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So many books, so little time

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Spotlight: Raven’s Shadow Trilogy by Anthony Ryan – THIS IS A TRILOGY OF BADASSES!

Raven’s Shadow Series by Anthony Ryan – THIS IS A TRILOGY OF BADASSES! #blog #amreading #books

The Raven’s Shadow trilogy is a fantasy series by Anthony Ryan. The first book is Blood Song (first published in 2011), followed by Tower Lord (2014) and Queen of Fire (2015). The books chronicle the life of Vaelin Al Sorna, the son of the King’s famed and feared Battle Lord, after he is severed from his family and deposited into the Sixth Order. A religious sect dedicated to transforming…

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New Blog: Perfect protagonists - and their critics

New Blog: Perfect Protagonists and their critics. #blog #amwriting

I want to talk about something that really baffles me in the book blogging/review community and it is this: the need people have to take a story with a precocious or brilliant main character and slam them as a “mary-sue” or “gary-stu”. The implicit criticism being that they are so perfect that they are annoying. As soon as a ‘critic’ introduces this label it appears to be open season on the…

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You must read SEVENEVES by Neal Stephenson: Here's why

You must read SEVENEVES by Neal Stephenson: Here's why. #blog #amreading

Neal Stephenson is a challenging and erudite author. He is the writer responsible for Snow Crash, one of my favourite books, along with classics like The Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, The Baroque Cycle and Anathem. Lauded, celebrated and awarded – Neal Stephenson has many laurels. When SEVENEVES hit shelves around the world Barack Obama, then POTUS and leader of the free world, earmarked it for his…

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Author Spotlight: Glen Cook and his Black Company

Author Spotlight: Glen Cook and his Black Company. #blog #amwriting

I’ve read a lot of fantasy. It is my favourite genre. This will be no surprise to anyone. It is also a genre that is filled with some pretty terrible books: formulaic, bland and boring. I love it, though, because it is a treasure trove of rich and rewarding stories. You simply need to sort the good from the bad. Some of the very best fantasy writers spurn the formula and create something new. I’m…

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Should you read Dawn of Wonder? Find out

Should you read Dawn of Wonder? Find out. #amreading #blog

What is it? Dawn of Wonder is the first book in a fantasy series by Jonathan Renshaw called The Wakening. The book follows Aedan, a precocious but damaged boy, in a coming of age story amidst a backdrop of strange events, political threats and turmoil. It’s notable to mention that Dawn of Wonder is a self-published work. That is nothing new, but Dawn of Wonder belongs to a qualitative batch of…

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You must read Riyria Revelations

Review: You must read Riyria Revelations! by @author_sullivan @orbitbooks #blog #amreading

What is it? Riyria Revelations is a fantasy trilogy by Michael J. Sullivan. Yes I am reviewing an entire trilogy. The books that comprise the series are Theft of Swords, Rise of Empire and Heir of Novron and they are incredible. I picked up on a recommendation for this series after really finishing The Shadow of What Was Lost. Thanks to that book I was on a fantasy high and wow am I glad I found…

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You must read The Shadow of What Was Lost

You must read The Shadow of What Was Lost by @IslingtonJames @orbitbooks #amreading #blog

What is it? The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington is a cracking book. I’ve always been a big fan of fantasy, so the emergence of a new series of this calibre is incredibly exciting. James Islington is also an Australian author, which as an Australian myself, makes me immensely proud. There are precious few Australian voices in the international pool of epic fantasy, but Islington is…

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You must read Sleeping Giants

You must read Sleeping Giants #amreading #bookblogger

What is it? Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel is the first book in a series that he has dubbed The Themis Files. I found this one entirely by chance while browsing a bookstore, and after reading the blurb I knew I had to experience it. At this stage it is looking to be at least a trilogy, with Sylvain Neuvel implying that there could be more. Sounds great to me. The sequel, Waking Gods, is due…

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Final Fantasy XV - First Impressions

Final Fantasy XV: First Impressions. #FFXV #gaming #blog

Final Fantasy is a big deal. And Final Fantasy XV is a big deal even by those standards. Final Fantasy XV is a game that was almost relegated to vapourware, a game in perpetual development with no release in sight. But now, after countless delays and a decade of development, it is here. So, how is it shaping up? In short, it is good. It is really good. It is straight up incredible. I’ve been a…

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One of my bad reading habits

One of my bad reading habits. #amreading #bookblogger

I’ve noticed something about my reading habits recently. I lean heavily toward genre fiction, but I in no way limit myself to that. I’ll pretty much read anything that has a plot that can pull me in. I’ll give any book a chance. But, if it hasn’t hooked me by page 100 or so I’ll probably set it aside. I like to give a book a chance but I don’t have the time to see every one I pick up though, and…

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You must read Disappearance at Devil's Rock

New review: Disappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay (@paulGtremblay, @TitanBooks) #blog

I was incredibly excited to dive into this book. After the tremendous impact of A Head Full of Ghosts, it was an immense relief to know that I had another one of Paul Tremblay’s books up my sleeve. So, it was with extreme anticipation that I dived in to A Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, and I was not disappointed. This book is every bit as complex, nuanced and emotional as A Head Full of Ghosts,…

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You must read The Ballad of Black Tom

New review: The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle (@torbooks) #bookblogger #amreading

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle is a fantastic book. It’s a novella, but what it lacks in length it more than makes up for in impact, significance and emotional engagement. LaValle takes on the classic mythology of cosmic horror and crafts something new, compelling and utterly his own. It’s great. The blurb reads: People move to New York looking for magic and nothing will convince them…

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Blog Post: Reader's Block

New Blog: Reader's Block #bookblogger #books

I recently finished a run of three fantastic books and because of that I’ve been stricken with what I’ll call reader’s block. You know the feeling when you’ve finished a book that fostered an emotional reaction in you, a connection to it that is deeper than usual – it creates a sense of loss when you finish the final page and disconnect with the characters and worlds you’ve come to love or fear.…

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You must read A Head Full of Ghosts

New review: A Head Full of Ghosts by @paulGtremblay #amwriting #bookblogger #blog

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay is a book that I needed to read. I’ve seen it mentioned on my twitter feed for a while, and now I’m kicking myself because I’ve been deprived of one of the best novels that the horror genre has had to offer in years. You really should read this book too. Read on and let me convince you. The synopsis reads: The lives of the Barretts, a suburban New England…

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You must read Stranded By Bracken MacLeod

New Review: Stranded by Bracken MacLeod (@BrackenMacLeod, @torbooks) #amwriting #bookblogger

Stranded by Bracken MacLeod (published by Tor Books) drew me in immediately. The book is complex, dark and unapologetically cryptic. The book is atmospheric, tense and mysterious in the tradition of some of the greats in horror fiction. This book will sneak up on you, twist you with dread and suspicion, and then fade away leaving you wondering if it’s truly gone or still out there in the…

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You must read The Ferryman Institute - Here's why

You must read The Ferryman Institute - Here's why (@cgigl, @gallerybooks) #bookblogger #review

The Ferryman Institute by Colin Gigl, published by Gallery Books, is a delight to read. The cover and then the blurb drew me in while I was browsing books, so I was expecting something interesting. What I didn’t expect was Colin Gigl’s masterful execution of characterisation and plot. The concept brought me in, but Colin Gigl’s excellent plot, world building and characterisation kept me there.…

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Dragon Quest VII is here!

Dragon Quest VII is here!

Dragon Quest VII is finally here. The adventure begins! The long wait for the pal region release on Nintendo 3DS is over. I’ve been dying for some Dragon Quest in Australia, and for a while I honestly thought we’d never see it. Other franchises have always overshadowed it; behemoths like Final Fantasy, for example. This lead to a lack of faith in the franchises ability to sell to western…

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