Fantasy Book Review: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
When 17 year old Isabella Swan moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father she expects that her new life will be as dull as the town. But in spite of her awkward manner and low expectations, she finds that her new classmates are drawn to this pale, dark-haired new girl in town. But not, it seems, the Cullen family. These five adopted brothers and sisters obviously prefer their own company and will make no exception for Bella. Bella is convinced that Edward Cullen in particular hates her, but she feels a strange attraction to him, although his hostility makes her feel almost physically ill. He seems determined to push her away ? until, that is, he saves her life from an out of control car. Bella will soon discover that there is a very good reason for Edward’s coldness. He, and his family, are vampires ? and he knows how dangerous it is for others to get too close.
Fantasy Book Review says “After seeing and enjoying the movie Twilight, I had to get the book. If I was less of a glutton for punishment I probably would have heeded the warning signs. Every teenage girl I knew of swooning over the book and the Romeo of the story, Edward Cullen. I even had a 24 year old friend update her status with something along the lines of “After Edward Cullen I can never again want a human male.”
Read the full review of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer is an American author best known for her vampire romance series, Twilight. The Twilight novels have gained worldwide recognition, won multiple literary awards and sold over 85 million copies worldwide, with translations into 37 different languages.
Posted: March 17th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Fantasy Book Review, Stephenie Meyer
Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill reviewed on Fantasy Book Review
You just can’t beat a damn good horror book, particularly one that manages to scare and disturb you late at night, even though you are safe and sound in your own home.
Adam Nevill’s Apartment 16 is one such book.
The titular apartment is located within Barrington House, an upmarket block in London. It has been empty for fifty years – no one goes in, no one comes out. When Seth – an aspiring artist working as a night watchman – investigates a disturbance after midnight, his experiences change his life forever.
Not since reading Stephen King’s It has a book managed to instil such a feeling of fear and disquiet in me. Legend has it that one of the author’s past jobs was working as a night watchman. If true, then this certainly explains why the central character, Seth, feels so authentic.
The characterisation throughout is strong, and the setting of London is shown at its most desolate, showcasing its squalor and faded grandeur in equal measure. You may never look at London in quite the same way again.
The many supernatural elements help form nightmarish visions but it is, surprisingly, the everyday occurrence, and description of, an unprovoked beating that Seth suffers that made the biggest impact with me. It was hideously realistic, brutal and those who have experienced a similar experience will be able to appreciate (probably the wrong word to use) just how accurate Nevill’s depiction of this event is.
It is difficult to talk overly about what happens in Apartment 16 without spoiling the book for others so I’ll just say that I found Adam Nevill’s writing to be refined with a wonderful British feel. It is not often that I use the word eloquent within a horror book review but Nevill is a fine author and worthy of this accolade.
Apartment 16 is an excellent horror book from a talented author. Highly recommended.
Adam Nevill has been a devotee of the supernatural in fiction since his father read him M R James at bedtime. The influences that have helped form the horror writer are diverse, ranging from Maori legends to Doctor Who, HP Lovecraft and Sooty. As well as Apartment 16, he is the author of the occult thriller Banquet of the Damned. He lives in London and is currently working on his next book.
For more information on Adam Nevill and his work, visit www.adamlgnevill.com.
Posted: March 13th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Fantasy Book Review
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Man from Hell by Barrie Roberts
The world’s greatest detective returns in a story that forms part of a new series entitled The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
In The Man from Hell Barrie Roberts creates a perfect emulation of Conan Doyle’s works. The year is 1886 and the wealthy philanthropist Lord Backwater has been found beaten to death on the grounds of his estate. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson must unravel the mystery by pitting their wits against a ruthless new enemy, taking them across the globe in search of the killer.
As a teenager I was a voracious reader of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes adventures and quickly made my way through the entire collection. The unfortunate aspect of a detective crime novel though is that although they can be re-read and enjoyed, the mystery and tension that surrounds the first reading can never be recaptured. That was why, when I saw Robert Lee Hall’s Exit Sherlock Holmes in a book store, I thought it would be good to read a Holmes’ story of which I did not already know the ending. Exit Sherlock Holmes was an excellent novel, as is The Man from Hell – they both stay true to Conan Doyle’s original works while showing that there is life in Baker Street yet.
My feelings here may not place me on the same wavelength as all Holmes fans, indeed I am sure that some deem it sacrilegious for authors to attempt to carry on Conan Doyle’s work, but I find it heartening that there are still Sherlock Holmes stories that I have not read.
It is difficult to talk about my favourite parts of The Man from Hell without giving too much away so I’ll just say that Barrie Roberts’s narrative is as Watson-ian as any fan could wish for. A large portion of the book, set in a country far away from England, describes the past-life of one of the major characters and its chapters hardly contain Holmes and Watson at all. It is a great story in its own right and shows Roberts as a talented author whose skills go far beyond mere homage.
The Man from Hell makes for riveting reading, the short chapters fly by and the mystery slowly unfolds as we exciting narrative progresses. It is a story that is worthy of the Sherlock Holmes name. Read and enjoy.
The book’s author, Barrie Roberts, was a writer, human rights activist, musician, artist and advisor. He is fondly remembered for his successful series of Sherlock Holmes pastiche novels. Sadly, he passed away in 2007.
Thank you to Titan Books or supplying the review copy of The Man from Hell. For more information on The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, visit http://titanbooks.com/home/uk.
Posted: March 10th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Fantasy Book Review
The Eyes of a King by Catherine Banner reviewed on Fantasy Book Review
Five-year-old Cassius escaped the brutal assassination of his parents, the king and queen of Malonia, and was exiled to modern-day England. Now fifteen, Cassius continues to be hidden in England under the protection of his tutor, the great Alderbaran, who’s ancient prophecy says that Cassius will, one day, return and claim his rightful place on the throne. At the same time, fifteen-year-old Leo remains in Malonia where a repressive dictatorial regime under the new king, Lucien, followed the assassination. One day Leo discovers a wonderful book in which parts of an epic story appear each day – a remarkable story that reveals the secrets of the prophecy, the assassination and how they are connected to Leo’s own family history.
The Eyes of a King was published more than a year and half ago amidst massive media interest. It was the first book in a planned trilogy – with Voices in the Dark due in March 2010 being the second – and saw the then fourteen-year-old author unhelpfully labelled as the new JK Rowling. Although The Eyes of a King may not be one of the very best young adult fantasy books available it does however showcase a mightily impressive imagination that will ensure all who read it will continue to follow the young author’s future works with much interest.
The first two-hundred pages are rather difficult to get into. There are certainly glimpses of excellence there but there is too much that is either standard or convenient. There is also the spectre of Christian Fantasy hanging over proceedings and the concern that the author may be so desperate to get their message across that it will be to the detriment of telling a good story.
And then with half the book still to go Banner places two words, THE END, into the narrative and then followed fifty or so pages that were truly excellent; chapters dealing with events and emotions in a completely believable and upsetting way. This was the moment where it became apparent what exactly the author was capable of and what the major publishing companies have seen. Although the book did not again reach the heights it did conclude in a satisfying manner.
All in all The Eyes of a King is a real mixture, containing some good points and some bad.
The good points are the clever use of fonts to distinguish between differing narratives and the way in which Catherine Banner weaves these storylines together. The relationship between Leo and his little brother Stirling is touching, full of mutual love and a highlight if the book. This is an intricate book with the teenage characters behaving in an authentic way, it is also on occasions engaging.
The bad points are that the dialogue can sometimes be rather unrealistic and the narrative struggles to flow as a result. Although there are undoubtedly interesting ideas in there they never seem to be fully developed. The teenage angst is realistic enough but may be overbearing for some.
Considering her tender years Banner showed great maturity and life experience. Although this review may not be exactly overflowing with praise it must mentioned that there was something within this book that made it stand out from the crowd – the imagination of the author. Catherine Banner has shown that she is capable of something truly monumental and many who have read The Eyes of a King will read the next book, Voices in the Dark, hoping to find that the author’s skills have been further honed following her debut. Following Banner’s career could be an interesting and rewarding experience for many.
“But I wrote in the book; I want on until it was quite dark, and rose again the next morning and went on writing. I went on even after the winter set in, and through the spring, and into the next summer. Every time I ran out of space, I would skip forward to the next blank page. I didn’t read what I had written. I just went on. I counted the days by the words I wrote, and learned to survive.”
The Eyes of a King
Random House signed Catherine Banner to a three book deal making The Eyes of a King the first in a trilogy. Rights to Catherine’s books have been sold to 13 countries around the world and the book is already a bestseller in the UK. Yet Catherine’s feet remind firmly on the ground; “Even now I sometimes wonder if it’s all real; it means such a lot to me to be able to write professionally, it’s something I had been dreaming about for years.”
Catherine lives in Cambridge and is reading English at University.
Posted: March 2nd, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Fantasy Book Review
The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
A magical puppet longs to be human
In an Italian village, Geppetto, an old woodcarver, receives a piece of wood which looks perfect for his next project, a puppet. But when he sets to work something magical happens – the piece of wood begins to talk. When Geppetto is finished, the puppet turns out to be cheeky, naughty, and can walk, run and eat with as hearty an appetite as any young boy.
Geppetto calls him Pinocchio (which means ‘pine nut’) and brings him up as his son. But Pinocchio is disobedient – he tells lies, and every time he lies, his nose grows longer. Geppetto makes many sacrifices for his adopted son, but Pinocchio finds it hard to be good. He is easily led astray, tumbling from one disastrous adventure to another in which he is robbed, imprisoned, chased by bandits and only narrowly escapes death. His friends, the Cricket and the Blue Fairy, try to make see that his dream – to be a real boy – can never come true until Pinocchio finally changes his ways.
The Adventures of Pinocchio is Italy’s most famous fairy tale, first published in 1883. Its author, Carlo Collodi, wrote a great deal for children but Pinocchio is the only one of Collodi’s tales to be translated into the English language.
Like many children’s novels, its theme is that of a naughty child who must learn to be good, not just for his own sake but for the sake of others around him too. First published in serial form, early versions of Pinocchio were very different from the story we have come to know today – in one draft, the unruly puppet comes to a particularly gruesome end. With alterations suggested by Collodi’s editor, the book finally became a true children’s classic, hugely successful in Italy, but Collodi did not find fame internationally until the first English translation was published in 1892, two years after his death.
Carlo Collodi was born Carlo Lorenzini in Florence, Italy, in 1826. He took the Collodi from his mother’s birthplace. His father was a cook and his mother a domestic servant.
After a spell in the army, he took up journalism as a career and founded a political magazine which was quickly suppressed by the Italian government. He went on to work at other political newspapers as well as working for a censorship organisations operating in theatre.
His first novel, Il Vapore (1856), was a great success, and he wrote numerous satirical sketches and romantic and political novels at this time, only taking up writing for children after he accumulated large gambling debts.
He first translated a collection of fables by the famous French writer of fairy tales, Charles Perrault, which proved so successful that he began to write his own children’s stories. In 1881, the first magazine for children was founded and Collodi contributed regularly with ever increasing success, including in its founding year, The Adventures of Pinocchio. Of all Collodi’s wide-ranging and prolific output, it is Pinocchio for which he is best remembered.
Collodi never married and lived a solitary life. He died in Florence in 1890.
Posted: February 19th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Fantasy Book Review
The Mystery of Lewis Carroll by Jenny Woolf reviewed on Fantasy Book Review
Understanding the author of Alice in Wonderland
The elusive author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, Lewis Carroll, has been a subject of enduring fascination for the past hundred years. Born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the son of a country curate, he would spend almost his entire life in the quiet, studious surroundings of Christ Church College, Oxford, shunning publicity and becoming increasingly guarded as the years went by. However, in his posthumous existence, he has been retrospectively psychoanalysed, condemned for his supposed sexual perversions and alleged addiction to opium. The destruction of many major documents about his personal life by his descendants has only magnified the mystery.
In The Mystery of Lewis Carroll, Jenny Woolf hopes to lay waste to the myths and suspicions that surround the author by placing him firmly in the context of his own time. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was born into a world where slavery was still legal, cholera was rife in cities, Roman Catholics were barred from Parliament, and tiny children were being worked to death in factories. He attended Rugby public school where violence and sexual abuse were to be expected and tolerated. In 1857 he became a fellow at Oxford University, allowing him to stay at the college for the rest of his life. This however had conditions,one that he should remain celibate, the other that he become an ordained minister of the Church of England. All of these experiences were instrumental in forming the man whom the world would come to know as Lewis Carroll.
For the average reader, one who has not read the works of Langford Read, Robin Wilson, Roger Lancelyn Green, Florence Becker Lennon or Edward Wakeling, The Mystery of Lewis Carroll will provide great insight into the life and works of Lewis Carroll. For those who have read some or all of the above tiles, this new biography will help shed even further light on the retiring author with the help of new, unearthed information and through recently gained access to his bank accounts ledger.
Woolf’s biography begins with Carroll’s childhood before moving onto his love of mathematics, a rather dry area which she battles bravely to make interesting. Fans of Douglas Adams and the Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books will be intrigued with Carroll’s seeming obsession with the number 42 – is this why Adams decided to make the answer to life, the universe and everything 42? This chapter also shows that Carroll was an author that plays – in his literature – as much with numbers as he did with words.
As the book enters the middle phase it concentrates more on Carroll’s relationships with children, particularly young girls and young women. There can be no denying that much of this makes for uncomfortable reading as it is wrong when judged by today’s standards but here Woolf shows that although Carroll’s behaviour did raise eyebrows at the time, he lived life by a strict, self-regulated moral code and his friendships with, and his photographing of young girls and young-women was always done with the parents consent.
Ms Woolf is certainly in the pro-Carroll corner and although she attempts very conscientiously to present a balanced view she wants one of her favourite authors to emerge as healthily as possible from this biography. But it is when she quotes from Florence Becker Lennon’s 1947 Lewis Carroll biography that a description that best fits Carroll is shown. Florence Becker Lennon described Carroll as “a damaged person who has been raised with sexual repressions that deprived him of happiness and obliged him to live inside an abnormal emotional ‘box’.” This is possibly a little harsh, and also fails to mention his many fine points but, based on the picture painted of the author by Woolf’s biography it is an analysis that rings true.
This book will not give great insight into the Alice in Wonderland books, they will give great insight into the author who wrote the works. As the book concludes it chooses his financial dealings in his lifetime to give the final and undistorted image of the author. The bank account ledgers examined are still pretty much intact (when compared to his diaries and letters) and the picture they paint of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson is one of a man that should be held in high esteem. He was a generous man, always willing to help financially and spiritually. After the death of his father he took on the responsibility of organising and providing for the other 10 members of his family when they needed it. He was also an unstinting giver to charity and helped friends in their times of need.
Woolf’s research and reading of other Carroll biographies is extensive and this comes together provide a very comprehensive and fascinating overview of the author that gave the world Alice. This highly recommended biography will allow the reader to learn much of Carroll and the times into which he was born.
Jenny Woolf has been a freelance journalist for UK national newspapers and was a consulting editor of the American travel magazine Islands. She continued to work for British and foreign publications and for the BBC, for whom she made a Radio 4 programme about Lewis Carroll in 2006. She has had a lifelong interest in Lewis Carroll and is the author of Lewis Carroll In his Own Account (2005).
Born in 1832, in Daresbury, Cheshire, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson spent his early life in the north of England (at Daresbury, Cheshire and in Croft, Yorkshire). He spent his adult life in Oxford and died at Guildford in 1898. Besides the Alice books, he wrote many others including poems, pamphlets and articles. He was a skilled mathematician, logician and pioneering photographer and he invented a wealth of games and puzzles which are of great interest today. Through his range of talents he has acquired great respect and has a large following.
Posted: February 18th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Fantasy Book Review, Lewis Carroll
The Toymaker by Jeremy De Quidt reviewed on Fantasy Book Review
What good is a toy that will wind down? What if you could put a heart in one? A real heart. One that beat and beat and didn’t stop. What couldn’t you do if you could make a toy like that? From the moment Mathias becomes the owner of a mysterious piece of paper, he is in terrible danger. Entangled in devious plots and pursued by the sinister Doctor Leiter and his devilish toys, Mathias finds himself on a quest to uncover a deadly secret.
The Toymaker has David Fickling Books written on its spine. This is the literary equivalent of a Royal Warrant of Appointment, a sign of quality that reassures the prospective buyer that they are not making a mistake in parting with their hard-earned cash. I have yet to read a poor David Fickling book and they have all been of the very highest standard.
Jeremy de Quidt’s dark and brooding debut is no exception.
The Toymaker is wonderfully atmospheric, with a decidedly gothic feel, and an almost tangible sense of mystery and suspense. The locations and settings are imaginative and the characters are believable and deserving of empathy. Be warned though, this is not your usual run-of-the-mill fantasy book for older children. Torture, death, violence and hardship are all to be found within its covers.
The narrative progresses at a fair rate of knots and is written simply, yet with power. There has always been something sinister about dolls that are too lifelike – they really are the stuff of children’s nightmares – and de Quidt cleverly plays on this. A quick glance at The Toymaker on Amazon.co.uk shows that de Quidt and the illustrator Gary Blythe both have their names listed – this is fully deserved as Blythe’s illustrations are uniformly brilliant, amongst the best I have seen in any fantasy book.
There are some books that you can read in a single day and this is one of them. The pages simply fly by and there is just the right amount of tense and scary moments to keep the reader enthralled.
The Toymaker is an excellent book, one of very few that I wish were longer, and the book’s ending is as chilling as it is unexpected. A superb debut in which everything fits together like a jigsaw.
Those who have read and enjoyed The Toymaker should also try reading The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgwick, The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix, The Graveyard Book By Neil Gaiman, The Spook’s Series by Joseph Delaney and Endymion Spring and The Story of Cirrus Flux by Mathew Skelton.
Other great titles from David Fickling Books include X-isle by Steve Augarde, The Two Pearls of Wisdom by Alison Goodman and Fantasy Book Review Book of the Month Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan.
About the author
Jeremy de Quidt lives in Somerset with his wife and three children, this is his first novel.
About the illustrator
Gary Blythe is a published author and an illustrator of children’s books. Some of the published credits of Gary Blythe include The Perfect Bear, Ice Bear: Read and Wonder: In the Steps of the Polar Bear (Read and Wonder), Miss Happiness and Miss Flower.
Posted: February 9th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Fantasy Book Review
Fantasy Book Review: Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
There’s a werewolf with the pre-lunar tension in Ankh-Morpork. And a dwarf with attitude and a golem who’s begun to think for itself. But for Commander Vimes, Head of Ankh-Morpork City Watch, that’s only the start…There’s treason in the air. A crime has happened. He’s not only got to find out whodunit, but howdunit too. He’s not even sure what they dun. But soon as he knows what the questions are, he’s going to want some answers.
Joshua S Hill says “I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, the earlier Discworld novels aren’t as refined as the latter. Which makes utter and complete sense, but is still a word of warning. When you hear people describe the genius and brilliance behind the Discworld books, those characteristics are set up in these early books and then flourish in latter books. These are books you want to read, as they are clever, smart, and fill in a lot of the blanks on characters you may have read or will read when you get to Night Watch and the like. But don’t expect 10/10 brilliance straight away.”
Read the full Feet of Clay review
Terry Pratchett was awarded the OBE (The Most Excellent Order Of The British Empire, Officer) in 1998 for his services to literature. He has sold over 40 million books worldwide and these have been translated into thirty-three different languages. He is second only to JK Rowling in terms of book sales in the United Kingdom.
It is believed that 1% of all the books sold in England are penned by Pratchett. His books have been translated into 36 different languages and have sold over 60 million copies.
Sir Terry Pratchett was made a knight in the New Year Honours list (2008). He received the honour for services to literature.
Posted: January 28th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Fantasy Book Review, Terry Pratchett
The Briar King by Greg Keyes reviewed on Fantasy Book Review
Review by Joshua S Hill
For me, the arrival of Christmas and the Hill family Kris Kringle often means that I’ll walk away with a lovely Borders gift voucher (thanks Amy!!! ). This year was no different, and I had a lot of fun one night doing some searching for new books I would like to start in on and one day at Borders spent finding those books I’d written on my list.
Subsequently I came into possession of the Briar King, by Greg Keyes. The blurb looked interesting, and the cover art was nice as well (I’m a sucker for a good cover). But should I have judged the book by its cover?
Well, yeah, turns out I was right on the money. Again!
Greg Keyes is a great author, and in this the first book of his quadrology the Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone, he really brings you into the story, makes you fall in love with characters and thrills you with a story that has you on the edge of your seat for a lot of the time.
We are presented with a world that is similar to a lot of fantasy books, but not quite the same. This in and of itself is refreshing. You normally see authors go one of two ways; stereotypical fantasy or brand-spankin’ new ideas which leave you confused and spend half the book trying to get a grasp of what exactly a Holitolawith is. Or whatever.
Keyes introduces us to a world which, right from the go, is prophesied to die. This is an interesting thing to have done, because it theoretically gives the story away. But by the end of the first book you’re not quite sure what exactly the original prophecy meant, and whether you interpreted correctly.
People are dead who you thought would be alive. People are alive who you thought would be dead. Throughout the book you are surprised with the realistic approach Keyes has taken to the sanctity of life and how likely it is to survive a knife in the chest. Characters are frayed around the edges, their emotions set to high, and their flaws very obvious. And characters don’t all of a sudden turn into superheroes or survive obvious death.
I was utterly pleased when the original opinions of the characters were turned upside down. One character is apparently a bitch, but then given a little bit of time we realize that’s just the childish opinions of our lead. Another character doesn’t seem so bad, but then …
The only issue I have with this book is what, at the conclusion of reading this book and without having read on just yet, appears to be a forced contrivance to keep one character in the dark and, it appears, perpetually kept away from those who could enlighten her. These contrivances frustrate me, as they appear for apparently no reason and leave you peeved at this one character left out of the loop while everyone else has an inkling of what is going on.
That being said, it is not enough to ruin the book, and I could very likely be proved wrong when I start in on the sequel, The Charnel Prince (it arrived from eBay yesterday). So if you’re looking for a fantasy book with enough of a spin that leaves it being a fresh taste in your mind, then check out the Briar King as soon as you can. You will not regret it!
Gregory Keyes is famous for his quartet of books named The Age of Unreason, a steampunk/alchemical story starring Benjamin Franklin and Isaac Newton. He also wrote the Babylon 5 Psi Corps trilogy, a history of the Psi Corps and a biography of Psi Corps member Alfred Bester.
Posted: January 27th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Fantasy Book Review
Fantasy Book Review: The Templar Magician by Paul Doherty
1152 and the Templar Order face a new threat. The Templar Order fiercely guards the Holy Land, though the idealism that brought the Order to victory over five decades earlier is fading, as King Stephen fights a vicious civil war against Henry Fitzempress in England. When Raymond, Count of Tripoli, is brutally murdered a ferocious massacre ensues. Robert de Payens and Philip Mayele are sent to negotiate with the Man in the Mountain, whose sect, The Assassins, is believed responsible for the murder. The two envoys return with disturbing news: the assassination is the work of a rogue coven within the Order itself who are now headed to England. Its leader will use anything, even black magic, to defeat those who stand in his way – including the King himself…
Fantasy Book Review: “I thoroughly enjoyed The Templar Magician but there was one thing that didn’t work for me, and that was the ending. Everything was all done in a very Hercule Poirot way (considering this is marketed as an historical crime novel I really shouldn’t complain), but as we neared the end EVERY single loose thread was tied up, with all the protagonists in one room as the lead character, Edmund de Payens displayed his deductive prowess. This part seemed to go into unnecessary detail and I found it all a little bit unbelievable. That aside though, this is a book I will look back on fondly and I am pleased to say that I now have a better understanding of the Knights Templar and the 12th century than I had before I began reading it. I can take a lot from the book, and that is after all what reading is all about – learning something new.”
Read the full review of The Templar Magician by Paul Doherty
Paul Doherty was born in Middlesbrough. He studied history at Liverpool and Oxford universities and obtained a doctorate at Oxford for his thesis on Edward II and Queen Isabella. He is now headmaster of a school in northeast London and lives with his wife and family near Epping Forest.
Posted: January 27th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Fantasy Book Review
Book of the Month
Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill
Some doors are better left closed . . . In Barrington House, an upmarket block in London, there is an empty apartment. No one goes in, no one comes out. And its been that way for fifty years. Until the night watchman hears a disturbance after midnight and investigates. What he experiences is enough to change his life forever.
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Competition: Win a signed copy of Graham Hancock's Entangled
Graham Hancock is the author of The Sign and the Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, Keeper of Genesis, Heaven's Mirror, Supernatural and other bestselling investigations of historical mysteries. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages and have sold over five million copies worldwide. Written with the same page-turning appeal that has made his non-fiction so popular, Entangled is his first work of fiction. We have five signed copies of Entangled to give away as prizes. Email us the answer to the following question and the lucky winner, chosen at random, will receive a copy of the book, signed by the author.
Special Feature: Fantasy Book Review talks to the Book View Cafe
Book View Cafe is a cooperative site created by a group of writers - including internationally renowned authors Katharine Kerr, Ursula Le Guin and Vonda N. McIntyre - who want to take advantage of the internet's possibilities for reaching a wider audience and to distribute their work directly to their readers. The Book View Cafe is a place where you can find free, original fiction plus the authors' best and out-of-print work for a fee. Fantasy Book Review spoke to Book View Cafe member, science fiction author and memoirist Chris Dolley in February 2010.
Special Feature: Understanding the author of Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll, the elusive author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, has been the subject of enduring fascination for the past hundred years. The destruction of many major documents about his personal life by his descendants has only magnified the mystery. Jenny Woolf's biography, published to coincide with the release of the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film, lays waste to the myths and suspicions that have obscured Carroll's reputation by placing him firmly in the context of his own time.
