2019
Favorites
This is
hard, and damn you to hell. I’ve been reading almost everything more than SFF
this year, but here we go:
1) Altered Carbon, Richard K Morgan.
Hey, it was new to me. Takeshi Kovaks is somewhat famous by now, but the story
of a ‘re-sleeved’ detective/commando resurrected to solve the murder of an
immortal’s disposable body by his new body…well, I found the creativity on
display just astounding.
2) Cradle, Will Wight. One of the
bigger names in the self-published world. Cradle walks the edge of ‘litrpg’ and
epic fantasy, about a boy who grows constantly in power in a hierarchical world
(universe?) utterly ruled by it. Fast reading that leaves you wanting more.
3) A Brightness Long Ago, Guy Gavriel
Kay. Another display of Kay’s mastery, this book is only barely fantasy. It’s a
world reminiscent of renaissance Italy, dominated by city-states and mercenary
warlords plotting their yearly campaigns, and full of bittersweet, beautiful
glimpses of life.
4) Devil’s Cape, Rob Rogers. Have you
ever played City of Heroes? No? What the hell am I talking about? OK yes, I am a
video-game nerd. Well, Devil’s Cape is a superhero story more in the vein of
Watchmen than Marvel. It’s ‘real’, it’s dark, and it’s fantastic.
5) The Long Way Down, Craig Schaefer. This
book/author deserves a spot because it’s Urban Fantasy and I enjoyed it. That
may not sound like much, but…I do not generally enjoy urban fantasy, and all
previous attempts have been disastrous. Not so here! It’s fast, atmospheric,
with enough style to be memorable. If you’d like to break into the genre, this
is a good start.
Looking
ahead to 2020
Like the
rest of the fantasy world, I await Mr. Martin’s The Winds of Winter, probably
in vain. Unlike most of the fantasy world, however, my sympathies lie
with Mr. Martin. I believe we’ll be getting a new book by Django Wexler (Ashes Of The Sun), which is always good news. Oh! And Age of Death by Michael
Sullivan, a fantastic writer, and guru of the self-published world.
On the
Horizon for Richard Nell
The third
and final book in my Ash and Sand series (Kings Of Heaven) arrives on Amazon in
early 2020. It’s the conclusion to 6 years of labour and love (I published book
1 in 2017, but started writing the series in 2013), and I
must say that statement brings mixed emotions. Like any good ending, it should
be glorious and bittersweet, and I can’t wait to share it with readers. After
that? Who knows. But there are knights and demons and an impatient God-King
waiting, and a few more projects besides, one of which I also hope to release
in 2020…
About
the author
Richard
Nell is the author of epic, dark fantasy Kings of Paradise, Kings of Ash, and
flintlock fantasy The
God-King’s Legacy. He grew up on a prairie farm, studied English and
Writing from Canada to Australia, and now lives in one of the coldest places on
earth with his wife and daughter. For more information, you can visit his
website here.
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