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Towers of Midnight (Wheel of Time) © 2010 Tor Fantasy 861 pages It’s difficult to be objective here. If you’ve read the first twelve books in the series, you’ll read this one. If you haven’t, then you won’t open this volume any time soon! Towers of Midnight is the penultimate book in a monster-sized series. [...]

A Song for Arbonne © 1992 Viking: Penguin 515 pages It’s difficult to introduce this book without giving the plot away, so here’s what I can say: A Song for Arbonne is filled with political intrigue, big battles, and heroes-for-hire. Kay’s style has matured quite a bit by this effort, exhibiting the traits that become [...]

The Lions of al-Rassan © 1995 Viking: Penguin 582 pages What do you get when you cram three religions into one peninsula? The Lions of Al-Rassan, of course. Guy Gavriel Kay has created three interesting religions based loosely on Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The book covers a number of decades as the land trades hands [...]

Under Heaven © 2010 Viking Canada (Penguin) 573 pages Reading Under Heaven is like taking a visit to 8th Century China. Kay’s scholarship on the period is so thorough it seemed like I could almost smell the air and hear the din of the Tang Dynasty. This book took my estimation of Kay’s historical prowess [...]

Shadowrise: Volume Three of Shadowmarch © 2010 DAW 564 pages He did it again. Williams took a nice traditional trilogy and spun it into four books. (Douglas Adams would be proud.) It’s difficult to be frustrated with him, though, since this series is so riveting you don’t want it to end. All the elements that [...]

The Final Empire (Mistborn, Book 1) © 2006 Tor 657 pages After reading Sanderson’s treatment of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, I knew I had to read more. Fortunately, The Owl Pen (my local second hand bookstore in Bracebridge, Ontario) had a used paperback in stock. The Final Empire (or: Mistborn) is a story with [...]

The Gathering Storm (Wheel of Time) © 2009 Tor 783 pages So much has happened. The creator of the series died after writing 11 books. A new author was chosen to write finale. The last book sprawled into a trilogy of its own. With so much anticipation, could this book possibly live up to the [...]

Tigana © 1990 Roc (Penguin) 673 pages With Kay’s pedigree, you know you’re in for quite a story. He worked with Christopher Tolkien in the editing of The Silmarillion. That says a lot: Kay is able to construct and integrate complex mythologies in a way that feels thoroughly realistic and natural. Tigana is more than [...]

His Dark Materials Omnibus (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass) New York: Alfred A. Knopf 933 pages Reactionary Christians irritate me. I’m convinced that there’s a certain breed of believers that live to protest whatever pop culture serves up. These militant believers target everything from Harry Potter to My Little Pony. This [...]