Your 50-page trial is like what our family does before watching a movie. We give it the 10-minute test. If it's gonna be a dog, it'll surely be barking in the first 10 minutes. No reason to waste time on rubbish.
I also had a strong dislike for Mark Lawrence's Prince of Thorns. Your review doesn't make me want to revisit him. An Empire in Black and Gold is much better. There are 9 books in the series and I am just starting the third book. It's not great writing that you want to tell all your friends about, but it's perfectly fun light reading. I wouldn't say they the characters are great, but the mantis weaponsmaster is a complete badass, his scenes have solid setup and payoff, and I suspect he's eventually going to get a great death scene that will be well and truly earned. The main Wasp intelligence officer is also a great antagonist, and there's some complexity and nuance to his role. One of the other young characters has a very dark turn that I respect but don't love, and I'm at least curious to see whether he is redeemable. Tchaikovsky has also written a bunch of other SFF, including the well-regarded Children of Time, and Alien Clay, which was a decent read but not awesome. I'm reserving judgment on City of Brass. It has a richly constructed Arab themed world, but I was also not in love with the female protagonist and I put it down and might not return to it. I don't know Correia and appreciate the recommendation, though I'm mostly over stories about young men with swords.
I’m pretty bad at finishing series, but I do want to continue the Tchaikovsky book. And right now, young men with swords is exactly what I’m looking for.
I loved the idea of trimming down a TBR by giving a book the first 50 pages to WOW me when I read about it in your previous post, I still love the idea.
Great article. I particularly agree on Mark Lawrence. I read Prince of Thorns, and got part way through King of Thorns and I just couldn't go on. His characters are just insufferable. Everyone sucks, we get it.
I cannot recommend this form of TBR trimming enough. It’s fun, liberating and just a great way to really test a certain genre. I think I want to expand this type of trial to include regular fiction books that have been waiting to be read for years now.
Glad we agree about Lawrence. Nothing ruins fantasy quite like terrible people who are also the main characters. Jay Kristoff is another author I have similar doubts about. I haven’t read any of his books but I don’t think I’d like them.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you can chop down your TBR soon too.
(The original comment got deleted, but I still had the email copy, so I thought I'd share it.)
"Your candid, laugh‑out‑loud tour through four new fantasy realms is the kind of honest book review that keeps the genre vibrant. I loved how you balanced sharp character insights with world‑building critiques—especially your verdict on Lawrence’s gritty style versus Correia’s testosterone‑charged epic fantasy energy. Posts like this guide readers through the vast TBR wilderness and spotlight fresh book recommendations that actually resonate. Please keep chronicling your reading journey; your voice helps reboot our collective love of fantasy series discovery. Which upcoming title has you most optimistic about rekindling that spark next?"
What a great comment! Thank you so much!
I don’t know which titles will spark interest in me next, but I’m excited to find out and share it with everyone.
I've heard good things about Larry Correia's books, but have never tried one. but you might have just inspired me to give Son of a Black Sword a try!
I’m not sure of my posting schedule, but I hope to have a review for it in the next month or so. We’ll see if my initial thoughts were right!
Your 50-page trial is like what our family does before watching a movie. We give it the 10-minute test. If it's gonna be a dog, it'll surely be barking in the first 10 minutes. No reason to waste time on rubbish.
Good plan. It’s an especially good idea for lame Christmas movies.
Oh heavens. So true. A Christmas movie that isn't a real woofer is a rare find.
This was a fun review I like how you point out the differences in style between these various authors.
Glad you liked it! I’ll try to do another one soon-ish.
Sure, go ahead.
I also had a strong dislike for Mark Lawrence's Prince of Thorns. Your review doesn't make me want to revisit him. An Empire in Black and Gold is much better. There are 9 books in the series and I am just starting the third book. It's not great writing that you want to tell all your friends about, but it's perfectly fun light reading. I wouldn't say they the characters are great, but the mantis weaponsmaster is a complete badass, his scenes have solid setup and payoff, and I suspect he's eventually going to get a great death scene that will be well and truly earned. The main Wasp intelligence officer is also a great antagonist, and there's some complexity and nuance to his role. One of the other young characters has a very dark turn that I respect but don't love, and I'm at least curious to see whether he is redeemable. Tchaikovsky has also written a bunch of other SFF, including the well-regarded Children of Time, and Alien Clay, which was a decent read but not awesome. I'm reserving judgment on City of Brass. It has a richly constructed Arab themed world, but I was also not in love with the female protagonist and I put it down and might not return to it. I don't know Correia and appreciate the recommendation, though I'm mostly over stories about young men with swords.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I’m pretty bad at finishing series, but I do want to continue the Tchaikovsky book. And right now, young men with swords is exactly what I’m looking for.
I loved the idea of trimming down a TBR by giving a book the first 50 pages to WOW me when I read about it in your previous post, I still love the idea.
Great article. I particularly agree on Mark Lawrence. I read Prince of Thorns, and got part way through King of Thorns and I just couldn't go on. His characters are just insufferable. Everyone sucks, we get it.
I cannot recommend this form of TBR trimming enough. It’s fun, liberating and just a great way to really test a certain genre. I think I want to expand this type of trial to include regular fiction books that have been waiting to be read for years now.
Glad we agree about Lawrence. Nothing ruins fantasy quite like terrible people who are also the main characters. Jay Kristoff is another author I have similar doubts about. I haven’t read any of his books but I don’t think I’d like them.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you can chop down your TBR soon too.
I’ll give it a look!
(The original comment got deleted, but I still had the email copy, so I thought I'd share it.)
"Your candid, laugh‑out‑loud tour through four new fantasy realms is the kind of honest book review that keeps the genre vibrant. I loved how you balanced sharp character insights with world‑building critiques—especially your verdict on Lawrence’s gritty style versus Correia’s testosterone‑charged epic fantasy energy. Posts like this guide readers through the vast TBR wilderness and spotlight fresh book recommendations that actually resonate. Please keep chronicling your reading journey; your voice helps reboot our collective love of fantasy series discovery. Which upcoming title has you most optimistic about rekindling that spark next?"
What a great comment! Thank you so much!
I don’t know which titles will spark interest in me next, but I’m excited to find out and share it with everyone.
I haven’t looked into those sub-genres yet. Do you have any recommendations?
Of your recommendations, I think The Goblin Emperor interests me the most. Adding it to my list!