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![Sons of DarknessGourav Mohanty]()
FantasyFantasy is a wonderful genre, and it has become more so in recent years as it has grown in diversity. It felt for a while that fantasy was always epic and set in some sort of alternative Europe. There were plenty of alternatives to find if you looked, but today theses are abundant and that is fantas...
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![The Gauntlet and the Fist BeneathIan Green]()
People moan about the rain, but I don’t always mind it. Many of my best memories of childhood are of sleeping under canvas and listening to the patter of rain, safe in the knowledge that I am all snuggly in my sleeping bag and close to loved ones. These fond memories would have quickly turned to ter...
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![PennybladeJ L Worrad]()
FantasyThe days of High Elves and spiffing adventures being the only choice in fantasy are long over. This is a vast genre that still has books of High Fantasy, but it also has Low Fantasy. This gritty version of the genre is more prevalent than ever with some of the best being made into TVs shows and film...
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![The Keep WithinJ L Worrad]()
FantasyThere is something about Low Fantasy that makes it such a good genre. It is not the violence, swearing or muckraking, it is the people. Reading a fantasy book where the heroes are not in white and the villains in black. In J. L Worrad’s The Keep Within the nominal hero is one Sir Harrance 'Harry' La...
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![The Silverblood PromiseJames Logan]()
FantasyYou should be careful what you wish for, but also careful what you promise. Are you going to be able to live up to the hype? Arcadia Books are pretty pumped with James Logan’s The Silverblood Promise stating that it is the best fantasy debut of the year. Let me be the judge of that and having read t...
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![The BrandedJo Riccioni]()
FantasyThere are all types of fantasy from the high to the low, but for some fans it can be tricky to enjoy one type or the other. For someone interested in starting to read low fantasy they may be turned off by the violence and darkness that this part of the genre emits. On the other hand, high fantasy ca...
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![A Little HatredJoe Abercrombie]()
FantasyA fantasy writer needs to be aware that they could fall into a rut. Another trilogy of books set in the same world, with similar characters doing similar things. This may appease those fans that fear change, but to drive themselves as a writer it is important to evolve; even if evolving within the f...
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![The Grey BastardsJonathan French]()
FantasyThe clue to what makes the Fantasy genre so great is staring you straight in the face; it is fantastical. It gives author the chance to transport their readers to a different time and place. Lands full of wonder, populated by creatures only seen in your dreams. So, it is sometimes a little sad to se...
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![Fate of the fallenKel Kade]()
FantasyI love Fantasy, I believe it creates a sense of the epic better than any other genre. Not only do big events happen but you often get a manifest destiny. The issue can be that too much might happen. Our heroes come across so many monsters, pitfalls and dead ends that even the most ardent of Fantasy...
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![The HoodLavie Tidhar]()
FantasyThe legend of Robin Hood has changed over the years. I know it is hard to believe but he was not always imagined as a mullet haired Kevin Costner trying to save Nottingham with a dodgy English accent. One element of the story that has fallen out of fashion is Robin Hood’s links with the world of Fae...
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![The Black CoastMike Brooks]()
FantasyIn Science Fiction and Fantasy, I have visited a multitude of different worlds. In some cases, it feels like all the people on the planet ha ve similar sensibilities, but how is this possible ? Even within our own country you get people from the North who are different from the South, never...
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![A Fool's HopeMike Shackle]()
FantasyTo the uninitiated, the fantasy genre is stagnant. The same old dwarves and elves going on long journeys and then back again. Any fan of the genre knows that this is just not the case. The genre has evolved with soc iety. The fantasy books of the 80s and 90s differ greatly from Tolkien and modern...
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![These Deathless ShoresP H Low]()
FantasyYou either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Peter Pan is cheeky, certainly a hero, but he was also annoying and domineering. Did the Lost Boys want to stay on the island, or did Peter force them? On reflection, Peter Pan had some issues, but Disney put an airbrush t...
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![NavolaPaolo Bacigalupi]()
FantasyWhat is the fantasy genre? It is not just one thing. You can have elves and orcs battling against the backdrop of high wizardry, but you can also write something simpler. Low fantasy is getting so low that it starts to feel like alternative medieval history. Like why write about real history when yo...
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![Slaine DragontamerPat Mills]()
FantasyI love 2000AD, it is a fantastic serial comic that is filled with some of my favourite characters. Judge Dredd is omnipresent, but there are other characters that I picture when I think of opening a new issue; ABC Warriors, Rogue Trooper and of course, Slaine. Slaine felt a little different as it wa...
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![Paved With Good IntentionsPeter Mclean]()
FantasyThey say never judge a book by its cover and this is a good lesson to take heed of with Peter McLean’s Paved With Good Intentions , as the UK cover stars Eline dressed in regal splendour. You see, Eline is also someone you should not judge from by her looks. She may be presenting as a member of the...
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![The Serpent Called MercyRoanne Lau]()
FantasyThere are shifts in the Fantasy genre that perhaps only the ardent fan will notice. The epics of Tolkien and the 80s are still being written, but now there are more intimate stories that follow one or two characters as they graft in their small way among the wider Fantasy world. These are often cosy...
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![Seven Recipes for RevolutionRyan Rose]()
FantasyThe fantasy genre is a form of comfort reading for me. The genre often follows similar tropes, and you can get into the rhythm of the story quickly. However, increasingly often in modern fantasy, authors are creating new and challenging ideas to shake up the genre. Magical systems are an area you ca...
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![Blood of the SerpentS M Stirling]()
FantasyBringing back classic character is a wise decision as you already have a built-in fan base and the potential to make new fans. Who does not want to read more Sherlock Holmes? But it is fraught with dangers. Suddenly you have Winnie the Pooh and The Grinch starring in horror films. In some cases, the...
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![The Gryphon KingSara Omer]()
FantasyI have read a lot of epic fantasy, and it comes in many flavours, but it does not always feel like it. Often, it feels like an alternative Medieval Europe with a few elves thrown in. This is less so today as innovative ideas and visions come to the genre, taking a typical fantasy novel and giving it...
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![Wings of Steel and FurySarah Daley]()
Science FictionIf you read about the gods, most of them are a little messed up. If they are not descending to pretend to be a swan so they can sleep with woman, they are basically ignoring all the human suffering going on. Are gods omnipotent or just much more powerful than humans? Everything feels like magic, unt...
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![Our Lady of BladesSebastien De Castell]()
FantasyI am not sure if readers have noticed, but we have quietly entered a new Golden Era of Fantasy writing. There is a handful or more of established fantasy authors who have the experience and skill to be writing at the top of their game. Fantasy novels that are not just simple retellings of old tropes...
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![The Last MermaidShana Abe]()
FantasyThe Last Mermaid is a historical fantasy drama by Shana Abe. In 531 on the island Kelmere of the Kingdom of Isles, Picts ambush the royal party as they near their keep. Prince Aedan, heir to the High King throne, is stabbed trying to save his younger sister. When Aedan next awakens he finds himself...
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![Shield MaidenSharon Emmerichs]()
FantasyThe tale is often told from the perspective of the victor, distorting the truth to make them look better. In an epic poem like Beowulf, it all points to one man being the hero, but what if there is more to the story. Shield Maiden by Sharon Emmerichs retells the final part of Beowulf’s life from the...
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![The CowardStephen Aryan]()
FantasyWhen I think about heroism I often think about the conversation between Cat and Rimmer in Red Dwarf. There‘s an old cat proverb that goes, "It's better to live one hour as a tiger than an entire lifetime as a worm.” There's an old human proverb - "Whoever heard of a worm-skin rug?" I am with Rimm...
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![The Judas BlossomStephen Aryan]()
FantasyHow do you like your fantasy? It comes in so many flavours now that you can pick and choose what type you like. Dragons, magic, and high fantasy – tasty. Violence, political intrigue, low fantasy – a guilty treat. Stephen Aryan has chosen a different route, a book that has its heart in low fantasy,...
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![The Moonsteel CrownStephen Deas]()
FantasyLife in a Fantasy novel is often epic. A grand journey to destroy a ring or a fight to the death against an invading force. Our heroes rush from one end of the land on a mission , but if you look behind them you may see some of the normal people pass in a blur. The shopkeepers, the local police, the...
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![Jonathan Strange & Mr NorrellSusanna Clarke]()
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is an alternative history novel by Susanna Clarke. In the year 1806, England is becoming frustrated by the long drawn out war with Napoleon. Practical Magic has long faded into the countries history but one remaining true Magician is found, a very reclusive Mr Norrell w...
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![Clockwork BoysT Kingfisher]()
FantasyThe fantasy genre has the reputation of producing books big enough that you could use as a casual seat, trilogies that you could line up, throw some cushions on top and make into a settee. It does not have to be this way and T Kingfisher has certainly bucked the trend with Clockwork Boys, which come...
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![The Wonder EngineT Kingfisher]()
FantasyA large part of fantasy novels is not really the destination, but the journey. The camaraderie that builds among a troop of characters as they travel to their destination, but what happens once they have arrived? In T Kingfisher’s Clockwork Boys four mismatched social pariahs set out to survive the...
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![Nine GoblinsT Kingfisher]()
FantasyBack in the nineties, Fantasy had a comedic moment. Led by Sir Terry Pratchett, other authors were signed up to produce lighter fantasy with a sense of humour. Whilst none became as popular as Discworld, I still miss those days. T Kingfisher agreed and Nine Goblins is the author’s homage to that era...
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![Songs of the SlainTim Lebbon]()
FantasyConan was a character that had a rich and long life. You may be a fan of the films and only imagine the man as a loincloth wearing barbarian, cleaving the heads of various cult leaders. That is a large part of his appeal, but he was also a bandit leader, pirate and eventually a King. In fact, he was...
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![Spawn of the Serpent GodTim Waggoner]()
FantasyConan has fought against Gods his whole life. The little ones that try to interfere with the ways of man, and the Old Ones that nestle in other dimensions waiting for their chance to absorb the Earth. The only God that Conan has had little trouble with is Crom, his own God, and that is because Crom...
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![The Last Blade PriestW P Wiles]()
FantasyDestiny is a tricky thing as it is something that you should not be aware of. I want to be surprised if it turns out that I save the world, or perhaps destroy it. Some characters have their destiny thrust upon them from a young age and are told what it will be. Anton is a Blade Priest for Craithe, t...
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