Academ's Fury
The story of Tavi moves from the countryside to the city, and new nemeses are introduced. It's a solid follow-on from the first. The main character is a likable kid who seems to have both…
The Amber Spyglass
I didn't love the finish to the series. Like most final books, I thought it delved too deeply into a quasi-religious rant. However, I have heard the perspective of friends that they enjoyed that…
Captain's Fury
At this point, it's pretty obvious the books follow the same plot structure. But at the time I was reading these, I was grinding rep in WoW—and if you have no idea what that means then just know that…
Cursor's Fury
At this point in the series, I was still enjoying the books but noticed the similarity in the plot between books two and three. It was an enjoyable read, if similar to the previous one.
Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
I hated this book. I can't believe it's being made into a movie, oh excuse me, a "major motion picture." The only reason I finished this was because it came highly recommended by one of my best…
First Lord's Fury
I mean, at this point, I'm five books into the six-part series—might as well finish it, even if the plot follows the same damn outline. Again. And again. I was so burnt out on the series that I…
Furies of Calderon
I enjoyed the first book in this huge series. The unique take on magic, where humans interact with the elements through their "furies" was a refreshing break from the typical sorcery stuff of high…
The Golden Compass
A very enjoyable, action-packed fantasy with a young main character set in an alternate-reality. It's not heavy swords & sorcery, which is a nice departure. It's a great start to the series.
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
Book two teeters on the edge of Young Adult and... not YA, which I guess would be just mainline fantasy. Now that the Wizarding World has been established, the books start to have a lot more fun. And…
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows
At last we come to the end. Though this is the least Harry Potter-esque of all the books, it is a fantastic work of fantasy. One wild adventure leads to the next and the next and the next. Once it…
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
In the summer of 2018, I re-read the entire series (the Stephen Fry version, not the Jim Dale reading on Audible). As I undertook the endeavor, I wondered what my favorite book would be. The "easy"…
Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince
Book six has the strongest ending of the entire series. I could hardly wait to get through the book for the final few chapters. It is the last door to be knocked down before the final—and the…
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Fittingly, book four is the turning point for the series (and my favorite), and now we turn to dark times in the wizarding world. In this book, my hands-down favorite antagonist comes to roost in…
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
The only thing that holds Book 3 back from being a five-star for me is the Malfoy-Snape-Potter story arc was growing wearisome for me. At a certain point, it became a distraction from the story,…
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Book 1
Note: This review is for the Stephen Fry recording, not the Jim Dale version on Audible, the latter of which is complete shit.1 If you haven't read Harry Potter and you're over the age of 18, then…
The Name of the Wind
I love this series so much I don't even know where to begin. Let's get one thing out of the way, the books are very long. This one clocks in at over 27 hours, however, it's more like two distinct…
Off to Be the Wizard
Laugh out loud funny. There are multiple parts of "Off to Be the Wizard" where I was literally laughing out loud. I distinctly remember being at the gym and having to stop to get through a…
On a Pale Horse
In a modern world where Satan advertises on billboards and magic is part of everyday life, a complete loser becomes the next Death. It's a wild concept and makes for a good book. Truthfully, as I'm…
Pathfinder
Orson Scott Card must have something with child protagonists. I guess with "Ender's Game" being his most famous and popular piece he decided to stick with what works? I'm just speculating. The…
Princep's Fury
Yep. Same plot structure. Again. Still grinding rep in WoW, might as well power through the series, too.
Ruins
Book one was interesting enough for me to continue with the series. And the cliffhanger at the end of this book should have been interesting enough for me to finish it out with the third book, but I…
Series: Codex Alera
I cannot recommend this series. The plot lines of books two through six are so similar that I burnt out on it and even after the final book came out, I debated whether or not to buy it for six…
Series: Harry Potter
All of these reviews are for the Stephen Fry recording, not the Jim Dale version on Audible. That version on Audible is complete shit. I downloaded the Fry version years ago—around 2007—and recently…
Series: Pathfinder
Though Orson Scott Card's big hit, Ender's Game, has a child main character, and is one of my all-time favorite books because Ender's character is so compelling, you'd think that would be a specialty…
The Subtle Knife
Book two of the series follows on strong with more adventure in this universe. It follows on strong from book one in an imaginative new world.
The Way of Kings
Kudos to Brandon Sanderson for writing a stellar fantasy novel without relying on the Tolkien fantasy tropes. This world is vast and varied. The races are unique, and the characters are complex. The…
The Wise Man's Fear
As I said with "Name of the Wind" you have to treat this book, that clocks in at over 42 hours as separate books combined into one. In this case, it's three distinct stories that could have been…