Podcast Episode 1: Overview of Fantasy Fiction & sub-genres from Saleena's POV

Ok, so if you missed the podcast; or are interested in listening here is the link:

https://anchor.fm/alchemyofgenres


On the podcast I went over a random assortment of Fantasy (mostly) authors.  I thought it would be good to share the covers, and go over them a bit this way (as it's sometimes hard to remember titles when listening to them).  FYI, some of these are available on Hoopla or Libby; some are not.  Some of these have really good audiobooks, some aren't available from the library or I have never tried them; so I won't talk about it if I don't know.   For the books not available from the library, I found the titles on Kindle or just randomly purchased for myself on Amazon (some are only on Kindle, especially if they are novellas).

Ok, so first of all, must apologize for mispronouncing Gail Carriger's name (it's a hard g not a j sound).

This is the 1st two books set in her steampunk fantasy universe.  Soulless is the story of a spinster (she's 25 and unmarried...gasp!)  She wasn't even given a season because she is mouthy, too smart and....Italian...the horrors!  Then she gets involved with some things, starting by accidentally killing a vampire (really, it was an accident); putting herself in the midst of a conspiracy and kind of falling for an Earl, who is also a werewolf and the Alpha of the London Pack (as well as the head of the BUR; a spy type agency for supernaturals).   Etiquette & Espionage is the first book in her YA series "Finishing School" where a girl with a tendency to cause trouble, read too much and "not know her place" is sent; and unbeknownst to her family; this school includes the art of assassination....along with etiquette and manners.   Carriger always writes with humor and loves characters with smart attitudes.  Me too!

This is also Gail Carriger, but writing under G.L.

Sumage Solution is another Adult Paranormal Romance/Fantasy; this one set in modern times;a and the main character; the Sumage, meets and begins to fall in love with the Beta of a werewolf pack that has just moved to San Francisco because they wanted to be somewhere that accepted them for all being different.  Their alpha is a nerdy marine biologist, and not the biggest guy in the group but DEFINTELY the alpha and he is mated to a Merman.  Max, the Sumage in question meets Bryan, or Biff, at the magical equivalent of the DMV; the registration office where the pack applies for residency.  This series is a bit more graphic in the sex scenes; but is fun and ties into her Steampunk universe but set in modern times.  This series is not deep, but it is fun. 

If you want to dive deeper Carriger has a number of novellas starring minor characters from her Finishing School and Parasol Protectorate series, which are also fun reads.

Born in Fire is more on the Fantasy end of things and is the 1st book in the Fire & Ice Trilogy.  These are pretty new books, first one came out in 2017 and center on a kickass mercenary type who has super strength and is immune to fire but is guarding a secret; she isn't a mage...her fire powers are inborn and from her father.  She meets a vampire and is hooked into a whole thing with him; but isn't sure she should trust him, though she definitely finds him lust-worthy.  Again, a big sense of fun; felt a bit like Buffy in it's humorous take on kicking ass and one-liners; and all in all a good read, not for kids necessarily; but if you want some fantastical adventures with a side serving of lust & romance; this is a good series.

Ok, so these two novels are associated but separate and evidently are only available through Amazon (kindle or paperback).  If you have Kindle unlimited reading plan you can find them for free.
Jon's Downright Ridiculous Shooting Case is the first in the Jon's Mysteries series.  These are definitely mystery adventures but also strongly paranormal romance (happy ever after included).  Jon is a strong psychic, who doesn't have an anchor or indeed anyone to help him.  His boss hires Donovan as basically a bodyguard because so many criminals keep trying to hurt or kill Jon since he helps put away so many criminals (he can read auras and while not a mindreader, he basically can tell almost everything about you within 5 min).  Donovan looks crazy scary (giant dude, scars, angry attitude); but Jon sees his aura and knows he is a big teddy bear....and the romance starts from there.    I wish I could meet either of them, or just hang out invisibly watching their lives (which I guess I am doing by reading the books).  This series is pretty new, first book came out in 2019 but I am in love and can't wait for the next book to come out (and I hope there are more...3 so far and I tore through them like a starving girl at a buffet)





Brandon's Very Merry Haunted Christmas is book 1 in Mack's Marvelous Manifestations series).  Brandon is Donovan's brother, who accidentally gives his brother a haunted snow globe for Christmas, so he has to go back to Arkansas to get it taken care of.  He meets Mackenzie, who is a medium and decides to work with him as an anchor for the time being (since Mack is new and doesn't have one).  Mack just passed his FBI exams as a medium and Brandon is in training with the special branch of FBI to be an anchor; but now.....he is falling hard for Louisiana boy Mack.  I like that this series goes in a different direction, and while there are only 2 books so far, Sherwood has definitely left room to continue and I for one cannot wait to continue the adventures.


Both of these books contain some fun (but graphic) M/M love scenes, so if you can't handle that, don't read.  But if you can....wowzers!  So hot!

This is the first book in the Kate Daniels series.  It is one of my favorite series'.  I have enjoyed both reading AND listening to them; as well as the novellas, the stand alone affiliates (which are stories she wrote for some of the secondary characters who really needed to tell their stories)....I even stalk the author site to read the blog....yeah...I'm obsessed. 
This has been (mistakenly in my opinion) called paranormal romance; when it really is more of a quintessential urban fantasy.  It literally takes place in downtown Atlanta (what's left of it); and while she meets a male she is interested in, we don't see "romance" until later in the series.  Additionally, as far as I'm concerned the definition of a paranormal romance is that the romantic pursuit is one of the central focuses of the story; and in this series, while there IS a romance; it is not the focus.  The focus of the story (and the series) is watching the development of Kate Daniels from a lonely mercenary hiding from everything and trying to fulfill her dying father's wish to prepare to fight and kill her birth dad for the murder of her mother. What actually happens is that she starts to grow, and change and discover who she is; what she is willing to fight for and try to save the world.....while maybe gaining some friends and a lover as well.  This first adventure starts when Kate's guardian is murdered and she starts trying to figure out who did it; finding out that someone is also killing vampires and were-animals in equal numbers, apparently trying to start a war between them.

  I love Kate Daniels because she is not perfect, but she has a strong moral code and isn't afraid to back it up.   Also, her introduction to Curran (male lead) is one of my favorite scenes ever.  If you haven't tried fantasy, this is a really good place to start since it has a lot of references to modern society just with magic that is around.

This, above is the beginning of Valdemar; Mercedes Lackey's fantasy world that has been going since 1985 (thus the corny but fun covers).  This is actually a groundbreaking trilogy as it was the first time a fantasy trilogy featured an LGBT character as the lead, AND he didn't die a horrible death for the punishment of being gay, but actually lives a long and productive life.  This trilogy is important in the world of Valdemar because Vanyel is the last Herald Mage for hundreds of years and in the later parts of the world his legend (and his life) are important.  I have been reading Lackey's books since I was a teen.  She actually has quite a few different worlds, urban fantasy, straight SF, Fantasy, twisted fairy tales...she has done it all and quite well.  She has won numerous awards and yet when people talk about the history of fantasy, she is often left out because she isn't "hard enough" or "her books are just for fun"...which is a cop out as far as I'm concerned, because any author who can stay a best selling author for more than 30 years IS important; and also....why is just for fun a bad thing? 

The basic idea of The Last Herald Mage trilogy is following the life of Vanyel, from his beginning in a backwards town and family who abuses him for not being manly enough; to how he acquires his magic, gets training, discovers his soul mate, loses his soul mate, finds another and saves Valdemar many, many times from all sorts of dangers.  If you like a fantasy world with great character development and lots of books to explore, you can't go wrong with Valdemar books or with Lackey.

Speaking of legends, and worlds with a history; let me introduce Anne McCaffrey and Pern.  Now, this book was first published in 1968 and she has covered all the bases in her lifetime (she passed away in 2011 and her son is continuing to write in her world).  Anne McCaffrey is another one that is known for writing everything; SF (featuring main characters with physical disabilities), Fantasy, and everything in between.  Her Pern novels are still hard to categorize as they feature dragons, but the adventures all take place on Pern; which is a distant planet which was a colony of Earth once upon a long time ago.....so...yeah, she had it all covered. 
This novel introduces Lessa who is hiding in a rundown castle after her entire family is murdered.  When she is selected in a hunt for a queen egg (the dragons are telepathic and bond with a rider at birth or die); her life changes and she also changes Pern with her abilities and attitudes and personality. 
I have read and adored pretty much everything this author has published since I found the books in 10th grade. Her world building is top notch, her characters well developed and well rounded and the writing is wonderful.  I can't even tell you how many times I have read them....it may even be time to read them again. 


Nalini Singh is a perfect example of a paranormal romance author.  Her Psy-Changeling series follows various people (psychics who have formed a society bereft of emotion and heavy on logic and changelings (i.e, shapeshifters) who rely heavily on emotion and instinct)   Of course you have various Psy and Changelings discovering each other and falling in love, it's a classic Romeo & Juliet thing to do and also allows exploration of societies that are so single focused and why that doesn't work.
Singh's books are fun.  They are not deep, they aren't difficult; what they are is a delicious dessert of reading...which is always fun.
I won't get into the plot of this particular book, as it's exactly the Romeo Juliet thing described, as are the next few in the series but with small differences...but it's ok...you don't read a romance novel because it's deep any more than you eat dessert because it's healthy....it's just yummy.

Cast in Shadow is the first of the Chronicles of Elantra.  Sagara has a knack for writing a stunning character arc with this series following Kaylin and watching her grow.  She is a conflicted and deeply damaged character who has overcome so much, and learning about her; following her through the novels as she overcomes prejudices, grows as a person and as a power in Elantra, is a journey I have treasured.  This first book introduces Kaylin.  She is a Hawk, which is a police/crime unit in the city of Elantra.  She hears of children being murdered and their bodies have strange markings on them; markings just like the ones that she received as a child the last time there was a string of child murders.  Can she figure it out before any more children die?  Will she start to figure out why and how she was saved the last time?  This series is definitely more solidly SF but it FEELS like a SF/Fantasy mix since there are many races of people, including dragons, and magic is a thing.  I don't know why this series isn't more popular but I am a sucker for a world so well defined I am drawn right in as well as characters so well created that I feel like they are part of my family.

Skinwalker is the first of the Jane Yellowrock books.  She is a shape shifter but her abilities come from her Native American magic not from being a were animal.  She has struggled to learn her abilities and to remember her past; what she does know is that she is not alone in her head.  Somehow she has Beast also residing within her, a Cougar who lends her abilities and thoughts that are not her own.
She is hired to come to New Orleans to hunt some rogue vampires that are causing trouble. 
Faith Hunter is another writer that really dives deep into exploring the character of Jane Yellowrock.  The series sees her discovering her heritage, finding new abilities and even dating some cool guys.  This is not a romantic series, but it is nice that as part of the journey the character finds friends and lovers along the way.  This urban fantasy has vampires and were-animals sort of known but struggling with how to fit into modern society, and maintaining a lot of secrets along the way.



C E Murphy's Urban Shaman series is another one that features a Native American lead character.   This one is a cop and a mechanic; as well as being both Native American and Irish.  Her magic is a mix of both, and she has never paid attention to any of it before, until the day she sees a woman pursued by a strange figure on a horse and she can't help but investigate.  Along the way, she begins to find out what she can do, meets her best bud (the taxi driver) and gets a glimmer of an idea of how attractive her boss at the station is. 
Again, this series has strong character development, a flawed but kickass heroine who has a strong moral code that she will not compromise on (I'm sensing a trend in my fav books here...haha).  This series walks the line with being an urban fantasy because while magic abounds there are still a lot of people denying it exists.

On a random side note: Murphy & Hunter even wrote a short story in which the two characters met each other (despite being in different universes). 




Now, here is a part where I acknowledge a mistake.  I wrote down and talked about Sherrilyn Kenyon and her paranormal romance series, the Darkhunter books which began publishing in 1996.  Unfortunately I named the wrong title, so I am including both title options here.  Her first book was Night Pleasures, which features a demigod trapped in a book, who can only be released from his curse if he finds a woman who will summon him, fall in love with him, but not sleep with him.
Sherrilyn is another of the original creators of the idea of paranormal romance, where gods and wereanimals and vampires all exist; though in secret; and falling in love with human (or nonhuman) people.  Kenyon shares all the adventures, explores many characters, so while you can read these in any order, it is more fun to read them in order (because character A, meets character B who is the star of the next book, who is related to person C who gets their own book, and so on and so on.)   I like the variety of story lines, the continuing character & plot devices which really bring all the stories together.  She even has a YA series, which follows a character who has gone back in time to try and fix his teen life so that he won't end up the evil cursed person he has become.  Some of these are available on audio, some not; but again, all are fun if you don't mind nonhumans in your love story.




Born of Night is actually Book 1 of The League: Nemesis Rising series, which I haven't read but will likely get to, I can't read too many of her books in a row, but I am making my way through the books a little at a time.  So, read it and tell me about it, or just wait and I'll get there eventually.

Angela Knight's MageKnights books are basically taking the idea of the Knights of the Round Table, adding in vampires and sorceresses, alternate universes of magic; and voila!  These are definitely in my favorite candy box; with each novel focusing on a particular character as they find their match (either by giving them magic or just finding the perfect person to balance their magic).  In this book Erin is a government agent, sent to capture Reece who she thinks is a serial killer; but actually is one of the mage knights hunting a killer.  Erin and he are captured and must work together to defeat an evil that is seeking enough power to become a god, and will then wipe out the mageverse and our universe as well. 
Angela definitely doesn't shy away from a good sex scene (in fact, if you are a human with magic potential, sex with someone from the mageverse is how you acquire/activate your powers); so use caution if graphic sex isn't your thing.  I have just started reading Knight's books even though she's been writing since 2003 or so; but thus far, it's a fun ride. 

Hounded is the first novel in the Iron Druid series.  Atticus O'Sullivan, the last of the druids is over 2,000 years old but looks like a cute Irish 21 year old with a lot of tattoos and a huge Irish wolfhound that goes with him everywhere.  In Hounded, one of the gods he has been hiding from (because he kind of stole his sword); has found him....and oh yeah, he is willing to destroy the world and kill everyone just to get it back.  These books are amazing.  Classic fantasy adventure with a bonus talking dog (Atticus has taught his dog to communicate telepathically); the audio books are equally amazing and there are even a few novellas (several featuring Oberon, the dog)....and as an extra special bonus, the author has a twitter account for Oberon the dog which is HYSTERICAL....

If you are craving a classic fantasy featuring gods & magic & all the trimmings, this is definitely a good place to start.

KJ Charles is an author I stumbled upon thanks to Kindle Unlimited.  The Magpie Lord introduces Lucien, who had been exiled to China for most of his life, and never planned to return; however, with his father's death and his brother's shortly following, he has inherited the Earldom and has to come to England to settle up the estate.  When he is magically attacked by a spell that seeks to make him kill himself, his long time friend and companion finds magical help in the form of Stephen.  Stephen really didn't want to help Lucien seeing as how his father's life and career were ruined by Lucien's father; but somehow he can't turn him down.  Together they track down the culprits, but along the way, begin to fall for each other.  Lucien is very comfortable with his "life choices" due to his foreign upbringing, however, they aren't in China any longer and Victorian England has a lot of issues with their love.
KJ Charles really sucked me into her world with this series.  I hope she continues to write their adventures (though I haven't yet finished the third in the series yet, so it's possible it's over at the end of the trilogy).  She has some explicit love scenes, so be aware; but also lots of magic and suspense and danger..so basically a really fun ride if you enjoy a good alternate history fantasy novel.


We can't have a good discussion of fantasy without at least mentioning Neil Gaiman.  He has a ton of

amazing books, for young children, middle grades, teens and adults.  Here I am showing a pic of American Gods, which they turned into an Amazon series.  But really, read any, read them all....you can't go wrong with Neil Gaiman.  Also, as a bonus, he wins all sorts of literary awards so even those individuals who pay attention to deep thoughts, sentence structure, plot devices (and whatever else goes into deciding something has deep "literary value") love him.. I love him, because while he MAY pay attention to all the elements that make English teachers drool, he also pays attention to the STORY.  He builds tales that suck you in and make you think and affect your dreams.  For me, that's more important than awards or literary merit; but then again, I have always cared more for story than words. (wait, I think my literary bias is showing....sorry....my apologies)

ahem.

So, here is another author responsible for the urban fantasy genre.  This book, Guilty Pleasures is the first Anita Hamilton book and was published in 1994.  Hamilton talks about how hard it was for her to get published because the mystery people liked the story except for the vampires, and the Fantasy people said it wasn't magical enough (because it's set in Saint Louis  but one with magic); thankfully she was published and has been going strong since 94.   Anita Blake has undergone a huge journey as a character, growing and changing from a dark and lonely 20 something who thinks everything is black and white; good or evil into someone who lives in the grey and has forged a life for herself that she refuses to apologize for. 
Guilty Pleasures starts us out with Anita being blackmailed into helping to find out who is killing vampires (usually she is doing the killing).  Along the way she meets Jean Claude, and together they overcome impossible odds....but really, he is a vampire, and she is a vampire executioner so it can't last right?  HA!  As a caveat, since this book starts in the long ago times, there are some things that haven't aged well, but bear that in mind and you'll be fine.  Also, while the first few books have very little sex in them, there is lots of violence; and once sex is introduced Hamilton doesn't shy away from that either.  In her own words; she wanted a character who could kill without being all girlie and crying over it, wasn't afraid to enjoy sex (though she does struggle with it for a bit) and was basically just a kickass person (and she is).  Again, definitely not for the kiddies, due to lots and lots of adult content but another one of the authors I am obsessed with and have read multiple times.  The audio books are mostly read by an amazing actor (Kimberly Alexis); but occasionally another person ...the reason I love Alexis so much as a reader is she really does well with all the accents.  But regardless of how you read the books, if you enjoy solving crimes, delving into deviance and kickin ass and taking names; check out the Anita Blake books.

Random gem, mentioned briefly in the podcast is this book of short stories by Hamilton and McCaskey.  McCaskey has only one book to his credit, but he is friends with Hamilton and she really wanted to bring a mix of authors, known and unknown to the book.  The theme of Hope is a great one right now, and I enjoyed most of the stories in the book and found McCaskey's book on Kindle Unlimited and shall begin reading it soon.

Kim Harrison's The Hollows books were supposed to be finished with #13; but she has changed her mind and #14 is coming soon.  YAY!
This series started in 2004, but has garnered all sorts of chatter (and rightfully so).  She writes books that explore dark themes but has humorous moments to keep it from being overwhelming.  Watching Rachel Morgan's journey has been amazing (I also love that all the titles are homages to Clint Eastwood movies).
This book begins with Rachel in trouble, and struggling to clear her name; and starting her own bounty hunting/investigative agency with her friend who is a born vampire (still alive but with all the powers; and destined to become even more powerful when she dies).   In this universe (set in an alternate Chicago), witches are not human; and tomatoes are not trusted by anyone who is human due to a genetic disaster that precipitated the "coming out" of all the supernaturals to save the world (and the humans).  The Hollows is the part of town the "not humans" live in.  Rachel is mouthy, fun, and definitely a danger to herself and others.   Check out these books for a very good time.

Finally:  the last (but not least):   CT Adams & Cathy Clamp writing the Sazi books.
Admittedly, I have only read the first one (it came out in 2004 but I missed the whole series somehow).  Hunters Moon follows an assassin who has been infected with the werewolf virus through a bite; and a young lady desperate for him to kill her so she can be free from a life she is trapped in.  This is a definite suspense driven paranormal romance; but it was fun (and trust me, I was quite skeptical when I found it on Kindle)....but I am now reading the next volume continuing the adventures of the two in Hunter's Moon; and looking forward to seeing where it goes.  Call it another guilty pleasure.  Again, some graphic sex scenes so not for kiddos; but a hot romance if you want yours spiced with some sexy werewolves.  =)

Sorry this was so long....but I talk a lot; and I'm passionate about books....so join me on this journey between the podcast and the blog.  Continue the conversation by posting comments, suggestions for a type of book to explore (please note if it's mystery...there will likely be magic in it; or it will be a YA book....just warning you).

Saleena

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