Comment under this post naming five of your favourite fantasy reads this year, regardless of when they were published, to win a signed (and/or dedicated) Emperor of Thorns trade paperback or The Liar’s Key US hardback. The winner will be randomly selected by Mark from the entries.
You may add a few lines telling us what made those books special for you, but you don’t have to. Also while it’s always nice to see Mark Lawrence titles among your favourites, including any or not won’t affect your chances of winning.
The giveaway will be closing on 19th December!
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Please note: your email address will be required for the submission but will NOT appear on the website!
(Alternatively you can also log in with your WordPress/Facebook/Twitter account)
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Wishing you the best of luck,
Agnes
This giveaway is now closed, many thanks to everyone who took the time to enter!
Mark has selected a random winner, who is Tracy Erickson. Congratulations!
Photo by @bookwnoname
that thorn guy 
The 5 I’ll shortlist here would be:
The Red Sister
Othbringer
Deadhouse Landing
Assasins Fate
Fools Gold
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My Top 5 reads this year in no particular order….
Sins of Empire by Brian McClellan
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
You Die when You Die by Angus Watson
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No particular order…
A Gathering of Ravens – Scott Oden
The Dragon’s Legacy – Deborah A. Wolf
The Tiger’s Daughter – K Arsenault Rivera
Godblind – Anna Stephens
Age of Assassins – RJ Barker
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Steelflower at Sea by Lilith Saintcrow
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Master of Crows by Grace Draven
Entreat Me by Grace Draven
The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett (Yes, I know I am LATE to this fantastic read!)
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In no particular order:
– The Court of Broken Knives
– Tigana
– Senlin Ascends
– Prince of Fools (yeah, I’m behind the curve)
– Perdido Street Station
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Tough decision to choose on my five…..so…
The way of kings – Sanderson
Blackwing – McDonald
The waking fire – Ryan
Red Sister – Lawrence
Sins of empire – McClellan
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In no particular order:
Emperor of thorns – Lawrence
Half the world – Abercrombie
Assassins fate – Hobb
The blade itself – Abercrombie
Assassins apprentice – Hobb
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Skullsworn,
Uprooted
The court of broken knives,
The core
Evil is a matter of perspective.
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My 5 reads for the year! (In the order I read them… kind of…)
1. Dangerous Ways by R.R. Virdi—I have been an avid fan of this author ever since I picked up his first book. In fact, reading his stuff kind of introduced me to shows like SUPERNATURAL and Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files—but I always like Virdi’s books best.
2. I’m Still Alive by Kelly Blanchard. The 3rd book in the Chronicles Of Lorrek is utterly fantastic. It’s a perfect blend of sci-fi and high fantasy, magic and technology, and I super enjoyed this newest installment!!
3. The Cry of The Firebird by Amy Kuivalainen. New indie author to love!! This urban Fantasy draws on the mythology from the Netherlands and it is GORGEOUS!!
4. Grave Dealings by R.R. Virdi. Repeat author, different series! This is a fantastic series, The Grave Reports, centered on Vince Graves, a post-dead soul regularly “assigned” to the bodies of the recently-deceased due to supernatural causes. This third book was BRUTAL to the characters, but so much development happened that I absolutely loved it!!
5. Red Sister by Mark Lawrence. Loved the development, and the story arc built very well! I loved the diversity of the characters and the four “bloods” provided intriguing concepts to read and explore! Fantastically done!
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My Five would be:
Godblind by Anna Stevens a fast paced and frenetic debut.
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence fantastic characters and world building as ever.
Faithless by Graham Austin King for being a surprisingly excellent self pub.
Three Times the Trouble G.R Mathews for submarine noir meets kung fu.
The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch for letting the ghosts out the bottles.
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Ed McDonald- Blackwing
Mark Lawrence- Red Sister
Anna Stephans- Godblind
Anthony Ryan- The Legion Of The Flame
Peter V Brett- The Core
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Phillip Pullman – The Book of Dust
Kat Howard – An Unkindness of Magicians
Seanan McGuire – Down Among The Sticks and Bones
V.E. Schwab – A Darker Shade of Magic
Lev Grossman – The Magicians
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In no particular order:
Red Sister
Winter Tide
Oathbringer
The Bear and the Nightingale
An Unkindness of Magicians
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This is actually more difficult than I thought it would be… I read a lot this year.
The Core – Peter V. Brett.
What a fantastic concept. It is a gripping tale that masterfully uses what I call recursive flashbacks to completely change your understanding of a character throughout the series, I did so many 180s that I got dizzy, but the story just wont let you go because you care so much about the characters.
The Blood Mirror – Brent Weeks.
I have a fever, and the only prescription is more Lightbringer. Brent is crafting some of the most enjoyable fantasy out there today.
The Ruin of Angels – Max Gladstone
I don’t even know where to start. Everything Max writes is solid gold. He has full control of his voice and has crafted one of the most original settings in modern fantasy. Give him some time and you’ll be looking back at one of the greats. He is so good I want to give up writing.
Now I’m going to cheat a little bit.
Red Rising trilogy – Pierce Brown
I read this on a lark, I was absolutely floored by it. I didn’t expect what I got, which was an awesome story. The characters, the settings, the scope… this is “It is 4am, may as well keep reading” material. Fantastic!
The Strain trilogy – Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan.
I really wasn’t expecting much. The only reason I read the series was because the promos on television got my attention one day. I’m glad they did. This series is right in my wheelhouse. The subversion of myth in the series is masterfully done and the modern take on vampires is wonderfully executed. I’m a scholar of religion, so this one tickled me in all the right spots. The books are so fantastic I’m actually watching the series. It takes a lot to get me away from a keyboard to watch something on a television screen. This did that. The books were better though.
Oh, I read every short story Harlan Ellison ever wrote too. It feels like reading my own stuff. I think that is a good sign. “Seeing” is a short story everyone should read, it is a masterpiece.
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Red Sister, by Mark Lawrence
The Ice Dragon, by George R R Martin
The Red Queen, by Isobelle Carmody
The King Without a Kingdom, by Maurice Druon
Sourcery, by Terry Pratchett
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Red Sister, by Mark Lawrence
Kings of the Wyld, by Nicholas Eames
Heroes Die, by Matthew Stover
The Long Earth, by Terry Pratchett
The Misbegotten:An Assassin’s Blade Book 1, by Justin DePaoli
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These are objectively the best of 2017 (IMO)
1. A War in Crimson Embers: The Crimson Empire, Book 3 (by Marshall, a pseudonym for Jesse Bullington, finished up his jump into the Abercrombie/Lawrence Grim Dark, and it is awesome).
2. Red Sister (by Mark Lawrence, first book in his new series, just amazing and makes you want the next book like a starving wolf wants a steak on a cold night)
3. Dead Man’s Steel (by Luke Scull, The Grim Company Series, Book 3)
4. The Apostles of Doom (by J. L. Langland, Demons of Astlan, Volume 3)
5. Revenant Winds (by Mitchell Hogan,The Tainted Cabal, Book 1)
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1. Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb
2. Age of Myth, by Michael J. Sullivan
3. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
4. Uprooted, by Naomi Novik
5. Shadows of Self, by Brandon Sanderson
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Red Sister – the esteemed gentleman behind this contest. if you have a chance to listen to the audiobook i suggest you do so. heather o’neil does a fantastic job of bringing the written word to life.
sins of empire – brian mcclellan. i enjoyed the first foray into the powder mage universe and the return did not disappoint.
words of radiance – brandon sanderson. his work is hit or miss for me, but so far i’ve been enjoying the storm light archive.
the lies of locke lamora – scott lynch. just fun
blood song – anthony ryan. it’s the best book of the trilogy.
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↝The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
↝An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
↝Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
↝Half Lost by Sally Green
↝The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
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Tough. Going off my 5 star GR reviews and in no order:
Wrath by John Gwynne
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Warbreaker by Sanderson
Liar’s Key by Mark Lawrence
Painted Man by Peter Brett
Three of these have 2-3 entries.
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Here goes:
1. Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
2. Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown
3. The Thousand Names by Django Wexler
4. Blades in the Dark TTRPG Rulebook by John Harper ( A bit of an outlier I know, but I love this TTRPG too much )
5. Wrath by John Gwynne
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Top two favorite:
Red Sister – Mark Lawrence
The Tiger’s Daughter – K Arsenault Rivera
and then:
The Book of Phoenix – Nnedi Okorafor
The Fifth Season – N.K. Jemison
The Heroes – Joe Abercrombie
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Red Sister – Mark Lawrence
The Fifth Season – NK Jemison
Edgedancer Brandon Sanderson
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Assassin’s Fate- Robin Hobb
The Bear and the Nightingale- Katherine Arden
The Name of the Wind- Patrick Rothfuss
The Last Argument of Kings- Joe Abercrombie
Kings of the Wyld- Nicholas Eames
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Magician land – Lev Grossman
Red Sister – Mark
Sleeping Giants – Sylvain Neuvel
Shadows Edge – Brent Weeks
Kings of the Wyld – Nicholas Eames
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So, in no particular order (maybe the top two):
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark
Warlock’s Sun Rising by Damien Black
The Red Knight by Miles Cameron
Days of Endless Night by Matt Larkin
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