Owen Edwards - Book Reviews

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Owen Edwards - Book Reviews

I review books - sci fi, fantasy, classics, and RPGs.

25/04/2022

Who were the strange cooks at Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday? I've started a new series covering odd trivia from Tolkien's works. Here's the first:

In Tolkien Trivia, I cover little oddities in Tolkien's works. This time, the first time - who on earth are these Dwarves who turn up for Bilbo's party, but ...

11/04/2022

What made Harry Potter such a cultural phenomenon? Owen and Abi talk it out.

Welcome to the second episode of A Portal to Fantasy, Episode 2! This time we catch up on Abi's progress in her chosen "first big fantasy read" - Jonathan St...

07/02/2022

My friend Abi hasn't read any fantasy fiction aside from Harry Potter. We're doing a "show" together where she tries to get into it (but possibly not into dragons). Episode 1 is up, talking about why she avoids fantasy, and picking her first "proper fantasy book" (not that HP isn't!).

Welcome to the first episode of something new! (And sorry that it starts with my camera freezing up a bit...) Abi is getting into sci-fi, but has never liked...

03/01/2022

What were the top ten new-to-me fiction books I read in 2021? Watch the video to find out. What were yours?

These were my top 10 fiction books that I read for the first time in 2021 - what were yours? Tell me in the comments!

16/12/2021

What's the point of Tom Bombadil in "Lord of the Rings"? I talk about five ways Tolkien uses him in this video. Tell me what you think.

This time I talk about the literary purpose and function of Tom Bombadil in the "Lord of the Rings" books. Though a divisive figure, I argue that Tom is an i...

03/12/2021

I haven't put anything here in a while, but there are a lot of new videos up over on YouTube. Here's one recent one you might enjoy - a review of "The Book of the New Sun Volume 1: Shadow and Claw" by Gene Wolfe, a strange, disturbing, yet ultimately redemptive sci-fi/fantasy set on a dying Earth in the far future. Severian, our narrator, both boasts a perfect memory but admits he's somewhat insane - so what can we trust about his narrative?

This time I review the first two novels in the Book of the New Sun, now generally released in one volume: "Shadow of the Torturer" and "Claw of the Conciliator.

22/10/2021

The poetry in "Lord of the Rings" is high quality, genre-appropriate, and very important structurally and thematically in the story. I try to explain why in the video, with lots of readings of the poems themselves!

This time I defend the quality, place, and importance of poetry in Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings". I think it's a very important part of the book. Tell me you...

16/10/2021

WHAT MAKES SOMETHING A CLASSIC?

In this I try to explain the *social phenomenon* of something being considered a classic, or part of the canon (I mostly try to stay away from "this is what makes a book THE BEST"). Have a watch and tell me what you think.

This time I step into the field of landmines that is the discussion of what makes something a "classic" or part of the "canon". Like a clumsy elephant I blun...

05/10/2021

REVIEW: "Lord of the Hollow Dark" by Russell Kirk

Kirk's final novel, and the culmination of his ghost story writing, is an atmospheric yarn with wonderfully realized characters and big stakes. It has some shonky pacing at points but is well worth reading - though I recommend reading the short stories first. Click on the link for more.

This time I talk about Russell Kirk's final novel, the supernatural romance "Lord of the Hollow Dark", which serves as a culmination to many of the threads o...

28/09/2021

REVIEW - "DUNE" BY FRANK HERBERT
The desert planet Arrakis, a.k.a. Dune, has been given in fief by the Padishah Emperor to the noble house of Atreides. Dune is incredibly valuable, but there's every reason to believe it's all a trap.

This is an all-time great sci-fi novel, with strong writing, characters, worldbuilding, and plot. It also explores philosophical themes very well. For more, click on the video.

This time I talk about sci-fi classic, "Dune", a story of a desert planet, its strange mysteries, and the wheels-within-wheels politics of the noble houses m...

19/09/2021

REVIEW - "LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA" BY SCOTT LYNCH
A really very interesting modern fantasy book, the first in an ongoing series, in which Locke Lamora and his gang of confidence tricksters get dragged into a brewing mob war. The worldbuilding is incredibly textured, the action is very good, and the character work - particularly for Locke himself - is often brilliant. There are some issues which prevent it being an all-out classic, but it's worth a look. For more, click on the link.

This time I talk about "Lies of Locke Lamora", the first Gentleman Bastards book, a story of a smart criminal gang caught between a massive confidence trick ...

14/09/2021

This time I try to recommend "The Dark is Rising" sequence by Susan Cooper - it's a series of 5 books from the 60s and 70s, covering an Arthurian-inflected struggle between good and evil in contemporary Britain. It is nominally for middle grade/early YA audiences, but I think it's got a lot to offer adult fantasy readers.

Click on the link to find out why!

This time I try to explain why you might enjoy reading "The Dark is Rising" sequence by Susan Cooper - nominally a middle grade/early YA series, but really a...

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