Calen Bryer is coming of age in the village of Milltown, and that means The Proving is just around the corner. He and the other young men around his age will be split into teams and sent into Olm Forest for three days and nights, and the team that emerges with the head of the most dangerous prey animal will be declared the winner, and grow in status within the village. This is a test of courage, fighting skill, and teamwork that not everyone survives. Calen enters the forest teamed up with his good friends Dann and Rist, but none of them are prepared for what they find. Their discovery kicks off a series of events that eventually puts his entire village at risk, and results in all 3 of them becoming embroiled in a centuries old war. A war fought between Jotnar (Giants,) Elves, Dwarves, Uraks, and even Dragons. We've seen most of this before, so does this all add up to another great epic fantasy series or is this just another fantasy series in a crowded genre?

The world as we know it is gone. Eli ‘Nacho’ Naches finds himself involved in a new reality with the rules of a video game, the Juxtaposition. Levels, skills, stat points, monsters, and dungeons are all part of this new reality, and it becomes obvious that he and the other humans fighting for survival in this world didn't grasp the rules well enough when they made their initial choices. Food and water are poisonous without proper processing, yet nobody chose the class or skills needed to make it edible, and all human players have become reliant on the game store for sustenance. An unsustainable situation. As players level up, they must eat higher tier food, and the prices increase beyond their ability to pay. Eventually they discover the only source of food they can afford that doesn't make them sick.....each other. That's when the game world turns into a living hell of cannibalism and eventually Nacho finds himself on the menu. That's when Nacho's patron gives him a boon, and grants him the opportunity to start over with his memories intact. Thus Nacho finds himself back in the normal world with six months to prepare for the Juxtaposition, and his best friends think he has lost his mind.

There are many reasons you could be enjoying this series. You might like the story of magic returning to our world and learning about how it works along with the protagonist, Kaz. You might like some of the other human characters and the odd mix of time travelers and secret agents, or more likely, it's the talking dog, demigod cat, and/or the djinn. Or maybe it's a combination of all these things that result in entertaining stories that don't take things all too seriously. No matter, you know the formula already, and you also know that the main plot is moving along rather slowly. So does this book finally pick up the pace and move us towards some meaningful plot progress? Not really.

Two gods battled to decide the fate of the world and humanity. One wanted to remake the world and destroy humanity in the process while the other fought to stop them. Both were seriously wounded and centuries later their battle is little more than myth in the far north where a mysterious killing mist known as the Fug protects the mountain where the god Tyr rests. The southern continent is ruled by a powerful Empire dedicated to the god Gharl who's armies are supplemented by hybrid creations like the Jackals while his more elaborate failed creations roam the desert killing any they find. The Empire continually attacks the southern coastline of the northern Kingdom in an endless meat grinder of a war the origins of which only a few remember. The gods have chosen their champions, one who has hidden their allegiance since they were born and the other an unwanted gallows born bastard. Which will prevail in this action packed epic fantasy series?

This isn't the first time we've read about a holy knight from a secret order who thought they were the good guy but then discovers that they're also killing innocents. Reason enough to abandon the order and try to disappear into normal society, only to pick up the sword again in order to right all the wrongs. But Stewart manages to breathe new life into the trope with colorful characters and some great world building. This is an urban fantasy with magic, mythological beings, spy tech, and some LGBTQ+ Pride.

Each floor of the dungeon in this series has a unique theme and rule set, and this is true for both floors included in this book, the 10th and 11th. The 10th is a racing format where the crawlers are split up and competing in insane race stages against teams of NPCs, and sometimes each other. Each race has a different rule set and severe consequences for anyone who comes in last. This is a complicated set up that can be difficult to follow at times, but it is offset a bit by the 11th floor, which is the titular Parade of Horribles, and is a rather simple concept. The AI that runs the dungeon continues to become more unstable, and external political forces also get involved to make this one of the most chaotic books in the series, and that is saying something. So has the story remained compelling, or has this series finally jumped the shark?

Meet Adam. Actually, his name was originally something like Urrr but he’s going by Adam when we meet him, hungover and stuck behind a futon. You pictured a mysterious guy cleverly hiding a katana under a trench coat? Sorry to disappoint, but Adam’s just an average looking guy who drinks too much and occasionally remembers the good old days when fire was the latest invention. Unfortunately for Adam, it’s a lot harder to disappear in this modern world and scientists, cultists, and various mythological/supernatural others are tracking him down while he pursues an elusive woman who might also be immortal. Just like The Highlander franchise, present day action mixes with Adam’s memories of ancient times in these adventures.

The 12th book of the Cradle series finally completes Lindon's journey, which started long ago with Unsouled. Originally branded as someone incapable of becoming a sacred artist, Lindon's fate was impacted by one of the Abidan who set him on this path. But where does this path end? His decision to take on both the Dreadgods and the Monarchs and rid Cradle of this eternal battle may be more than he can handle. The remaining Monarchs have named Lindon a Dreadgod, and it is starting to look like that designation may be more factual than initially thought. One thing is certain, Lindon's fate will be determined in a short amount of time. He will either ascend to the heavens and join the Abidan in their war against chaos, or fail in his quest to save Cradle and become the most terrible Dreadgod of all.

Rae managed to survive the first book of the Time of Iron series, the universally hated character she inhabits originally didn't, but she greatly altered the lives of several characters including her favorite sociopath, the prophesied Emperor himself. She accidentally betrayed him to his death but it's okay because he still returned from the dead with his undead army and now plans to conquer the world with Rae as his wife. Ah true love, he doesn't trust her or believe anything Rae says but he'll decapitate anyone who insults her. Rae quickly comes to the conclusion that the sarcastic unpredictable sociopath isn't nearly as entertaining he was in the book but she feels guilty about his death and decides that finding him the right wife might help him find happiness. It might also have something to do with a god telling Rae that she's not worthy of being his wife but if she saves him from the second prophecy the god will send her back home. If she fails she'll just die horribly. If only Key knew about the second prophecy or knew what happiness was.

This series has really changed over the years and the original emphasis on Kaylin investigating crimes in a fantasy world, which usually ended with saving that world, has shifted to simply dealing with the world ending crisis. So her day job as a Hawk is mentioned mostly in regards to her absences, and mentions of the fief lord Nightshade, and her complicated feelings about him, see even fewer words than the Hawks. Until now, because Cast in Blood resurrects that story line when assassins attack Nightshade and the Lady of the Barrani with some kind of magical poison that might be a kind of Shadow. I’m remember the question at the end of book two. Will she be Erenne?