The Book Plank

Saint's Blood by Sebastien de Castell, Greatcoats #3 How do you kill a Saint? Falcio, Kest, and Brasti are about to find out, because someone has figured out a way to do it and they've started with a friend. The Dukes were already looking for ways out of their agreement to put Aline on the throne, but with the Saints turning up dead, rumours are spreading that the Gods themselves oppose her ascension. Now churches are looking to protect themselves by bringing back the military orders of religious soldiers, assassins, and (especially) Inquisitors - a move that could turn the country into a theocracy. The only way Falcio can put a stop to it is by finding the murderer. He has only one clue: a terrifying iron mask which makes the Saints vulnerable by driving them mad. But even if he can find the killer, he'll still have to face him in battle. And that may be a duel that no swordsman, no matter how skilled, can hope to win. Two years ago Sebastien de Castell...

Best Books of 2015 So which books did I enjoy the most? Compared to the other lists this was definitely the hardest one to make. I would have loved to make this a 10 book list but I had to stick to my own set rules. After a lot of contemplation I came down to the following 5 books. Just as with Harry August Claire North/Catherine Webb managed to shock and awe me with Touch a terrific blend of Science Fiction and Thriller. As I said in the review, this book would make a perfect storyline for a movie. The new Bourne series? It has my vote.  Sebastien de Castell wrote a solid entry with Greatcoats  last year but has really outdone himself with Knight's Shadow this year. In every possible way he has raised the bar for himself. The book itself is action packed. Sword fights, arrows zooming through the air and of course magic and gods that walk the Earth. Time Salvager  is the best time traveling book of this year. Welsey Chu had proved himself with the Lives of Tao and ...

Best Epic Fantasy of 2015 Epic Fantasy. Swords or magic? Anything is possible. There are lots of variations on this theme. It's no longer a knight on a quest for a golden chalice. The stories have gotten a lot in terms of complexity and character development. Below are my favorite Epic Fantasy book of 2015. Brain Staveley's debut, The Emperor's Blades,   featured last year also on the Best Epic Fantasy list. This was precisely one of those book that had everything that I mentioned above. It laid a solid foundation for the series, but this is just a start and no guarantee for a good series. With the sequel, Providence of Fire, did proof that Brian Staveley is a terrific author he used the foundation flawlessly in his sequel. There are some definite bold moves in the ending of the book that will pay on the third book.  A Darker Shade of Magic was one of my most anticipated book of 2015. When I read V.E. Schwab's Viscous I knew she was destined to do great things and thi...

Review Round-up March These were some of the book that I enjoyed reading the most in the last month. Which were your favorites? Cheers, Jasper -------------------------------- 1. Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear, Tor   All in all Karen Memory is a memerable book for sure. When I look back at the book an what my expectations were, Elizabeth Bear went beyond them by far with this story. I am always a big fan of stories with an extra message not everyone does it well but an author of Elizabeth Bear's calibre does a very good job. It might not be obvious on when you are reading the story but if you stop and recollect everything that has happened you will start to appreciate the beauty of the story. A wild western indeed with enough twists and turns to keep you excited and lets not forget a awesome protagonist.    Read the full review here   2. Finn Fancy Necromancy by Randy Henderson, Titan/Tor As I mentioned above Randy Henderson's debut...

Knight's Shadow by Sebastien de Castell, Greatcoats #2 Tristia is a nation overcome by intrigue and corruption. The idealistic young King Paelis is dead and the Greatcoats – legendary travelling magistrates who brought justice to the Kingdom – have been branded as traitors. But just before his head was impaled on a spike, the King swore each of his hundred and forty-four Greatcoats to a different mission. Falcio Val Mond, First Cantor, with the help of fellow Greatcoats Kest and Brasti, has completed his King’s final task: he has found his Charoites – well, one at least, and she was not quite what they expected. Now they must protect the girl from the many who would see her dead, and place her on the throne of a lawless kingdom. That would be simple enough, if it weren’t for the Daishini, an equally legendary band of assassins, getting in their way, not to forget the Dukes who are determined to hold on to their fractured Kingdoms, or the fact that the heir to the th...