Epic Fantasy Series

As a youngster, whenever the school holidays rolled around my brother and I would spend them with my grandparents along with the rest of my cousins.
It was a standing rule that I was not allowed to take along ANY books or my library card! That was torture for me.

One summer holiday- in desperation - I went digging in my uncle's old book case. After reading several manuals on engineering and a few spiritual books, I came across, a tatty paperback with the front cover missing and half the back cover burnt, yes I said burnt, off!

I snuck away to the balcony and there, at age 13, was the best reading experience of my life. I had found a copy of The Lord of the Rings! It is safe to say that my life was forever changed by that literary GENIUS, Tolkien!

I have re-read it twice over the years and it still is the most amazing book.

I am always searching for the next epic series and by George, I've found not one but two!
Julia Gray's The Guardian Cycle and James Clemen's The Banned and the Banished.

After reading The Guardian Cycle, I couldn't find anything interesting enough as I was suffering a major book hangover! It is a well written, story where good eventually triumphs over evil (which I always like).
It unfolds over five glorious books:

1. The Dark Moon
2. The Jasper Forest
3. The Crystal Desert
4. The Red Glacier
5. Alyssa's Ring

A couple of months a ago, a local school was getting rid of old stock and kindly asked if we could find an underprivileged high school to donate them to.

After some searching, my colleagues and I found a school which desperately needed some books. We realised that some of these books were above their reading age and decided that we'd pick a few for ourselves and pass on the rest to whomever wanted them.

I found a complete set of The Banned and the Banished and put it aside without giving them a thought until last weekend when I didn't have a thing to read! I picked up Witch Fire (book one), devoured it and I'm now on Witch War (book three). I'm LOVING it!
I will post more as soon as I'm done with this fab series...

I then did some digging and too my utter delight James Clemens is the Nom de Plume of James Rollins, who happens to be one of my favourite mainstream authors! His books move along the speed of a great action flick and one can almost pick out a Hollywood cast for his characters. My only problem is that he doesn't quite right fast enough for me ... which is a bittersweet experience when I do get any of his latest releases. Lol.

I do hope that you will pick up these great fantasy series!

That's my bit for today...

KD

My first review :-)

I have just read Banished book one in The Blackhart Trilogy by Liz De Jager. This is a teen/YA crossover.

This is Liz's debut novel (her previous debut novel, which she wrote at age 9, has never been published).

What a ride!
Young Kit Blackhart didn't expect life after the death of her dearest grandmother to be quite so adventurous. She has been taken in by her previously unknown family (whom she's grown to love), into a world of fantasy & fairytale. Her life is now made up of magic, enemy fae and seriously awesome weapons training.
Just as she's getting used to it all, her life and those of her family and friends has been turned upside down the moment she steps in to save the life of fae Prince, Thorn. Fighting evil has never been this scary! She battles trolls, chimeras, fae foot soldiers and worse. She faces off with big-time villains with the fate of the world depending on her...and this is just the beginning.

I am a huge fan of Amanda Hocking's Trylle Trilogy and this reminded me of her style of writing. Easy reading and entertaining to the max! Funnily enough, they have the same publisher.

Boy's don't be put off, but it does have a smidge of romance. And romance, my dears, is good for the soul :-)
I won't be surprised if it's a runaway success. If you get it, you will not be dissapointed!

KD.

Hi World!

Hi World,

I'm not sure what i've just done... Is blogging for me?
Well, i don't know the rules. Are there any?
I'm mad about books and just want to tell the world!
So here i am :-)