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The Painted Man (the Demon Cycle, Book 1)
The Painted Man (the Demon Cycle, Book 1)
Peter V. Brett | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
6
7.4 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
First in "The Demon Cycle", this is very much what I would term a dark fantasy novel: not urban fantasy (like The Dresden Files), not heroic fantasy (David Gemmell) and not high fantasy (Lord of the Rings).

This is set in a world where Demons rise through the ground every night to terrorise/slowly cull the few remaining humans, the novel follows three seperate survivors of such attacks. It's pretty obvious that they are, eventually, going to meet up, which only happens in the latter porion of the book, by which stage one of the survivors has become The Painted Man (i.e. covered in magical wards, which the demons can't stand) of the title.

An enjoyable enough read, but I did find this to be occassionally hard going. I also picked it up when Waterstones had it on sale for about £3: for that price, I'm happy enough, but I also wouldn't be looking for the sequels at full price either.
  
Wizard's First Rule
Wizard's First Rule
Terry Goodkind | 1994 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
8.4 (19 Ratings)
Book Rating
Amazing Characters (1 more)
Epic Plot
Too Detailed (0 more)
This series is what got me into the fantasy genre. It's unique and the world that Goodkind has created is absolutely stunning. The characters are easy to relate to, while also giving them a sense of being completely different. It can be dark at times, but it's balanced by the wit and humor of some of the characters.