Smorgasbord Fantasia

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean has an absolute bonkers of a concept. North of England in the Yorkshire Moors, live a clan of six “Families” – who are humanoid/aliens and survive by eating books, gaining knowledge or experiences depending on the kind of literature they “devour”.  They are secretive and surrounding them is an almost Dracula-like legend that cloaks them from the rest of the humanity, only a few even suspecting as to their existence.  Devon belongs to one of the oldest ‘families’ among these people and being one of the rarer “female” of the species, is tasked with the preservation of the clan/race. Which basically leads her leading an oppressive life of being a mule, tasked with marrying into other families as directed by her elders and procreating for the sake of the survival of the clan. Naturally, Devon – a headstrong perceptive young woman, doesn’t take kindly to her “assigned” tasks. Especially after having gotten attached to her first daughter, Salem. Who is...

I think I have zeroed in on my top fantasy debut of the year already :)   The Silver Blood Promise is James Logan 's debut - a masterfully crafted epic fantasy full of action, mayhem and magic that is right up your alley, falling somewhere between the Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch and First Law books by Joe Abercrombie. Ed McDonald calls it post-grimdark and he wouldn't be wrong. Because the staples of that grimdark genre which we all love are all in there; the hero with his regretful choices of his past, who is content drowning his life in wine (Parvan Red, anyone?) and gambling his wealth away in decrepit smoky dens, picking fights with shady goons, characters drowning in their own guilt and making illogical choices, back-alley fights and a flighty convoluted dash through a seedy city of merchants, underground criminals and power hungry nobles conspiring against each other.  The story primary centers around the character of Lukan Gardova, a minor nobility, a failed ...

Nona the Ninth is the third instalment of the Locked Tomb series from Tamsyn Muir. As we have seen before, Tamsyn Muir constructs the Locked Tomb books like an intricate puzzle, with dizzying revelations and mind-fuckery of twists that will blow your mind. So, yes even with the third book in the series, expect nothing different. In a lot of ways, Nona the Ninth is both the easiest book or the most approachable book in the series. And yet, at the same time, the most exquisitely constructed puzzle that Tamsyn throws at us readers. I will be frank, this was actually my least favorite book of the series [ I know! Don't get your knives out, yet. Let me explain!]  So Nona the Ninth happens a while after the tumultuous events of Harrow the Ninth. Fair warning, if you don't remember anything from that book, then I would suggest you go back and read the last few chapters. Because as usual, Tamsyn doesn't give us any guard-rails to help at all and we are thrown into the deep end ...

This book blew me away. Period.  I went in, expecting nothing and came out a big big fan of Angela Slatter and her writing. All   the Murmuring Bones by Angela Slatter is bewitching, a modern day gothic fairy tale, with the right amount of pacing, mystery and magic that will lure you in to the deep. ( pun intended)  So, the bare bones of the story is this: The whole premise is about this family called O'Malleys who are feared and revered in equal measure in an Irish coastal area sometime in the nineteenth century. The world believes that the O'Malleys are blessed by some dark gods, as the great fortunes they amass at the sea continues to grow.  Unbelievable good luck continues to grace the family members but we also get to know that this luck is reserved only for the the true bloodlines. The O'Malleys who don't marry outside the family but get married to cousins and relations, thus, keeping the bloodline pure. But soon enough, the luck deserts the O'Malleys and the...

 Lijo Jose Pellissery became a household name in Kerala, after this cult-hit movie - Angamaly Diaries. And then the oscar-nominated Jallikattu made him famous across the country. Ee Ma Yu, his second outing ( streaming on Netflix India, by the way) was also a stellar movie that dealt with the themes of death, grief and afterlife. And then he made this movie - Churuli (means a Loop, in malayalam)  Frankly, when I saw the trailer last year, I was extremely excited for the possibilities, but now that I have seen the movie, to say am equal parts awe-struck and frustrated would be the least of it. LJP offers no explanation for this exercise in absurd-art-bizzare-cinematic extravaganza. The critics are divided in their verdicts, some of them laud the dazzling vision and the cinematic treatment of this narrative and the others are quick to trash it as exceedingly absurd, a exercise in  That it's a loop - a never ending one, set across time/space/other dimensions is very clear b...

I have never read anything by Nicky Drayden before - Her bio claims 200+ short stories and 3 full length novels to her credit and it's a shame I just discovered her map-cap of a debut 3 years late. But better late than never and I resolve to set matter straight because this hyper-imaginative author is going right to the top of my must-read authors list after this blistering, too-weird-but-oh-so-much-fun genre-bending science-fantasy debut of hers, called The Prey of Gods .  Set in the distant future, around 2160 the story is set in the town of Port Elizabeth in South Africa. The narrative spools out from five different POVs all of them unique and absolutely compelling by themselves: Muzi, a young teenage on the cusp of his adulthood with his confused feelings for his best friend Elkin. Nomvula, a young girl from the village outside the town who's blessed with secrets by the Gods themselves and who's secretly enamoured by this older man Mr. Tau whom her mother claims to hav...

I know I'm coming late to the American Hippo party but better late than never!  River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey a neo-western that pulls no punches, by way of an imagined American alt-history romp where Hippos have been introduced into domestication [ Think Hippo-farms or ranches] It's a very clever twist on what could have been, based on an actual attempt to pass a bill in the US Senate to import hippos for meat. The story follows the capers [ Oh despite so many tedious reminders, I just cannot think myself to call that an "operation" all aboveboard! Come on. ] of a group of determined men and women, out to ensure that a lake full of feral wild hippos can be herded out into the wilds, clearing up the Lake for safer commercial uses. The only issue may be, that the man who claims to have gotten this "legitimate" job order from the Feds, maybe holding out on a dirty secret, a deeply nursed personal vendetta. And little matter that the dangerous man who ru...

Well, Mark Lawrence is officially up top on my list of go-to-authors for his stunningly original take on dark fantasy - And well I think having completed two of his trilogies (Yup. Complete series in itself! Old men with long beards, sit up and take note!) he becomes the author whose series I have completed/loved to bits, that I've read the maximum. Mark is at the top of his game - and with this new series, Book of the Ancestor , he is consciously striving for something different. (Here’s my review of Red Sister ) For one, the protagonist is a young girl, growing into her legacy in this savage, ice-bitten world. And it’s definitely not dark as Jorg or Jalan’s narratives. The world-building has been phenomenal, to say the least and Grey Sister builds on the strong foundation laid by the opening salvo, to give us a glimpse into this wild, savage and beautiful world called Abeth - When four ancient tribes landed here from the stars to make this land their ho...

I would read anything written by Sebastian de Castell . The Greatcoats series, coming to a "shocking conclusion" with the Tyrant's Throne soon to be out, is one of my favorite running series. (Oh next on my reading list!) It's pulpy fun, old fashioned fantasy about heroic protagonists, revenge duels, political conspiracies and truckloads of bromance and a whole lotta love.  So when I came across Spellslinger , his alleged YA-Fantasy debut, I was equal parts excited - and a bit dismayed. YA? Sticking to the defined cordons of this genre, would Sebastian really be able to bring out the delights of the comic camaraderie of the knights' brotherhood, that dark brooding atmosphere of conspiracies and dangers, the intensity? Or will it be a watered-down version with possibly a candyfloss romance thrown in between teens swooning for each other? I need not have worried much. Spellslinger is a completely fresh tale, a YA-fantasy with a western frontier feel to the w...

The Great Wall was another one of those movie, where the trailer really did cover it all and the movie itself, didn't have much else to offer. One of the biggest movies from China last year, director Zhang Yimou ('House of Flying Daggers') ties up Hollywood production values with Asian sensibilities to bring to life, one of the countless 'legends' about the staggering Great Wall of China in this movie - an epic fantasy adventure about mythical creatures that live in the North beyond the Wall who are out to annihilate the whole world - with the Wall and the Nameless order of brave, selfless soldiers the only protection against them. The story arc brings nothing new - we've seen the barbarian from the west joining in on the fight to save the world, bringing his own cunning war tactics and selfless bravery to the fore in an Eastern setting. So the charismatic Matt Damon, William, a mercenary running from his past and in search of the elusive 'black roc...

The Custodian of Marvels marks the end of the amazing series that was Rod Duncan 's successful foray into fantasy - with the Bullet Catcher's Daughter - bringing things to a satisfactory finish, tying up most threads introduced over the course of the last couple of books. In the Gas-Lit Empire, Rod has built one of the most fascinating alternate historical settings, a world teetering on the edge of technological innovations, running on steam-punk somewhere in an alternate nineteenth century world, where the lines are drawn between the Anglo-Scottish Republic and the Kingdom of England and Southern Wales. Into this setting, Rod gave us Elizabeth Barnabus - a child of a disbanded traveling circus, who grew up never compromising on her disgraced father's truths & principles, mastering the art of disguise and guile, hanging on to that desire to avenge the wrongs done to her. A clever, resolute and a very brave young woman who's learned to walk the tightrope o...

I'm a huge fan of Mr. Sanderson - he possibly is the most hard working author in this planet. And the release schedules of Shadows of Self and Bands of Mourning speak for that. Plus he's got a brand new Mistborn Novella out as well this month. Add to that, Calamity (Reckoners # 3) coming out soon enough. Phew! Does this guy even take a break for breathing ? So Alloy of Law is a return to the wonderful world of Mistborn - albeit some hundreds of years later when technology has started to make its presence felt in the world. Steam-punk adventure clashes with the lawless wild west in setting drawn from Victorian sensibilities - throw in some underplayed romance, lots of 'bromance', an amazing magic system and a lot of non-stop action - guns fights and explosions galore - and then you realize how much fun this slim book packs in between its covers. Some people would pan the book for being lighthearted - for all the witty banter and shallow fun this book is - b...

So a corn-punk fantasy? What in the name of blue blazes is that? Ah. Hear the answer from the Master of Diversity and Diversification and Versatility, the evil genius Chuck Wendig overlord at the fantastic blog, Terrible Minds – "I posted on TerribleMinds at one point, saying, "Let's come up with some funny sub-genres." Something-punk. You know, this-punk and that-punk. Funny-punk. It's punk-punk. And I came up with "corn-punk." It's a future run on corn, ha ha. But then I thought, "Well, that's actually creepy, because corn is sorta scary these days." So I started extrapolating that, and I created this very sunny, dustbowl, agricultural dystopia in the far-flung future where corn has taken over. And it's about a young boy struggling against the rich people who live in big ships above his head." The result is this. First book in a heart-stopping trilogy based on "corn" being the ulti...

Deborah Harkness' All Souls Trilogy has become an international phenomenon - a filler for those looking for an entertaining "grown-up" fantasy that doesn't veer into the "dark and gritty"; what with her first book in the trilogy, A Discovery of Witches even being optioned for a Warner Bros movie, Here's the low down on the third book, Book of Life.    After traveling through time in Shadow of Night, the second book in Deborah Harkness’s enchant­ing series, historian and witch Diana Bishop and vampire scientist Matthew Clairmont return to the present to face new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home at Sept-Tours, they re­unite with the cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its miss­ing pages takes on even more urgency. In the tril­ogy’s final volume, Harkness deepens her themes of...

The tale of 47 Ronin is the tale of Japan (??!! So goes the starting voice-over)   Steeped in lores and histories, stapled with rich Japanese mythology, bundled up with a stellar talented international cast led by the chosen one, Keanu Reeves. But if this were feudal Japan, then I have to say that its dead boring. Sadly this movie delivered in rich multi-colour explosive riots and some American CGI Effects that wreaks havoc with the sombre mood of the movie, becomes just a leaden, dead-weight on its talented star-cast stuffed into one-dimensional characters and us viewers, yet again done in by a slick trailer. Keanu Reeves’ choice of movies has been pretty interesting. Most of them have a unique science-fictional element or fantasy tightly coupled to the movie theme. So with 47 Ronin as well – a dash of romance to enliven the clumsy proceedings of a revenge saga along with witches and dragons. All of this adding up to boring balderdash.  Plot is simple...