EPIC: Fourteen Books of Fantasy

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I have been lucky enough to read some of these books before and have spent the hours since midnight's release reading the rest of the bundled books like crazy. In what can only be described as an escapist episode (that has so far resulted in being provided with coffee and sustenance by my husband as I simply could not stop reading) I have fallen deep into the pages of this omnibus of fantasy.

The collection opens with Blades of Magic, a well written and intriguing take on magic that differs to other authors in its application. The character of Sara, a streetwise young woman who has anger management issues (amongst others) since the death of her father develops with the story. She is very believable and well developed and the story is delightfully unpredictable, I will be buying the second book very soon.

Concealed Power is written by one of my favourite authors, and is the first in the series based around a young girl with power she is unaware of as a child. It is very gritty and raw and touches on issues that may be uncomfortable for some readers. However, the treatment of the material, and the character of the protagonist Adenine grows with the story.

Initially I found it hard to connect with Bonded as I felt it had a slow start due to unfamiliar terms in the language. The main characters intertwine in a dance of friendship, love, family and feudal loyalties that are challenging and complex.

I found Sorcery Code quite gripping, and fitting the phrase "send in the clown" into the book in context made me giggle. I like the concept of magic being based around math and physics, and it reminded me a little of Cory Doctorow. Yet another author on my 'to buy' list!

The twists and turns that the novel Anathema takes you on are fabulous. Again, a strong connection is formed with the female protagonist, who discovers she is more than she thought. The ending is somewhat abrupt, but without leaving you wanting for anything more than the next book in the series!

A Legacy of Light is a dragon based book (which is always good for a Welsh woman) that focuses on power and politics, and the uprising of the people in the face of dictatorship. The author has a way of providing such vivid landscapes and settings that they are almost tangible.

Jade is well written, but left me feeling I had missed something. After investigating the author to find out more about his books, I realised that this is a standalone book, but set after the events in the Book of Deacon series. I think if I had read those first I would have enjoyed this even more.

Witch Hunt is one of the shortest books in the bundle, as it is a novella rather than a full blown novel. However it does not lack for content, and the camaraderie evident between the characters is something I really would like to read more about. It evokes a traditional fantasy vibe, and I would be hard pushed to choose a favourite character.

I am currently nearing the end of Encrypted, another book that really tickles my fancy with the presentation of arcane cryptography. I strongly feel that I will be buying this authors work also.

So that is a lot of this bundle summarised to this point, I think however that I have taken enough time off to write this and need to get back to my reading.

Overall, top quality authors, in a fantastically great price bundle. Really, really glad I bought it. (My poor husband may or may not get me back before our wedding anniversary on the weekend, I guess it depends on how fast I can get through the rest!)