Fantasy | Raging Biblio-holism

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice & Fire, Book 3)

April 29, 2013 by Drew

The Short Version: In the wake of the Battle of the Blackwater, the War of the Five Kings rages on. Renly and Balon are dead, Stannis nursing his wounds and striking all kinds of scary deals with his Red Woman, Robb Stark a King without a seat, and the Lannisters threatening to tear themselves apart from within. Meanwhile, Daenerys continues to build a host in the East and a new threat looms in the North… The Review: I’ve been trying to […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: A Song of Ice & Fire, A Storm of Swords, Book #3, Fantasy, Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin

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Bloodfire Quest (The Dark Legacy of Shannara, Book #2)

March 27, 2013 by Drew

The Short Version: The Ellcrys is dying, the Druid Order decimated, the Ohmsford brothers separated by the wall of the Forbidding, and a new Prime Minister of the Federation seems to have some nefarious and murky schemes brewing. Oh and did I mention: seems like half the world is now trying to find Grianne Ohmsford – who we last saw over a hundred years ago when she turned into a tree/air spirit. The Review: Considering how many plots this book […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: Bloodfire Quest, Fantasy, Fiction, Shannara, Terry Brooks, The Dark Legacy of Shannara

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St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves

February 27, 2013 by Drew

The Short Version: A collection of stories set mostly in the wilds of Florida – but not quite the Florida we know. This is Russell’s fantastic version of the state: where lycanthropes are real, ghost fish can be seen with special diving goggles, and giant mollusks once roamed the seas. The Review: I’ve had rather a tumultuous time with Swamplandia! since reading it. At the time, I felt betrayed by the way Russell pulled the magical-realism rug out from under the reader […]

Categories: Fiction • Tags: 5+, Fantasy, Fiction, Karen Russell, Magical Realism, Short Stories, St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, Swamplandia!

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The Lost Soul (666 Park Avenue #3)

February 13, 2013 by Drew

The Short Version: Jane Boyle has uncovered just how evil her former mother-in-law, Lynne Doran, actually is – she’s the newest incarnation of the evil daughter of the First Witch. It’s a race against time to stop Hasina (that spirit) from transferring to a new body – one that’s likely to go on a massive magical killing spree… The Review: I wonder, a little, if these three books could’ve been combined to make one novel in three parts. Because, like […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: 666 Park Avenue, Chick Lit, Fantasy, Fiction, Gabriella Pierce, The Lost Soul

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Cold Days (The Dresden Files, Book 14)

February 2, 2013 by Drew

The Short Version: Harry Dresden, no longer mostly-dead, has a new job – Winter Knight – and his first day is a pretty bad one. Some pretty catastrophic forces are lining up and all is not right with the Winter Court… but, as usual, saving the world is only one of Harry’s issues at the moment… The Review: Alright, here we go. After the literal strange interlude of the last book and the Major Dramatic Reversal of Changes, we’re back to Sweet […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: Cold Days, Fantasy, Fiction, Harry Dresden, Jim Butcher, The Dresden Files

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The Woman Who Died A Lot

January 31, 2013 by Drew

The Short Version: A little bruised and battered after the assassination attempt, Thursday Next (the real one) is finding the world moving a bit faster than she can manage. Her genius daughter is also a typical teen girl, her son’s promising career in the ChronoGuard has become a would-have-been (as has the ChronoGuard), Goliath is sending temporary Thursday clones after her, and there’s still the issue of Aornis Hades’ mindworm… The Review: Oh thank god the real Thursday is back. […]

Categories: Fiction • Tags: BookWorld, Fantasy, Fiction, Goliath Corporation, Jasper Fforde, Literature, The Woman Who Died A Lot, Thomas Allen, Thursday Next, Toast Marketing Board

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Wards of Faerie (The Dark Legacy of Shannara, Book #1)

January 25, 2013 by Drew

The Short Version: Science is the order of the day in the Four Lands and magic is on the wane. But after one of the few remaining Druids discovers a clue that might lead to the missing (and possibly mythic) other Elfstones, the Ard Rhys gathers a small company and sets off to find them – in the hopes of saving magic and protecting the legacy of the Four Lands. The Review: It’s been, I think, seven years since Terry Brooks […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction • Tags: Fantasy, Fiction, Shannara, Terry Brooks, The Dark Legacy of Shannara, Wards of Faerie

The Kindly Ones (The Sandman, Vol. 9)

January 6, 2013 by Drew

The Short Version: Morpheus, also known as Dream, must face the endgame of things set in motion many, many moons ago. As dark powers conspire against him and his realm, he must make his final decision – one that will change the face of the Dreaming forever. The Review: Hold this specific volume in your hands. Feel the weight of it. Even if you’ve never held another comic or read any of The Sandman stories, you would feel the weight of this […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction, Literature • Tags: Death Dream, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Literature, Morpheus, Neil Gaiman, The Endless, The Kindly Ones, The Sandman, The Sandman Vol. 9

Worlds’ End (The Sandman, Vol. 8)

January 5, 2013 by Drew

The Short Version: As a massive reality storm crashes across the multiverse, lost travelers find their way to Worlds’ End – an inn at the end of all worlds. There, they pass the time waiting for the storm to pass in the oldest of literary traditions: swapping stories. The Review: I KNEW IT. I FREAKING KNEW SOMETHING BIG WAS COMING. I’m pretty sure I’m aware, now, of what’s going on – because I missed a particular figure in the […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Literature, Short Stories • Tags: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Horror, Literature, Neil Gaiman, Short Stories, The Sandman, The Sandman Vol. 8, Worlds' End

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Brief Lives (The Sandman, Vol. 7)

January 5, 2013 by Drew

The Short Version: Delirium of The Endless decides to seek out her lost brother, Destruction. After Desire and Despair turn her down, she seeks out the help of her older brother Dream – and they embark on a strange journey through the world and through themselves in order to find their missing sibling. The Review: There’s a panel near the end of this novel that took my breath away, much as the real-life equivalent tends to do the same. On an […]

Categories: Fantasy, Fiction, Literature • Tags: Brief Lives, Death, Delirium, Desire, Despair, Destiny, Destruction, Dream, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Literature, Mythology, Neil Gaiman, The Endless, The Sandman, The Sandman Vol. 7

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Raging Biblio-holism

The overwhelming urge to collect, consume, and consider books

Archives

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice & Fire, Book 3)

Bloodfire Quest (The Dark Legacy of Shannara, Book #2)

St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves

The Lost Soul (666 Park Avenue #3)

Cold Days (The Dresden Files, Book 14)

The Woman Who Died A Lot

Wards of Faerie (The Dark Legacy of Shannara, Book #1)

The Kindly Ones (The Sandman, Vol. 9)

Worlds’ End (The Sandman, Vol. 8)

Brief Lives (The Sandman, Vol. 7)

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