Fantasy was a genre that took me a while to get into. My younger sister was obsessed with Lord of the Rings when we were younger, so as a natural contrarian I would have nothing to do with it. Narnia was fun for a book or so, but I lost interest quite quickly. The kids were irksome. For a time Harry Potter satisfied my fantastical curiosities; once my siblings and I plucked up the courage to defy our conservative parents1 we devoured them all. Years after the Deathly Hallows, young adult fantasy was my real gateway into this genre and, though I’ve mostly abandoned YA now, I’m grateful for its introduction to the tropes, language and vibes. My thanks to Leigh Bardugo, Rosario Munda, Alexandra Bracken, Adrienne Young, Patrick Ness and V.E. Schwab who were all terrific introductions.
I like my fantasies to be on the lighter side, but not theme wise. More content spanning wise. I’m not into high fantasy like Game of Thrones, where there are thousands of years history, hundreds of characters and a globe of geography to keep track of. Who has the time and attention span for that? I want rich, detailed world building, an easily comprehensible magic system that the author has put actual thought into, an intriguing supporting cast and, usually, just one main character to follow. All of today’s books have detailed (but not bloated) worlds, history and magic systems and follow mainly one protagonist who serves as our passport into the story. No need to keep track of dozens of descendants and their various grudges; these appeal to me because of, you guessed it, character. Readers of this newsletter will know this is a recurring fixation of mine, but I’m growing to see just how essential an interesting, compelling character is to me. Maybe one day, if you are all really good, I’ll share my favorite fantasy character in all of bookdom with you.2
To narrow down the vastness that is FANTASY, today I submit for your consideration four books that concentrate on gifted students. These Padawan learners begin as novices and encounter mentor(s) that see their potential and challenge, teach and train them into apprentices that may end up surpassing the master… classic. Also! These titles include some terrifying gods/monsters/tricksters as foils/allies for our powerful and damaged pupils to confront, defy or succumb to. Juicy stuff friends.
Light a candle, don your cape and get out your quills, ink and parchment as you begin studying one of these.
The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Chronicler finds himself unexpectedly delayed in the middle of nowhere at The Waystone Inn and before he can drink away his sorrows, he realizes the true identity of the innkeeper. It is Kvothe,-a young magician of great renown and notoriety- and he is hiding. Many tales, songs, rumors and legends have been told about the red headed prodigy, but never the full story. Chronicler convinces him to set the record straight so Kvothe reluctantly agrees to spend 3 days telling his side of his own story. Well, some of it. There really is quite a lot of story to tell.
These first two books are the first two days of the tale telling and they are both over 600 pages so hunker down. The detail work in this is impeccable: its characters, world, mythology, magic system, cultures, action, adventure, finances and more are all given time, space and attention and it is never boring. Kvothe is one of those arrogant little shits that you cannot help but adore and because the vast majority of the book is him recounting his escapades, it is mostly told in first person. 3 In the first book we follow his idyllic turned tragic childhood, his magical apprenticeships and how he became the youngest ever member of the University while the second book continues his adventures from the University into a wider world full of assassins, kings, sex faeries, love, adventure and even more financial woes. I’m actually finding it difficult to convey just how immersive and fantastic these books are; I’ve recommended and given them as gifts to many people and none, so far, have not been on board.4
The writing is exquisite on the sentence level and the world is so richly painted that you feel you live in it. The misadventures and lore are completely absorbing and tying every little bit of it together is the maddeningly charming yet still unknowable character of Kvothe. He is a multitude of contradictions: immensely clever and utterly stupid, strong and fragile, kind and brutal, amiable and dangerous, open and opaque. Immediately we are drawn into his history and never want to leave. Even when the author goes into the minutia of the magic system or spends pages revealing Kvothe’s budgetary restrictions or relishing in the nuances of a body based language every part of it is interesting, engaging and compelling. I cannot say that about most books, as an editor I always want to chop and splice, but not here. Here, we are so very lucky to follow the ups and downs, the darkness and light, the music and the silences of Kvothe and his tale. It delves into themes of class, good vs evil, hubris, appropriation and the power, responsibility and danger inherent in mythmaking. This is full of intelligence, wit, suspense, mystery and heart. There are also monstrous beings in these books but that is all I will say on the matter since I value my life.
Ok, full disclosure here. I am sort of a villainess5 for recommending these books to you. Because. deep breath. thereisnothirdbookinsight. The second book came out in 2011, and there is currently not even a confirmed title for the third book6. The author, Patrick Rothfuss, is asked about it constantly online for the last decade+ and if he ever responds, it is curt, curmudgeonly and without any real time estimate. Here is the latest update I could find. The amount of story still to be told in this “third day”, as alluded to in the first two installments, seems a Sisyphean task and I don’t envy Rothfuss’ work here. But also, I want it. But also, genius has no timetable. But also, the world is burning and I want it. There are a few peripheral novellas to tide you over should you be so interested.
Ugh, these covers are so bland I forget them as soon as my eyes glaze over them.
“The Waystone Inn lay in silence, and it was a silence of three parts.
…
The third silence was not an easy thing to notice. If you listened for an hour, you might begin to feel it in the wooden floor underfoot and in the rough, splintering barrels behind the bar. It was in the weight of the black stone heart that held the heat of a long-dead fire. It was in the slow back and forth of a white linen cloth rubbing along the grain of the bar. And it was in the hands of the man who stood there, polishing a stretch of mahogany that already gleamed in the lamplight.
The man had true-red hair, red as flame. His eyes were dark and distant, and he moved with the subtle certainty that comes from knowing many things.
The Waystone was his, just as the third silence was his. This was appropriate, as it was the greatest silence of the three, wrapping the others inside itself. It was deep and wide as autumn’s ending. It was heavy as a great river-smooth stone. It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die.”
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Maggie is a Dinétah (formerly Navajo) monster hunter in post apocalyptic America after floodwaters subsumed much of the earth. For reasons, gods and monsters have begun to inhabit this new “Sixth World” and some people receive clan powers based on their ancestral heritage. When her clan powers awaken as a teen, Maggie trains with the immortal Neizghání to learn how to wield and contain them inside this new, volatile world. Maggie, powerful, angsty with a mysterious past, mostly spends her time fighting monsters and keeping to herself. When she agrees to help look for a missing girl, she is forced to team up with Kai, a hot medicine man with his own hidden depths and they encounter forces they couldn’t have fathomed. Understanding and confronting them may just cost them both everything. Bum bum bummmmmm.
A post-apocalyptic fantasy that shares a fascinating peek into indigenous mythology of gods, monsters and tricksters, I enjoyed this world, dark and depressing as it was. Things roll along quite briskly, the story, world and characters sort of swallow you up. A gritty setting that is not without its own forms of beauty and wonder, if one has the eyes to see, this is more world and mythology focused than plot. Remembering this book now (I read it years ago) I didn’t recall the finer story beats, but have a distinct memory of the intriguing combination of old world and new. Future and past meld in creative ways resulting in an exceptionally unique world. There is sort of a True Detective vibe here with Maggie as the violent, gruff, reluctant hero with a dark, bloody past that demands confrontation and Kai as the friendly, comic relief; powerful and mysterious in his own way but more approachable. Add missing girls, murder, traumatic pasts and supernatural elements and baby, you’ve got a True Detective stew going. There are some romantic elements in here, but just as an ingredient, not a main course. This focuses more on found family, world building, strong character arcs and a tension filled finale and is also a good motivation to look up more Navajo mythological creatures and folklore. I don’t see much of this influence and would like more please. Publishers take note! Roanhorse is a terrific storyteller and she’s got other series I need to check out. I also enjoy her Goodreads reviews.
I hate this cover. It weird and I kept putting off starting this one because of how much I did not like the vibe of its cover. Guess I’m glad I got over myself? But still, do better cover creators.
“There is a beauty here, a calmness that I savor. I will savor the bloodshed, too, no doubt, but this balance between earth and animal and self feels right.”
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
Carolyn and her adopted siblings were raised by Father, who may or may not be God, in his Library where they’ve each received a unique and highly specialized education with powerful results. Father, or God, certainly has the tyrannical authority and ancient customs thing going for him, but when he disappears leaving behind a tempting, and possibly cosmic, power vacuum, Carolyn must decide what she wants and if she is ruthless and powerful enough to get it.
Urban fantasy isn’t a favorite genre of mine- I find it difficult to buy into “real” world elements combined with magical7 ones and would often rather the setting be entirely imagined. With this one, I decided to give it a try since I’m a sucker for any sort of “library”ish title. Fully expecting to abandon it after a few pages8, instead I was immediately Jumanjied into this bizarre story and absolutely riveted. Dark, intense and extremely bloody and violent9 this includes some potentially triggering scenes so fair warning there. The characters are nightmarish, primal and wholly original; their costumes, language, attitudes and actions are easy to envision and hard to forget. Full of past paced tension, murky agendas, terrifying motivations and violent clashes, this is a story about a woman deciding to claim her own space while attempting to cling to the remnants of her humanity, if she decides they are even worth keeping. Thrilling, exceptionally creepy, suspenseful and truly scary, it also contains some thought provoking themes and major “fuck ‘em up” energy. Its got some terrific plotting- attention to detail and patience will reward you here- and careens us along layer by layer as we try to get a solid read on Carolyn, the Library and Father and what the fuck is even going on here!? Contains: twists and turns. A true treat.
This cover is sort of confusing and off putting.
“Carolyn rose and stood alone in the dark, both in that moment and ever after.”
Got any to add to this list of powerful pupils or read any of these? You know what to do. Converse!
witches and wizards were big NO (except lotr!?) until my dad read a book called “finding god in harry potter” and so allowed us access. then, he read another book refuting that first one (was it called “finding the devil in harry potter”!?) and revoked reading privileges. why he didn’t just read the book itself to form an opinion, i could not tell you. he was too late as we were already well into the series by then and we ignored him. #rebels
jury’s still out.
my fav POV
which they totally are at liberty to tell me. i don’t bite, i just shake my head in disappointment or stare blankly
a title i’m all about lately
goodreads says its “doors of stone” but i’m not sure that is official. the reviews complaints here are so full of teenage petulant that i would not be surprised if he is getting off on being withholding just to not give in to these assholes
do not even get me started on how much i hated the constant chatter about “sunball” in crescent city. like these ancient beings are always wearing backwards baseball hats!? and talking about SUNBALL!? wtf are we doing here? get behind me sarah j. maas.
i’m always up for a dnf. earn my attention book!
like john wick level at times
We share very similar preferences when it comes to a lighter fantasy. I wish I could be a lover of high fantasy and needing a companion guide just for understanding what I’m reading, but it always leads to overwhelm and boredom, so it’s nice to hear I’m not the only one!
I read Name of the Wind for the first time last year and, upon hearing that the third would perhaps never be released, I didn’t start the second. One thing that was surprising to me is that I never really felt like there was much of a climax to the story? I expected one bigger conflict and resolution, but felt instead it was a lot of smaller ones (the ending one being only slightly larger). Aside from that, the storytelling is incredible. One day I’ll give the second one a try, but I require closure in my life and prefer to leave people before they can hurt me if they can’t provide it hahaha
Since Echo came out, I have been on a big Native American history/lore kick, so Trail of Lightning sounds amazing. I too am a sucker for any book with “Library” in it and am starting to be more ok with fantasy set in modern times/technology, mainly because I hate a miscommunication/unable to communicate trope and phones really fix that.
The sunball footnote 💀 I agree, but what would Ithan’s personality be if sunball didn’t exist?? I still loved the first CC book though. Second and third are meh, but the first was a fun murder mystery set in adult zootopia, and the end made me cry.