Fantasy

The Sword of Shannara, a fantasy novel written by Terry Brooks in 1977, tells a classic, derivative story that is marred by repetition and the unwillingness to detach itself from its greatest inspiration: The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. The protagonist of the book is Shea, a half-elf who, one day, receives a visit from a …

The first book in The Wheel of Time series, The Eye of the World, is an epic fantasy novel that wears its inspirations on its sleeve – even to a fault: its story is clearly based on Arthurian legends and The Lord of the Rings, but it’s Tolkien who most shackles Robert Jordan’s novel. The Eye of the World shines …

One of the most recurrent problems in fantasy novels concerns exposition, with the intricate world created for the story being described in too much detail, to the detriment of the characters and pacing. But, sometimes, the opposite is true: the world is put aside for too long and so fails to capture our interest. In Gardens of the Moon, one …

A Dance with Dragons, the fifth volume of A Song of Ice and Fire,  despite being one of the more concise volumes in the series, containing virtually only three main plots – which helps to move the narrative forward –, still suffers from the remnants of the bad planning surrounding the previous book, A Feast for Crows. A Dance with …

A Feast for Crows, the fourth book in A Song of Ice and Fire, was released five years after A Storm of Swords, following a troubled writing process. George R. R. Martin first decided that the plot would jump five years in time, which would allow the children and dragons to grow. However, long after he had produced enough material, …

The third volume of A Song of Ice and Fire, A Storm of Swords, is the most climactic novel in the series so far: its narrative is permeated by major events that brutally modify the political structure of Westeros and the life and personality of its inhabitants. However, the book slips up precisely on the portrayal of some of these …

“In a room sit three great men, a king, a priest, and a rich man with his gold. Between them stands a sellsword, a little man of common birth and no great mind. Each of the great ones bids him slay the other two. ‘Do it’ says the king, ‘for I am your lawful ruler.’ ‘Do it’ says the priest, …

A Game of Thrones, the first volume of the A Song of Ice and Fire series presents a vast and intricate world, with a rich array of fascinating locales and characters, and focuses on how their troubled relationships help deconstruct the concept of honor. The plot follows Eddard Stark, the lord of Winterfell in the north of Westeros, who receives news …