By Patrick Rothfuss
I've never seen an author take such a course and create such a masterpiece. Rothfuss gives Freytag the finger and ignores traditional narrative structure. Some may not like the lack of rising action, climax, and falling action, but I decided to stand and applaud Rothfuss for not conforming to the standard and still being able to spin an amazing tale. Of course, for me, this proved to be a bit awkward as I ended up standing and applauding in bed while my wife was sleeping. After forty hours of counseling, a trip to the state hospital and my new special sleeping blankie (it has straps) we decided I am now no longer allowed to read in bed.
Enough about plot and straitjackets. Rothfuss has a few signature aspects to his writing that make The Name of The Wind a brilliant novel. Every novel I am ever going to review is going to have amazing characters. If your characters are boring then there is no way your story will make my list. So needless to say his characters are amazing and you will fall in love with their personalities. That is a given but the character development is so good I feel I have to at least mention it.
Along that same vein, the world is great. Again, if you have an unimaginative world then you aren’t going to make this list, but I do feel it is worth mentioning. Primarily because I can’t stop thinking about it. We even played a D&D campaign set in the world for a few months after everyone in one of my gaming groups plowed through The Name of The Wind.
When @writerbrendan and I sat down to write a book after years of being apart one of the things we focused on was the magic system. Everyone has their own magic system and there are thousands of fantasy books out there that have cool systems with virtually no character development or plot to speak of. Rothfuss has an amazing magical structure. A good part of the book is set in a school of magic (not going to say more than that because I don’t want to tip the hand of the plot) and the system of magic alone would make this book a worthy read.
Finally, the thing I appreciate the most about Patrick Rothfuss is he is a gods damn word smith. Every word in this book is worked over and over until it shines. I can’t imagine how much… nevermind… I know exactly how much work he put into this book and it shows. The writing is beautiful. I love to just sit and reread sentences over and over. My wife has taken to putting a napkin down my collar to catch the drool.
I would recommend these books to anyone who is a hardcore fantasy geek, as well as those who know nothing about the genre.
Visit the authors website here!
Purchase the book here!
The Kingkiller Chronicle
The Name of the Wind
A Wise Man's Fear
The Wise Man's Fear
By Patrick Rothfus
Just as Kvothe has unapologetically fallen in love with Denna, I have fallen in love with Patrick Rothfuss and The Kingkiller Chronicle. While The Wise Man’s Fear has a bit more of a classical structure to it thanThe Name of the Wind, the novel still boast Rothfuss’s unconventional style. When the novel came out I got my lute, and a good travelers cloak ready for a grand adventure. Rothfuss did not disappoint.
Kvothe goes on a grand adventure in The Wise Man’s Fear and begins to build upon the amazing foundation laid in book one. Better yet, the novel presents the readers with an amazing insight into the world at large. If you fell in love with The Name of the Wind then this is a must read. If you haven’t read the name of the wind yet check it out and be prepared to go on an amazing journey.
GURPS 4th Edition
GURPS 4th Edition: Characters
Generic Universal Role Playing System… or GURPS is an amazing table top game. GURPS is a “pen and paper” system for table top role playing. If you are not familiar with what that means here is how it works. You have a character, the Game Master narrates a story, and you roll dice to see if your character succeeds at the challenges in the story. At its core GURPS is the same game as Dungeons and Dragons and many other table top games such as Robotech, Fate, Shadow Run, ect.
There are more pen and paper table top games than you can shake a stick at these days. The success D&D has had propelled many game designers to come up with alternate versions. I am a hardcore D&D player and always will be. That being said, I am a passionate GURPS player, and right now GURPS 4th edition is my favorite table top game.
GURPS can be played in any genre, and the core rule books have rules for every genre (fantasy, western, sci fi, ect). I play fantasy so my examples below will relate to that, but keep in mind you can play GURPS during any time period.
Why GURPS?
GURPS does several things that I love. First off GURPS is extremely lethal. Your Hit Points are equal to your strength score which is typically between 10 and 14. Your hit points do not automatically go up at each new level like they do in other games. This means the fear of god (the GM) is with you every time you roll the dice to dodge block or parry.
That’s right I said it, you roll to dodge, block, or parry. That is the second thing I love. An enemy attacks you and if their attack is successful then you have to roll to see if you dodge, block or parry. The mechanic is so much fun I wish more game designers would structure their games this way. This mechanic makes GURPS amazing.
The last aspect that I will bring up with respect to what makes GURPS my favorite game to play is the character creation process. Players build their characters with a point buy system. This means that you start with a total number of points, 150 for example, and purchase skills and abilities. There are not preset character classes that railroad you into set roles. In GURPS you can have the healing powers of a cleric, the ability to sneak like a thief, and the strength of a fighter. You create the character you want to play, and… you guessed it… it’s amazing.
Pros or Cons
There are aspects to GURPS that you may or may not appreciate. GURPS is a game that is structured to be as realistic as possible without killing the flow of the game. This means that there are a lot of rules. Take the ones you like and leave off the ones you don’t. I play in one group that is very interested in making the game follow the rules and I GM another group where we focus on the cinema of the game more than the realism. Both groups are a lot of fun.
GURPS, in my opinion, is a role playing game and should be played as such. I find that “min maxing” isn’t as fun in GURPS as it is in other games. GURPS is all about character development and role playing. Can it be a hack and slash? Sure. The combat mechanic is amazing (I get paid by amazing.com every time I use that word), but so is the character development process. Reputation scores, status modifiers, and reaction roles make developing your character as more than a combat machine fun and rewarding.
I love GURPS and if you are able to get a group together it is well worth reading the rules and learning the game. It takes a little work up front, but once you get rolling the combat and role playing aspects of the game are… I’ll let you finish that sentence.
If you are in the Bay Area and are having trouble getting the game down, drop me a line and I will come visit and teach you guys the game. Obviously the beer is on you (assuming you’re 21… if not then iced tea will do!), but that is a small investment considering the amount of fun you will have when your gaming group makes the leap to hyperspace!
Buy the book here: GURPS 4th Edition Characters
Check out SJ Games here: http://www.sjgames.com/
Check out the e23 store for some more GURPS Crack! e23
The First Law Trilogy
By Joe Abercrombie
I heard the hype and shut the blinds. Then the hype came back a little louder only this time it was on the side of the house, so I slammed the side door and went back to reading. After all I was in the midst of those once in a lifetime binges. I had just finished two books by both Rothfus and Lynch. Not to mention some guy by the name of Martin had written some book about dragons that I had read and listened to the audio book back to back. Needless to say I was in no mood for the hype. Yet there it was at the back door howling like a banshee that had just gotten buggered in the arse. How can you ignore that? I haven’t the fortitude, so I ordered The Blade itself by Joe Abercrombie, which is the first book in the First Law Trilogy. You can click on the link below and read about the first book.
As for the series, let me just say the hype was right. Abercrombie created a world that makes you just want to get naked and run around in it. My only knock on the world is there isn’t enough, but since there are more books to come I’ll just hold off on that knock. The glimpse of the world that he does give you is fan-freakin-tastic. Yet compared to the characters Abercrombie developed his world is second fiddle. I won’t go into details about the characters because I think you should experience them for yourself without any predisposed knowledge of them, but they are some of the most complex and interesting characters that I have read.
Grab the book if you like war, politics, wizards, barbarians (best barbarian ever), blood, guts, foul language, killing, love, torture, strife, and sword play.
Visit the authors website here!
Purchase the book here!
The First Law Trilogy
The Blade Itself
Before they are Hanged
Last Argument of Kings
Stand Alones
Best Served Cold
The HeroesRed Country (forthcoming)
By Joe Abercrombie
I heard the hype and shut the blinds. Then the hype came back a little louder only this time it was on the side of the house, so I slammed the side door and went back to reading. After all I was in the midst of those once in a lifetime binges. I had just finished two books by both Rothfus and Lynch. Not to mention some guy by the name of Martin had written some book about dragons that I had read and listened to the audio book back to back. Needless to say I was in no mood for the hype. Yet there it was at the back door howling like a banshee that had just gotten buggered in the arse. How can you ignore that? I haven’t the fortitude, so I ordered The Blade itself by Joe Abercrombie, which is the first book in the First Law Trilogy. You can click on the link below and read about the first book.
As the series develops the characters get better and better. After the first book, The Blade Itself, I thought the series was great. After the third book I started buying copies of The Blade Itself and handing them out to people. If you haven’t discovered it yet let me just say I get a little into books and sometimes I have to step back and look at things from a different angle to make sure it isn’t just me and the hype sniffing each other’s butts. So I gave the book to my editor and friend who hates everything. He liked it.
Grab the book if you like war, politics, wizards, barbarians (best barbarian ever), blood, guts, foul language, killing, love, torture, strife, and sword play.Visit the authors website here!
Purchase the book here!
The First Law Trilogy
The Blade Itself
Before they are Hanged
Last Argument of Kings
Stand Alones
Best Served Cold
The HeroesRed Country (forthcoming)
The HeroesBy Joe Abercrombie
The Heroes is set in the period after the First Law series and is unfreaking believable. After reading this book I grew a beard and set out to make a name for myself. It did not take me long to become a named man. Yet somehow I think “Barile Bubble Belly will” not strike fear in the Union troops or the named men of the north.
The Heroes does an amazing job of filling in the details of the north. The combat is great, the tactics are amazing, and the characters… oh the characters. Just thinking about this book makes me want to reread it. If the coffee shop were open right now I would ride down and crack the book open and start ingesting caffeine and carbs!
Even if you haven’t read the first three books you could sneak this book in and be satisfied, but why cheat yourself. You deserve it, go get The Blade Itself and take a holiday. When you plow through all of Abercrombie's books and get to the Heroes you’ll thank me.
Buy the book here!
Read the author's web page.
The Lies of Locke Lamora
by Scott Lynch
Lynch writes about conn artist in a fantasy setting. Just reading about how the cons are set in the fantasy setting is worth reading this novel alone. If Lynch didn’t throw in some amazing characters, a fun and detailed world, and some good old fashioned ass kicking I would still have loved The Lies of Lock Lamora. Since all the previously mentioned aspects are present, this book becomes a top shelf selection.
Visit the authors website here!
Purchase the book here!
by Scott Lynch
Scott Lynch did something that I wish more fantasy authors would do, which is spin a tale that doesn’t involve the world coming to an end or an invading army. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good doomsday read, and who doesn’t like the boy leaving the farm destined to become king? But I feel the evolution of the fantasy genre will be both authors and readers that are comfortable writing stories that parallel the themes of modern day fiction novels. That, in my opinion, will be what propels the genre to greater heights in the American marketplace.
Lynch writes about conn artist in a fantasy setting. Just reading about how the cons are set in the fantasy setting is worth reading this novel alone. If Lynch didn’t throw in some amazing characters, a fun and detailed world, and some good old fashioned ass kicking I would still have loved The Lies of Lock Lamora. Since all the previously mentioned aspects are present, this book becomes a top shelf selection.
As you know from reading my other reviews I don’t like to get into plot or detailed character descriptions. I want the author to have a fresh crack at you. I will say when I started “Lies” I felt like I was reading The Sting meets Oliver Twist with just the right amount of blood and violence. This is another book I bought for a couple friends and obsessed about getting a hardcover for.
The Gentlemen Bastards series
Lies of Locke Lamora
Red Seas under Red skies
Visit the authors website here!
Purchase the book here!
Alice In Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Sitting on a yacht in Long Beach and this flic came on. I couldn’t help but watch it again and remember how crazy it was. The movie is just whacky and I have to say that I like it. You need to be in a mood, but the graphics are great the story is original and the characters are out there. You don’t need to be on drugs to enjoy this flic, but it can’t hurt.
Alice in Wonderland never pops in my head as a movie that I think, “Man I need to watch that movie” but when it is on I get sucked in and fall in love with it all over again. It’s a trip, and if you haven’t seen it lately grab a glass of whatever gets you there and put your feet up. It’s a wild ride that you have to take at least once in your life.
Rent it here: Alice in Wonderland
The Dresden Files: Series Overview
By Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher has created one of my favorite fantasy reads. Ironically, I discovered this series late one night while telling a group of friends that I was writing a noir detective series set in a fantasy world. One of my buddies mentioned that I should read The Dresden Files, which is a mystery series where the main character is a wizard. Well, what could I do other than deny the series existed? Naturally, that didn’t work so I angrily screamed at the cosmos for allowing Butcher to steal my idea. The cosmos proved useless so I decided to bargain with my pagan gods to turn Butcher into a goat... fine, and me into Butcher. Nothing! Stupid pagan gods! At this point I did what anyone would do in my situation, I drank a lot of scotch while feeling depressed about being beat to the punch. Finally, after running out of both scotch and hot shower water, I stood, straightened my soaked cloths and accepted the fact that I was going to have to read the first book in the series: Storm Front. Ahh… the five stages of discovering Dresden! imagine how I felt when I discovered someone already put wheels on the bottom shoes.
To my relief the series was nothing like The Adventures of William Kalamar. In Butcher’s series wizard for hire Harry Dresden, lives in Chicago, drives a beat up bug, and takes more shots to the face than Rocky and Van Dam combined. That’s right I said Chicago and wizard in the same sentence. Modern day magic, I never thought I would like it, but then again I said the same thing about zip lock bags. Butcher has done an unbelievable job of creating a world that blends classic fantasy stereotypes with the modern world.
Butcher’s poindexter writing style probably isn’t going to win a Hugo, but he deserves one. The style is fast and fun. What Butcher’s style lacks in literary depth he makes up for in character development, and nonstop action. I find Butchers style refreshing, and feel confident recommending the entire series to anyone who is looking for a fun and singular read. My obsession for Dresden has grown from merely ignoring my family and friends every time Butcher releases a book, to searching garage sales and craigslist for hardcover versions of the early editions.Reviews of Butchers fantasy series Codex Alera coming soon.
Visit the authors website here!
Purchase the book here!
Click the link below to see reviews on each book in the Dresden Files Series:
Storm Front:
Storm Front is the first book in the Dresden Files series. Click here to see my review of the whole series. The series is amazing, we’ve already been down that road so I won’t go there again. What I like about Storm Front specifically is that it sets the tone for the series. Jim Butcher takes a very nerdy and modern twist on hardboiled fiction. By far, my favorite non fantasy literary styles is hardboiled fiction. Butcher follows in the footsteps of Carroll John Daly, Dashiell Hammet, and Raymond Chandler. Except rather than mimic their style Butcher creates something new: the ultra-nerd tough guy detective who is a magnet for pain. It is as though Dick Tracey, Rocky, Perry Cox (scrubs) and Lewis Skolnick (Revenge of the nerds) all donated DNA to Victor Frankenstien… and Harry Dresden was created!
As Butcher progresses as a writer he moves away from the Hardboiled fiction style. This makes me like Storm Front all the more. When I go back and reread Storm Front I just love the attitude and the feel of the book. All of Butchers books are great. Some have better plots or better characters, but Storm Front will always be special to me. I like Harry Dresden so much so that I tried to sell my car for a beat up mismatching beetle and started opening doors for my wife while wearing a trench coat. She punched me, told me to change, and took my keys away from me.
Fool Moon
Grave Peril
Summer Knight
Death Masks
Blood Rites
Dead Beat
Proven Guilty
White Knight
Small Favor
Turn Coat
Changes
Ghost Story
Cold days
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