As you, folks have already seen with the past couple of FBC updates’, each of us have read through our lot of six books. This is my 10th year as a judge & I’m still very, very excited to see what each SPFBO edition brings.
These were the six titles, which I given, and I was very excited to see the diverse genre mix:
- The Ballad of Sprikit The Bard And Company by Sean O'Boyle
Here are my thoughts on each of the titles:
Miss Bennet’s Dragon – This was a standalone fantasy title and one which riffs on Pride and Prejudice. The cool part is that there are dragons within the story and they are an organic element of the plot. The story kicks off in high gear as it begins with the original template but then veers off into Draca, political tensions and a strong romance at the center of its story.
While I’m not the most romance-oriented fantasy reader, I must highlight that the author certainly has made this story stand out with its gritty portrayal of life in those regency times. He doesn’t shy away from violence as well sexual tensions. This story was fun for me to read and while it ended on a strong note, there’s enough loose ends left open for a sequel story set in the same world.
For me, however I read up to 50% and then felt like stopping as the story wasn’t working for me. I must clarify here, this was a completely “me” thing, the writing and plot weren’t clicking for me. But this isn’t something that’s the writer’s fault. I’m not a big fan of whimsical stories and they have to be done just right for me to be completely immersed. This unfortunately ended up being a cut.
The Serpent's Quest – This was an epic fantasy story that kinda starts small (almost feeling like a sword & sorcery story) but then quickly jumps into proper epic gear. There’s Gods, elves, Magic quests and even pirates thrown in for good measure.
I’m not a stranger to Nerine’s works and I’ve always enjoyed her prose. Toby was the new writer to me however this collaboration is very much like Ray Fiest & Janny Wurts’ successful one where the reader won’t be able to decipher which writer wrote what section. The story & magical action kept me hooked all the way to the end.
However as excited as I was to read this book, I couldn’t quite gel with it. From the prose to the overall plot, it felt as if there was a lot going on within the story and it wasn’t evenly balance. This book while being exciting unique, was a bit of an uneven read. I’m not saying that this book is bad but what it needs is a tight edit to strengthen the plot and weed out the wayward elements that distract. This author’s writing shows promise and needs some editorial help in executing their brilliant vision.
Landbringer – This was a book which grabbed me with it’s exciting opening chapter but the true twist comes in the second chapter when the protagonist meets their possible mentor. I was hooked and the author unveiled a very fascinating world where a few people can see/talk with ghosts. The world had a steampunkish feel and was mixed in with political tensions.
Landbringer was a fascinating unique read that kept me flipping pages to see what happened with Sade. As she constantly get embroiled in happenings (magical, societal & political) that are definitely out of her league but she’s not a walkover and is determined to make a mark.
I finished this book and while the ending was a bit predictable, I must congratulate the author for writing such an engaging story and a fascinating world. This book is another shining example of not judging a book by its staid cover. Karen Lucia is a fascinating writer and for those readers looking for stories with engaging characters, brilliant worlds and stories that don’t let go, she is the real deal.
Sigils & Sushi – This book is exactly what the blurb and cover promises, a sweet & snarky protagonist, hilarious side character cast, magical demons and other creatures living besides humans. This is a quintessential urban fantasy book that is very reminiscent of the urban fantasy era of the late 2000s & early 2010s.
I used to devour urban fantasy back then and have found many of my favourite authors via this subgenre. This book was a light, fun read but unfortunately it didn’t offer anything new to me as a UF fan. Again this is not to discount this book, new readers will certainly enjoy its light, frothy nature but for someone who has read quite a bit of urban fantasy, this doesn’t bring anything new or shiny to the table. Unfortunately this was another cut for me.
For choosing
a semifinalist, there were two factors in my consideration. I had to finish the book and make sure that it was atleast a 3.5+ star read. With this factor in mind, there were only 2 titles that stood
out for me:
Landbringer’s splendid pace, worldbuilding
and characterization made me a fan of it. The ending was a bit predictable and therefore detracted a bit of my enjoyement.
So while it was hard to choose between these two titles, the end result was decided by the fact which book’s ending made me more excited for its sequel. So without further ado, my choice for the last FBC semifinalist is …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Many congratulations to Tony Bennett & Nerine Dorman, The Serpent's Quest is FBC's second semifinalist and now will read by the other judges. My commiserations to Karen Lucia, it was a very tight choice. Landbringer is a cool story and I hope it finds more readers.
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