Fangirl Friday - Great fantasy authors I've discovered in 2016

By -

This year I decided to myself I was going to read more books written by men.  It seems that over previous years I've tended to read a lot of female authors. What that translates to, is I haven't been reading very many fantasy books!! That's all changed this year and I thought I would share with you some of the authors I've discovered. This is new to me fantasy, where I've been reading the author's first series and it's been a lot of fun.  The imagination and worlds these authors have created has truly been a pleasure to read. I can't wait to see what new works they produce in the future. Let's have a brief rundown of three great series. Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne by Brian Staveley, The Bloodsounder's Arc by Jeff Salyards and Greatcoats by Sebastien de Castell. There are great authors to watch for in the future. Their storytelling brings the Annurian Empire, the Syldoon Empire and Tristia to life.


Brian Staveley - Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne


 Three siblings, battling to stay alive when their father the Emperor has died. Separated since they were children, it's up to them to see how the future will play out, as forces battle against them.  Forces that have been in play for some time. 

 One of my favourite aspects about this series is the Kettrel. Giant birds trained for battle. They can deposit small Wings into most locations for either a quick attack or surveillance. The ability to have such a useful weapon at one's disposal can be critical in winning a confrontation. Valyn trained to be a member of a Kettral wing. His is one of the biggest transformations, for me at least. Tragedy and adversity I hope can only make him stronger. Can you tell he is my favourite? 

 Kaden, trained in the priesthood, yet heir to the Emperor. Why is the skill Tan is desperate to teach him so essential in order for Kaden to be the Emperor?  After all so much of the teaching appears pointless. Or is it?

 The third sibling Minister Adare has a dangerous role to play. Can she keep her wits about her and keep herself alive in the treacherous political court? All is not as it seems in her part of the Empire.

 Over time each character grows and they each have a very different view for the future of the Empire. A view of empire that could lead them to a confrontation. Some have said this series is a bit YA as our siblings are teenagers. I didn't read it as YA. It's fantasy and there are certainly moments of tragedy, discovery and WTF moments.  Staveley has created a great world and cast of characters. I'm beyond excited that there is going to be standalone set in the same world called Skullsworn.

Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne


 1. The Emperors Blades
2. The Providence of Fire
3. The Last Mortal Band


Jeff Salyards - The Bloodsounders Arc



 The first book Scourge of the Betrayer was a book of the month in a Grimdark Fantasy Group I belonged to. Had I ever, even heard of Jeff Salyards? Nope. So what a delight it was to pick up a book with no expectations and boy was I entertained. Military fantasy and a secret to uncover. What could be better than that? 

 We follow the exploits of Captain Killcoin as told through the eyes of his scribe Arki. It felt like a novel idea to me to have a scribe telling the tale.  Killcoin has a magical flail and it's effects on him are to say the least interesting. Is the flail trying to kill him or control him? The Syldoon aren't telling Arki everything, but his keen observation skills come in very handy. The Syldoon won't be able to keep secrets from Arki for long. 

 In the Grimdark Fantasy Group we were lucky enough to have Salyards do a Q & A. He was very generous with his time and answering questions. So cool, when an author makes themselves so approachable. Plus who doesn't love telling an author as directly as you can on Goodreads that you enjoyed their work. So much so that it didn't take me very long to move onto book #2  Veil of the Deserters. Part of the magic for Salyards work which was highlighted in the second even more, is that he is able to create great female characters. They are equal to the men and have their own unique abilities to help them throughout the story. Although be warned that you shouldn't get too close to any one character. Salyards might just kill that character you adore. Bring on the grim! 

The Bloodsounder's Arc


 1. Scourge of the Betrayer
2. Veil of the Deserters
3. Chains of the Heretic

Sebastien de Castell The Greatcoats series



 What fun!  Swashbuckling! Sword fights! Bow and arrows! It's refreshing to read a fantasy book that wasn't all doom and gloom. Or maybe it's just a case of too often I steer myself towards grimdark fantasy. The leads are called Falcio, Brasti and Kest. Wonderful names for some Three Musketeers action. The heart of this series is the relationship between our three Greatcoats. The humour and banter kept me entertained and I wanted to know what was going to happen to our characters as they try to preserve King Paelis' dream for Tristia. However Tristia seems rotten to the core, and it's going to be difficult path to try to change that fact. 

 Well the series does have many moments of grimness, this is alleviated by the impossible situations our heroes can escape from. 20 vs 3 no problem. Our heroes will defeat them! The outlandish situations our heros are able to escape from continues to keep one entertained and that light hearted feel remains. Especially in the first two books. However I should let it be stated that after three books I really think Falcio val Mond deserves a break. I need our heroes to win and save Tristia, as forces continue to align against our trio.

Greatcoats


 1. Traitor's Blade
2. Knight's Shadow
3. Saint's Blood
4. Tyrant's Throne - expected publication April 2017.

Summing up


 If you are looking for a fantasy author to try out then you can't go wrong with these authors. Staveley and Salyards series are completed so jump in, you don't have to wait for the trilogy to be completed. If you want a fantasy series that a little more exuberant, give Greatcoats a go. Just don't plan on it all being plain sailing. What started out at the beginning of the year as a plan to read more male authors, has actually lead to some wonderful new discoveries in fantasy reading. I can't wait to see what I will discover next. Oh wait I'm going to give Daniel Abraham's The Dragon and the Coin series a go.

 Let me know some lesser known fantasy writers whose series / books you have enjoyed below.

Comments

Post a Comment

You Might Want to Read...

Black Dagger Brotherhood: Scenes That Left us Begging for More

By -
Image
Created by Olga Daniels What better way to prepare for the impending release of the next Black Dagger Brotherhood novel, Lover at Last by J. R. Ward, than to relive some of our favourite scenes in the previous books?! Some of these scenes were selected by multiple Wenches, others are just personal favourites. One is. Clearly. The. Wench. Favourite. It won't be hard to tell which one! After the jump, see which scenes made us ooh, ahh, and pant for more.
Keep reading »

A Tribute to The Fiery Cross

By -
Image
Or How I Learned to Stop, Smell the Pig Shite, and Fall in Love with the Fifth Book in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander Series A young White Sow dreams of all the food she’ll be eating to grow into her role in this book As the wait for the new Outlander book and television series drags on (and oooooonnnnnnnnaaaarrrggghhh), many fans have been rereading the first seven books in the series. Fascinating online discussions abound as to the motivations of the characters, the nuances of meaning within various scenes, and future possibilities and foreshadowing. Amongst enthusiastic effusions about all things even remotely associated with our beloved series, I’ve seen one recurring subject of complaint. People like to pick on The Fiery Cross . “It’s too slow.” “It doesn’t have enough action.” “Where’s the mystery?” So during my recent reread, I set out to take a few notes about memorable moments. But I gave that up early on. There were far too many. Because the book was like a beautifu
Keep reading »

When The Music's Over

By -
Image
A SUPER Spoilery Discussion of Feversong by Karen Marie Moning by: Zee the Terrible and Barbara Bones By Olga. It's now been two weeks since we got our hot little hands on Feversong , the final book in the Mac & Barrons part of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. It's almost all we can talk about in the Saucy Wenches hallways (which is really online, but you get the drift) and we have lots of thoughts and opinions so we aren't putting off our Super Spoilery Recap Extravaganza any longer!  Zee told you about how much she loved it in her Wench review, here , and it will surprise exactly no one that Barb did, too. Loved it to pieces. Thought it was pretty much perfect, exactly the kind of conclusion KMM has been promising us since she gave us Iced , leaving everyone precisely where they need to be. That said, we have lots and lots and LOTS of thoughts. So come with us through the jump where we're dishing all the dirt, in filthy, spoilery detail. We menti
Keep reading »

Dani Mega O'Malley: Superstar

By -
Image
Giddy with anticipation for the release of Karen Marie Moning's Iced , a lot of the Wenches have been thinking about Dani "Mega" O'Malley, the young sidhe -seer we first met in Bloodfever , who is poised to step out of the shadows behind Mac and Rowena and take center stage. Though Moning has recently said the three books she is writing for Dani will continue the story we've been following in the Fever books, the POV will shift to reveal the next chapters through Dani's eyes. With our heads firmly buried in Shadowfever in a frenzied effort to finish our rereads before the new release, we Wenches have been wondering what's in store for Dani. But no one has wanted to stop reading long enough to write a proper tribute to our young heroine as she prepares to take the leap to leading lady. Though we all think she's pretty awesome and deserves a big ticker-tape parade to show our support. So a sneaky Wench tried the stealth approach and asked us
Keep reading »

Review: Annihilation (Book and Movie)

By -
Image
When I read Annihilation last fall, I was intrigued, repulsed, mystified, enchanted, horrified, compelled, absorbed, and ultimately so unable to articulate what had happened that I didn’t attempt a review. But it has never stopped growing on me, new insights twining around in my brain. It’s insidious. Then the movie happened. I. Had. To. Go. I didn’t think anyone could film the book, and I was on Cloud 9 when I saw the abundance of rave critical reviews. It got compared to Apocalypse Now and 2001: A Space Odyssey ! It got called “stunning” and the “Best Sci-Fi Film in Years” that “ranks among great philosophical sci-fi”! And though there were many differences from the book, it sounded almost as batshitcrazybrilliant as the book!! Which means there are now two equally haunting versions of this story for me to wonder WTF happened. I might not have all the answers, but I’ve certainly enjoyed replaying scenes in my mind and pondering the possibilities. And I suspect that’s
Keep reading »