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PODCAST

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review

A podcast by best selling fantasy author, Andrew Shaw, using his avatar, Lord Yama. It"s aimed at those who love fantasy and science fiction but have run out of things to read. A place to discover hidden gems and brilliant novels, trilogies and series that seem to have been lost in time as well as the best that is on offer from modern writers. It"s not a review so much as my desire to share the books that I have enjoyed in more than half a century of reading SFF. Lord Yama is an ancient Chinese

fiction science fiction

All Episodes

3:29

THE DANCERS AT THE END OF TIME TRILOGY BY MICHAEL...

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/10/04

Michael Moorcock is best known for his series of books featuring the albino anti-hero, Elric, and his soul-drinking sword, Stormbringer. They are classic sword and sorcery fantasies and well worth reading. But he also had a deft touch with other forms of fantasy. Perhaps my favourite books by him can be found in his Dancers at the End of Time trilogy. Charming, whimsical and at the same time extremely thought provoking. ----more---- And I am extremely pleased to say that my publisher has just

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3:41

JACK OF SHADOWS by ROGER ZELAZNY

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/09/27

My favourite fantasy author is ROGER ZELAZNY. Best known for his Chronicles of Amber, he was also a dab hand at science fiction. He was also the master at blending the two genres. His Lord of Light is the best-known example of how he did this but a much darker novel called Jack of Shadows is more to my taste. ----more---- And while you are here, have a look at one of my own books, SPOIL, a look at one of the darker periods in the history. The West looted millions of priceless relics from China

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3:01

THE BROKEN EARTH TRILOGY BY N K JEMISIN

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/09/20

This is another in my occasional series on Hugo Award-winning novels. The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin not only won the Hugo for the first book, The Fifth Season, but she also won the award in the following years for Books 2 and 3. Something never done before.----more---- And while you are here, have a look at one of my own books, SPOIL. The West looted millions of priceless relics from China during the colonial era. It’s time to give them back. This book tells the story of when they were

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3:48

THE EVERLASTING

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/09/12

In last week's podcast, I covered the Hugo Awards held in Los Angeles, where the award for best novel went to The Everlasting by Alix Harrow. Some of you have requested a fuller review of the book. It’s a great read and a departure from the type of fantasy that usually features in the most prestigious award in Science Fiction and Fantasy. Different perhaps but a deserved winner.----more----And while you are here. Please have a look at one of my own books about the legends and myths surrounding

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7:40

THE HUGO AWARDS 2026

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/09/06

There was a surprise winner for best novel at this year's Hugo Awards. The Everlasting by Alix Howell. Although there were some who'd dismissed it as a Romantasy, the award was well deserved and indicates a new direction and bright future for the fantasy genre. I would call it a Grimdark fantasy.----more----And while you are here. Please have a look at one of my own books about the legends and myths surrounding Jade, the Stone of Heaven. To ancient cultures it was sacred. In China, Confucius raved

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4:11

MAGIC SYSTEMS IN FANTASY

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/08/30

I have a big problem with complicated magic systems which now seem very popular in the fantasy genre. They irritate me. I don’t want my magic to be explained as a logical process. You might as well call it science. Perhaps we should have a new sub genre – Science Fantasy. Let’s face it. Magic is the mysterious and unexplainable. Once you start to explain it, it stops being magical.----more---- And while you are here. Please have a look at one of my own books about the legends and myths surrounding

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3:40

MY FAVOURITE HERO IN FANTASY

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/08/23

As a fan of Grimdark fantasy, I am not big on the modern concept of a hero. You know the type: noble and willing to sacrifice themselves for others. I identify far more with the amoral, selfish and cowardly anti-heroes. Nevertheless, there are some heroes in fantasy it is impossible not to like, even root for. Here are some of my favourites.----more---- And while you are here. Please have a look at one of my own books about the legends and myths surrounding Jade, the Stone of Heaven. To ancient

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4:57

MY TEN FAVOURITE FANTASY AUTHORS

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/08/16

Everyone who does a fantasy podcast seems to do a top ten list of their favourite books. I find this too much of a challenge as so many books are part of a series and cannot stand alone. So I have compiled a list of my ten favourite authors instead. I don't expect anyone to agree with it. But perhaps it will point you toward some great books you haven't read yet.

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2:36

THE LIBRARY OF THE DEAD BY T L HUCHU

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/08/09

The Library of the Dead by T L Huchu may be Young Adult Fantasy but it is so well written it can be enjoyed by anyone interested in the genre. Grimdark but with a light touch. A great read and a great introduction to a very gifted writer. .----more----And while you are here. Please have a look at one of my own books about the legends and myths surrounding Jade, the Stone of Heaven. To ancient cultures it was sacred. In China, Confucius raved about it; wars were fought over it and cities were

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3:23

ASSASSIN'S APPRENTICE

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/08/01

If you're looking for a character driven epic grimdark fantasy then books by Robin Hobb will be right up your street. And there is no better place to start than the first in her Farseer Trilogy, Assassin's Apprentice. She crafts a great story but her path to becoming a best seller was not an overnight success story. It was only after she'd chosen an adrogynous name, where she could be mistaken for a male writer that her books started to fly off the shelves. ----more----And while you are here, it's

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3:16

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN'S FILM THE ODYSSEY

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/07/26

Christopher Nolan's blockbuster film adaptation of the epic Greek poem The Odyssey is now breaking box-office records all over the world. Most people love it but there are those who can't help finding fault with it. Helen of Troy is too black, the plume on the helmet of Odysseus is too red, the armour worn by Greek warriors belongs in a Batman film, not the Bronze Age. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. It's brought the Woke Brigade out in full force! I've got a good idea. Why not just

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3:17

THE TIGER AND THE WOLF BY ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/07/19

One of the stars of modern SFF has to be Adrian Tchaikovsky. I first came across him through his science fiction novels and have recently started to read his fantasy. His world building, plotting and character development are on a level with the very best. The Tiger and the Wolf is the first in his Echoes of the Fall trilogy. Gripping stuff.----more---- And while you are here. Please have a look at one of my own books about the legends and myths surrounding Jade, the Stone of Heaven. To ancient

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4:18

A TALE EVEN MORE ANCIENT THAN THE ODYSSEY

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/07/12

This summer sees the release of the blockbuster film, The Odyssey, based on a Greek epic written nearly three thousand years ago. The movie has already received rave reviews, and its all-star cast will almost certainly ensure it's the cinematic event of the summer. It seems destined to win a few Oscars when the time comes. But the Odyssey is not the oldest fantasy epic ever written. That honour goes to a Sumerian epic known as Gilgamesh, which predates it by at least a thousand years. If you are

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3:00

THE PRINCESS BRIDE BY WILLIAM GOLDMAN

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/07/04

The Princess Bride is known to many people through the film. It was based on a book of the same name by William Goldman, who also wrote the screenplay. It is a cult classic, a delightful fantasy, and although written in modern times, it matches the best in traditional fairy tales. Wonderful stuff. ----more---- And while you are here. Please have a look at one of my own books about the legends and myths surrounding Jade, the Stone of Heaven. To ancient cultures all over the world it was sacred. In

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4:15

SECTOR GENERAL by JAMES WHITE

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/06/28

While I prefer Fantasy to Science fiction, a long-forgotten series about a space surgeon by James White has recently been republished which remind me how good stories set in the future can be. The novels he wrote epitomise everything I love about science fiction. They are based on original quirky ideas, they are thought-provoking and linger in the mind long after you finish reading them. Things that are sadly lacking in most SF today. ----more---- And while you are here. Please have a look at one

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5:52

THE CEMETERIES OF AMALO

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/06/21

One of the most underrated and perhaps overlooked fantasy trilogies of recent times is The Cemeteries of Amalo by Katherine Addison. Best known for her standalone novel, The Goblin Emperor, her three books based on the doings of a humble priest who can speak to the dead are just as good, if not better. Gentle and whimsical on the one hand, while at the same time set in a world believable enough to almost be considered Grimdark

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4:37

THIS IMMORTAL BY ROGER ZELAZNY

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/06/14

Roger Zelazny is quite rightly acclaimed as one of the all time greats of Science Fiction and Fantasy. He is my favourite author of fantasy and one of the biggest influences on my own writing. He is best remembered for his Amber series and for the marvellous Lord of Light. But for me, his best book is This Immortal. ----more---- And while you are here. Please have a look at one of my own books. A Jade Treasury. A collection of the legends and myths surrounding Jade, the Stone of Heaven. To ancient

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4:37

Shadow of the Leviathan trilogy by Robert Jackson...

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/06/07

For this episode I am going to recommend a novel I haven’t read because it hasn't been published yet. It is called A Trade of Blood, the third in a the Shadow of the Leviathan trilogy, by Robert Jackson Bennett. Books one and two were so excellent I am confident that part three will match my expectations.----more----And while you are here. Please have a look at one of my own books. A Jade Treasury. One of my own books about the legends and myths surrounding Jade, the Stone of Heaven. To ancient

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3:29

DANCERS AT THE END OF TIME BY MICHAEL MOORCOCK

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/05/31

Michael Moorcock is best known for his stories about the albino prince, Elric and his magic sword, Stormbringer. Perhaps rightly so, but for me his finest work is his Dancers at the End of Time trilogy. Far ahead of its time and thought provoking. Written by a story teller at the top of his game.

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3:00

THE PRINCESS BRIDE BY WILLIAM GOLDMAN

Lord Yamas Fantasy Book Review ·

2026/05/24

One of the most charming books written in the fantasy genre has to be Princess Bride by William Goldman. Both the book and the film that was made from it are cult classics. As fresh today as the day it was first published. A tale of true love and swashbuckling adventure.

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