#fantasy recommendations

[peterrsthomas]

Book Review: Tress of the Emerald Sea 

Tress of the Emerald Sea is a wonderful, layered adventure that evolves as the priorities of Tress, our main character, ebb and shift. Tress is a young girl from a barely habitable rock, surrounded by a sea of spores that turn into vines when they touch water. Her friend and love interest, Charlie, the son of the island’s Duke, is sent to the island of the King to be married. When he makes himself completely undesirable, the King sends him to the Midnight Sea (another of several spore seas, each with their own distinct properties) where he is captured by the fearsome Sorceress. 

Tress, when she finds out, sets off on a grand adventure to save him. On the way, she becomes part of a pirate crew, driven by the fearsome Captain Crow, and meets Fort, Ann, and Salay, as well as Hoid, a world-hopping character of the wider Cosmere who is cursed by the Sorceress. As Tress seeks Charlie, she becomes embroiled in a conflict between the crew and their captain. This multi-tiered adventure keeps the story fresh and engaging. Of the people Tress meets, Ulaam in particular stands out as a delightful character whose presence brings fun and unpredictability to his scenes. An ear on your arm, anyone?

One of the key strengths of the novel is how its conflicts are solved through different means. Some through combat, sure, but also through wit and quick-thinking. These keep the tension high in the right places, and show Sanderson’s skill in crafting a variety of situations and solutions for his characters. I am a massive fan of different ways of solving problems beyond force—the scene with Xixis the dragon was my favourite—so this scratched a real itch for me.

The world building, as one would expect of Sanderson, is top-tier. The spores and how they function are cool and varied, and the way they are built into the story is very satisfying. Likewise, the narrative voice, provided by the cursed Hoid (who is rendered to something of a ‘village idiot’ with no fashion sense), connects the novel to the broader Cosmere. Hoid is witty and fun, and this keeps the narrative light. It is also refreshing to have the story told by a third party who is able to comment personally on what is happening without being the centre of the story. I did find some of Hoid’s observations to disrupt the immersion in places—e.g., the reference to ‘laptops’ being a key one. I get that this is supposed to broaden out the links to the world beyond, but, as someone unfamiliar with the rest of the universe, I found it a little jarring.

Also, Tress’s character development, while clearly central to the story, does sometimes suffer from exposition that I found a little heavy-handed. There are moments when the narrative explicitly states that Tress is changing or growing, even when I think readers can see these changes organically. It’s a little unnecessary and on-the-nose. And, lastly—SPOILERS—certain plot elements create minor inconsistencies that detract from the otherwise cohesive world. For example, the Sorceress has inhabited the planet for years and possesses advanced knowledge of technology that Tress is only beginning to develop. When Tress offers to trade this technology, the Sorceress dismisses it—yet later, her guards are defeated by this very same technology. This inconsistency feels like an oversight that somewhat weakens the internal logic of the story.

Regardless of some minor flaws, Tress of the Emerald Sea is an easygoing, refreshing sci-fi/fantasy adventure with a cast of loveable characters. The story is accessible and easy to follow, is told with humour, and sits against a well-fleshed-out and intriguing world. It gets a big ‘recommend’ from me!

[clearancecreedwatersurvival]

‘I want to watch a show where characters just happen to be queer and their queerness isn’t the focus of the story.’ -you should watch the wheel of time

‘I wish there was more media that normalized polyamory’ -you should watch the wheel of time

‘I wish there were more focus on women and characters of color in fantasy and sci fi and genre fiction’ -you should watch the wheel of time

‘I want more shows that put a lot of emphasis on platonic relationships and not just romances’ -you should watch the wheel of time

‘I wish there were more fantasy shows that didn’t objectify sexual violence against women’ -you should watch the wheel of time

‘I wish television would cast more middle aged and older women in dynamic and interesting roles’ -YOU SHOULD WATCH THE WHEEL OF TIME

[orangeblossombitch]

And the Galilean women were wet

with butterflies and dew,

dancing above chrysanthemum

- Mahmoud Darwish

Look at it on Insta with sound ^^

[ilovemesomevincentprice]

Vincent Price and Boris Karloff wizard duel to the death - The Raven (1963) dir. Roger Corman

[vivitalks]

i'm sorry but the gorgug x mary ann skuttle arc is soooo funny to me. zac said i will have my enemies to lovers moment. nobody made him do this. my man fully, by himself, engineered a subplot solely for the bit and it worked like a charm

[adaine-party-wizard]

WHOEVER DID THIS I LOVE YOU

[kurtsmellsliketeenspiritt]

Fantasy readers of tumblr please help me. I’m a huge fan of epic fantasy like wheel of time, lord of the rings, game of thrones and just about anything brandon sanderson. But all these incredible series that i love are always written by men and the female characters tend to fall short.

I want to support female writers and have some well written female characters but the fantasy genre has been almost entirely usurped by “romantasy” which i truly cannot stand and I’m struggling to find anything i would enjoy. Does anyone have any epic fantasy recommendations by women???

[joncronshawauthor]

It’s High Time to Get Cosy with Indie Fantasy Books

Picture this. You’ve got a hot cup of tea at your side, you’re snuggled in your favourite armchair, the rain is tapping politely on your window. What better time to crack open a good book? You reach for the latest fantasy epic from a big-name author, but then you remember…you’ve already read this tale a dozen times. Elves, dragons, magical swords – been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Don’t…

[greykolla-art]

Just some doodles, as I continue to wait for my books. 🙏

I like this version of Tanith, but China could use more refining.

Not quite beautiful enough for my taste.🙏❤️

[neon-ufo]

Song for September: Alive by Týr

~~~ The portrait in the background is a leftover from a scrapped June monthly, I had a feeling it would come in handy! Not sure what to say about this one except that this is probably in my top 3 favourite pieces that i made this year. Also I keep giving Lubi swords lmao

[noahhawthorneauthor]

Historical fantasy is my absolute number one favorite thing to read, and this is the best time of year for them I think. The first two slides are filled with books I loved, and the last slide is books I want to read.

[rocketbirdie]

i feel like i failed you.

[dangoulains-devotion]

vincent valentine week 2024 - day 1; surprise/sweet

a short comic based off of a thought the end of advent children gave me - what if once in a while aerith could, for a short time, communicate via phones? it's a bit of a stretch idea but i thought it'd be cute!

[allwhiterain]

“Sometimes The Pink Opaque feels more real than real life”

I Saw the TV Glow (2024) Directed by Jane Schoenbrun