Mike Cahoon

I think my book is pretty aight. Hope you all do too!

A CALLBACK TO TRUE, HEROIC FANTASY

QUICK THOUGHTS

John Gwynne is one of those authors who has lived perpetually on my TBR for years, always just waiting in the proverbial wings despite many recommendations in his favor. That all changed when I ran my poll for which fantasy series I should tackle next and The Faithful and the Fallen won by a landslide. After reading it, it’s fairly clear to see why. Gwynne takes all the beloved but perhaps a bit tired and predictable story beats and tropes from classic fantasy and breathes new life into them. He instills his story with a certain energy and sense of uncertainty perfect for a modern audience, all while redressing the classic epic fantasy story in a new, viking inspired costume.

While Malice isn’t perfect and definitely suffers from some pacing issues, as well as the standard first installment in a fantasy series issue of throwing an absolute flood of information at the reader, it is a solid book. It kept me entertained throughout, delivered emotional moments with impressive force, established a new and interesting world, and planted the seeds of enough mystery to keep me invested in the story line going forward. I am definitely going to be continuing the series and highly recommend it to any fans of epic fantasy, especially if you love the idea of a Norse inspired setting.

For my FULL REVIEW, please visit;

https://mikecahoon.com/book-review-malice-by-john-gwynne/

The Stone of Farewell takes everything established in the first book of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn and builds upon it in all the right ways. While the first installment in the series still largely feels classic with the exception of a handful of key moments, this book is where the series really turns into something new. You can see how it is be considered revolutionary for the genre as the tropes and beats begin to feel less familiar. Williams pushes his world and story into a darker and more ominous realm, with key character deaths and scenes that really change the tone of the overall narrative.

What the second installment in the trilogy does so well is establish a sense of doubt. For the first time in the series, we as the readers begin to wonder what success will actually look like for our protagonists and if it is even possible. While many traditional epic fantasy stories have darker elements and moments, in The Stone of Farewell Williams instills a sense that this might not be your typical happy ending story. As the disparate threads of the story begin to come together and our sense of the central conflict deepens, the plot begins to pick up pace and march steadily towards the inevitable conclusion, leaving the readers with equal parts dread and anticipation.

For my FULL SERIES REVIEW, please visit;

https://mikecahoon.com/why-you-should-read-memory-sorrow-and-thorn/

As a conclusion to the trilogy, To Green Angel Tower is, in my opinion, the best and most satisfying of the three books. Following the trajectory established by book two’s improvement upon book one, the third installment of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn improves on everything about the series by a considerable degree. Williams comes into his own as he fully leans into his hybrid style of melding classic and modern fantasy, which plays perfectly into the culmination of this dark and epic series. The final book feels unpredictable yet wholly satisfying all at once, delivering just enough of a classic fantasy ending tinged with a bittersweet edge to be a perfect culmination of such an incredible and foundational epic.

That is why, if you make it through the behemoth of a book it is Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn’s conclusion, you will understand why it is considered a classic. For a series with such a massive scale, one might expect some plot lines to be left feeling unexplored or characters left underdeveloped just from a logistics standpoint alone. But Williams somehow pulls of the Herculean task and deliver a satisfying conclusion to just about every story thread he sets up throughout the series. So, if you are a fan of the fantasy genre in any capacity, you should strongly consider reading the masterpiece that is Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn.

For my FULL SERIES REVIEW, please visit;

https://mikecahoon.com/why-you-should-read-memory-sorrow-and-thorn/

As a life long Stephen King fan, I have long been curious about the work of his son, novel, comic book, and screenplay writer Joe Hill. His various projects have always sounded interesting to me, but had ended up relegated to the limbo of my endless To Be Read list in favor of other works. However, when his most recent novel launched back in October to rave reviews, I decided it was finally time to give the throne of modern horror's heir apparent his due regard. After finishing the absolute tome of a novel that is King Sorrow, I’m happy to report I really enjoyed it!

Let's get the most obvious talking point out of the way first; I think there are obvious influences from Stephen King's work (as I would expect there to be for just about any modern horror writer). But Hill does an excellent job of creating a distinct voice and style. His authorial voice reads like someone who is a fan of his father's work, not someone trying to imitate it. Which is more than I can say for many up and coming horror authors in the modern age.

For the full review, please visit; https://mikecahoon.com/book-review-king-sorrow/