“God gives us all youth, and the takes it away again. What have you gained to offset that loss? Patience? Perhaps a little wisdom? Then be patient, and perhaps you’ll also be wise.” So what’s the book about? Osten Ard is in turmoil. For 30 years King Simon and Queen Miriamel have ruled their land…
Daughter of the Empire – Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts (Riftwar Cycle: The Empire Trilogy #1)
“There is a hand behind every curtain,’ ” she quoted. “ ‘And a knife in every hand,’ ” finished Mara.” So what’s the book about? In the realm of Tsurani, young Mara is on the verge of a decisive moment in her life. Only a few gong beats separate her from her official admission to…
The Darkness That Comes Before – R. Scott Bakker (Prince of Nothing Book #1)
“Faith is the truth of passion. Since no passion is more true than another, faith is the truth of nothing.” So what’s the book about? Maithanet, the ruler of a thousand temples, calls for a holy war against the infidels – an enterprise that attracts a wide variety of profiteers and interested parties. Somewhat less…
The Hod King – Josiah Bancroft (The Books of Babel #3)
“The rich “learn lessons.” The poor commit crimes. “Mistakes” are generally considered a mark of the middle class.” So what’s the book about? Fearing an uprising, the Sphinx sends Senlin to investigate a plot that has taken hold in the ringdom of Pelphia. Alone in the city, Senlin infiltrates a bloody arena where hods battle…
The Priory of the Orange Tree – Samantha Shannon (Standalone)
“No woman should be made to fear that she was not enough.” So what’s the book about? Young Tané from the eastern kingdom of Seiiki wants nothing more than to become a dragon rider. For in her homeland, dragons are worshipped like gods. When Tané rescues a shipwrecked man and thus breaks the law, she…
Arm of the Sphinx – Josiah Bancroft (The Books of Babel #2)
“History is a love letter to tyrants written in the blood of the overrun, the forgotten, the expunged!” So what’s the book about? Senlin sees ghosts, or more precisely a ghost, namely his wife. Marya pesters him day and night with her apparition and malicious talk about his shipmates. He ignores her, or at least…
Empire of Silence – Christopher Ruocchio (Sun Eater #1)
“My memory is to the world as a drawing is to the photograph. Imperfect. More perfect. We remember what we must, what we choose to, because it is more beautiful and real than the truth.” So what’s the book about? In the face of death, Hadrian Marlowe, condemned as a murderer of a thousand, recalls…
The Emperor’s Blades – Brian Staveley (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne #1)
“Any fool can see what’s there. You need to see what is not there.” So what’s the book about? Great intrigues take place in secret in the kingdom and the reigning emperor is treacherously murdered. All the responsibility now rests on the shoulders of his two sons, Kaden and Valyn, and on the shoulders of…
Senlin Ascends – Josiah Bancroft
Books of Babel 1 “It is easier to accept who you’ve become than to recollect who you were.” So what’s the book about? The Tower of Babel is considered the navel of the world. It is the vertical centre of science, culture and progress. No one knows how many floors it consists of. No one…
A Little Hatred – Joe Abercrombie
The Age of Madness 1 “When one man knowingly kills another, they call it murder! When society causes the deaths of thousands, they shrug and call it a fact of life.” So what’s the book about? In a world where the proverbial dagger in the back is taken literally, it is dangerous without allies. This…
The Reading Stray 