Neil Shah narrates the first in a new historical fiction/fantasy series, which serves as a prequel to the author’s Tales of the Otori series. The multiple threads of the story are connected through the character of Shikanoko, whose personal journey starts when he flees his murderous uncle, putting himself on the path to becoming a sorcerer with exceptional powers. Shah's sonorous and assured voice adds to the feeling that this is an ancient tale of the battle for power between dynasties, brothers, and the sexes. His expressive dialogue helps listeners distinguish among the many players, and his impeccable Japanese accent increases the tone of authenticity. This audiobook creates the foundation for the remaining episodes in this very adult fantasy set in medieval Japan. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
It’s the greatest pain and greatest pleasure of our reading lives: no matter how many wonderful novels we read, more are always rolling off the printing presses. We’ll never be finished reading—but we’d never want to be, either. Here are eight highly anticipated new books threatening the integrity of our nightstands and coffee tables in April.
Though we consider things in much starker genre divides now, there is nothing so universal as a fantasy story. Fantasy’s roots are in folklore: the timeless myths, legends, fairy tales, and tall tales that have shaped culture and been passed down through centuries of literature. There would be no sweeping epic fantasies—no Tolkien—without first the enduring folk […]
If I grasp at the fleeting memories of my youth, I can recall free academies, institutes of higher learning where no knowledge was unattainable. We called them libraries—publicly accessible and generous with their shared wisdom. It was there that I discovered how not only to be a citizen, but an ethical being, guided by the wisdom in […]
For nearly two decades, Jim Killen has served as the science fiction and fantasy book buyer for Barnes & Noble. Every month on the B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog and Tor.com, Jim shares his curated list of the month’s can’t-miss new SF/F releases.
It’s no secret that modern epic fantasy, as a genre, tends toward Euro-centrism, taking its cue from Tolkien’s Middle Earth. That doesn’t mean you can’t spin original, unique stories from Western medieval cultures and myth, but it does mean that when a fantasy drawn from a different setting and historical period comes along, it’s a welcome change.