essjayar.com logo

Book Reviews


Here are some recommendations for books that I have read and authors that I have liked. I am a big fan of Fantasy and Science Fiction novels, but will read anything! Some of these series that I`ve reviewed may since have gained more books, so I strongly recommend using Amazon.co.uk or similar to search for the authors or series.

One last thing! If you want to buy books over the web then before you use Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Waterstones or any big name bookseller then try these next two places first and save yourself a lot of money!

half.com offers pre-owned books, amongst other things.
BookCloseOuts.com Sells books cheaply from overstock etc.



I stand by these reviews as I enjoyed most of the books immensely when I read them. If you want a good read in the horror, scifi or fantasy genres then give them a try.

I have also made a guide on amazon.com with a lot of my favorite Fantasy novels. Go here if you want quick links to reviews or to buy copies.
So You'd Like To.... Get Into Fantasy Fiction?

Science Fiction. A review of the state of Science Fiction in Movies, TV and Books, as of a few years ago.

Fantasy Books. Reviews of the TSR based series. These are DragonLance Saga, DragonLance Legends, Dark Elf and the Cleric Quintet.

Fantasy Books, pt 2. Reviews of more fantasy series. These are The DeathGate Cycle, The RiftWar Saga, the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Belgariad, Spellsinger, Incarnations of Immortality, The Dark Tower, Discworld, Earthsea, The Dragon Prince, Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, The Eternal Champion, Wars of Light and Shadow, Hawklan and The Wheel of Time.

Authors. A quick rundown of my favourite Authors.

cover As you can see, one of my favorite series was the DragonLance Series. There are now an amazing amount of Dragon Lance books available that regularly make the New York Times top-10 lists. This must surely be one of the largest, riches fantasy worlds - ever! For all the information you'll ever need on DragonLance go to (appropriately) dragonlance.com Everything is listed there - characters, timelines, plots, reviews, authors and more! Originaly one of TSR's worlds, but TSR was taken over by Wizards Of The Coast (of Magic:The Gathering fame), who themselves became part of Hasbro, Inc. Fantasy became big business!
You can now buy the original, and best, DragonLance Chronicles in a handy gift-set! Click Here to look at it in Amazon.
Finally, here are some excellent lists if you just want to know where to start! These pages are on Amazon, and are introductions to DragonLance by Anthony V Irwin:
So you want to... Get Into Dragonlance?
So you'd like to... Read DragonLance Legends?


Another fave is Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time series. Currently 9 books long, and some say outstaying its welcome. Well worth reading for any fantasy fan! Go to this page for the most comprehensive list of WoT links you'll need!
The Wheel Of Time Series

Finally, the best SciFi world in the universe is Frank Herberts DUNE. If you were spoiled by the movie or mini-series don't despair, these books are true classics. I believe that there is no other SciFi world that is as detailed or imaginative as Dune, it really pulls you in!
There are 6 original novels but the story is continued by Frank Herberts son in a collection of new stories. Click the Amazon links (the graphics here) and read the reviews that other readers have posted to see what you are missing!
For more about DUNE go to dunenovels.com for a good overview.
The Dune Series


I have some more author reviews over at my old Hall of Worlds site and some of my own stories (if you want to torture yourself) over at Castle Infinity. Links from my Links section. And, if you haven't noticed, there is a regular Sci Fi newsfeed over to the right of this page :-)























Latest SciFi News