Epic Fantasy – Page 2 – Marked for Plot

The Sign of the Dragon

I have perhaps an unreasonably high bar for books in verse. Some of my early adult reading experiences were with Jacqueline Woodson, and the few science fiction and fantasy poem books I read just didn’t live up to the standard she (and a few others) set. I think I’ve finally found a speculative fiction book in verse I can recommend wholeheartedly: The Sign of the Dragon by Mary Soon Lee was a delight, a wonderful read for the wintertime, and just generally heartwarming and heartbreaking. A great book to peruse a few poems per night, and I enjoyed reading this over the span of months, instead of my normal span of days.

The Premise:
Xau never thought he would become King. When the dragon on the mountain ate all his older siblings though, Xau passed her test and earned himself a crown he never wanted. Sign of the Dragon follows Xau’s journey as he discovers what kind of ruler he wants to be, oversees conflicts and alliance with many foreign nations, falls in love, raises children, faces supernatural threats, and tries to live a life that prioritizes kindness and acknowledging the humanity of all. The book also features many illustrations of various cinematic and/or emotional portions of the story.

Read if Looking For: epic and mythic stylings, idealistic leads, cozy books that also deal with grief, a constellation of POVs, horses (and a cat)

Avoid if Looking For: protagonists with real flaws, dragon-forward books, the thrill of battle

The War Arts Saga

This is a series that I find myself recommending a lot recently. Epic Fantasy meets Wuxia featuring steampunk Mongols is a really attention grabbing hook, and the series lives up to that promise admirably. I finally got around to finishing book 3 (somehow despite reading more than ever I find myself reading precious few sequels), so figured I’d do a write up for the entire trilogy. I left the series with mixed feelings, but definitely enjoyed the ride.

Read if Looking For: protagonists of many skill levels & ages, beautifully written fight scenes, chosen one subversions, grumpy mentors, sassy assassins

Avoid if Looking For: series that end as strong as they start, zero to hero storylines, clear good vs evil plotlines

The Devils

I shouldn’t have been surprised at how controversial Joe Abercrombie’s new release would be in parts of the fantasy fandom. The Devils is a departure from Abercrombie’s reputation as a character-focused writer interested in deconstructing classic fantasy tropes, and a popular author straying from their niche invariably invites criticism. At its core, this is a misfit adventure novel with a collection of villain archetypes as major players in an ensemble class. I thought the book was fun, a great audiobook to listen to at the gym, but probably not one that’s going to get recommended by me unless it’s a unique fit to someone’s requests. Had a great time with it though.

The Premise
Brother Diaz is a monk who thought he was destined for greatness when he was granted an audience with the Pope. Instead, he’s put in charge of a ratag group of prisoners to escort the long-lost princess of the Empire to take her throne. He’s got to wrangle a suave vampire, a bloodthirsty werewolf, an elf assassin, an egotistical necromancer, an immortal paladin, and a normal woman who has worked any job you could possibly imagine for at least a few weeks. Together, they must beat the odds – mostly just dead Empress’ four sons, all of whom want the princess dead – and complete their holy quest despite none of them wanting to be there (other than the paladin).

Read if Looking For: villain of the chapter, big personalities, extended fight scenes

Avoid if Looking For: a carbon copy of First Law, historical accuracy, a book impossible to call ‘safe’

Magic’s Pawn

Along with Nightrunner and Swordspoint, Magic’s Pawn serves as one of the foundations of gay male representation in the fantasy boom in the 80s and 90s. Apparently, this is the year where I finally got around to reading the classics of queer men in the genre I love so dearly. While Swordspoint and Nightrunner had some issues, I found them largely interesting and engaging reads worthy of their place in the cannon. Magic’s Pawn however, I struggled immensely with. I kept listening out of a desperate desire that it would return to the heights of its opening chapters. Unfortunately, I thought this novel was a bit of a mess. I deeply appreciate Lackey for helping to pave the way for greater queer representation, but it isn’t a series I plan on returning to.

The Premise
Vanyel is heir to a relatively minor noble house in the countryside. Unfortunately, he aspires to be a musician, while his father wants him to follow in the footsteps of toxic masculinity. Eventually, Vanyel is sent to court to live with his Aunt Savil, one of the highest ranking mages in the country. While there, Vanyel comes to terms with his homosexuality and falls in love with Savil’s star apprentice Tylendal. Their love is fated for tragedy however, and Vanyel’s story is far from a happy one.

Read if You Like: examples of early gay representation in epic fantasy, magic horses, tortured protagonists, instalove

Avoid if you Dislike: graphic suicide attempts, convincing love stories, emotional depth, consistent tone in writing

Stud and the Bloodblade

It’s been a while since I read a good batch of comics, but ever since I picked up Fables and Abott the urge has been growing in me. While Queer graphic novels are having a real moment right now – and I should probably do some writeups of my favorites – most of the ones I read are for my teaching job. I’m lucky enough to have two comics electives on my rotation (one middle school, and one high school) which keep me fairly busy. Stud didn’t seem like a safe bet for a school-purchase, so it took a lot longer for me to get around to this fabulous looking comic. At 144 pages, it’s tough for me to find reasons to not recommend something as quick and fun as Stud and the Bloodblade.

Elevator Pitch
Stud is the hero of his world, a world which plays hosts to refugees from across the multiverse. It is home to the Ouroboros, and Stud protects the citizens from the evils that find their way in. Unfortunately, he and his sword are also cursed by a witch whose son Stud accidentally killed. If he doesn’t sate the sword’s thirst for blood, he finds himself trapped in his sword while the dead child temporarily returns to life. After saving the life of an Astronaut and falling in love at first sight, Stud’s priorities begin to shift. Unfortunately, the man’s ship also supposedly contains a Demon Egg, which the Witch hopes will kill Stud once and for all.

Read if You Like: Corny superhero vibes, the intersection of satire and seriousness, He-Man references,

Avoid if You Dislike: American Superhero story structures and art style, lack of emotional depth, plots that aren’t airtight, quirky character designs

For more examples of the art, see the bottom of this post.

Price of a Thousand Blessings

Price of a Thousand Blessings was one of my most anticipated books coming out this year. Fantasy with a focus of the fantastic, a gay lead who isn’t totally consumed by a romance plotline, and an appealing cover. It didn’t quite hit the heights I was hoping for, but I’ve already purchased the sequel, and this is exactly the type of story I wish traditional publishing were willing to pick up more often.

Elevator Pitch:
Cymin is a monk, orphaned at 4 years old and fostered at a religious temple that turned him into one of the most skilled mages of his generation. He now represents the East Deity, the rising sun, in this year’s festival. It’s his last year before being sent to work at the Storm Towers to repay his debts to the government. This year is special though, as the ancient immortal Wraiths have come, once more ready to select apprentices after centuries of isolation. Unfortunately, Cymin ends up sacrificing his own future to stop a bomb from killing him (and everyone else at the arena) skyrocketing his debt and placing him in the control of National Security as a spy to investigate the mysteries of the Wraiths by tagging along with their journey home.

Read if Looking For: a serious take at a magitech world, reincarnation elements, epic(ish) fantasy with a m/m subplot, secret police pulling the strings

Avoid if You Dislike: slow pacing, characters in denial about their crushes, obvious twists that protagonists refuse to see

The Raven Scholar

Much like Will of the Many last year, The Raven Scholar has taken my little corner of the internet by storm. It’s a mystery, but not a mystery. A tournament arc, but for adults not teenagers. It’s got a scholar main character, but feels as ambitious as epic fantasy! The hype is real, and I’m seeing a lot of people rave about this as their book of the year.

I’m a little bit more pessimistic than most. It’s a good book, and I absolutely intend to pursue the sequels. However, I think there are more issues than a typical review is ready to admit. If you’re willing to commit to the premise and enjoy the ride, I think it’s absolutely worth a read. If you like internal consistency, this book may get under your skin.

Elevator Pitch:
Neema rose to the leader of the Ravens through her research that captured the eye of the Emperor. She also wrote an execution writ for a 16 year old daughter of a noble family living in squalor after her father’s attempted coup. The time has come to select a new Emperor. The Raven representative is her childhood nemesis, the Fox contender is her ex-boyfriend, the Hound contender carried it out, and the Tiger contender is the dead girl’s twin brother. When a contender turns up dead, Neema is thrust into an investigatory role, into the competition to decide the next Emperor, and into the attention of the gods she resolutely believes don’t actually exist.

Read if Looking For: readable prose, sassy ravens, tournament(ish) arcs, mystery(ish) plots, political maneuvering to set up for an epic fantasy trilogy, tropes executed in fun ways

Avoid if You Dislike: the nagging voice in the back of your head reminding you that the explanations for badass twists don’t make sense if you think very hard about what’s happening, a protagonist whom everyone hates for no discernable reason

The Vessel’s Blood

I was asked to read this book by the author. I did not receive any payment for this review, and the book was purchased with my own money. My review is my honest opinion about the book.

Compared to many readers, my taste in books can verge on the unknown. For others, my reviews are remarkably mainstream. I can say with certainty though, that this is the least-reviewed book I’ve ever read (with the sole exception of a book of poetry retelling the story of Cronus written by a friend). It also happened to have a rather intriguing premise: what would the story of a man whose destiny is to turn into a god, their own soul consumed, when everything goes wrong? Throw in a pair of gay protagonists who don’t immediately fall in love, and it should be right up my alley. In general, I loved the ideas behind this book, but have some large reservations about the writing craft elements that didn’t work for me. Thankfully, craft can be workshopped.

The Premise:
Vulfrey is The Vessel. He is destined to die, subsumed by his god’s power when he sacrifices himself for the god’s return. He has lived his entire life in a citadel dedicated to him and his god. But when things go horribly wrong the night before his own death, he finds himself on the run with the Kail, son of a man who tried to kill him. The two search for a path to salvage the situation and bring their god into the world, even though it means Vulfrey losing his life.

Read if Looking For: non-romantic gay epic fantasy, spoiled brats acting like soiled brats, books that focus on scenework over narration, expansive worldbuilding

Avoid if Looking For: books tackling existential questions, romantasy, breakneck prose

The Jasmine Throne

The Burning Kingdom’s Saga is a great example of what modern Epic Fantasy looks like, and it’s been on my to-read list for several years. There’s quite a few ambitious sapphic fantasy series that have made waves in the 2020s, and this is a great addition to that list. I didn’t love everything about The Jasmine Throne, and am very excited to see where the series heads.

The Premise: set in an analogue of India, this series focuses on the people of a small territory under the rule of an oppressive empire. Their religious temples have been destroyed, their spiritual leaders killed. Rebel groups fight for freedom, and those in power respond by punishing all who live in the province. Our story focuses on two lead characters: Priya, a temple child with mild supernatural powers who escaped the fate of her elders and temple siblings; and Malini, a princess living in exile as punishment for refusing to burn herself alive at her brother’s throne When Priya becomes Malini’s maidservant, both see an opportunity to change the fate of themselves and their people.

Read if Looking for: creepy plant gods, worldbuilding set up to explore sexism and racism, varied depictions of what female strength can look like, characters making hard (and not always ethical) choices

Avoid if Looking for: epic fight scenes, deep political scheming, instalove romance

Luck in the Shadows

The Nightrunner series is probably the single most recommended gay epic fantasy book, and was absolutely the type of story I wish I’d been able to find as a teenager. I knew going in that I was probably going to have some issues wht the eventual romantic pairing between the two leads, and have been frequently assured that the mentor/student dynamic isn’t a problem since they don’t get romantically entangled until later. Unfortunately, even though nothing concrete has happened yet, there’s already issues. I’m only one book into the series, and can already tell you that this is going to be a fantastic epic fantasy with, like so many older fantasy works, problematic elements that should be acknowledged instead of brushed aside.

The Premise
Alec is a 16 year old orphan, sitting in a dungeon of a particularly sadistic lord when a new prisoner is brought in. Seregil is a spy and a noble, and takes Alec with him when breaking out. He then takes Alec under his wing as they travel back towards his homeland, bringing back dark tidings of the coming war and dark magic. But the land of Rhiminee has its own challenges, and the duo gets dragged into internal politics of the nation as soon as they arrive in Seregil’s homeland.

Read if you Like: 90s epic fantasy tropes, spy protagonists, down to earth wizards, a brewing war

Avoid if you Dislike: age gap or mentor/student romances, over-the-top evil villains, quick pacing