21 - 30 - the Top 100 fantasy books of all time

Tales from Earthsea comprises of five magical stories of Earthsea, the realm created by master storyteller Ursula Le Guin. The stories help explain the mythology of Earthsea and fill in the gaps between the four prior stories, most notably between Tehanu and The Other Wind.

Mort is a Discworld novel by fantasy author Terry Pratchett. The book is the fourth in the series and was first published in the UK by Victor Gollanz Ltd in association with Colin Smythe Ltd in 1987. The book is 315 pages in length and Corgi Books published the edition reviewed. Mort belongs in the comic fantasy sub-genre of fantasy.

Robin Hobb is rightly classed as one of the finest authors the genre has ever been fortunate enough to have. The Farseer Trilogy established this status – does the Liveship Traders keep the high standard? The answer is yes, the quality of the writing is once again excellent and the characters are full and lifelike. I did enjoy the trilogy but not to the same degree as The Farseer Trilogy. There is something about the characters that stopped me from getting completely behind them. They are undoubtedly well written but also often highly annoying (this may be intended, if it was, then it was done superbly well.)

In this much anticipated and last instalment of the First Law trilogy from Joe Abercrombie we find the answers to all our questions and some we didn’t even realise existed!

Deadhouse Gates continues the Malazan Book of the Fallen, a story begun in the wonderful Gardens of the Moon.

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a magical tale set in a time of war. The story centres on Sybel whose story begins when, at the age of sixteen, she is given a baby to care for. Born and raised on the titular Eld Mountain, Sybel knows little of mankind, magical creatures summoned by wizardry having been her main source of companionship. The arrival of the baby takes Sybel out of her comfortable life and into realms unknown.

Harry has left Hogwarts to dedicate himself to the quest for final Horcruxes, together with his friends Ron and Hermione. Harry is also searching for the answers he feels Dumbledore has left unanswered and his feelings for his beloved old headmaster veer from anger and bitterness to painful loss. Voldemort continues his rise and nowhere seems to be safe anymore. With three gifts, bequeathed by Dumbledore to our intrepid trio, they set off on their deadliest task yet and know that this could be the end of everything they hold dear, even themselves. With Voldemort ever closer our hero must not hesitate; the final battle is coming and no one knows what the outcome will be.

Waylander II – In the realm of the wolf is a novel belonging to the Drenai series written by David Gemmell. The book was first published in Great Britain in 1992 by Legend Books and has been reprinted by Orbit Books since 1997. The book is 323 pages in length and is the fifth Drenai novel.

Gemmell incorporates epic and historical fantasy into a set of novels set in the era of the Trojan Wars. Drawing upon Greek mythology and using his own inimitable style Gemmell draws us into the fables of Agamemnon, Aeneas (Helikaon), Andromache and Hector. This refreshing re-telling of the Greek epic follows the battle between Troy and Mycanae.

Soul Eater is set 6,000 years ago in Northern Europe, after the end of the last ice age, the novel takes place along a wooded coastline, inhabited by wandering clans whose cultures revolve around totemic animals or trees: the Raven Clan, the Wolf Clan, the Willow Clan and so on.