Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review

Christopher Nolan's blockbuster film adaptation of the epic Greek poem The Odyssey is now breaking box-office records all over the world.  Most people love it but there are those who can't help finding fault with it.  Helen of Troy is too black, the plume on the helmet of Odysseus is too red, the armour worn by Greek warriors belongs in a Batman film, not the Bronze Age.  And that is just the tip of the iceberg. It's brought the Woke Brigade out in full force!  I've got a good idea. Why not just enjoy the film for what it is. An interpretation of an ancient poem for a modern audience.

One of the stars of modern SFF has to be Adrian Tchaikovsky.  I first came across him through his science fiction novels and have recently started to read his fantasy. His world building, plotting and character development are on a level with the very best.  The Tiger and the Wolf is the first in his Echoes of the Fall trilogy. Gripping stuff.

This summer sees the release of the blockbuster film,  The Odyssey, based on a Greek epic written nearly three thousand years ago. The movie has already received rave reviews, and its all-star cast will almost certainly ensure it's the cinematic event of the summer. It seems destined to win a few Oscars when the time comes.  But the Odyssey is not the oldest fantasy epic ever written. That honour goes to a Sumerian epic known as Gilgamesh, which predates it by at least a thousand years.  If you are fan of the Odyssey then you will love Gilgamesh.

The Princess Bride is known to many people through the film. It was based on a book of the same name by William Goldman, who also wrote the screenplay. It is a cult classic, a delightful fantasy, and although written in modern times, it matches the best in traditional fairy tales. Wonderful stuff.

While I prefer Fantasy to Science fiction, a long-forgotten series about a space surgeon by James White has recently been republished which remind me how good stories set in the future can be.  The novels he wrote epitomise everything I love about science fiction. They are based on original quirky ideas, they are thought-provoking and linger in the mind long after you finish reading them. Things that are sadly lacking in most SF today.  

One of the most underrated and perhaps overlooked fantasy trilogies of recent times is The Cemeteries of Amalo by Katherine Addison. Best known for her standalone novel, The Goblin Emperor, her three books based on the doings of a humble priest who can speak to the dead are just as good, if not better. Gentle and whimsical on the one hand, while at the same time set in a world believable enough to almost be considered Grimdark

Roger Zelazny is quite rightly acclaimed as one of the all time greats of Science Fiction and Fantasy. He is my favourite author of fantasy and one of the biggest influences on my own writing.  He is best remembered for his Amber series and for the marvellous Lord of Light. But for me, his best book is This Immortal. 

For this episode I am going to recommend a novel I haven’t read because it hasn't been published yet. It is called A Trade of Blood, the third in a the Shadow of the Leviathan trilogy, by Robert Jackson Bennett.  Books one and two were so excellent I am confident that part three will match my expectations.

Michael Moorcock is best known for his stories about the albino prince, Elric and his magic sword, Stormbringer.  Perhaps rightly so, but for me his finest work is his Dancers at the End of Time trilogy. Far ahead of its time and thought provoking. Written by a story teller at the top of his game. 

One of the most charming books written in the fantasy genre has to be Princess Bride by William Goldman.  Both the book and the film that was made from it are cult classics. As fresh today as the day it was first published.  A tale of true love and swashbuckling adventure.