A delicate balance of political intrigue, elaborate world building, and thrilling action merges into an epic medieval...
A brave general aims to overthrow an immortal wizard, whose ambitions could lead to an unprecedented age of darkness in Frans’ fantasy novel.
This first book in The Planewars Saga introduces readers to a multiverse consisting of 27 known worlds, in which the seemingly immortal wizard Lord Brakken (known, among other names, as “the War Maker”) has at least partial control of four—and has his eyes set on the rest. But there is a growing faction of creatures—human, elves, dwarves—who are willing to rise against the dark wizard to finally find freedom. This group is led by Artorus Vallon, a grizzled general who has finally had enough, and his brave half-sister, Mala. As their rebellion grows, they seek help from a Sage (an immortal race who act as knowledge keepers for all the known worlds) named Kellos. Together, they will learn all they can about the wizards—including the three branches of magic that allow them to manipulate matter, teleport, and control people’s thoughts. But as the fight escalates and things turn increasingly violent, Artorus and his army of rebels hurtle toward a shocking conclusion. Frans has crafted a sprawling first-in-series that manages to be action-packed while still leaving plenty of room for more. The blend of fantasy and sci-fi (Lord Brakken picks fights with other planets through a “worldgate”) provides a fresh spin, while Artorus’ consistently compassionate leadership and distaste for violence makes for a genuinely inspiring hero: “‘This ruthlessness, this fear and death,’ Artorus hissed, ‘this is the stuff of Wizards; of madmen and of warlords.’” A sophisticated formal narrative voice and crisp dialogue help transport readers into Frans’ panoramic multiverse. While fantasy beginners may find the book’s 500-plus pages and lengthy glossary of characters intimidating, those who know and love the genre will delight in Frans’s intricate world(s) building.
A delicate balance of political intrigue, elaborate world building, and thrilling action merges into an epic medieval fantasy.Pub Date: April 12, 2024
ISBN: 9798990343726
Page Count: 510
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Oct. 3, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.
Using mystery and romance elements in a nonlinear narrative, SenLinYu’s debut is a doorstopper of a fantasy that follows a woman with missing memories as she navigates through a war-torn realm in search of herself.
Helena Marino is a talented young healer living in Paladia—the “Shining City”—who has been thrust into a brutal war against an all-powerful necromancer and his army of Undying, loyal henchmen with immortal bodies, and necrothralls, reanimated automatons. When Helena is awakened from stasis, a prisoner of the necromancer’s forces, she has no idea how long she has been incarcerated—or the status of the war. She soon finds herself a personal prisoner of Kaine Ferron, the High Necromancer’s “monster” psychopath who has sadistically killed hundreds for his master. Ordered to recover Helena’s buried memories by any means necessary, the two polar opposites—Helena and Kaine, healer and killer—end up discovering much more as they begin to understand each other through shared trauma. While necromancy is an oft-trod subject in fantasy novels, the author gives it a fresh feel—in large part because of their superb worldbuilding coupled with unforgettable imagery throughout: “[The necromancer] lay reclined upon a throne of bodies. Necrothralls, contorted and twisted together, their limbs transmuted and fused into a chair, moving in synchrony, rising and falling as they breathed in tandem, squeezing and releasing around him…[He] extended his decrepit right hand, overlarge with fingers jointed like spider legs.” Another noteworthy element is the complex dynamic between Helena and Kaine. To say that these two characters shared the gamut of intense emotions would be a vast understatement. Readers will come for the fantasy and stay for the romance.
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9780593972700
Page Count: 1040
Publisher: Del Rey
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
A smart and highly original work of modern fantasy.
After the events of Book of Night (2022), Charlie Hall is forced to hunt down the perpetrator of a terrible massacre.
Charlie Hall is the Hierophant: It’s her job to be tethered to a powerful, independent shadow—a “Blight”— and hunt down other Blights for the Cabals, the heads of their respective shadow-magic specialties. The Cabals use the difficult job of Hierophant as a punishment, but Charlie agreed to take it on so she could be the person tethered to Vince, aka Red, the Blight who posed as a human and ended up dating and falling in love with Charlie. The Cabal leaders used magic to steal the part of Red’s memory that contained his relationship with Charlie, and so Charlie is determined to steal Red’s memories back. And she needs to move fast, because if Red doesn’t remember loving her, he just might be OK with Charlie being killed if it means his own freedom. Meanwhile, Mr. Punch, a terrifying Cabal leader who specializes in using shadow magic to possess other people’s bodies, has a job for Charlie: He wants her to find the culprit behind a terrible massacre that was attributed to a cult. He suspects that the people were actually killed by a Blight, and he doesn’t want the Cabals to face the blowback if the truth becomes public. Mr. Punch could do terrible things to Charlie if she fails, but if she succeeds, he’ll help Charlie and Red be free of the Cabals for good. The sophomore novel in a series is always tough, but this sequel proves that the second book can be even better than the first. Black turns the screws on the magical world she set up in Book 1, creating complicated political motives between Charlie and the Cabal leaders and making the question of what it means for a shadow, like Red, to have their own consciousness more interesting. Veteran con artist Charlie makes some truly brilliant moves, especially toward the end, where the last few chapters have one terrific surprise after the other.
A smart and highly original work of modern fantasy.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9781250812223
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
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