Review: the Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake

Ah, Gormenghast. Hailed as one of the classics of Fantasy, I just had to read this trilogy. The Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake consists of:

• Titus Groan
• Gormenghast
• Titus Alone

Plot:

The Gormenghast trilogy deals with the lives and deaths of the people of the great castle of Gormenghast. The first book starts with the birth of Titus Groan, the seventy-seventh Earl of Groan, son of Lord Sepulchrave, the seventy-sixth Earl of Groan and the Countess Gertrude, younger brother of Fuchsia. This event shakes the foundation of Gormenghast, and none of the lives of those who live within – and outside – those walls will ever be the same.

New Additions #57

The missing one of the trilogy is also on its way.

Review: Dancer’s Lament by Ian C. Esslemont

Dancer’s Lament is the first novel in the Path to Ascendancy trilogy by Ian C. Esslemont.

Plot:

The walled city of Li Heng has been protected for years by the mysterious Protectress while the minor city states surrounding the city have warred with each other. It is strong, and secure, and protected by not just the powerful sorceress, but also by a cabal of five strong mages. But now there’s war looming, and chaos. And two young men are poised to take advantage of that chaos.

New Additions #28

Part of a new trilogy. Still waiting for the publication of Erikson’s Fall of Light though, which I want to read first.

Review: The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say that he entertains.

I bought the beautiful paperbacks of this trilogy that you can see above – I love me a beautiful book cover and these have all these nice embellishments – because I’d heard Abercrombie was a logical next step after reading authors like Steven Erikson, James Barclay and Brent Weeks. And I’m glad I bought these: glad and sad, I’ll tell you why in a minute.

Review: Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson

Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson is the first book of The Kharkanas Trilogy, a prequel to his The Malazan Book of the Fallen series.

Plot:

Mother Darkness has been given the power of gods and it is the Age of Darkness in Kuruld Galain. But the land is in a perilous situation and things only get worse as ancient powers awake and new powers are found. The Tiste Andii find themselves on the brink of civil war and no one knows what is going on. Mother Dark’s Consort, Lord Draconus is reviled by many of the high-born lords and ladies, and they fling hate upon what they think is naked ambition. But they are all of them wrong. The world is about to change and there is nothing anyone can do about that.

Review: Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud

Ptolemy’s Gate is the third book in the Bartimaeus Sequence by Jonathan Stroud and the last book of the Bartimaeus trilogy.

Plot:

London’s magical reign is under threat from the commoners who are being born with strange powers of magical perception and resilience. Nathaniel finds himself right in the middle of it, and he’s not happy. You know who else isn’t happy? Bartimaeus. For two long years he’s been forced to stay on earth to serve Nathaniel, who in his mind has now really become John Mandrake, and he’s getting weaker and weaker. And when Kitty, former resistance member, suddenly summons him to ask questions about magic, resilience and (how dare she!) Ptolemy, Bartimaeus feels that things are spiralling out of control.