The Youngest Templar: Trail of Fate - Author: Michael P. Spradlin - 230 pp. Review by Kevin Gerard.
Kevin is the author of Conor and the Crossworlds, a fantasy series for young adults.

Trail of Fate is even better than the first book - Keeper of the Grail. The writing seemed much tighter, the story moved along briskly with a great deal of action, and the main characters' personalities started to emerge as the chapters flew by.

The book opens as Tristan, the squire of Sir Thomas of the Knights Templar, finds himself aboard an ill-equipped craft in turbulent seas. The storm is so violent he is tossed overboard with the Holy Grail in tow. He comes to learn a short time later that his companions were also ditched into the sea when the boat disintegrated amidst the huge swells.

DreamDark: Blackbringer - Laini Taylor, 2007, Firebird Fantasy Press. Review by Kevin Gerard

Laini Taylor is a genuine wordsmith. I love picking up a book and within a few pages realizing the rest of the prose will be a joy to read. Her descriptions of characters, places, and action are wonderfully constructed. I rarely had to "read" the story. The sentence structure flowed so smoothly I just sat back and let the characters dance inside my head. I could also tell that Ms. Taylor's story originated from deep within her heart, or more to the point, her infinite soul. These are the most rewarding stories I believe, for author and reader, the tales an author has waited his or her whole life to tell.

Brandon Sanderson is a name known to all Wheel of Time fans, however not all who heard about him know that continuing Robert Jordan's masterpiece was not the beginning of his career. Brandon was chosen *because* he already was a great writer and Robert trusted him enough to let him finish the work of his life.

Before getting involved with The Wheel of Time Brandon Sanderson wrote a fantasy trilogy called Mistborn (The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages). The main character in Mistborn is Vin, a 16-year-old thief on the streets of Luthadel, the capital city of the Final Empire. The story follows her life as she comes into her own as one of the Mistborn, people who can use ingested metal particles to enhance their abilities, both mental and physical.

The books received great reviews from both readers and writers. In fact, the first book was recommended by Robin Hobb (The Farseer Trilogy). Mistborn is also recommended by Fantasy Fan readers on our Fantasy book recommendations page.

You can read more about Brandon on his website at www.brandonsanderson.com. If you're interested in Brandon's Mistborn series you can get a free taste at Amazon, where you will find the first chapter of The Final Empire, first book in the series.

A tale of vengeance, true love, and cannibalism. Sounds interesting? That's a tag line of fantasy novel "A Nameless Witch" by A. Lee Martinez (Gil?s All Fright Diner, In the Company of Ogres). Mel McKenzie had an opportunity to read the book and having done that, write the review, which you can read below. And if instead of the review you'd prefer a peak into what book has to offer, you can read the first chapter on Amazon.

A Nameless Witch review by Mel McKenzie

A. Lee Martinez is good at writing comical fantasy (see Gil?s All Night Diner). Martinez has a way of removing the fear from otherwise ghastly characters and turning them into clumsy yet interesting protagonists. In A Nameless Witch, Martinez takes all the stereotypes of witches and flip them to create his nameless heroine (hint: title of book). The nameless lass, cursed to be an undead since before she was born (she just happens the be the sixth child and thus the reluctant benefactor of a dark wizard?s (Nasty Larry) curse on her family). She lives in the basement of her parents? home feeding on raw meat (an aspect of the curse) until, at age 18, she is sold to an old witch she calls Ghastly Edna. Ghastly Edna teaches her the art of witchcraft until one day Ghastly Edna is killed; soon after, the nameless witch, with the help of wisdom from Edna?s corpse, sets out on a life quest. With her are the things she has inherited from Ghastly Edna?a rude demonic duck named Newt (witch?s familiar) and a broom that later calls itself Penelope, but also Gwurm, a troll she rescued.

For those of you who missed our first review of Anne Bishop's Black Jewels series, here is another one, submitted by MMK, another fan of the books. Just to refresh your memory, Anne Bishop's critically-acclaimed Black Jewels Trilogy is the saga of a young but still-innocent Queen more powerful than even the High Lord of Hell-and the three sworn enemies determined to win her and gain a prize that could be terrible beyond imagining...

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I am completing my second reading of Anne Bishop's Black Jewels series. I find I am more in love with it the second time around. The series of eight books, including the central trilogy(Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, Queen of the Darkness), follows the girl who would become WITCH (ruler of the realms--Kaeleer-Terrielle and Hell), Jaenelle Angelline and her sworn protectors--Lucivar Yaslana, the Eyrien warlord prince, his half-brother Daemon Sadi, also a warlord prince and their father Saetan SaDiablo, the High Lord of Hell. Anne Bishop has created a witchly world where magic is chanelled through jewels--the strongest being the black jewel and the weakest being the white jewel with many colors between them including opal, the dividing color between strong and weak jewels. The humans in the story are divided between the Blood--those with powers who wear jewels and landens, those who don't wear jewels and have no power at all.

With all the Young Adult reviews coming in I might have to start a Kids section of Fantasy Fan soon! Kevin Gerard (Conor and the Crossworlds) brings us today another review of maybe not a classic fantasy, but definitely a kids fiction book. And a good one at that. Here it is:

Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom - Author: Tim Byrd

I became a kid again after reading three pages of this story. When we were young, all of us watched the biggest cartoon show on television - Johnny Quest. Johnny traveled the world with his father, Dr. Benton Quest, a guy who knew everything, could make anything, and never settled for failure.

Kevin Gerard, the author of Conor and the Crossworlds, a fantasy series for young adults, from time to time makes a guest appearance on Fantasy Fan. His first article here was about becoming a sci-fi / fantasy writer. Today he reviews another book for Young Adults, The Youngest Templar, by Michael Spradlin.

The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail Book 1

I would definitely recommend this novel, the first book in The Youngest Templar series. The story contains all of the vital elements of Campbell?s thesis regarding the Hero with a Thousand Faces. It focuses on Tristan, who is a capable young man, a mentor, a challenge, disaster and triumph. The writing was crisp throughout the book, save a few passages where the pace fell off just a bit.

Anne Bishop's critically-acclaimed Black Jewels Trilogy is the saga of a young but still-innocent Queen more powerful than even the High Lord of Hell-and the three sworn enemies determined to win her and gain a prize that could be terrible beyond imagining... The review of The Black Jewels Trilogy was kindly provided by Akinoru, who's fantasy blog can be found here.

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Usually, I do not like long fantasy series. It is a big task to read all 10 or 15 books of a series just to be able to enjoy the newest volume. Moreover, authors tend to repeat themselves because they lack new ideas, or ? worse ? they lack the necessary details and character development to make the plot credible.

Seeing Redd is the second installment of "The Looking Glass Wars" series by Frank Beddor. Alyss Heart is restored as the rightful Queen of Wonderland, however this is not the end of her troubles. New alliance is formed in her land and new violent conflict erupts.

The book is a direct continuation of The Looking Glass Wars, however, it's important to note that even though it's categorized as Young Adult novel, it contains large amounts of violence.

Wonderland finally seems as if it?s getting back to normal. Queen Alyss is back on the throne, and reunited with her childhood sweetheart, Dodge. But the fight for Wonderland is far from over. King Arch, in nearby Boarderland, is conniving to overthrow everything for which Alyss and her friends have fought so hard. Even worse, King Arch has found an ally in the recently returned Redd, who has been biding her time and gathering new and evil assassins in the Catacombs of Paris. With enemies circling and danger looming, someone close to Alyss lets her down - and threatens the future of Wonderland forever.

To find out more about the author and series go to: www.LookingGlassWars.com.

Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, while not a classic sword and magic fantasy, definitely is one of the precursors of the genre. It's one of those books that really play with your imagination, push it to the limits and beyond. It's also an inspiration to a more recent fantasy book & series: "The Looking Glass Wars".

Frank Beddor's "The Looking Glass Wars", book one of the trilogy bearing the same name, follows Alyss, a refuge from the realm of Wonderland. In "our" world Alyss meets a writer Dodgson, whom she tells her story. That story, distorted by the writer becomes what we know as "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". This interesting twist lets you, if you let your imagination run wild, dive into the half-familiar world and explore one of the greatest tales anew.

The book received a mixed reaction from Lewis Carroll fans. Some were delighted with the story, while others felt that it was the book was unnecessary intrusion into Wonderland. My advice to the readers is: pick up this book if you like the concept and will enjoy it.

To find out more about the author and series go to: www.LookingGlassWars.com.

Award-winning author Christie Golden has written over thirty novels and several short stories in the fields of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Golden launched the TSR Ravenloft line in 1991 with her first novel, the highly successful "Vampire of the Mists". She is the author of several original fantasy novels, including "On Fire's Wings", "In Stone's Clasp", and "Under Sea's Shadow", the first three in her multi-book fantasy series "The Final Dance". Being an avid World of Warcraft player, Golden has written several novels in that world ("Lord of the Clans", "Rise of the Horde") with three more in the works.

"Arthas: Rise of the Lich King" is, as you probably have guessed, the story of Arthas Menethil, Crown Prince of Lordaeron and Knight of the Silver Hand, and his tragic path from the defender of the realm to becoming a Lich King.

The book has been received very well by the Warcraft community, although it's written for readers both new to the world of Warcraft and oldtimers seeking to enhance their knowledge of the lore. The only weakness pointed out by readers seems to be the fact that the book is too short, that while the first two parts of the book are nicely paced, the ending, which covers undead campaign is rushed, as if Golden was pressed for time or neared to page limit. Overall it's a great book for anyone who wants to take a break from the game, but stay in touch with the World of Warcraft.

To learn more about the book, read one of the chapters or buy the book go to Amazon.com.

I've been a science fiction and fantasy lover for over thirty years, since my father introduced me to Dune when I was a pre-teen. I've read hundreds, perhaps thousands, of science fiction and fantasy books, so I feel qualified to say that Warbreaker deserves five stars. Although this is my first Brandon Sanderson novel, Warbreaker is all it's cracked up to be.

Mark Piggott is a new writer debuting with his first fantasy novel "Forever Avalon" about journey mother and her three daughters take through a magical kingdom of Avalon.

Stephanie Drake and her three children--Ashley, Rose and Hunter--are just glad to be alive after that terrible storm slammed their boat ashore on an uncharted island. What started as a one-day jaunt at sea to lay a wreath where Stephanie's husband and the children's father-a sailor in the U.S. Navy, lost at sea during a similar storm-has turned into a living nightmare. They find themselves in another world ... on the mythical island of Avalon, where magical creatures, medieval knights and powerful wizards are ruled by the descendants of King Arthur.

Duels, fast-paced adventure, monsters, and sorcery fill a fantasy novel that provides a promising start to a new series. Judge whether you want to read The Briar King with this story background and fair criticism.

A saga initially driven by conquest turns into a battle for peace as the story of Dreibrand Veta unfolds in the four novel epic fantasy series The Rys Chronicles by Tracy Falbe. At the beginning of the epic, Dreibrand is a young ambitious officer serving in the conquering horde of the Atrophane Empire that has just reached the western frontier of its known world. This unexplored west will prove to be much more dangerous than the Atrophane realize.

Magic Casement, first book of Man of his Word, by Dave Duncan. Reviewed by Coffeebratt.

Once I got past the rather fairy-tale feel to the opening of this book, I enjoyed the storyline.
The main characters in the book are the Princess Inos and a stable boy by the name of Rap; and the story begins with the two young people interacting without the constraints of social classes. This soon changes as Rap is sent on various errands, essentially to keep him away from the princess, while she is sent off to foreign lands to learn to be a princess as well as seek a husband to help her rule the small kingdom, once her father passes away.

What if the cost of casting a spell is a portion of your life force? What if your life force was stolen to fuel someone else?s magic?

C.S. Friedman?s Feast of Souls uses both premises in this first book of the Magister Trilogy.

Stephen K Lawhead's "Merlin", The Pendragon Cycle Book 2, review by Coffeebratt.

The Pendragon series resumes with the musings of Merlin, son of Taliesin and Charis, reminding himself of what is important to him and where he stands in the grand scheme.

Taliesin, First book of the Pendragon Cycle by Stephen R. Lawhead. Review by Coffeebrat.

I selected this novel for pure entertainment, to escape into a world of fantasy.
But it was not as I have come to see fantasy, being an interwoven tale of mythology and history and fantasy.

If you're looking for a new name in the Fantasy genre and wanto read a dark fantasy novel you might want to take a look at The Magic Lands by Mark Hockley.

To learn more about the book you can read the review below.

Richard Baker's "Swordmage" is the first book of the Blades of the Moonsea trilogy, which takes place in the Dungeons & Dragons' Forgotten Realms world. This is the first novel utilizing the new fourth edition rules introduced during the course of this year.

Rainja is a fantasy novel about a secretive academic, half human, and half of a people known as Ithreanards. Her mother is from the frozen North and her father of a different realm. His identity is kept from her, whilst she grows and slowly realizes how she is different when strange new abilities are revealed. She first dismisses her true nature and tries to live among her mothers people, yet ultimately she must find her own path beyond her mothers homeland. She journeys and once more tries to discover something deeper intellectually, until once more she is blown out of the security of her new life, hunted by the enemy her fathers ghost has left behind. Eventually, through many painstaking lessons she finds her deepest purpose in life, which is to transcend. Moments of depth and introspection interrupted by sudden fierce action and sensuality keep the pace of the novel.

Neil Gaiman is best-known for his Sandman comics but he has also written a few novels. American Gods is so far the longest and, in my opinion, probably the best. The plot is a wonderful mixture of mythology, terror, love and sacrifice and it’s complicated enough to keep you interested till the end. Once you start this book, it’ll be difficult to put it down.

Neil Gaiman’s Coraline tells a story about a young girl named Coraline. She and her family have just moved in to a converted house which they share with two retired actresses and ”a crazy old man with a big moustache”. There is a locked door in Coraline’s apartment which opens to a brick wall. Coraline is very curious about it and one day when her parents are away she takes the key and opens the door. Instead of a brick wall she sees a corridor which leads into another apartment almost identical to her own.

From Tolkien to Terry Pratchett, this lavishly illustrated reference to the fantasy field has been compiled by the award-winning editor of "Interzone". 158 color photos/illustrations. 31 b&w photos.

Review from Amazon.com .