Book Review: City of Lies

09/28/2020Posted inBook Reviews
This book review is of another gem I found randomly browsing the New Fantasy section at the library. I was caught by the beautiful cover, the short but sweet jacket blurb, the female author, and a killer first line and first scene. City of Lies is the debut novel of Sam Hawke that came out in July 2018 (published by Tor Books). It is a high fantasy epic set almost entirely within a single city – Silasta. The book is written…

Book Review: The Women’s War

08/31/2020Posted inBook Reviews
My default for choosing books has always been from recommendations. This is how most books become popular – not from a great cover or jacket summary, but from word-of-mouth and the enthusiasm of book-lovers. This past year, I made a point to look for new fantasy authors on the shelf and try their work on no one’s recommendation. I have to admit, I found some duds this way, and it was a risky endeavor, but I also came across some…
6 Reasons to write (and read) fantasy

6 Reasons to write (and read) fantasy

08/03/2020Posted inWriting2 Comments
Fantasy – the faculty or activity of imagining things, especially things that are impossible or improbable. This is the dictionary definition of a word that encompasses one of the greatest of book genres. But why is it so great? Why should we read fantasy, let alone set out to write more of it? “It’s not real,” “it’s escapist,” “it pulls you away from the important things in life,” “it’s for kids,” “it’s nerdy” – well, I won’t argue with the…