The Eye of the Maker
Those who celebrate Yule or Christmas (or as Harry Connolly says, Giftmas) are crazy busy right now, but in case you are in want of some reading and have a craving for big epic fantasy, do try Tom Simon's The End of Earth and Sky, the first book in his Eye of the Maker story arc.
His previous book, Lord Talon's Revenge, was a satire, but this one is one of those big epics that ranges through all the emotions, written stylishly--I think the closest comparison to my mind is Patrick Rothfuss.
There is a lot of what I think of as really good self-pubbed stuff out this year--like Blair Macgregor's intelligent, passionate, bloody-minded S&S Sword and Chant, and Andrea K Höst's And All the Stars, YA invasion story that manages to do a whole lot of interesting stuff about love, friendship, gender, and identity. The romance in that one is one of the best I've read this year. And I also loved Judith Tarr's mddle grade/YA sf/historical Living in Threes (which will get a new cover after the first of the year). Hard to categorize, but fun and heart-rending and warm.
All these books cost less than a sandwich, and the writers have no publicity budgets, but depend entirely on word of mouth. I hope some of you give them a try.
(Recommendations of other books that get no publicity most welcome!)
His previous book, Lord Talon's Revenge, was a satire, but this one is one of those big epics that ranges through all the emotions, written stylishly--I think the closest comparison to my mind is Patrick Rothfuss.
There is a lot of what I think of as really good self-pubbed stuff out this year--like Blair Macgregor's intelligent, passionate, bloody-minded S&S Sword and Chant, and Andrea K Höst's And All the Stars, YA invasion story that manages to do a whole lot of interesting stuff about love, friendship, gender, and identity. The romance in that one is one of the best I've read this year. And I also loved Judith Tarr's mddle grade/YA sf/historical Living in Threes (which will get a new cover after the first of the year). Hard to categorize, but fun and heart-rending and warm.
All these books cost less than a sandwich, and the writers have no publicity budgets, but depend entirely on word of mouth. I hope some of you give them a try.
(Recommendations of other books that get no publicity most welcome!)