Hi guys, I hope you are all well. You guys should all know by now that I love fantasy and one of my favourite sub-genres is military fantasy, so I thought I’d share some recommendations. This sub-genre has a heavy emphasis on military life in a fantasy world and the main characters are generally part of the military. Tactics, strategies and epic battles also play a big part of this sub-genre. Let’s get started

Codex Alera series / 6 books / Jim Butcher / ★★★★

Furies of Calderon, Academ’s Fury, Cursor’s Fury, Captain’s Fury, Princep’s Fury and First Lord’s Fury

This is a coming of age, military fantasy series that chronicles the life of a young man called Tavi in the realm of Alera. The world is Carna but the series is mainly set in the realm of Alera, which shares similarities with the empire of Rome, except with elemantal spirits called Furies that can be used by the Alerans (or humans). The first book has very little military elements but from the second book onwards it plays a large part within the series. I love these books and would highly recommend checking it out. I have a full review of this series which you can check out here.

Powder Mage trilogy / 3 books / Brian McClellan / ★★★★

Promise of Blood, The Crimson Campaign and The Autumn Republic

This is a flintlock, military fantasy trilogy with multiple perspectives and a unique magic system. Quite a few characters are part of the military and tactics play a big part throughout. There is also a sequel trilogy, Gods of Blood and Powder, that is well worth reading after you’ve read the Powder Mage trilogy. I love both of these trilogies and again would highly recommend checking these out.

Legend / book 1 of the Drenai saga / David Gemmell / ★★★

This is a first book in a military fantasy series. The premise of this book is basically a legendary warrior coming out of retirement to help defend the fortress of Dros Delnoch against the conquering Nadir. The military elements of this book are so well done and the world building is good. While I enjoyed this book, the one thing that frustrated me was the representation of women. This was first published in the 80’s so it is dated in terms of women representation. Overall though this was a great read and I would recommend checking it out.

That’s it for today. Despite this being one of my favourite sub-genres I actually haven’t read a lot of books within it. I definitely hope to read a lot more in the future, so if you have any recommendations for me please leave them in the comments. What’s your favourite fantasy sub-genre? I’d love to know. I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

Pippa

Hi guys, I hope you are all well. Today I thought I would share some more historical fiction recommendations with you. I really enjoy this genre but I actually haven’t read a whole lot of books from it. I get easily distracted by fantasy books :). I’ve got three books to recommend today, so I’m just going to get straight into it.

To Capture What We Cannot Keep / Beatrice Colin / ★★★.5

Synopsis: Set against the construction of the Eiffel Tower, this novel charts the relationship between a young Scottish widow and a French engineer who, despite constraints of class and wealth, fall in love. 

The main thing I enjoyed about this book was the setting. The story itself is quite romance heavy which is not normally my thing but with the back group of the construction of the Eiffel tower I think it really worked. The characters are compelling and well written, although the secondary characters could perhaps have done with a little more depth. The writing is easy to get into and I found that I was invested in the story from early on. For me this was a quick, enjoyable read with a fantastic setting. If your not a big fan of romance heavy books than this may not be for you, but otherwise I would definitely recommend this.

The Shadow of the Wind / Carlos Ruiz Zafon / ★★★★

Synopsis: One cold morning in 1945, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel to a labyrinthine library of forgotten titles, hidden in the old city of Barcelona. Allowed to choose one book, Daniel pulls out The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax. But as Daniel grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to discover the truth about the life and death of Julián Carax, and to save those he left behind…

This is a fantastic book. I’d been meaning to read this for quite some time before actually picking it up. From the beginning I was immersed in the story and world, although there were a few sections that did drag for me. It is a slow moving plot, so if that’s not your thing than I wouldn’t recommend it. As I’ve said before I don’t mind a slow plot but it’s probably something to do aware of. Although the characters are generally well written, they are a little flat in my opinion and could do with a little more depth. The writing is good too.  Overall this is a great book and I would definitely recommend checking it out.

Empress of Bright Moon duology / Weina dai Randal / ★★★★

Synopsis of book 1: A concubine at the palace learns quickly that there are many ways to capture the Emperor’s attention. Many paint their faces white and style their hair attractively, hoping to lure in the One Above All with their beauty. Some present him with fantastic gifts, such as jade pendants and scrolls of calligraphy, while others rely on their knowledge of seduction to draw his interest. But young Mei knows nothing of these womanly arts, yet she will give the Emperor a gift he can never forget. Mei’s intelligence and curiosity, the same traits that make her an outcast among the other concubines, impress the Emperor. But just as she is in a position to seduce the most powerful man in China, divided loyalties split the palace in two, culminating in a perilous battle that Mei can only hope to survive.

I picked this up mainly because it is set in ancient China and I’m glad I did. These books are definitely not perfect but I found them to be very enjoyable historical fiction to read and I loved the setting. I will say I think everything is quite surface level with these books, especially in terms of the characters. I wanted more depth but it’s only a minor complaint as I still really enjoyed these books. The characters are still well written and I found the plot to be quite compelling. Once I started reading I didn’t want to be the book down. The writing is so easy to get into and it really immerses you into this world. Basically I really enjoyed these books and I’m definitely interested in more books set in ancient China.

That’s all I have for you guys today. I’d love to know if you guys have a favourite time period for reading historical fiction – I’m not sure about mine :).  I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you next time.

Pippa