06/30/2014
The third Lightbringers epic installment (after The Blinding Knife) primarily acts as a bridge between the two other volumes. Gavin Guile, the former Prism, is now color-blind and enslaved aboard a pirate galley. Old hurts and grim prophecy loom over the machinations to name his successor. His recently acknowledged son, Kip, struggles to find a place in the military, while Guile’s rejuvenated father, Andross, runs the Chromeria, a council of wizards who work in solidified colors of light. As son and grandfather clash over missing artifacts, a religious heretic continues his conquest of the capital’s outer districts, and a legendary sect of assassins infiltrates the city. Weeks is fond of complicated schemes, and his plot feels like an orchestrated chess match between genius grandmasters, but he also leavens the logic with humor. His characters are charming even as they are threatened with being swept off the chessboard. Fans of George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire will find the family dynamics of the Guiles quite familiar. (Sept.)
A return to Westoros. A farewell to the land of Fillory. A sequel to one of the most acclaimed science-fiction debuts ever. A new novel from one of sci-fi’s undisputed modern masters. 2014 was a banner year for science-fiction and fantasy readers, and we’ve got a rundown of the can’t-miss, must-read titles.
We’ve been reading about orcs, elves, and magical talismans that incite world-spanning conflicts since the dawn of the Age of Man, but we recognize that not everyone is entirely comfortable with terms like “enchanted sword” or “ancient evil.” If you’re the sort of person who guesses The Lord of the Rings on every fantasy trivia question, the handy list […]
It seems you can’t turn around in the bookstore these days without bumping up against a stack of the next great fantasy doorstopper, but even by those standards, this fall is a particularly strong one for epic fantasy, featuring long-awaited installments of a few of the best series going and the return of characters we’ve […]
13 Hours in Benghazi, by Mitchell Zuckoff, is a harrowing account of the tragedy that shook the nation and created a political firestorm. For another in-depth report on the story that won’t go away, you’ll also want to read Under Fire: The Untold Story of the Attack in Benghazi, by Fred Burton & Samuel M. Katz. […]
2014 has the potential to be a landmark year for science fiction/fantasy, with highly anticipated installments of elite series scheduled to drop as well as a handful of remarkable debut novels and first installments of brand spanking new sagas. There’s also the glimmer of hope that some blockbuster novels that are as of yet unscheduled […]