Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Stand Alone Fantasy Titles, August 2012

As the Napoleonic Wars run rampant across land and sea, two men emerge in 1806 England wielding magic long thought to be lost. Mr. Norrell weaves amazing illusions to try and turn the tide of the war against France, and his young understudy, Jonathan Strange, is equally as powerful. Soon, however, master and apprentice develop a rift, and the future of England is in the balance. Susanna Clarke's debut is magnificent. It is full of great historical tone and filled out with footnotes that immerse one in the world she is crafting. Magic and politics seem so well suited as companions that a reader will not find the more fantastical elements to be distracting. A sensational read from beginning to end.

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The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

Stand Alone Fantasy Titles, August 2012

The grandfather of the fantasy genre stumbled onto the story of a stay-at-home Hobbit contracted to join a team of dwarfs on an adventure to reclaim their gold from a dragon and in doing so he ignited the imaginations of readers and future writers. The tale of Bilbo Baggins and his unexpected journey was crafted for younger readers but has grown into a timeless classic. It is a precursor to his masterful Lord of the Rings but the tone and style are decidedly more light-hearted and mixed with more humor. Currently being translated into three movies by director Peter Jackson, all things Hobbit will be seeing a massive media blitz over the next three years. It could be the best time to pick up a copy and dive right in. 

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Grendel by John Gardner

Stand Alone Fantasy Titles, August 2012

Casting aside the mere epic grandeur of the saga of Beowulf, John Gardner's Grendel is a parallel work. In this take on the legend, the story is told from the viewpoint of the monster, Grendel. What is the nature of good and evil? Are those we consider monsters really just simple creatures who act as they must for their own survival, and who view US as the monsters? What meaning, if any, do we have in the world? Grendel ponders these questions and others as he menaces the land. Gardner explores his mind and his life up to the point when he is confronted by the warrior, Beowulf, and this intelligent novel is a prime example of the depths of thought and study one can achieve in a fantasy setting. Grendel has long been the most popular of John Gardner's works, and for good reason.

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The City & the City by China Miéville

Stand Alone Fantasy Titles, August 2012

In the city of Beszel, even something as seemingly simple as the investigation of a murdered woman is not nearly as easy as it should be. The wrinkle is having to journey to the neighboring city of Ul Qoma. Each is peopled with unificationists who seek to combine the two cities and nationalists who intend to destroy the other. And the people of neither city are permitted to recognize the others. That makes it more difficult when investigators from each city join forces to uncover the murderer and along the way discover something more disturbing that lies between the two cities. Miéville is one of the hot new writers on the scene and while the majority of his work has been outstanding, nothing has compared to The City & The City. Segregation, revolution, and the lengths people go to uphold their own social ideas and realities echo in this fantasy dipped in the color of mystery.

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Beowulf by Burton Raffel

Stand Alone Fantasy Titles, August 2012

With the author unknown, many a translation has come to tell the epic saga of the feats of the mighty Geat warrior Beowulf.  This Anglo-Saxon poem crafted sometime between the 8th and 11th century is an amazing work to behold and tells the story of Beowulf, prince of the Geats, who defeats the monster Grendel, his mother the Witch, and the great Dragon. It is a sword-wielding onslaught and translator Burton Raffel presents the text in a clear and poetic way, giving a vivid detail to action and thought. His edition is overshadowed of late by the award-winning translation of Seamus Heaney, but elements of his version sing in a way that properly illustrate the depth of the original poem.

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Rebecca Coleman, author of Heaven Should Fall

Alone since her mother's death, Jill Wagner wants to eat, sleep and breathe Cade Olmstead when the golden, handsome and ambitious man bursts upon her life. Even putting college on hold feels like a minor sacrifice when she discovers she's pregnant with Cade's baby. But it won't be the last sacrifice she'll have to make.

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American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Stand Alone Fantasy Titles, August 2012

Shadow is a former criminal. His wife is dead but he still sees her sometimes. And now he is caught up in a war between the new gods of America and the old gods of the immigrants who populated the continent. The old gods fight for relevance, to stay alive, while the new gods seek to replace them, each using Shadow as a pawn to meet their own ends. Neil Gaiman has designed a scintillating work of sheer brilliance with American Gods. Traversing the heartland of America and populated with touchstones of world mythologies brought to life, this novel is a certifiable page-turner, drawn out in only the way that Neil Gaiman can do it. A sure winner for anyone interested in fantasy, in mythology, or in suspenseful fiction.

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