May is here, marking the start of our fifth annual celebration of all things fantastic! Wyrd and Wonder means raving about our favourite fantasy books, yelling about movies and tv shows, sharing the games that light our fires, seeking out new authors and making new friends. Sure, we read fantasy all year round – but in May we do it together.
Five years ago, C of The Middle Shelf floated the idea of a jury-based award given by a panel of bloggers to their pick of the best works of genre fiction each year. Fast forward to 2022 and our fifth annual Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards will be bigger and more chaotic than ever, with more categories, more nominees and more opinions. Buckle up, it’s time to say hello to our 2022 panel and subjective shortlist!
We’re two thirds of the way through our journey, which is another fine time to pause and take stock. Pour yourself a drink and settle in to hear all about the adventures we’ve been having on our travels through the realms of fancy.
It’s a truth rarely acknowledged that I get more out of SFnal short stories than fantasy. Novellas, on the other hand, are a favourite of mine regardless of genre. The best have just enough world-building to support their plot, and focus on characters and situation to deliver a thrilling adventure or emotionally resonant ride (or both! Both is good) – for today’s Fantastic Five, I’m sharing some favourites…
The third week of our read-along of The Summer Tree is a rollercoaster of love and gods – and unexpected friendship. Yes, I’ve spent most of the week sobbing into my pages, so let’s see if I can explain why…
I’ve been making steady progress on my Subjective Chaos Kind of Awards shortlists, thanks in part to traveling a lot this past month. There’s nothing quite like the enforced downtime of flying to motivate me to inhale books I’ve been looking forward to or bull through ones I haven’t. Today I’m looking back at the fantasy novellas in a Wyrd and Wonder cross-over.
Well met, traveller! How are your adventures through the realms of fantasy? Varied and satisfying, we hope – but before you head back out in search of another, settle in and I’ll tell you a tale of what the rest of the party have encountered in their genre journeys. That’s right, it’s time for the Quest Log!
It’s Sunday, which means it’s time to share our Fantastic Fives! This week we’re celebrating the mascots who have accompanied us through five years of Wyrd & Wonder and Spooktastic Reads: the dragon, the phoenix, the pegasus, the raven and the wolf.
I’m delighted to announce a very special Wyrd & Wonder giveaway, combining our forest fantasy theme with a spooktastic vibe in honour of Friday the 13th! We have five ARCs of The Dark Between The Trees by Fiona Barnett to giveaway courtesy of the lovely team at Rebellion Publishing – if you’re brave enough!
It’s back to Fionavar for the second week of our read-along. Our earthborn five are scattered: Dave has disappeared, Kevin & Paul are buddying up with Diarmuid, Kim has come face to face with Destiny and Jennifer… seems like she might have a Fate. Let’s talk The Summer Tree!
In a magical fortress on the edge of the world, a runaway slave mage hides from his past until the arrival of a gifted refugee threatens his close-guarded secrets. But who is this girl with the tattooed face, and what does she mean to the rebels surging across the country?
Welcome back to the tavern, traveller! Grab a drink and rest awhile – the first week of Wyrd and Wonder has been busy, so it’s time to settle in and find out what adventures the rest of the party have found as they ventured into the wilds of fantasy. Never fear, your co-hosts have a round-up of all the action!
It’s Sunday, which means it’s time to share our Fantastic Fives! This week we’re exploring this year’s Wyrd and Wonder theme of forest fantasy – but what does that even mean?
As this is Wyrd & Wonder The Fifth, I’m taking every opportunity to do things in fives. That makes this year the perfect excuse to revisit the 5 Star Books In 5 Words tag (originally created by Matthew Sciarappa), right?
Welcome to the first of our Wyrd And Wonder read-alongs! This year, we’ve got two forest fantasy picks (of course!): Guy Gavriel Kay’s epic portal fantasy The Summer Tree and Holly Black’s faerie fantasy The Darkest Part Of The Forest. Today, we’re starting discussion of The Summer Tree…
Charlie Hall never met a lock she couldn’t pick, a book she couldn’t steal, or a bad decision she wouldn’t make. She’s trying to distance herself from her past, but going straight isn’t easy. Now everyone wants to lay hands on a secret that will grant them control of the shadow world – and who better to steal it than Charlie?
I saw this tag over at Space and Sorcery (possibly created by Amanda from A Brighter Shade of Hope, but if so the original has been taken down). This is an excuse to celebrate the characters who stole our hearts, so it’s a joy to give it a fantasy spin for Wyrd and Wonder.
onemore.org 