#5 - Inkheart

I picked this book up a good while ago solely on the cover and an attraction to it. I had started to read it at the time but had put it down and forgot about it. The spell was too great though and drew me back in when I saw it sitting on the bookshelf. Originally written in German it is a good translation of a contemporary fantasy tale aimed at young adults. It is a bit darker than most YA books, but in a good way and while maybe not a perfect execution it is a good tale and does a great job of transporting the reader into the world. I found out it had been turned into a film and there are additional books in the series which I am looking forward to.

#18 - The Way of Shadows

Brent Weeks' Night Angel Trilogy is one of those series that caught my eye and I just couldn't resist. In a sea of dark, grim, looking covers, the bright white of this series stands out too much to be ignored. I'm not normally one for assassin tales because I find them a bit boring with all the slinking about and cover of darkness business, but these seemed filled with enough action to keep my interest. And they sort of did. The author lacks creativity and imagination and it shows through terribly all over the place, so much that it made me cringe more times than I could count. Everything is cribbed from the heavy handed use of Japanese words to the alphabet being "Hyrillic" which is a barely altered name of the real "Cyrillic" alphabet. C'mon. Maybe the average target audience wouldn't pick up on any/many of these but there are a lot who will and it is just lame. There's some confusing lore and a bit too much of the author's attempts at dramatic plot twists (hint: none are). The book was actually hard to get through because while it does have a lot of action, there isn't enough substance. It's light fantasy work that drags on a bit too long for what it is. Recommended but not highly and only if you accept what you're getting into before cracking the cover.

#51 - King of the Dead

King of the Dead is R.A. Macavoy's second book in the Lens of the World Trilogy and continues the tale of Nazhuret, the wandering optician. While many fantasy books, and I've read hundreds, prefer action and fights and cliche aplenty Macavoy has gone a completely different direction and focuses her considerable writing skill on depth and culture and characters. Not in the Tolkien way of boring the reader to tears but by drawing you in ever further into a world and a character's mind that is slightly absurd but still one of the most believable and rewarding characters ever put on paper. Make no mistake, though, this book does suffer the fate of all sequels in that it runs a bit flat so that it can introduce some plot and gear up for a finale. Even still, easily one of the best series I've ever read and Highly Recommended.

#17 - The Hedge Knight

After finishing Legend and still in the fantasy mood, but not enough for another series novel, I turned to George R. R. Martin's "The Hedge Knight" graphic novel/comic book. It is a prequel to the Song of Ice and Fire novels and very centered around the characters and the human side of fantasy and heroes which so often goes underdeveloped in favor of action and tales of love. The Hedge Knight is thicker than a comic book but slightly undersized for a graphic novel, however it is a great mix of dialogue and art that is a treat for any fan of the series or genre. Certainly wordy for the average comic book but easily worth it. Recommended.

#16 - Legend

I have been meaning to read some of fantasy author David Gemmell for quite a while now so I started at the beginning with Legend. Gemmell was known for fantasy that incorporated magic sparingly but intelligently and gripping and descriptive battle scenes. For the most part I can agree with this but I have to say it was just shy of my expectations. A lot of his wording gets reused when it comes to battles and some characters are fully fleshed out while others become a muddy mess. The tale contained within is very enjoyable and worthwhile for fantasy fans and thankfully breaks free from some of the standard cliches but sadly not all of them. Recommended.