Fantasy February 2015

Yes, my friends, it is that time already. If this is your first time, climbing aboard the Fantasy Express: Welcome! We keep this monthly theme quite open-ended. There is room for all types of fantasy. This sums it up well:

"Fantasy fiction is a literary genre that includes stories that deal with characters or events that do not exist in the world as we know it. Fantastical settings, creatures, powers, and situations are often found in fantasy fiction, whether it is a modern story or one set in an ancient land. There are more than a dozen different types of fantasy fiction that are categorized according to the type of plot and story. These can be expanded into even more categories, depending on the different types of elements that appear in the plot. Some of the most popular types are alternative history, dark fantasy, modern or urban fantasy, epic fantasy, high fantasy, paranormal fiction, and sword and sorcery."

Dystopian and steampunk will work just fine too and if you want to throw in some Sci-Fi, knock yourself out. Whatever feels fanciful to you. Just have a good time and let's get those books off those shelves.

I am not prepared to list my FF books yet, but it looks something like this:

I completely forgot about Fantasy February, but I am in. Not sure what I'll be reading yet. Thanks for setting this up, Mark!

I think this might be me and my pile of books.



I'll certainly be reading some volumes of the Fables series of GN's, and the last two of the Rivers of London series. Not sure what else yet, I shall peruse my shelves.

>3 Crazymamie: If you are like me, Mamie, you will have plenty to choose from. I still have leftovers from the last FF!

>4 lunacat: LOL! I can completely relate to that, Jenny! I guess we just focus on one book at a time.

I hope to finish Boneshaker by Cheri Priest and start 5th Wave by Rick Yancy, but will wait and see. I am also participating in two other 75 group challenge reads, not to mention taking two college courses this spring, so will see how it goes. My reading time is getting more and more limited! That makes the thought of retirement more and more attractive.

I have so been waiting for this Mark!

I'll just be continuing with my fantasy reads since I never actually ended last year's FF fest. (Currently reading The Neon Court and loving it, but I'll be done long before January breathes its last.) On deck for sure is Foxglove Summer, A Brief History of the Dead (thanks for that reccie, Mark), Revival (though I may hold off on that one until October), Fish Tails, and the two volume GN of the first Alpha and Omega novel. Other than that, I've got a list longer than my arm of fantasy I want to read, so I sure won't run out anytime soon.

I'm very very close to ordering Saga for myself (I borrowed the copies I read) and The Colour of Magic in this edition:



I've almost decided that I'll order one Discworld novel a month in these editions, as they are so gorgeous. So The Colour of Magic will be my January one, and The Light Fantastic my February one. And maybe another one for my birthday. I was considering buying the 'Death' Discworlds first but............argh.

Someone make a decision for me? Do I go chronologically or by favourites?

Go by favorites, Jenny!

I almost never read fantasy but may give it a try this year. I have a baseball time travel book on my Kindle. Daryl Brock's Two in the Field. I've also got a copy of The Night Circus which I may give a try.

I've got The Goblin Emperor queued up!

Go Jenny! Go Jenny!

Go Linda! Go Linda! I think The Night Circus is a perfect choice.

>6 benitastrnad: I am plan reading Boneshaker too! And, I liked the 5th Wave.

>7 luvamystery65: Look forward to seeing your list, Ro!

>8 Storeetllr: I think A Brief History of the Dead is a perfect choice, Mary! Maybe, we will read Revival together, at some other point.

Fantasy is a genre that I don't normally read, but I happen to have Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin in my TBR pile. So I am tentatively saying I will participate in FF with this as my read.

I'll also be in Mark, surprisingly enough. I'll be reading Magician : Master by Raymond E. Feist as the very least.

Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi
Hounded by Kevin Hearne
Enchanted, Inc. by Shanna Swendson
Hexed by Kevin Hearne
Hammered by Kevin Hearne

How could I have forgotten Fantasy February! And I've already planned to wallow in Robert Heinlein for the month. Oh well - there's no way I'll go the entire month without reading some Fantasy.

I'm in but not prepared to list what I am going to tackle. Many, many choices on the old WL.

Oh my! So many to choose from!
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea - Jules Verne
Blood Bound and Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs
Christine -Stephen King
and maybe
Cachelot by Alan Dean Foster which will be a re-read. Don't usually do that but it is one of my favourties.

I finished listening to The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and my audio of Cress arrived through ILL and so I'm off and running a bit early. Could any two books be more different than those two?

Other plans: I think I've slotted The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy in FF before, and not read it. It's the oldest book on my TBR mountain that's tagged fantasy, so I'm going to try really hard to get 'er done this time.

And a Terry Pratchett or two also living on Mt TBR.

ETA: The list grows. I've just requested Saga through ILL.

I am planning on reading a couple of sci-fi classics in February with On The Beach and The Midwich Cuckoos, but I also have Volume 1 and 2 of Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and a dystopian called Into the Forest by Jean Hegland. I may just slip another fantasy in as well.

I have to thank drneutron and lunacat for telling me about this tread! Thank you *hugs*
Since I read mainly fantasy, my shelves are full of fantasy books, already red and some TBR (I helped an old couple to clean theyr holiday home for selling and in return they let me plunder they bookshelves) so I think I'll close my eyes and pick one.
This evening I'll end "Windhaven" and tomorrow I'll let you know which book I picked from the pile.
I'd like to have a go at my next Terry Pratchett "The light fantastic" which I started but cannot read because it's an e-book and we have only one e-book reader and at the moment it's exclusive property of my partner. My cats don't like when I read at the computer, so I guess I pick another one.
Tomorrow will tell....

>22 lnrcta: Glad you made it! I'm about 1/4 through THe Goblin Emperor - very good! - and halfway through The Hollows, sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

I have never, ever, tried Fantasy February but I am in need of some quality time in escapism. So, I picked up the first volume of Fables: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham.

I'm in with Signatures by James A. Hetley an early review which I won from the January batch. The publisher writes: it's tagged Contemporary Fantasy, Detective, hard-boiled, noir, police, wizards.

I'm hoping to finally read Rivers of London... I've got a long flight at the end of the month, and it seems like it would be a good one for that!

No chance to have the e-book reader for another while.
I closed my eyes and when I opened them again I had Cygnet by Patricia A. McKillip in my hands. Good night everybody, I have a book to read :-D

I'm in. Though I had sort of forgotten about FF (one year is such a long time), I just started a couple of fantasy books a few days ago, so it suits my reading perfectly. The books I hopefully will concentrate on, are Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, The Twistrose Key by Tone Almhjell and if I have some time to spare The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan, a book I was supposed to finish last year, but never got around to it (it's so loooong).

Look at this as a wishlist, because I know myself good enough to know I will probably crave other books once I have put these titles to the paper (or LT in this case).

Happy FF everyone:)

I've made huge ambitious lists in the past, but not going to do that this year. I've got so many reading goals this year, what with various group challenges and personal ones that I'll just try to fit in whatever I can, and am currently listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I have several other titles loaded on my iPhone I've been looking forward to getting to eventually, such as Cress, Days of Blood & Stralights, The Dream Thieves and Sapphire Blue. We'll see which I manage to get to this month.

One more day til FF starts! I'm in the middle of Minority Council and loving it so much, though I don't think I'll finish it today, so that will be my first FF read. And just this morning the library notified me that the eAudio of Foxglove Summer is ready for download! Then I've got A Brief History of the Dead waiting on the Kindle. Not sure what will come after those; it all depends on which of my library holds comes available.

Well I just read a series of Fantasy Romance (working on finishing book 9 now) that took basically the whole month of January to read, but I'm always up for more Fantasy in February. I'll check my TR pile, I'm sure I can find several :) yeah!

Fantasy Feb has basically snuck up on me when I wasn't looking... I'm also feeling completely outfaced by AAC and BAC at the moment. But I can't resist FFs charms...

So something a bit light to leaven the Henry James load... my hubby keeps nagging me to read Benedict Jacka so I think I'll start with his first Alex Verus book. Then I have Long Mars on the go, though I don't know if that falls across into Sci-fi really. I also have Assassin's Quest on the go but can't seem to get on with it. Well, considering I'm still finishing off January's challenges, that's an ambitious 3 for me :)

I started Blood and Iron last night, although I'm only about 20 pages in. Not captivated by it but I'll keep going and see if it grabs me.

I am dipping my toe into Fables: Legends in Exile this morning in participation mode. Later, work, and then football! Happy Super Bowl Sunday: Go Seahawks. (a fantasy bird, in case you did not hear of it)

I have these at home from the library to read for FF this month -

Blood brothers by Wilkinson, Carole. Dragonkeeper series
The crown of embers by Carson, Rae. Fire and Thorns series
A discovery of witches by Harkness, Deborah
Life after life : a novel by Atkinson, Kate
The snow child : a novel by Ivey, Eowyn
Under the never sky by Rossi, Veronica.
The Wee Free Men by Pratchett, Terry

So far I have The Glass God by Kate Griffin waiting for me at the library, with Talon by Julie Kagawa and Fairest by Marissa Meyer on hold--the first at least will surely arrive in February. I also will be reading The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan for book club on the 24th. And, as always, I have plenty here in my tbr pile to choose from!

I'm reading Jo Walton's What Makes This Book So Great which is a discussion of her thoughts on rereading some of her favourite fantasy and science fiction books. I've just finished Taltos by Steven Brust which is the fourth book in his Vlad Taltos series and enjoyed it so much that I think I am going to go back and reread the first three books.

Unbound, the third book in the Magic Ex Libris series by Jim C. Hines was was first book for Fantasy February and it was excellent!

>37 souloftherose: I've requested What Makes This Book So Great from the library. It sounds fascinating!

started Her Majesty's Wizard yesterday, Magic and dragons oh my!

Oh my gosh, I'd totally forgotten about FF! Will have to paw through my TBR ASAP heap and see what I can bookhorn in. :)

I'm stuck with Qualify at the moment, bin halfway through and it's interesting

>41 lnrcta: Hi! If the Qualify you are reading is by Nazarian, the touchstone is going to the wrong book (something by Kant).

I've been reading the Saga series by Brian K. Vaughan and have Volumes 1, 2 and 3 under my belt. Next, up is Bride of the Water God by Mi-Kyung Yun, I have the first three volumes standing by.

Finished Fated by Benedict Jacka. Good fun but that's about it - apparently the series gets better though so I may try and get another one read this month.

Storeetllr thank you for telling. How do I check that it is the right one? And how do I correct it,?
I'm indeed reading Qualify by Vera Nazarian but the only touchstone that appear is the one leading to Kant.....
Sorry for my ignorance and thanks for the help

Hi, lnrcta! Sure, be glad to help with that! When you touchstone a book, it shows up on the right of your message box and gives the name of the book and author. If the title or author isn't right, there is a link that says "others." Click on that, scroll down the list until you find the correct book. Like this: Qualify





Hope that helps!

Thanks a lot Storeetllr :-) that helps a lot.
So, Qualify is read. Now it's the turn of Apex rising , another book of the LTMG.
I feel kind of overwhelmed discovering all these amazing books that I didn't even suspect existed....Wow....I'm in paradise :-D

I started reading Lexicon last night and am already caught up in a strange world where words are used as weapons of manipulation. I will also be reading The Brief History of the Dead this month.

So I have two Fables Graphic novels (Snow White and Inherit the Wind) to read and also a reread of Moon Called for Morphy's group read.

Just started Foxglove Summer.

So far, I have read:

Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan
Saga, Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
Fables: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham
Mercy Thompson: Homecoming by Patricia Briggs

>51 Crazymamie: You're on quite the GN kick, aren't you, Mamie!

I've finished my second book for FF - The Dragon Conspiracy by Lisa Shearin.

Because they all came in from the library at the same time!

I am struggling with all the book challenges, and time to read. I'm listening to some on audio in my car, and now, I'm happy to announce I bought Howl's Moving Castle Hayao Miyazaki's movie and watched yesterday. I think that qualifies as Fantasy, yes?

Finished Methusalah's Children today- sci-fi rather than fantasy, but allowed I think.

I just started Crossroad's of Twilight, the 10th book in the Wheel of Time series. This is going to take awhile but I'm almost done the series. Woohoo!

>56 jolerie:: I'm still at nr 4:D, It'll take years!

I made it during last year spring/summer from book 1 to book 13 :-D the books are simply engaging, I couldn't stop reading. Book 14 comes next and then new spring too. So keep reading, it is worth

>58 lnrcta: I now it is worth it, I just keep changing genres all the time. When I finish a book, I read something completely different. At least I have something to look forward to for years to come!:)

So far I have read:

Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan Howard
Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Nobody's Home: An Anubis Gates Story by Tim Powers

and I'm going strong in
The Glass God by Kate Griffin

And it's done. This series is SO good and now I'm all caught up--AARRGHHH!

Let's hope Griffin doesn't make us wait too long for another book, Roni!

I finished Foxglove Summer. A great addition to the series.

I started the audio of Stardust today, read by Gaiman himself. So far so good! I am also hoping to squeeze in Rivers of London this month...

>63 katiekrug: Oh! I love listening to Gaiman read his stuff! And I really hope you do get a chance to read Rivers of London. It's so worth it!

Currently reading Stray Souls on the Kindle and listening to the audio of The Stand. So far, the fantasy I've read this month are:

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs.
Minority Council by Kate Griffin
Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovich
A Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier

So I'm a fan of books with dragons and magic, but I just was not a fan of Her Majesty's Wizard. I guess I never really felt any connection with the characters, the main character was just dumped into a world where he was now a wizard, but he didn't really seem to have any...passion? I dunno, it was just lacking for me :/ I wouldn't recommend it

A reread of Patricia Briggs' Cry Wolf brings me to 3 for the month so far. I am enjoying Fantasy February!

Just starting The Crown of Embers, Book 2 of Fire and Thorns series by Rae Carson.

^How is everyone's FF reading coming? 2 more weeks.

Okay, I have finished A Trail Through Time. This is the 4th Chronicles of St Mary Book. These are a lot of fun and if you haven't tried them, give it a go. I also finished Hard Magic, which is the first in the The Grimnoir Chronicles. This was also a fun ride, a crazy mash-up of several genres.

I just started Sabriel. I know this one has many fans and I am glad I chose it, plus it is narrated by Tim Curry. Win, Win!

I also plan on starting Boneshaker today, so FF is chugging right along.

I started Saga, Vol. 4. This is also a perfect FF choice. If you like GNs and haven't tried this series. Do yourself a big favor!

Do alternate histories count? I just spotted a Harry Turtledove alternate history of WW2. I've reserved Hitler's War, the first in the six book series.

Sure, why not, Linda! Hard Magic also had a bit of alternate history in it.

I also think alternate history can be fantasy, Linda ~ take Lions of al-Rassan for instance. No real magic, or elves, or paranormal stuff, but I definitely think of it as fantasy.

Raced my way through Just One Damned Thing After Another and will be starting the second this evening or tomorrow.

>74 lunacat: Wasn't that a lot of fun, Jenny?

>75 msf59: Yup, thoroughly enjoyable! Like Willis' Doomsday Book only better because it doesn't have her irritating, dense and cumbersome style of writing that drives me mad.

>76 lunacat: I was disappointed in Doomsday Book too. The premise was terrific, but repetitive and "cumbersome" is a good way to describe it. I know it has many fans.

>76 lunacat: >77 msf59: Huge Doomsday Book fan here - differing opinions are one of the joys of LT! I have Just One Damned Thing After Another on my Kindle - I may get to it this month,

I just finished a reread of Hunting Ground in Patricia Briggs' Alpha And Omega series in the Mercyverse. I amy keep on reading....

>78 Dejah_Thoris: I certainly enjoyed it when I read it and, as Mark said, I thought the premise was fantastic but there were far too many words per sentence and too many sentences per moment for my liking. :)

Apex Rising finished. Could be good but I find it's lacking on details and that took away part of the fun in reading the book.
Now, if I can snatch the e-book reader from the paws of BigMan, I'll start A Memory Of Light book 14 of Wheel Of Time. If not, I'll go back to Cygnet

#67
I loved The Girl of Fire and Thorn series. This series didn't get much publicity but I thought it much better than most fantasy series I have been reading in the last few years. Rae Carson has done a fine job with this series. I only wonder why they are classed as YA as the themes in them most surely are not YA. In my opinion I think this series should have been published and marketed as an adult series. But then I said the same thing about Hunger Games.

There was a nice shout out about Pierce Brown's Red Rising series in the NY Times Book Review podcast. The second in that series Golden Son has just been published and is on the NY Times extended best seller list.

I also noticed that Mime Order the second in the Bone Season series has just been published and is also on the NY Times extended bestseller list this week. The Bone Season was a book that a couple of the students who work here read and really liked.

I am starting a trilogy that didn't get much publicity but I am finding to be quite interesting and an unexpected pleasure. The first book Winner's Curse by Maire Rutkoski has intrigued me so I will be looking for book two in that series Winner's Crime in the near future.

There is lots of good fantasy out there

Hmmm, I read Rutkoski's children's trilogy, starting with The Cabinet of Wonders, but I didn't realize she had another one.

I am also enjoying the St Mary's series this month. I finished A Second Chance and I have started the fourth book A Trail Though Time.

I hadn't intended to keep going with Patricia Briggs, but I did. I've completed Blood Bound and Iron Kissed.

Just thought I'd mention here that there's a scifi, fantasy and horror "pay-what-you-want" bundle from Humble Bundle . Includes Jacaranda: A Novella of the Clockwork Century by Cherie Priest, Inside Job by Connie Willis, and The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox by Barry Hughart, as well as works by Harlan Ellison, Dan Simmons, Caitlin R. Kieman and Jack Vance, among others.

I couldn't get into Winter's Tale. But I have read The Red Garden and Orlando this month both of which have fantasy/magical realism elements. I am not sure I will get to anymore fantasy reads this month.

Started a new steampunk book, King of the Cracksmen by Dennis O'Flaherty that I picked up in Berkeley on a recent trip. Several chapters in and I'm liking it so far!

Also started Tuck, third in Stephen R. Lawhead's Robin Hood retelling.

I read the three St Mary's that I own and loved every minute of them. Fantastic way to celebrate FF.

I'm enjoying The Iron Jackal, nice steampunkish fare.

Looks like steampunk rules in this Fantasy February.

>91 benitastrnad: Sounds good to me!

I finished listening to the audiobook of Cress yesterday, and like the first two, I enjoyed it a lot. Light, some interesting twists and some funny wise cracking dialogue. The perfect series to listen to while driving back and forth to work.

I also read the first volume of Saga and I've been waiting for the second one to come in through ILL. If the second one comes in in time, I may get it finished yet since the first was a very quick read. Otherwise, I guess I'm done with my FF reading.

One new author.
One from a series I've been enjoying.
None from Planet TBR (can't win them all!)

.

I listened to the YA fantasy Winner's Curse and was pleasantly surprised by this title. I really didn't expect it to be as good as it was. I expected it to be much like the Matched series but it was so much better. At heart it is a YA dystopian romance novel but it was done in such a way that I was totally involved with the story - even though I didn't really care for the reader of this recorded version. I will be looking for the second in this series Winner's Crime at some point in the future.

I've mostly stuck to graphics for Fantasy February with Saga and Bride of the Water God but I am closing out the month with a book from one of my favorite series that features zombie-like creatures. The Fallen by Charlie Higson is gruesome, violent, full of gore, and great fun!

I think I did pretty well with books for Fantasy February. Here is my completed list:

Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear
Fables, Volume 5: The Mean Seasons by Bill Willingham
Fables, Volume 6: Homelands by Bill Willingham
Fables, Volume 7: Arabian Nights and Days by Bill Willingham
Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor
A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor
A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor
Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch
The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

Most impressive, Jenny!

I managed three, which is more than I usually do!

Stardust b Neil Gaiman
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

Really enjoyed all of them :)