Has anyone read any of these?

vicky271

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Hey guys!
So i'm constantly going to the bookstore and adding books to my to-read list. I never deleted the list from the last few visits. I'm currently working through Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine (sequel to Ink and Bone). The first book was INCREDIBLE (I even went out and bought it). Has anyone read these books? I'd like your opinions :)

Legend of the Dragonrealm by Richard A. Knaak
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
Uprooted by Naomi Novik - Finished
Fools Assassin by Robin Hobb
The Dwarves by Markus Heitz
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Gogman
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
The Cinder Spires series by Jim Butcher
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch - Tried and gave up.
The Queen of Tearling by Eerika Johansen
The Wolf in the Attic by Paul Kearney
Queen of Fire by Anthony Ryan
Godspeaker by Karen Miller
Last Song Before Night by Ulama C. Meyer
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine - Finished
Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine - Finished

The Magician by Lev Grossman
The Iron Assassin by Ed Greenwood
Unholy War by David Hair
Dragon Heart by Cecelia Holland
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
The Obelisk Gate by N.K Jemisin
Twelve Kings of Sharakhai by Bradley P. Beaulieu
Firebrand by Gillian Phillip
Den of Wolves by Juliet Marillier
A Dance of Blades by David Dalglish
The Castings Trilogy by Pamela Freeman
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands
Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb - Finished; waiting to read the sequel
 
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Jason

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The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks - Yes, definitely recommend!
The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien - why are you even debating this? Must read!
A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron - yes, but read with a box of Kleenex

May I also add a few?
The Dragonbone Chair (Book 1 of the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy) - Tad Williams?
Night Watch - Terry Pratchett
The Narnia Series - C.S. Lewis (this is intended for young readers, but even adults can read/enjoy them - I re-read book 3 for another thread and laughed/cried all over again)
 

Brightdreamer

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I've read a few of these (if you're incredibly bored, click through the link in the signature for specific and spoiler-free reviews), but I'll give my impressions.

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks - This was considered the first major entry in the High Fantasy category since Tolkien "created" it (or at least made it commercially viable.) It... shows, IMHO. It's not bad, but there's a tendency to lean on tropes, not to mention sexism, and it could be a bit thick going at times. Still, it has some interesting ideas, and I've heard reliable reports that the series picks up significantly as Brooks honed his writing chops (though I haven't tried them myself.) Recommended if you enjoyed Tolkien, though.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik - A very enjoyable retelling of a Polish folktale, marred only slightly by an ending that feels a bit off for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. Overall, though, it's great fun, capturing the fairy tale feel with nicely-realized characters. Well recommended.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - I enjoyed the first book, but the MC could be a bit of an ego-fluffed Gary Stu at times, and I've heard numerous reports that the trend worsens in Book 2. But it's a slightly different take on an epic, focusing on one character rather than a sprawling world epic, and has some pretty darned good writing. Recommended overall.

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien - It's more or less obligatory, if you're at all interested in writing fantasy, to read Tolkien. This book was aimed at a younger audience than the LOTR trilogy/expanded stuff, and the storyteller style occasionally got on my nerves (as did the way the numerous dwarves often blended together as little more than names, plus these days the utter lack of women kinda stands out like a sore thumb), but it's a good adventure for what it is, and it's definitely worth reading to see the roots of so many fantasy tropes/cliches, not to mention the roots of many popular RPGs. Recommended.

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine - Definitely agree that the first was impressive, and I need to add the sequel to the TBR pile (which is already threatening to crush my in my sleep, quite literally.)
 

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The Magician by Lev Grossman
s

It was a good read. Smooth language and a good story. It delves into the imaginary without overdoing it, and its main character is solid.
 

Jason

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I've read a few of these (if you're incredibly bored, click through the link in the signature for specific and spoiler-free reviews), but I'll give my impressions.

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks - This was considered the first major entry in the High Fantasy category since Tolkien "created" it (or at least made it commercially viable.) It... shows, IMHO. It's not bad, but there's a tendency to lean on tropes, not to mention sexism, and it could be a bit thick going at times. Still, it has some interesting ideas, and I've heard reliable reports that the series picks up significantly as Brooks honed his writing chops (though I haven't tried them myself.) Recommended if you enjoyed Tolkien, though.

...


I'll echo this 100%. I cut my teeth reading Brooks for what you're classifying as "high fantasy", and literally inhaled everything he wrote in the Shannara series for about the first 10-12 installments. The writing did get better, but the stories also started to fade in their intensity, as he started to re-hash tropes in various capacities.

The Original Trilogy
The Sword...
The Elfstones...
The Wishsong...

The Heritage
The Scions...
The Druid...
The Elf Queen
The Talismans...

The First King...

The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara
Isle Witch
Antrax
Morgawr

The High Druid
Jarka Ruus
Tanquil
Straken

This is about when I stopped reading, but there's more:

The Genesis of Shannara
Armageddon's Children
The Elves of Cintra
Dark Wraith of Shannara
The Gypsy Morph

This is where my knowledge ended as far as being able to quote the series rote (scary, eh?) Since then (according to the Wikipedia page), several others (about ten, including a few shorts) that were published after, but it had run its course for me by then...though now I may go back and look at the Paladins of Shannara 01, 02, and 03 as those are ebook shorts.

All in all, an impressive series. After counting them up, I read 14, there were 4 more I didn't read but knew of, then another ten after that - so 28 books total! My guess is since I bought the original 14 in hardcover, I spent a couple hundred dollars on just him (and he didn't even buy me dinner afterward :) ).
 

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Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - This one is the sequel to Bardugo's Six of Crows, so you'll want to read that first. Highly recommended, though, I really enjoyed them!

The Cinder Spires series by Jim Butcher - A really cool steampunk fantasy series, definitely recommended. Butcher has a really funny, exciting voice to his writing.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik - Absolutely, wholly and completely recommend this book, I just finished it a few weeks ago and it's one of my favorites I've read in months. Really, really cool.
 

Phantasmagoria

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Godspeaker by Karen Miller I've read a lot of Miller books; she's a good writer, but I do have to say that for this trilogy... it felt uncomfortably racist to me. The "bad guys" were the darker-skinned "savages" worshiping evil gods and the "good guys" were the European-analogues... I know that's not uncommon in fantasy but it's pretty blatant here. I do have to give her some kudos for writing the first book in the trilogy from the POV of the villain, as she comes into her own. She's a very interesting character in isolation, but in the context of the series, well...

The Obelisk Gate by N.K Jemisin READ THIS!! Seriously I can't recommend Jemisin enough, especially this series. The Fifth Season is the first in the series, and The Obelisk Gate is the second. It's heartbreaking but so, so, so well written, and intriguing. But, fair warning, I do love Scott Lynch's work too, and you said you tried and gave that up, so I don't know if our tastes would match up here. Give The Fifth Season's intro a go and see what you think; I think it's available on Jemisin's website. If you're not hooked, it might not be for you.

(And I feel like Tolkien is almost required reading if you're into fantasy... but his style definitely isn't for everyone!)
 

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Last Song Before Night is by Llana C. Meyer.

I liked it, quite a lot.

Also liked Novik's Uprooted.
 
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blacbird

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So, Ursula LeGuin, Anne McCaffrey and Marion Zimmer Bradley, all of whom published highly popular Fantasy fiction years before Brooks, they don't count?

caw
 

arikdiver

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Disclaimer: these are my opinion only, everyone will have personal reading preferences.

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks - I haven't read this, but I've read the Elfstones of Shannara (Book 2), which works as a stand alone. I could see similarities with Tolkien's work, but the ending of Elfstones did not inspire me to read more by Terry Brooks. I won't spoil it for those who want to actually read it.


The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - I kept waiting for something to happen. The writing was perfectly fine, but the story really seemed to drag.

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien - all time classic, the first epic fantasy I ever read. I appreciated Tolkien's world building and use of language.

The Magician by Lev Grossman -
The concept was interesting enough, but the main character was both depressing and annoying. The Magician has similarities to two other very famous series but with a twist which you will either love or hate. Let's just say by the end I was glad it was over.
 

Brightdreamer

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So, Ursula LeGuin, Anne McCaffrey and Marion Zimmer Bradley, all of whom published highly popular Fantasy fiction years before Brooks, they don't count?

caw

Apologies - I should've used "epic" instead of "high."

And to quote the Wikipidia entry on SoS: "Del Rey chose it because he felt that it was "the first long epic fantasy adventure which had any chance of meeting the demands of Tolkien readers for similar pleasures." Article/Link

It was considered, and marketed as, the next Tolkien-level fantasy in the genre Tolkien forged/pioneered/made a popular inspiration for "Frodo Lives" graffiti with LOTR, one which - at least according to publishers, and to what I remember from Brooks's aforementioned book - had not seen an entry from a major publisher. (I cannot speak to small press or self-pubbed works that may have fallen through the cracks.) Ursula K. LeGuin, IIRC, was not writing an epic fantasy, and neither were AM or MZB. They were not marketed as Tolkien inspired or "next steps." (They were also female writers... not always given the fairest treatment.)

I hope my reference is sufficiently explained.

Though I still prefer Tad Williams...
 

Helix

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So, Ursula LeGuin, Anne McCaffrey and Marion Zimmer Bradley, all of whom published highly popular Fantasy fiction years before Brooks, they don't count?

caw

+ (not in chronological order) Michael Moorcock, Lloyd Alexander, Hope Mirrlees, Patricia McKillop, Alan Garner, Fritz Leiber, Lord Dunsany...
 

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I'm old. I remember when Sword Of Shannara was first released (1977). It did start the Del Rey Fantasy line proper. It did sell a startlingly large number of copies in the first month it was published but no, it really wasn't single-handedly responsible for the post-Tolkien surge of interest in High fantasy. It did demonstrate, in part of its pastiche like qualities, that there was demand, but not so much a demand for more Brooks as a demand for non-derivative Fantasy in a Tolkienesque pseudo medieval culture.

For one thing, a lot of people hated Shannara as a poorly handled Tolkien pastiche; it was (and is) strikingly derivative.

There were other books and writers that, honestly, I think were more influential.

Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles books were published from 1964 to 68; Alexander is the person who came up with the phrase "high Fantasy."

Le Guin's Wizard of Earthsea was published in 1968. Nine Princes of Amber, the first of Roger Zelazny's multi-volume Chronicles of Amber was published in 1970. McKillip's Riddlemaster of Hed was 1976. Stephen Donaldson's Lord Fouls Bane, the first Chronicles of Thomas Covenant was 1977.

Now, what I'm curious about but do not know, is how much influence the 1977 first publication of Tolkien's Silmarilion might have had. It's not a narrative sort of book, but man, it sure did get read and bought.
 

Cobalt Jade

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Now, what I'm curious about but do not know, is how much influence the 1977 first publication of Tolkien's Silmarilion might have had. It's not a narrative sort of book, but man, it sure did get read and bought.

I remember its publication and publicity. It was a BIG EVENT in the publishing world, the equivalent of the Beatles getting back together.
 

vicky271

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The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks - Yes, definitely recommend!
The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien - why are you even debating this? Must read!
A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron - yes, but read with a box of Kleenex

May I also add a few?
The Dragonbone Chair (Book 1 of the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy) - Tad Williams?
Night Watch - Terry Pratchett
The Narnia Series - C.S. Lewis (this is intended for young readers, but even adults can read/enjoy them - I re-read book 3 for another thread and laughed/cried all over again)

Perfect! I've added The Dragonbone Chair and Night Watch to my list via your recommendation (despite my tendency to avoid stories centring around war/possibility of war/war raging).
I always hesitate when starting popular fiction. I attempted the C.S Lewis books. Loved the story, but i wasn't a fan of the writing style. Maybe i'll try again.

I've read a few of these (if you're incredibly bored, click through the link in the signature for specific and spoiler-free reviews), but I'll give my impressions.

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks - This was considered the first major entry in the High Fantasy category since Tolkien "created" it (or at least made it commercially viable.) It... shows, IMHO. It's not bad, but there's a tendency to lean on tropes, not to mention sexism, and it could be a bit thick going at times. Still, it has some interesting ideas, and I've heard reliable reports that the series picks up significantly as Brooks honed his writing chops (though I haven't tried them myself.) Recommended if you enjoyed Tolkien, though.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik - A very enjoyable retelling of a Polish folktale, marred only slightly by an ending that feels a bit off for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. Overall, though, it's great fun, capturing the fairy tale feel with nicely-realized characters. Well recommended.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - I enjoyed the first book, but the MC could be a bit of an ego-fluffed Gary Stu at times, and I've heard numerous reports that the trend worsens in Book 2. But it's a slightly different take on an epic, focusing on one character rather than a sprawling world epic, and has some pretty darned good writing. Recommended overall.

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien - It's more or less obligatory, if you're at all interested in writing fantasy, to read Tolkien. This book was aimed at a younger audience than the LOTR trilogy/expanded stuff, and the storyteller style occasionally got on my nerves (as did the way the numerous dwarves often blended together as little more than names, plus these days the utter lack of women kinda stands out like a sore thumb), but it's a good adventure for what it is, and it's definitely worth reading to see the roots of so many fantasy tropes/cliches, not to mention the roots of many popular RPGs. Recommended.

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine - Definitely agree that the first was impressive, and I need to add the sequel to the TBR pile (which is already threatening to crush my in my sleep, quite literally.)

I've heard some terrible reviews concerning the writing style in Uprooted. Hence the hesitation. But you guys seem to like it. So I'll give it a whirl!

It was a good read. Smooth language and a good story. It delves into the imaginary without overdoing it, and its main character is solid.

Perfect ^^

[/I]
I'll echo this 100%. I cut my teeth reading Brooks for what you're classifying as "high fantasy", and literally inhaled everything he wrote in the Shannara series for about the first 10-12 installments. The writing did get better, but the stories also started to fade in their intensity, as he started to re-hash tropes in various capacities.

The Original Trilogy
The Sword...
The Elfstones...
The Wishsong...

The Heritage
The Scions...
The Druid...
The Elf Queen
The Talismans...

The First King...

The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara
Isle Witch
Antrax
Morgawr

The High Druid
Jarka Ruus
Tanquil
Straken

This is about when I stopped reading, but there's more:

The Genesis of Shannara
Armageddon's Children
The Elves of Cintra
Dark Wraith of Shannara
The Gypsy Morph

This is where my knowledge ended as far as being able to quote the series rote (scary, eh?) Since then (according to the Wikipedia page), several others (about ten, including a few shorts) that were published after, but it had run its course for me by then...though now I may go back and look at the Paladins of Shannara 01, 02, and 03 as those are ebook shorts.

All in all, an impressive series. After counting them up, I read 14, there were 4 more I didn't read but knew of, then another ten after that - so 28 books total! My guess is since I bought the original 14 in hardcover, I spent a couple hundred dollars on just him (and he didn't even buy me dinner afterward :) ).

Oh wow! Thanks for all the information ^^ Gosh, you guys are giving me so much reading to do! I have high expectations for all these!

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - This one is the sequel to Bardugo's Six of Crows, so you'll want to read that first. Highly recommended, though, I really enjoyed them!

The Cinder Spires series by Jim Butcher - A really cool steampunk fantasy series, definitely recommended. Butcher has a really funny, exciting voice to his writing.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik - Absolutely, wholly and completely recommend this book, I just finished it a few weeks ago and it's one of my favorites I've read in months. Really, really cool.

It's on my list of books to read! :D

Godspeaker by Karen Miller I've read a lot of Miller books; she's a good writer, but I do have to say that for this trilogy... it felt uncomfortably racist to me. The "bad guys" were the darker-skinned "savages" worshiping evil gods and the "good guys" were the European-analogues... I know that's not uncommon in fantasy but it's pretty blatant here. I do have to give her some kudos for writing the first book in the trilogy from the POV of the villain, as she comes into her own. She's a very interesting character in isolation, but in the context of the series, well...

The Obelisk Gate by N.K Jemisin READ THIS!! Seriously I can't recommend Jemisin enough, especially this series. The Fifth Season is the first in the series, and The Obelisk Gate is the second. It's heartbreaking but so, so, so well written, and intriguing. But, fair warning, I do love Scott Lynch's work too, and you said you tried and gave that up, so I don't know if our tastes would match up here. Give The Fifth Season's intro a go and see what you think; I think it's available on Jemisin's website. If you're not hooked, it might not be for you.

(And I feel like Tolkien is almost required reading if you're into fantasy... but his style definitely isn't for everyone!)

That's interesting. I'd like to know what Karen Miller is trying to say. Needless to say, my novel has some form of indirect racism involved (positively enforcing individuals to be aware of its existence, and fight it (even with the smallest actions)) so i'll give it a read...even if her book is emphasizing something opposite. Thanks for the heads up!

Omigosh, i wanna read it now!! :O :O

Last Song Before Night is by Llana C. Meyer.

I liked it, quite a lot.

Also liked Novik's Uprooted.

Disclaimer: these are my opinion only, everyone will have personal reading preferences.

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks - I haven't read this, but I've read the Elfstones of Shannara (Book 2), which works as a stand alone. I could see similarities with Tolkien's work, but the ending of Elfstones did not inspire me to read more by Terry Brooks. I won't spoil it for those who want to actually read it.


The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - I kept waiting for something to happen. The writing was perfectly fine, but the story really seemed to drag.

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien - all time classic, the first epic fantasy I ever read. I appreciated Tolkien's world building and use of language.

The Magician by Lev Grossman -
The concept was interesting enough, but the main character was both depressing and annoying. The Magician has similarities to two other very famous series but with a twist which you will either love or hate. Let's just say by the end I was glad it was over.

That seems to be a common complaint with The Magician.

I'm old. I remember when Sword Of Shannara was first released (1977). It did start the Del Rey Fantasy line proper. It did sell a startlingly large number of copies in the first month it was published but no, it really wasn't single-handedly responsible for the post-Tolkien surge of interest in High fantasy. It did demonstrate, in part of its pastiche like qualities, that there was demand, but not so much a demand for more Brooks as a demand for non-derivative Fantasy in a Tolkienesque pseudo medieval culture.

For one thing, a lot of people hated Shannara as a poorly handled Tolkien pastiche; it was (and is) strikingly derivative.

There were other books and writers that, honestly, I think were more influential.

Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles books were published from 1964 to 68; Alexander is the person who came up with the phrase "high Fantasy."

Le Guin's Wizard of Earthsea was published in 1968. Nine Princes of Amber, the first of Roger Zelazny's multi-volume Chronicles of Amber was published in 1970. McKillip's Riddlemaster of Hed was 1976. Stephen Donaldson's Lord Fouls Bane, the first Chronicles of Thomas Covenant was 1977.

Now, what I'm curious about but do not know, is how much influence the 1977 first publication of Tolkien's Silmarilion might have had. It's not a narrative sort of book, but man, it sure did get read and bought.

I love your writing style :) I'll look those books up and add them to my "to-read" list!
 
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dickson

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I'm old. I remember when Sword Of Shannara was first released (1977). It did start the Del Rey Fantasy line proper. It did sell a startlingly large number of copies in the first month it was published but no, it really wasn't single-handedly responsible for the post-Tolkien surge of interest in High fantasy. It did demonstrate, in part of its pastiche like qualities, that there was demand, but not so much a demand for more Brooks as a demand for non-derivative Fantasy in a Tolkienesque pseudo medieval culture.

For one thing, a lot of people hated Shannara as a poorly handled Tolkien pastiche; it was (and is) strikingly derivative.

There were other books and writers that, honestly, I think were more influential.

Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles books were published from 1964 to 68; Alexander is the person who came up with the phrase "high Fantasy."

Le Guin's Wizard of Earthsea was published in 1968. Nine Princes of Amber, the first of Roger Zelazny's multi-volume Chronicles of Amber was published in 1970. McKillip's Riddlemaster of Hed was 1976. Stephen Donaldson's Lord Fouls Bane, the first Chronicles of Thomas Covenant was 1977.

Now, what I'm curious about but do not know, is how much influence the 1977 first publication of Tolkien's Silmarilion might have had. It's not a narrative sort of book, but man, it sure did get read and bought.

It surely sold well-I got my copy for Christmas that year. It's funny-I know that Tolkein consciously set out to manufacture an epic tradition for the English (as if the Arthurian cycle weren't enough) but I wonder if he did not grow his entire high fantasy cosmos out of a single arresting image. I'm certain anyone who has ever read the Silmarilion remembers it: It's the brief passage where Beren stands before the elf-king and quietly announces "Even now I hold a silmaril in my hand."
 

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I dunno. I personally thought the Sword of Shannara was absolute garbage. I read 500 pages and I was like "why am I still reading this" and shut the book.

I would suggest reading 'The Once and Future King' though if fantasy is your thing.
 
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The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I gave up a quarter of the way through, because the narrator was annoying me that much. I may be a minority opinion on this.

The Wolf in the Attic by Paul Kearney

I liked this: a pleasant read with an engaging main character and good period details. Tolkien and CS Lewis make a brief appearance.
 

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I read The Queen of the Tearling and loved it. I enjoyed the whole trilogy quite a lot, though I did find the very, very end...quite disappointing. But others may disagree, so I would still recommend checking it out. It didn't ruin the experience for me, and I would even read (at least) the first book again, I think.
 

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FYI, for anyone interested in The Dragonbone Chair, the ebook is on sale today for 1.99. At least in the U.S., not sure about anywhere else.