I almost gave this post a rather grand title along the lines of “The Most Important Introduction to Fantasy?” I decided to let my British reserve win out, but I think Epic could well be the best thing to happen to Fantasy newbies for a long time. It’s an anthology that, quite obviously, takes Epic Fantasy as its premise, and editor Joseph John Adams has drawn together a quite spectacular roster of new and established authors.
A varied bunch of comics I picked up this week
I’ve decided to diversify the range of comics I’m reading. I’ve been focusing an awful lot on DC’s New 52 (which have been awesome, by the way), but I think some diversification is needed – there are an awful lot of comics out there, and I don’t want to miss out. With that in mind, here are four reviews of comics from a larger variety of publishers (ok, and one new DC title). The more time I spend paying attention to the comics market, the more publishers I’m finding that release some really intriguing comic books. Some seem to focus on tie-ins, some focus on darker and grittier fare, while all seem to have their own distinctive style and tone. Always someone keen to find more stuff to read, I dove right in…
Reviewed herein: A Game of Thrones #3, Seraph #1, Seven Warriors #1, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1
The comic adaptation of the fantasy classic
Novel by: George R.R. Martin | Adapted by: Dan Abraham | Artist: Tommy Patterson
The premiere issue introduces readers to George’s world, adapting the prologue and first three chapters of the novel, and bringing onto the graphic stage such iconic characters as Eddard and Catelyn Stark, Jon Snow, young Bran Stark, and Daenerys Targaryen.
In the second volume of A Game of Thrones, the irresistible plot thickens and the spellbinding magic of a master storyteller deepens.
For Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, a new role now beckons: Hand of the King – a position of power second only to his majesty himself. But is a life at court, in luxurious King’s Landing, any life for a hardened man of action like Stark? Is the king’s invitation an honor he can refuse – or a mandate he cannot ignore, when faced with shocking revelations of treachery on high?
Martin’s fantasy classic adapted for the comic medium by Dan Abraham, one of my favourite authors? Yeah, there was no way I was going to pass this one up. Despite still never having read the novel (but seeing and loving the HBO series), I thought these two issues were really well put together, and offered more for readers still not sure about diving into the novels.
As some readers may already know, I’ve not been reading fantasy or science fiction for very long. Because of this, most of my SF/F reviews have been of newly or recently released titles.
In 2011, this will change.
I’m not going to stop reading and reviewing new titles (far from it – there are just too many exciting novels published this year to forgo), but I am going to do something I’ve been meaning to do for some time now – that is, catch up on the ‘classic’, ‘great’, and established fantasy titles and series. The reviews will all be prefixed as “Latecomer”, so should be easy to find as and when they start arriving.
I haven’t got them all picked out, yet, but here is a first selection of titles I’ll be reading (please feel free to leave suggestions in the comments):
James Barclay, Dawnthief (Gollancz)
George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones (Voyager)
Tad Williams, Shadowmarch & The Dragonbone Chair (Orbit)
Neal Asher, Gridlinked (Tor)
Adrian Tchaikovsky, Empire in Black and Gold (Tor)
Joe Abercombie, The Blade Itself (Gollancz)
Robin Hobb, Assassin’s Apprentice (Voyager)
Brandon Sanderson, The Final Empire (Gollancz)
Tom Lloyd, Stormcaller (Gollancz)
Robert Jordan, The Eye of the World (Orbit)
Steven Brust, The Book of Jhereg (Ace)
Whether or not I get to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series and Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series will depend on how much I like the latter’s The Way of Kings, which I have already bought for my Kindle.
So, there’s the selection I’ve come up with for the moment. I’m sure there are others, and there’s no set order in which I’m going to read them, and there’s no guarantee that I will end up in the mood for them, but they’re all series I’ve been meaning to read for some time, and I just don’t want to keep putting them off for much longer. If I had to put money on it, I’d say James Barclay and Joe Abercrombie are the certainties, with Tom Lloyd and Adrian Tchaikovsky the two most likely after them.
Anyway, watch this space…
